I laugh, covering my mouth with one hand. “Thanks. That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“Good stuff.” She turns to look at Ben just as he pulls up in front of us. Squeezing my hand much harder now, she mutters, “Oh, dear Lord, let there be two of them.”
I wave and smile at Ben, then say to her, “Just one, unfortunately, but you’ll do all right. You’ve got a resort full of hotties to test out.”
“Yeah, but none of them look like that.” She glances at him again and licks her lips.
I stand and lift my crutches off the bench, then steady myself on them.
Gina stands too. “Have fun. Be safe.”
“I have a feeling I will.”
Ben walks around to meet us, dressed in a robin’s egg blue button-up shirt and some light tan pants. His sleeves are rolled up and he looks like a sexy sailor in this getup. He starts by giving me the once over, then a big smile, followed by a kiss right on the lips. Then he pulls back, holds his hand out to Gina and says, “You must be Gina. I’m Ben.”
“Hi, I’m Ben.” She giggles a little then shakes her head to snap herself out of it. "I mean, I'm Gina. You're Ben. Dr. Ben—"
I cut her off before she can embarrass herself any further. “Gina’s here to take a photo of your license plate in case you kidnap me.”
Ben laughs, looking suddenly a bit awkward. “What is it with you two and assuming every man you meet is a murderer or a kidnapper? Do you live in a particularly terrifying neighborhood?”
Gina grins. “Yes. We may need you to move back with us to keep us safe.”
I nudge her arm to remind her who Ben’s here for.
“Right,” she says. “You kids have fun. Don’t keep her out too late. Not unless you’re planning to make an honest woman of her.”
“Gina,” I hiss, giving her a warning look.
“Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me this evening. I need to go have a cold drink.” She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and turns back to the lobby. “Bye! Nice to meet you, Ben!”
I look up at Ben, who starts to laugh. “Hand me your phone, okay?”
Even though I’m skeptical, I do it. He walks to the back of his Jeep, takes a pic and hands it back to me. “There. You can send it to her since she clearly forgot what her objective was.”
I chuckle, sliding my phone into my bag. “Do you always have that effect on women?”
“More often than not, but honestly, I find the whole thing a little uncomfortable.”
“Must be hard to be so gorgeous.”
“It is.” Wrapping his arms around me, he says, “I’m sure you can relate.”
We make out in front of the lobby for a few minutes until one of the bell boys whistles, reminding us where we are. By the time we’re on the road to our mystery destination, I’m a hot mess.
Turning to Ben, I say, “Where are we going?”
“Back to my place.”
“What?” I ask, feeling suddenly really nervous. “Ben, I’m not sure I’m ready to…”
“Oh, no,” he says, shaking his head. “I have a sailboat docked at my beach house. I thought we could go for a nice dinner on the water.”
“Wow. That sounds really nice.”
He takes my hand in his own. “It’s a beautiful night and I have a beautiful girl with me. I have a feeling tonight’s going to be amazing.”
Eight