“You look nice.” Ben glanced over as he wound his way out of her neighborhood toward the highway. Nice didn’t really begin to describe it, but it was probably the better choice of words. No need to come on too strong and scare her. It had taken so long to get her to agree to a date. He wasn’t going to mess this up if he could help it.

“Thanks. Where are we going?”

Ben smiled. “How do you feel about surprises?”

“Um. Okay, I guess.”

“Then it’s a surprise.”

She laughed and looked out her window. “Getting on the highway doesn’t actually help me guess, does it?”

“Not around here. Hmm, we can play twenty questions if you want.” Ben watched as she drummed her fingers on her leg. What was she thinking? Was that too silly? He wanted lighthearted, but maybe he should just tell her. It’s not as if it was anything earth shattering. “I thought...”

“Hey. I haven’t asked my first question yet.” Rebecca’s eyes sparkled. “All right, is it in Virginia?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She frowned. “That didn’t narrow it down as much as I’d thought. It’s been a while since I played this game.”

Ben chuckled. “Me too. I wasn’t actually serious.”

“No, no, no. This was your idea. We’re playing. Um...is it inside?”

“Ah. Good question. No.” Ben steered onto the highway, manuevering into the lanes that would let him continue on I-395.

“Okay. See, now we’re getting somewhere. Though I don’t know of any outdoor bowling alleys.”

“I didn’t say we were bowling. That was just a suggestion, before all our friends bailed on us.” Bailed wasn’t really the right word. He’d pretty much told them they weren’t invited anymore after she called him back. He hadn’t misread her intentions, had he? No. He pushed that thought away. She would’ve said something about Sara and Jen if she’d wanted a group outing. Right? Last night...that kiss...it had to have meant as much to her as it had to him.

She inclined her head. “All right. So, outside in Virginia. Is it a restaurant patio?”

“No.”

“Hmm. But we’re eating, right?”

“Is that one of your questions?” He flipped on his turn signal and jammed down the gas pedal. He scooted in front of a car in the left lane and zipped around the practically broken-down car hobbling up the right lane not much faster than he could walk.

Rebecca clutched the door handle and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Not sure it qualifies, but since I did ask you to dinner, I’ll go ahead and answer: yes. That’s four, by the way.”

She rubbed her hands together. “Sixteen left. This should be easy.”

He grinned. “Next question?”

“Is it a park?”

He sucked air through his teeth. “Difficult to answer. I’m going with yes.”

“How do you not know if something’s a park or not?”

“That’s not a yes or no question.”

She groaned. “Fine. Is there a playground?”

“Nope.” Ben watched as she looked out the window. Would she figure it out by virtue of their location?

“Oh! I’ve got it. That place by the airport on the river? Are we going there?”

He snickered. “Can you be more specific?”

“Good grief, I don’t know its name. That park. It’s right at the end of the Reagan airport and the planes come down super low and it’s like they’re going to land on you. I love it there, though I don’t go very often. I used to ride my bike up that bike path from Mount Vernon though and stop there to rest before heading back.”

Ben nodded. “It’s called Gravelly Point.”

She clapped her hands. “What a great idea. Are we getting takeout?”

“I packed a picnic, it’s in the back.” His stomach clenched. Should he have gotten something fancier from a restaurant? His cooking skills weren’t stellar, but they were decent. Especially when it came to picnic food. And he’d snagged the tub of artichoke dip Paige left in the fridge on Sunday. If Jackson hadn’t eaten it by now, it was his own fault. That stuff was killer.

“Even better.” Rebecca reached over and patted his leg. “Thank you. This is special.”

He grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “You’re special.”

He turned into the parking lot and found a space in one of the crowded rows. The grassy area was deserted, why so many cars?

“I guess people like to park here and go for a bike ride?” Rebecca pushed open her car door and stood, her gaze roving over the parking lot.

“Guess so. At least there aren’t a ton of people eating. Come on, I like it over near the water.” Ben grabbed a cooler out of the trunk before taking her hand. Did she feel the electricity? Chemistry wasn’t everything, but it sure didn’t hurt. In this case, it rounded out the friendship and general admiration he had for her as a person. Even if he wasn’t entirely sure that the woman he knew was the real Rebecca, he was sure enough that he wanted to stick around and find out. She just didn’t seem like someone who could pull off a deception of that level. Change her name? Sure. Hide the aspersions her father cast on her character? He could believe that, too. But present such a convincing personality that remained consistent with a ten year gap? No. He wouldn’t believe it.

“This looks like a nice spot.” Rebecca stood looking out over the Potomac River. “It’s beautiful.”

Ben set the cooler down and slipped his arms around her waist, leaning his cheek against hers. “So are you.”

She turned in his arms and tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. “I want—need—you to know, I never forgot you.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, a gentle, undemanding kiss that filled him with yearning. I love you. It was too soon to say the words again. He needed the truth, whatever it was, before he could say them aloud. But they were there, on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he stepped back and reached for the cooler. “Hungry?”

“I take it you had a good evening?” Zach hit pause on his game and grinned when Ben came in whistling.

“Yeah. Why aren’t you out?” Ben sat and frowned at the game. “This new?”

Zach tossed the case for the game to Ben. “Picked it up after dinner. Jackson stayed to hang with Paige. I didn’t feel like being a third wheel and my phone battery was dying, so I couldn’t even just sit and play some mindless game. So I swung by the game store.”

“Any good?”

“Eh, it’s all right. Want to join in?”

Ben cocked his head to the side and studied his friend. “You okay, man?”

“I don’t know. I’m restless, I guess. We seem to have a replay of Jackson and Paige with you and Rebecca. And I’m interested in Amy but the signals she puts out are so mixed they’d make a blender look boring. What’s going to happen in the spring when the Garcias come back to the States and want their house back? You’ll be married and living in Springfield, Jackson and Paige can live in her condo, and I’ll be trying to bum a room with some random strangers at church.”

“If you’re lucky, you can find the perfect place where you can grow old and die alone.” Ben shook his head as Zach snorted out a laugh.

“Fine. I’m having a pity party. So what?”

“Nothing. Long as you realize it. Why don’t you ask Amy out? Put it on the line?” Ben tossed the game case on the coffee table and reached for the second controller.

Zach rubbed his neck. “I dunno. What happens when she says no? Then what?”

“When? What if she says yes? Isn’t that even a remote possibility?”

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t want to mess anything up. We work together. She’s trying to get me to be involved in more stuff after school. I just...”

“You’re scared.” Ben clicked through the player options and selected a muscle-bound two-headed creature dressed in camouflage that strained at the seams.

“I’m...” Zach sighed. “Yeah I guess I am.”

Ben punched Zach in the shoulder. “That’s the price of romance, man. I’ve been in a state of nearly perpetual terror the past six weeks. But you know what? It’s worth it. So far.”

“And if it all falls apart, what then?”

Ben shrugged. It wasn’t the scenario he wanted to explore, but the thought crossed his mind more often than it probably should. “Then I pick up the pieces. But at least I know I gave it my best shot and didn’t pull any punches. Are we playing, or what?”