“Everyone was here ages ago, Aunt Benny,” the older one said. “We have Twister set up in the family room, but no one will play with us. Uncle Dominic said to ask you.”
“I’ll bet he did,” Benny said and stepped inside.
But the younger little girl hadn’t stopped looking at him, and her smile had now widened into a grin. “Are you my aunt Benny’s boyfriend?”
The clatter from the back of the house he’d heard when they first stepped inside had suddenly gone suspiciously quiet.
Before he could articulate a response, Benny hurried in, her voice loud and clear. “Of course not, Natalie. This is Mr. Ellison. He lives next door to me and he might be suffering a minor concussion from earlier today, so I insisted he have dinner with us.”
Something told him that this statement had been less for the young girls and more for whoever might be waiting for them in the other room.
“Henry, these are my two minions—I mean nieces, Jenna and Natalie,” she added in a more conversational tone.
“I’m Natalie,” the youngest and clearly most outspoken of the two said. She reminded him of someone…
“Hi, Natalie. It’s nice to meet you, and please. Call me Henry,” he said and held his hand out to the girl, who now seemed to be looking at him a little more…affectionately. She shook it with aplomb. He did the same with the older girl. Jenna took it, her face solemn although her eyes studied him with curiosity.
“What your aunt isn’t telling you is that she whacked me over the head with a golf club earlier and now feels guilty for nearly killing me.”
Natalie covered her mouth with her other hand and giggled.
“One could wonder, however,” Benny said and walked down the hall, with them following, “why a man who claims to be an expert would have let himself stand in the range of said club.”
“I think I was so in awe of how truly atrocious your golf swing was that the club heading for my head took me completely off guard.”
More giggles, and then they were in a bigger open room. To the left was a large kitchen with several people already working; to the right was a family room with a decent-size television and the aforementioned Twister game already spread out on the floor. Separating the two living spaces was a long dining table and French patio doors that led out onto a deck. The place felt airy and friendly.
The expressions of the people in the room were another question, and from the hush that followed he gathered they’d all been whispering just moments before.
“Hi, everyone. This is Henry Ellison,” Benny said, repeating the introduction he knew everyone had already heard. “As I explained to Mom, he’s going to be having dinner with us.”
A petite woman with dark brown hair came over. “Hello, Henry. I’m Benny’s mom, Elena,” she said with a faint accent that told him she wasn’t a native speaker. She smiled at him warmly, though, the same curious gleam in those brown eyes as her granddaughters had shown him. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
Of course they had. He wouldn’t bet on it being particularly flattering. But he’d used his charm and sparkling wit to get out of tough spots before. This wasn’t impossible. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sorensen. Your home is lovely. And I appreciate your letting me crash your family dinner.”
“Please, it’s Elena. You are more than welcome in our home,” she added and he was certain it wasn’t necessarily meant just for him. “Let me make the introductions while Benny gets you two something to drink.” Benny lifted her brows briefly and went into the kitchen, grabbing a couple of glasses from the cupboard.
Over by the sink, a tall redhead was watching him, suspicion in her gray eyes as she washed a bowl of tomatoes. The even taller hulk standing next to her with dark hair and blue eyes looked at him with less suspicion and more outright dislike as he gripped a butcher knife. From the cutting board and half tomato already diced, Henry assured himself the guy wasn’t holding it to stab him.
“Henry, this is my son Dominic and his beautiful new wife, Kate.” He recognized the couple from Benny’s photograph.
“A pleasure,” Henry said, offering his hand first to Kate, who quickly dried hers on a towel and took his firmly, smiling politely. He turned to Dominic.
“So you’re the player next door to my little sister, huh? Partying at all times of the night like you’re running a frat house.” He hesitated but took Henry’s hand, his shake solid and a great deal stronger than necessary.
“Yes, well, I’m a businessman, and often have clients over. We try to keep the toga parties reserved for special occasions, though.”
Dominic didn’t break into a smile. “Why were you giving my little sister golf lessons again?”
Tough crowd.
&
nbsp; “Well, the truth is that it wasn’t my idea. You see—”
“Henry, did you want beer, wine, water, or iced tea?” Benny interjected.
“Water is fine.”