Page 4 of Holiday Plus-One
“Hi, nice to meet you.” She says to me, and I want to apologize for not saying that to her first but my mind blanks when she slips her hand in mine.
I’m a numbers kind of guy, not really a people’s person outside of Tracie and my family and the Myers, so interactions with other people isn’t my strong suit neither is someone I find insanely attractive.
Now, my brain is not stuck on figuring out what algorithm to use for my next app but it’s on her. On Valentina and how beautiful her name sounds. She has her dark hair up in a ponytail and I just stare at how much of her face I can see. Soaking it all up in my mind. I’ve never seen her here, so it makes me wonder if she’s ever lived here or if she lived somewhere else. I would have noticed her.
“Have you lived here all your life?”
“Baker!” Victor Junior calls out to me.
Looking at him, I shrug, “What? I would have noticed if she did. There’s no way she was living here, and I never saw her.”
Valentina chuckles and my ears register the sound.
“You laugh like an angel, what the fuck?” The words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“Alright, that’s enough for now.” Senior practically snatches my hand out of hers and leads me to stand next to Tracie.
After Senior gives me a pointed look, he walks back to his daughter whose eyes keep looking my way but mine won’t stop looking at her for anything.
Leaning in, I whisper to Tracie without taking my eyes off Valentina. “What did I do?”
“You mean besides gawk at his daughter like she’s the best red meat you’ll ever taste?”
“Taste?” I repeat. “My mind wasn’t even there but now… now,” Tracie elbows me and it puts a stop to my words “I can—.”
“Shut up, Benjamin.”
“Ouff, low blow.”
Her using my middle name means nothing but her wanting to tell me to behave. I was behaving, wasn’t I?
Valentina
Riley Benjamin Baker,I don’t even remember when I asked for his full name but now it’s stuck roaming in my brain. He’s sexy but at the same time cute. Can that be a thing? Or am I making it up?
His dirty blond hair is striking against his skin as his light brown eyes are big and round, reminding me of a puppy dog yet at the same time, there’s something dangerous in them.
He runs his hand through his hair that comes back to his face and as if he feels me watching him from across the table, he looks right up at me.
Riley smirks and I can’t help but wonder if he’s mischievous or if he doesn’t realize how much he looks like he would devour me if I gave him the opportunity to do so or simply said yes.
“So, Valentina, what do you do?” Riley speaks up again reminding me how I like his voice and the way he just seems to give me his undivided attention.
“Oh, wedding curator.”
“That’s pretty cool. Is it a rewarding job? Do you love it?” He asks.
“It’s alright, it is rewarding when everything comes together later on, and it makes you take a moment to just be in awe of everything.”
Riley smiles and it makes me melt. I don’t even know him for longer than a day and here I am, giving him all the answers to the questions he’s asking.
“I like that. You never answered my question,” he says as he ignores the looks that he’s getting from my father.
“What question?”
“How come I’ve never seen you around?”
This causes me to chuckle.
