nt!”
Stunned, Bennett just nodded. Ridley sounded surprised but hadn’t they just talked about that earlier? He thought back frantically, cataloguing everything he’d done between then and now. It wasn’t unheard of for him to lose whole days when he was in the middle of a project but in this case he was quite sure they’d just had that conversation a few hours ago.
“Yes, I do. Remember, I told you that John got a fellowship—”
“That’s such a coincidence because Katie is looking for an assistant job!” Ridley cut him off and then leaned back in her chair to look at Katie on the other side of him.
Katie paused with her fork halfway between her mouth and the plate. She blinked several times before nodding. “Well, yes. I am looking for a position.”
Ridley rubbed her hands together. “This is perfect. Bennett should hire her. She’s awesome, very good with details and she even has experience with botany.”
Bennett wasn’t entirely sure what was going on but he got the definite sense that Ridley was up to something. He glanced across the table to where his brother Jackson was shaking his head at his wife. There was an awkward silence and Bennett realized Ridley was waiting for him to respond.
Katie spoke up then, breaking the tension. “Ri, I’m sure Bennett already has a list of people he’s considering for the job.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
Katie’s mouth fell open slightly. “Oh. Um, okay then.”
Again, Bennett had the sense that he’d committed some social faux pas that was just outside his understanding. Everyone at the table seemed slightly uncomfortable and he could tell there were several nuances that he wasn’t aware of going on. His shoulders lowered. Was it any wonder he preferred to spend so much time alone? It was exhausting, second-guessing every interaction looking for all the ways he’d screwed it up. Maybe he should have come by after dinner was over and taken a plate back home.
“I’ve been in the middle of testing some new soil samples. That’s why I’ve been so distracted lately. Also Olivia called earlier.” He threw that in there because he knew how much his mother loved Olivia.
“Oh good. She called here a few days ago looking for you since you weren’t answering. Such a sweet girl. What is she doing these days? Alberto is always so vague when I ask about her.”
Bennett shrugged. “She’s managing a nightclub, I think. You know Olivia. She never stays in the same place for long.”
He definitely wasn’t getting into the reason why Olivia and her father had such a strained relationship. That wasn’t the kind of thing you brought up over dinner. Or ever. And it was one of the only things in the world that made Bennett angry enough to become physically violent.
Yes, it was best if his parents never knew anything about that. That situation was a prime example of why he’d always kept to himself. He’d seen the way people treated each other, even people who claimed to love each other, and none of it made sense to him. Olivia had made one mistake and her family had disowned her. If that was being normal, maybe it was best if he didn’t try to assimilate too much.
The stress of being social hit him all at once and suddenly all Bennett wanted was his laboratory. It was the one place he actually felt in control, like he knew what he was doing. After dinner, he’d just slip out.
No one would even miss him.
CHAPTER THREE
?
Katie wanted to strangle her best friend. Well, not really since Ridley was too dang adorable even when she was meddling but she would at least hug her extra hard the next time she got her alone. What had she been thinking to say all that stuff at dinner?
She glanced over at her friend who was currently picking up the remains of the food from the kiddie table. As soon as Julia left the room, Katie put down the plate she was holding and cornered Ridley.
“What was that at dinner? And why did you say I know about botany?”
Ridley shrugged. “You’ve helped me with my landscape designs plenty of times. That’s the same thing, right?”
Exasperated, Katie didn’t even bother correcting her. Although she was pretty darn sure that knowing the names of a few types of flowers didn’t count as experience with botany. That was the least of her concerns at this point.
“Ri, you totally put him on the spot. I’m sure he wants someone with experience.”
Ridley carried the plastic plates from the kids’ table into the kitchen. Since Julia was there hand washing several wineglasses they let the conversation drop. Katie had no illusions about what Ri was up to and she definitely didn’t want to discuss it in front of Bennett’s mother. Surely the woman knew her son was quite a catch but that didn’t mean she wanted her daughter-in-law scheming to marry him off. Just because Ridley thought she’d be a good match for him didn’t mean Julia would agree. Most mothers probably wouldn’t consider a divorced mother of two as the perfect catch for one of their sons.
Once Julia left to put the clean wineglasses away, Ri whirled toward her. “Just play it cool. He needs an assistant and you need a job. As far as I’m concerned this is the perfect solution for everyone.”
Katie glanced out the window over the sink. The boys had raced outside as soon as they’d finished eating to go see the horses. Mark had gone with them since his grandsons wanted to see the horses, too. She never worried about the boys' safety here. It was such a relief to be able to relax for once instead of constantly being on alert and trying to keep them out of trouble. And despite how much attention she gave them, she could tell they still craved a male role model in their lives. Don had always been too busy to spend much time with them and ever since the divorce, his visits had been sporadic at best. Matthew didn’t seem to notice his father’s disinterest yet but Hunter did; she could tell. There was nothing in the world more disheartening than watching her son figure out that his father would much rather be doing something, or someone, else than being with his kids.
“Maybe it would be okay. If I worked here, the boys could spend more time with Mr. Alexander and they really need that. Hunter especially really needs a positive male role model around.”