Winning Ben

by JoMarie DeGioia

  Claire leveled a look at her. “And how do you know that little tidbit, hmm? You’ve been talking to him.”

  Tammy started to argue, and then held up her free hand. “All right. We’ve been talking. He’s staying at the inn and I was using their beach yesterday morning.”

  Claire waved a finger at her. “Naughty.”

  “Yeah, well I was just using the beach. Nothing naughty, believe me.”

  “For now.”

  “Will you please stop? I heard enough about it from Lettie just now.”

  “Lettie? And just what does our resident spark-spotter have to say about you and Ben?”

  “Nothing that bears repeating. Wishful thinking on her part, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah, and I didn’t catch you watching Ben all yesterday afternoon.”

  Tammy straightened. “I’m out of the little girls’ room. If you’re finished scheming?”

  Claire shrugged. “All right, I’ll stop. For now. You’re taking him on a tour later?”

  “Yes.”

  Claire took a sip of her latte, her brows arched. “Just asking.”

  Tammy opened her door. “I’ll catch you later. Lunch at the tavern?”

  “I brought lunch.”

  “You always do.”

  Claire just smiled. Her frugality was one of her defining features and Tammy knew where she was coming from. If Tammy had Claire’s father to look after, she’d watch every penny too.

  Stepping out into the hall, she headed down to her office. She eyed Mr. Forbes’ closed door and wondered how Ben was faring. Her boss never delivered anything less than a full-court press. Would Ben take him up on his offer? And what if he did agree to work at Cypress? Where would that leave her?

  In deep trouble, that’s where. She liked Ben. Liked talking to him and liked being with him. She’d never been so attracted to a guy before. It didn’t matter. She’d just put on her big-girl panties and keep her hands off this newest Chapman. He might say he wasn’t into family but she caught glimpses of just that connection yesterday at Harmony and Rick’s house. He wanted it. Maybe even needed it. Either way, that put him out of reach. He was forever and she so was not.

  For a second, she wished she was but that wouldn’t last very long. She just wasn’t wired for commitment.

  ***

  “Ben, I couldn’t be happier with your decision.”

  Mr. Forbes held out his hand and Ben shook it. He wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, but he found himself returning the man’s smile. Jake hadn’t been kidding. The guy made it very hard to say no. Ben would have input and a voice, and be in charge of each step of the new green development. And the pay wasn’t bad, either.

  “I’m looking forward to working on the new project, Mr. Forbes.”

  “Great.” Forbes stood and crossed to the door of his office. “Let me go find Tammy for you and you can start that tour.”

  “I can find her.” He’d probably smell her first. Flowers and spice, like her coffee this morning. “Is there anywhere in particular you want her to take me?”

  Forbes furrowed his brow for a second. “I think she should give you the customary tour and then head on over to the green neighborhood site.”

  “Sounds good.” Ben opened the door. “I think I’ll enjoy working here at Cypress.”

  The other man grinned now. “And you’ll be close to your family.”

  “Yes.” Ben didn’t quite know how he felt about that, but he was committed now. Besides, his siblings had been nothing but welcoming. “When do you want me to start on the project?”

  “Come in on Wednesday morning and we’ll have an office ready for you. You’re going to have to go to the Cypress Institute and meet with the director, too. They’re going to have a lot of input on this project.”

  Ben had heard about the Cypress Institute. Those were the “tree-huggers” his father had talked about back in Boston. It was clear Bill was clueless, but he insisted that the Institute impacted the bottom line. Ben hadn’t been there yet but both Harmony and his future brother-in-law Ty worked there.

  “Sounds good. Thank you again, Mr. Forbes.”

  He left Mr. Forbes and started down the hall to where he knew Tammy’s office to be. Voices reached him as he passed the breakroom and he peered inside. It was set up typically, with a couple of round tables with a handful of chairs at each. Jake’s wife, Claire, and that blond guy who worked with Tammy sat inside. Ben started to pull back but his sister-in-law caught him.

  “Ben!” She waved him inside and, by the way she smiled, there was no refusing her. “Come in, come in.”

  “Hey, Claire.”

  “Do you know Ollie?” Claire asked.

  Ben nodded and lifted his chin at the blond guy. “We’ve met. Hey.”

  “Hey, Ben.” Ollie’s blue eyes sparkled. “So, is it true?”

  “Is what true?” Claire asked.

  “Ben here’s going to join the team.”

  Claire clasped her hands, her face alight. “Really? Jake will be happy you’re going to be sticking around.”

  Ben flushed a little. “I’m working on the green development.”

  “That’s great, Ben,” Claire said. “Right up your alley.”

  “And our girl is giving him the ten cent tour today,” Ollie put in.

  Claire’s eyes narrowed a little as her mouth kicked up on one side. “Yeah. I’d heard.”

  Ben wondered at that. She’d heard from Tammy? Or from Mr. Forbes?

  “Where’s Tammy now?” Ben asked.

  “Out on tour,” Ollie said. “An innocent family of four, soon to fall victim to the charms of Cypress Corners.”

  “And the charms of Tammy,” Ben said without thinking.

  They both stared at him and Ben managed to keep his expression even. There was no arguing that the girl had skills of persuasion. God knew he was ready to buy whatever she was selling.

  Just to have something to do, he crossed to the fridge and grabbed himself a bottle of water. “Do you know when she’ll be back?” he asked, cracking open his bottle.

  “Should be just a little while. She’s been gone for about a half an hour already.”

  “So the tours are short, then,” Ben said.

  “Depends,” Ollie said.

  “On what?” Ben had to know.

  “On just how much they want to see.”

  He met Ollie’s gaze and easily saw the laughter there. A smile teased Ben’s lips. Making sure he appeared like the laid-back Cali guy they probably expected, Ben settled into a chair at their table. He took a long sip of his water. “All right, then.”

  “I have numbers to crunch.” Claire popped out of her seat and touched Ben on the shoulder. “Enjoy your tour, Ben.”

  “Thanks.” He caught Ollie’s gaze again. “I’m sure I will.”

  Ollie waited until Claire was gone, and then let out a whistle. “You’re bad, Ben Chapman.”

  “That’s what they tell me.”

  Ollie’s brows arched comically. “You have something, you know that? Of course you know that. You’re a Chapman, for God’s sake.”

  Ben chuckled. “What does that mean?”

  “You guys are all sex-on-a-stick, my man.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Too bad none of you play on my team.”

  Ben laughed out loud. “You’re a little bad yourself.”

  “Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Ollie glanced at his watch and pushed his chair back. “I have a tour in about five minutes. Catch you later, Ben Chapman.”

  Ben nodded and drank more of his water. So this was where he was going to work. For the next few months at least. The other people who worked here seemed pretty nice, and he would get to hang with his brothers a little bit too. There was also the very big draw of seeing Tammy every day.

  What Cypress Corners had planned was very intriguing. He’d gotten his share of the development’s story. The connection and commitment to nature that was unusual for an undertaking of its size.
It was a beautiful place, though. He just had to think about the lake view from his room at the Cypress Inn to realize that the tamed yet natural landscape was well-suited to the developers’ and the Cypress Institute’s vision.

  “Hey, there,” Tammy said.

  Her voice stroked over him and he smiled even before he lifted his head. She stood in the doorway of the breakroom, crisp and pressed and as hot as he’d ever seen her. Talk about a vision.

  “Hey, Tammy.” He stood, catching the way her hazel eyes roamed over the front of him. “Are you ready for me?”

  Chapter 6

  Tammy’s mouth dropped open for a second, but she closed it with a snap. Ollie had warned her just a few minutes ago that this guy had hidden depths. She hadn’t needed Ollie to tell her that, though. She knew precisely the danger Ben posed to everything she’d built for herself.

  Putting on her just-this-side-of-sexy salesperson polish, she gave him her professional smile. “Yep. The cart is charged up and we’re ready to roll.”

  “Mr. Forbes wants you to take me out to where the green project will be built.”

  Tammy nodded, turning away from those gorgeous blue-gray eyes to grab herself a bottle of water from the fridge. “He filled me in.”

  “Cool.”

  Facing him again, she watched as he removed his tie. He leaned his head back, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his oxford shirt. He had a nice, strong neck. She suspected she could hold on tight to him while he drove her crazy with those big hands of his. She knew that as sure as she knew she could drive him just as crazy.

  Shake it off, girl. She straightened her shoulders. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

  Ben waved her in front of him as he tucked his tie into his front pocket. She caught his scent, then. That freshness she’d tasted on her coffee cup lid. Delicious.

  He held the door of the Sales Center open for her as he had earlier, and she walked out into the September morning. There was a touch of crispness to the air but it was still very warm. They would both need the bottles of water they’d brought this morning.

  The four-passenger golf cart was outfitted for touring guests, prospective residents and investors. Comfy leather seats, a jaunty green, white and burgundy striped awning, and big fat tires that made the ride smooth. Ben eased his big body into the seat next to the driver’s, and Tammy wasn’t surprised. Of course he would sit right next to her.

  She started the quiet electric motor, and then buckled her seatbelt. “Buckle up, Big Ben.”

  He chuckled as he did so. “Big Ben, huh?”

  She grinned. “Ollie pinned that one on you.”

  “Hmm.” His eyes sparkled at her.

  “Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?” she asked him.

  “I was just thinking that maybe you’d want to find out if he’s right.”

  Her face flushed hot and she shook her head at him. “Stop that. I have a job to do here.”

  He leaned back and waved a hand. “Drive on, Miss Donato.”

  She turned the street-legal vehicle onto the road, waving at Lettie as she drove past the coffee shop. Lettie raised a hand, and her brows, but Tammy simply smirked and headed toward the neighborhoods to the west side of the sprawling property.

  “You’re familiar with Rick and Harmony’s neighborhood, I imagine,” she said.

  “Yep. Really nice. Right across from the main lakeshore with that big lot. Great spot.”

  “There are a couple other villages set up like theirs. North of the town square behind the front nine of the golf course. Most of the neighborhoods are more modest in size and more densely built, though. Have you been to Claire and Jake’s place?”

  “Once. The last time I was here. But I don’t remember much about the neighborhood.”

  She pulled the wheel to the left after a short stop. “Then let’s head that way.” She winked at him. “Westward, ho.”

  He smiled. “This is going to be an adventure, isn’t it?”

  She glanced at him before facing the road once more. “Brace yourself, Ben. This is the easy stuff.”

  “Easy,” he murmured.

  His voice had gone all soft and she ignored the way it made her feel. All tingly and hot. Luckily, they soon drove through the more populated village where Claire and Jake made their home.

  “There’s your brother’s place,” she said, indicating the modest yet pretty one-story house nestled in one of the more densely-populated villages of Cypress Corners.

  It was a two-bedroom bungalow with deep moldings and hardwood floors and Claire had it furnished with the bare minimum. Still, it was comfy and homey and very well-suited to her best friend and her husband.

  “The houses in this neighborhood have all the classic trimmings and high-end finishes as the ones in Rick and Harmony’s, but they’re built on a smaller scale.”

  “And on a smaller lot,” Ben said.

  Tammy nodded. “Even though the homes look classic and timeless, they’re outfitted with forward-thinking tech and amenities.”

  “Yes. I really like that. The classic look is very welcome and familiar but the homeowners don’t have to sacrifice convenience.”

  She shot him a look, a smile teasing her mouth. “Exactly. You know, your project will take that concept even further.”

  “I know.” He grew quiet for a second. “I hope I’m up to the challenge.”

  Keeping her eyes forward, she decided to finally satisfy her curiosity. She knew if you didn’t look someone dead-on they just might open up a little bit. It was how she learned just what prospective residents were looking for and what they really didn’t want in their new home or community. Today, though? She couldn’t resist using the trick to learn more about this compelling guy.

  “You come with impeccable references, Ben. Mr. Forbes couldn’t say enough good things about you even before you decided to meet with him.”

  “Yeah.” His voice sounded a little flat.

  “So what’s the deal? You don’t want to work down here in Florida? I admit, it’s not California.”

  “No, that’s not it. It’s really nice down here. What I’ve seen of it anyway.”

  “And there’s your family.”

  “Yeah,” he said again.

  She risked a look at him out of the corner of her eye. His brow was furrowed and there were lines bracketing that full mouth of his.

  “Ben, your family is nothing like mine.”

  He angled his body to face her, his arm draped over the back of her seat. “Tell me about the New Jersey Donatos, then.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No way. All I’m saying is, your family is warm and welcoming. They make you a part of things.”

  “And yours doesn’t?”

  That question brought her up short. “Actually, they do. When I go up north, that is. But they’re also intrusive and overpowering.” She gave a shiver. “A little smothering.”

  She caught his smile and returned the expression.

  “They don’t sound so bad,” he said.

  “They’re not.” She blew a breath, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “They’re very loving and kind. Good people.”

  “And you never go back home to see them.”

  “I do.” She blinked back the tears that suddenly pricked at the back of her eyes. “Usually around the holidays.”

  “Christmas?”

  “Yeah, Christmas. We do it all. Feast of the Seven Fishes, Midnight Mass. All the trimmings.”

  “Feast of the what?”

  “Seven Fishes.” She drove on out of Claire and Jake’s neighborhood and turned to the lakeshore. “Traditionally, you couldn’t eat meat Christmas Eve. So Italians, still determined to eat their weight in food, cook seven different kinds of seafood that night.”

  “That sounds pretty good to me. I grew up eating at least seven different kinds of seafood.”

  She threw a smile at him. “Not like this, you didn’t. Let’s just say there’s lots of chees
e, olive oil and tomato sauce.”

  “Still sounds good. Do you cook?”

  “Um, actually I do.”

  She was surprised she admitted this to him. Not many people knew she liked to cook. Even Claire didn’t know how many nights Tammy spent adjusting her family’s recipes for just herself.

  “Italian?” he asked.

  She smirked at him this time. “I’m Italian. Anything I cook is Italian.”

  A deep chuckle came from him. “Smartass.”

  She laughed. “Yes, I can make the usual. Lasagna. Bolognese. Puttanesca. Beef braciole.”

  “That’s the usual?” He spread his legs a bit, brushing her thigh with his. “Maybe I’ll have to stay at your place and you can feed me.”

  Inexplicably, she imagined him sitting in her kitchen as she fed him one delicious dish after another. She’d never cooked for a guy. Never. She wouldn’t start now.

  “My mother raised me to be a lady,” she said, turning his frequent “gentleman” comments back on him.

  “Yeah, we’ll see.”

  There was a promise in his eyes and she sucked in a breath. Ooh, that look made her want to cook for him and then have her way with him. She couldn’t risk that. It would be fantastic, of course. She knew what she was doing and she could tell he was no slouch in that department. But it would also be very comfortable. Domestic.

  And that scared the living daylights out of her.

  ***

  Ben stared at Tammy’s profile as her expression shifted. It was subtle, but he caught it. She’d been warm and teasing and now she was shuttered. Professional. Was it his cooking comment? Or his decidedly un-subtle hint that he would stay over at her place and soon.

  “Show me your place,” he said.

  She gave him a quick look, her eyes wide. “What?”

  “Your neighborhood, Tammy.”

  She laughed a little, and then nodded. “Okay. I have a townhouse not far from the town center.”

  He leaned back again, putting a touch of ease in his posture that he hoped she would pick up on. He didn’t want to make her nervous. He wasn’t that guy. He wasn’t pushy, and he’d never had to be. But letting Tammy set the pace? What if she kept him in the friend zone indefinitely, which he felt looming large in front of them? No friggin’ way.