Page 62 of Stick Side
“I would, I would,” she enthused, acting far more her age than the little adult she’d seemed thus far. Penny wasted no time pulling open the door.
“Congratulations!” a lady wearing an Escapism staff shirt praised from the other side of the door. “You’re our new high score! You broke out in thirty-seven minutes, beating the previous high score of thirty-nine minutes.”
“Triumph!” Penny cheered, pumping a little fist into the air. “We did it!”
“It looks like you’re a good team player after all,” Melody praised, giving the girl a gentle squeeze before letting her go.
Penny scrunched up her nose, causing her glasses to slide down a bit. “I have no problem with teamwork provided people cede to my judgment.”
Ben couldn’t hold back his bark of laughter. “Maybe you’re just a natural-born leader.”
“Sure. We’ll go with that,” Angela answered, heavy irony lacing her tone.
“See, Mom, I’m not inflexible. I’m a born leader.” The mischievous smile playing at the corners of Penny’s lips suggested she was going to use this argument to her tactical advantage in the future.
Melody’s warm laugh filled the air. “Oh man. We’ve created a monster.”
Ben’s breath caught as he took in the guileless beauty of Melody’s smile. As the warm lighting cast over her features, bringing out the natural glow in her still sun-kissed skin and the subtle hint of espresso highlights in her thick, lustrous hair, the only monster he was worried about was the one that was threatening to explode out of his chest if Melody didn’t stop becoming more irresistible to him by the day.
Chapter 29
Ben
Ithadbeenalong time since Ben had felt such simple contentment that he’d forgotten just how pleasant a state it was to be in. As he, Melody, Penny, and Angela sat on a couch, waiting to have their team picture taken, he was conscious of the little things. The subtle warmth of Melody’s body next to his. The silky tendrils of hair that brushed his arm when he shifted just a little bit toward her. The intoxicating scent of jasmine that seemed to envelop her. He couldn’t help but close his eyes, take a deep inhalation, and try to imprint the moment into his memory bank.
He opened his eyes when he felt the gentle weight of Melody’s hand on his thigh. Her touch was most welcome, but he couldn’t help but wish it had been warm enough to wear shorts. The fabric of his pants suddenly felt like an unwanted barricade.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Melody inquired. She had the singing voice of an angel, but even her spoken voice was clear and melodious.
Ben laid his hand atop the one that was resting on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I was just thinking about what a great day it’s been so far.”
“I’ll say!” Penny broke into the conversation. “I went into an escape room with a team half-filled with newbies and we emerged victorious!”
“Says my little team player,” Angela observed in a voice as dry as dust.
Penny’s eyebrow furrowed. “What do you mean?” she asked her mother. “I’m not saying I did all the work to get us out. I said ‘we.’”
Ben chuckled softly. This kid.
“All right, folks,” the photographer called out. “Is everyone ready?”
“You bet I am,” Penny said, angling her sign to be more visible to the camera. Ben couldn’t currently read it, but knew it said “New high score! We broke out of The Library in 37 minutes.”
“Everybody look at me and smile,” the photographer instructed before clicking the camera a few times.
Ben laced his fingers through Melody’s before lifting their joined hands up to his lips so he could place a soft kiss on the back of her hand. His eyelids felt heavy as his lips lingered on her smooth, flawless skin.
He blinked when the camera flashed and slowly dropped Melody’s hand.
“That was a good one,” the photographer commented. He glanced down at the screen of his digital camera before lifting his eyes back up to theirs. “Oh yeah,” he enthused as he touched his thumb and index finger together, the other fingers of his hand outstretched, in a symbol of approval.
“Okay, guys!” Shawna called out over the din. “It’s time for the Challengers Learn to Skate team picture! Everyone over here, please!”
The photographer led them through a series of pictures, some funny and some serious, some posed and some more spontaneous. By the time the final picture was taken, they were running a good hour behind schedule. Tardiness always had its challenges, but more so on a game night.
Ben touched Melody’s shoulder as they pulled away from the group. “I’m sorry, Melody. I should have done a better job of considering the logistics when I invited you today. Can I call you a cab? I’d been planning to drive you home, but timing is tight enough that I’ll barely make it home to change for the game and head over to the arena.” He hoped she could hear the sincerity in his voice. He felt awful about not being able to drive her home. It certainly hadn’t been his intention to pick her up and then leave her stranded.
“It’s totally fine,” she reassured in a steady, even voice. “I can easily make my own way back.”
