Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
"That's a lot to cover in one date,” I tell him with a simper as I smooth my own napkin over my lap.
Bennet shrugs, like he'd actually sit here in this restaurant until I'd told him absolutely everything about me. "Start at the beginning."
"I was born in town, went to school here..." I say jokingly.
"Oh, I remember that." His eyes light up. "But go on."
"I got into editing during college.”
“You went to state right?” he asks and I nod, surprised he knew that.
“And when I saw the open job here, it just made sense to interview."
"Had enough of the city?"
"Yes." Memories resurface from my time away from town. "It wasn't bad. I had some really happy times in college. But I guess I just felt like I was meant to be here."
A waitress with a simple black shift dress leans in to fill our water glasses and take our orders, and we're off.
Over warm bread and butter, I tell Bennet about the first apartment I ever rented during senior year and how scary it felt to take out a mortgage to buy my house and how the first year of my job drained the hell out of me but at the same time was a dream come true.
"Did you always know you wanted to do that?" he asks, and for a few seconds I can't answer. I'm too taken with the shape of his lips and the carved lines of his face and the way his eyes linger on mine. There's that heat again, in every inch of me.
In that same moment, I feel other eyes on me and glance away from the table.
“I just don’t remember you talking about editing or publishing back in high school.”
It's not a big restaurant, and at least one person at all of the closest tables quickly looks away, pretending to be absorbed in their food.
"I..." I turn back to Bennet. "I always loved reading but I didn’t realize I wanted a career in publishing until later."
He smirks as he catches me looking over my shoulder again.
He leans in, darting a glance out to the rest of the space. "They're all looking at us, aren't they?"
"Yeah. They're staring."
We share a barely heard laugh at the ridiculousness of this town before I get to ask him what happened when he left. Business school took up most of his time and it turns out the start up was wonderful, the payout was even better and helped his parents get out of debt, but he found himself alone afterwards not knowing what to do. The conversation moves easily enough and the dishes come and go leaving us with nothing but drinks and laughter and more and more questions. Several times we were interrupted by old neighbors and classmates who just wanted to say hi and tell Bennet they’re glad he’s back. Their eyes linger on me and I simply keep my lips sealed tight. Let them talk. This old town needs its entertainment.
“So what’s your plan?”
“Well I guess I’m doing it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to come back home, be with my friends again, have a moment to slow down while catching up with the life I left behind.”
The way he says ‘left behind’ resonates and I find myself staring down at the small pool of red liquid left in my glass.
"You want to get out of here?"
I sip the last of my wine and make it a point to look at him, not at anybody else, even though we’ve felt eyes on us all night. "With everyone talking, it does have me wondering."
"Wondering what?"
I'm so excited that my breath comes short and shallow. Bennet's still just as hot as he was at the beginning of our date. Watching him eat has only made me want him more.
"What it'd be like." I pause and put the wine glass down. "You know. If you and I… They’re already saying it and I figure we might as well… "
I let the sentence trail off suggestively, and Bennet's eyes darken. He shifts in his seat. He's clearly feeling the same as me, clearly wants me, and I'd like to be somewhere without a bunch of people staring at us so I can find out what Bennet Thompson is like when he lets himself go after something he wants.
When he lets himself go after me.
Bennet clears his throat and sits up straight. The energy coming off him is pure desire, even here in this little restaurant with half the town watching.
He doesn't seem to notice any of them. Doesn't seem to care at all that everybody's going to talk about us for the rest of the evening.
"You want to go back to my place?"
BENNET
I can't keep my hands off Aubrey, and this time, I don't have to.
There’s no high school friend groups in the way.