Well, that was horrible,” Tricia said after she and Ben said good-bye to his father and started walking toward the inn so she could change. “I think it was truly the worst lunch in the history of all after-church lunches.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” When he caught sight of her incredulous look, he laughed. “Okay, it actually was that bad. And to think it all started with William giving Frankie a pickle.”
“I’m starting to think that Frankie had the best time of anyone.”
He chuckled again. “He was the only one who didn’t seem out of sorts.” After a pause, he said, “I didn’t grow up around girls, but I would have thought that the three of them would have gotten along a lot better.”
“I must say I’m kind of surprised myself. Every other time I’ve been around Mrs. Keim and her daughters I thought they were the most well-behaved siblings in Sarasota.”
“I guess everyone can have an off day, hmm?”
Tricia looked up at him and felt herself warm. She loved how he took things in stride. He seemed to be a perfect foil to her constant emotional state. No matter how hard she tried to conceal her emotions, she always seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve. “When you put it that way, I have to agree. Jah, everyone can have an off day.”
She also liked how he seemed to embrace life’s imperfections easily. It made her realize that he wasn’t expecting her to always be at her best. That thought kept her warm during their walk to the Orange Blossom Inn, where he waited for her on the front stoop while she ran inside and changed her dress.
When she reappeared dressed in a light rose-colored dress and matching flipflops and feeling much better, he smiled. “You look pretty.”
“Danke. At least it’s clean,” she said as they started their walk.
“It’s more than that.”
His sweet words made her smile as they walked down Bahia Vista toward the center of town.
“Is there someplace special where you’d like to go?” Ben asked fifteen minutes later when they reached the sign for Pinecraft Park. “We could go to the park, walk around the shops, even go to Olaf’s and get ice cream.”
“I’ll do whatever you would like.” It was the truth, too. She was simply happy to be by his side.
“Nee, Tricia. I asked you what you wanted to do,” he said gently.
“I just want to sit alone with you.” She thought that sounded like the best thing in the world. Every day she counted the hours until they got to see each other and then, they were always in the company of his siblings or Beverly or their friends. Though it might make her seem selfish, she wasn’t ready to share him with the rest of the world just yet.
“You mean that you want the two of us to have a real conversation without my little brothers eavesdropping?”
“Maybe. Or my aunt commenting on my behavior.” Thinking about how much Beverly’s rather personal comments had bothered her, Tricia felt sad all over again. She knew Beverly thought Tricia was being silly, and maybe she was. But her bold comment about Ben and Tricia having children when Ben hadn’t even said anything about marriage had truly embarrassed her. It was the cherry topping to a series of cautionary conversations that had grown increasingly difficult to be a part of.
Tricia had come to Sarasota in the hopes of being around a family member who understood her. Or who at least wanted to try to see her point of view on things. But it seemed that Beverly had just as many notions about how she should behave as her parents ever did.
Ben pointed to an area of benches just beyond the park near the Phillipi River. “There’s some shade down there. How about we sit there?”
The area was quiet and picturesque. Mossy trees hung over the river, and the wooden benches were spread far enough apart that it was possible to have a private conversation even if every bench was occupied. “I think that would be perfect.”
Ben reached for her hand as they walked down the slight hill that was covered with soft grass. The closer they got to the river, the stronger the scent of water and the many flowers and shrubs that grew along the banks became.
“Do you come here a lot?” he asked once they got settled next to each other.
“I’ve never been here.”
“I’m surprised. You like peaceful places.”
Tricia smiled. She did like peaceful places, but what she really liked were peaceful places by Ben’s side. “I’m glad we’re here now,” she said simply.
Though she’d tried to hide it, he caught the note of melancholy in her voice. “Are you still fretting about what your aunt said?”
“Nee.” She swallowed, hating to fib. “I mean, maybe.” She shrugged. “Okay, jah.”
“What made you upset?”
She turned her head so she could see his face. He was tan now, his blond hair a little lighter. His blue eyes, of course, were exactly the same: light blue, framed by a dark blue ring and filled with as much compassion and sincerity as the first time they’d met.
“Everything. I didn’t like her bringing up a topic that should be a private conversation between the two of us. I was mortified,” she admitted. “Her insinuation that I was exaggerating how close we’ve become . . .” Just as soon as she spoke those words she was embarrassed. She didn’t want him to know just how worried she was that he, too, thought that she’d embellished his feelings for her.
“You didn’t exaggerate anything, Tricia,” he said as he reached for her hand. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think she was trying to be mean, she simply loves you.”
“Has your father warned you off?”
He chuckled as he squeezed her hand. “Nee.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, except that, well, my father knows better than to start trying to warn me off of you. He knows I’ve fallen in love.”
It took everything she had to close her mouth. “You have?”
“Uh-huh.” He raised her hand with his and rubbed it along his cheek. “Don’t worry, Tricia. I don’t expect you to feel the same way.”
“You don’t understand. I’ve fallen in love with you, too,” she blurted. “I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid it might scare you away!”
“I’m not scared.” He smiled as he pressed her knuckles to his lips. “I’m mighty relieved, Tricia. I would hate to think I was the only one who felt this way.” After he kissed her knuckles again, he released her hand.
Tricia couldn’t believe it. Ben made falling in love seem so effortless and easy, as if he had no doubts about their future or his feelings for her. She wanted to feel the same way but her experiences made her not quite as trusting. “Do you ever wonder what will happen next?”
“Between us?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Jah.”
“Nee, I don’t wonder at all,” he murmured as he looked at the river flowing in front of them, the current lapping along the shore. “I have a plan, you see.”
There was no way he was going to keep that a secret! “What is it?” she asked, hating that her voice sounded as breathless as a child’s.
“Well, after I confess my love for you . . . And after you realize that you love me, too . . .”
Her pulse began to race. “Yes?”
“And then, when the time is right . . .”
“Yes?” She knew she was starting to sound like one of Emma’s little girls. But honestly, she was feeling so anxious. And excited. And almost sick to her stomach.
He turned to face her again. “I’ll ask you to marry me.”
She gulped. “And then?” she said softly.
Lines of humor fanned out from the corners of his eyes. “You tell me, Tricia. What will you say when I summon the courage to ask you to marry me?”
Ask you to marry me? She could hardly believe she’d just heard him say that. She felt like she’d jumped in the river and was floating along with the current, unable to stop. “I’d say yes.”
All traces of amusement vanished. “Will you marry me, Tricia?”
His voice was solid and sure, without a drop of indecision or worry, making her realize that they were certainly not speaking in abstract terms anymore. He was completely serious.
So she answered in kind. “I will.”
“You sure?” He stared at her intently. “Marriage is for a lifetime, you know.”
“Ben Hilty, I have never been more sure about anything in my entire life.”
He grinned broadly, and while she was still trying to come to grips with what had just happened—and what she’d just said—Ben folded her in his arms and hugged her. “You’ve made me mighty happy, Tricia.”
For a few, brief seconds, Tricia contemplated asking him to slow down, thought about reminding him that they had known each other only a short time.
But that moment passed as quickly as it had come. Because one thing was for sure and for certain: Only a fool would have second thoughts about marriage to the very handsome, very wonderful Ben Hilty.
And though Tricia was many things, a fool was certainly not one of them.
“IT WAS SO AWFUL, Eric,” Beverly said into the phone as she watched the sun set over the tops of the citrus trees in the backyard. “It was the craziest, most disastrous meal I’ve attended in years. Years!”
Eric laughed. “I bet it wasn’t all that bad. Matter of fact, I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Especially the part about Frankie virtually collapsing under the table at the end of it. Who knew pickles could cause so much trouble?”
Her lips twitched. “That was pretty funny, actually. He is one naughty dog.”
“It sounds like Emma needs to be firmer with him. That dog needs to learn some manners.”
“If you saw him in person, you wouldn’t be able to be any stricter, either. He is really the sweetest thing. He lets all the children play with him, and his ears are so soft. I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body. He simply likes his food.”
“Well, I imagine we can both think of a person or two who might fit that description.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “A sweet person who likes his food?”
“Come on. I dare you not to think of someone who doesn’t fit that bill.”
“I run a B-and-B. Of course I can think of many people who that describes.” She shifted in her chair and watched two birds land on the back fence and then fly off in a panic as Serena, Mrs. Sadler’s cat, hopped up onto one of her tables.
“So, what really happened to upset you? I know it wasn’t cranky children or naughty beagles.”
Beverly was tempted to ignore his invitation. But then she knew he would listen to her and help her decide what to do next. “I . . . well, I said something to Tricia in front of everyone.”
“About?”
“About her and Ben, of course.” Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to continue her confession. “Actually, I think I offended both Tricia and Ben. I pretty much sounded like a grumpy old woman and warned them about rushing into their relationship.”
“How did that go over?”
Though she was embarrassed and upset, she forced herself to continue. “About how you would expect. Tricia started crying and Ben came to her rescue.” She lowered her voice. “Later, I talked to Emma about my feelings and it was pretty obvious that she disagreed with me, too. So, I pretty much hurt my niece’s feelings, offended her boyfriend, and there wasn’t a person there who agreed with me.”
He whistled softly. “I sure am sorry, Bev.”
She blinked. “You’re not going to give me a talking-to like you did when I interfered with Michael Knoxx and Penny?”
“Not this time.”
Beverly heard the smile in his voice, which made her smile, too, and she hadn’t thought that would be possible. “You know what? I’m really beginning to be glad we know each other.”
“That makes two of us.”
“What do you think I should I say to Tricia when she returns?”
“What do you want to say?”
“I want to tell her that I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. I just sometimes say things I shouldn’t because I love her.”
“I think she’ll forgive you if you say that, Bev.” He sighed. “Now, I can’t believe I’m even doing this to myself, but tell me what you made for that shindig.”
“A three-layer chocolate cake.”
He groaned. “I have got to sell this house of mine.”
“Yes, you do, Eric,” she agreed. For many, many reasons, she added privately.