by Alex Bailey
He pumped his fist in the air and told her to pull into a space marked, “Employee of the Month.”
She shook her head.
“It’s okay. I’ve been the top seller for the past nine years. Ever since Dad,” Ben made a quote sign in the air, “retired.”
“I mean, don’t you want to drive my new car? Save the wear-and-tear on yours? Since you’re doing me a favor?”
“Not on your life, lady! I’d rather drive my own car. I’ll take the risk of wear-and-tear on my car, any day.”
She pulled in and parked, pleased with her new-found driving ability.
“I’ll drive you to your rental. Where’d you leave it?”
“Only space I could find—in with the used cars.”
“Come on,” Ben led her to the car parked next to her shiny Mustang. It was an even shinier, sleeker black sports car that looked lightning fast just sitting still.
“Oh, fine. Mr. ‘You need a car with good gas mileage and handles well in the snow’. I guess you don’t exactly practice what you preach, now do you?” She felt smug, using his own words against him.
Ben hit the remote to unlock the doors and leaned on the top of the car. He towered over the roof. “Well, Smarty, as a matter of fact, I do indeed as you say, practice what I preach.”
She slid into the passenger side and melted into its luxurious comfort. The seat molded to her body and felt like cashmere. She ran her hands over her seat next to her leg.
Ben jumped into the driver’s seat and rested his hands on the steering wheel.
“Mmm…Sure you do. I bet this car handles just peachy in the snow. And you can’t get better gas mileage than my old minivan out of this baby. I think on the highway, I got 20. Sure is pretty though.”
“You don’t know much about cars, do you Ann?” Ben said matter-of-factly.
She didn’t. But she didn’t want to admit that tiny detail to him. Besides, she knew enough to know that sports cars typically didn’t handle well in the snow or get good gas mileage. All that power took a lot of gas to run. “I know enough to know you’re a hypocrite.”
“Is that so?” He threw the car into reverse and swung out of the parking space.
There was no engine noise. And he hadn’t started the engine. She was stunned. Her mouth dropped open but just like the car, she made no sound.
Ben snickered at her astonishment. “I guess you’re wondering how this car happens to be moving without making a sound and without me starting the engine?” He glanced over at Ann, whose jaw hadn’t yet recovered from the drop. “Well, I’ll tell you. It’s an experimental car. It’s called a Beta. I’m a test driver. For a buddy of mine. He designed it and sent twenty out around the globe.”
“A Beta?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t have a cool pony logo, seeing as a beta is a fish, but it’s got an electric motor—no engine. Thus, no sound. And it just goes when you put it in reverse or drive. No starting, no noise. Silence is golden, baby. So, you know what the means, right? No engine, no gas. You wanna guess how much gas mileage this gets?” Ben glanced at Ann’s shocked look again. “Oh, and did I happen to mention its handling in the snow? Not that I’ve tested it out yet, just got it a month ago, but I’ll go head to head with your shiny new car any day.”
Ann had a million questions but kept silent. She’d lost this battle and wasn’t about to give Ben the satisfaction of reinforcing his victory.
Chapter 4
After returning her rental car and spending the next two hours making small talk with Ben, Ann was a little more comfortable having coffee with him. “This material,” she ran her fingers over the seat cushion of the Beta, “What is it? I’ve never felt anything so soft and—”
“Sensuous?” Ben interjected.
“Exquisite.” She frowned.
“It’s bamboo.”
“You mean the stuff pandas eat?”
“Yup,” he grinned, “bamboo’s not just for munching anymore.”
* * * * *
Coffee with Ben was not at the Starbucks as she’d envisioned. When he drove down a deserted single-lane road outside of town, Ann wondered if she’d made a mistake agreeing to have coffee with basically, a stranger. When he pulled onto a dirt road winding through the woods, her heart sped up. “Where are we going?” she managed to eke out.
“You’ll see,” Ben had a sinister grin plastered across his face.
She slid one hand onto the Beta’s door handle ready to leap out. It would be better to die trying to escape than to be lead willingly to her death.
As Ben swung around a bend in the road, they came upon a clearing with a small building covered in mirrored panels with a small windmill on the roof. It looked like something from a science fiction movie. There was a small vegetable garden to its right with a short white picket fence. It wasn’t like any coffee house she’d ever seen. The place was whimsical to say the least, bordering on the fantastic.
Ann’s heart slowed, but she still couldn’t quite figure out what she was seeing. It almost reminded her of a futuristic Hansel and Gretel house. But the sign that stuck out of the ground said it all. It depicted a green cup filled with chocolate brown liquid and steam rising from the cup with the words, “The Green Bean”. Although she was confused, she felt relieved that there really was a coffee shop in the middle of the woods, and that Ben wasn’t taking her somewhere to be ax-murdered.
There were several cars parked in the gravel parking lot and a bicycle chained to a bike rack. He pulled up next to an old VW Beetle with a long-faded bumper sticker that said, “Save Water, Shower Together.”
He explained, “The mirror-looking panels on the building are solar panels. The entire building is covered and they move, so no matter which way the sun shines, the energy is captured.”
“What about all the snow you’ve warned me about?” Ann looked skeptical. “Won’t that cover them on the roof?”
“See those wires running between the panels?” Ben pointed to the roof.
She nodded.
“They melt the snow as fast as it can fall.”
This man had an answer for everything. “What about cloudy days?” Despite being from the West Coast, she wasn’t buying into all this environmental mumbo-jumbo.
“Wind turbine on the roof. That one doesn’t do much. But, there’s a bunch more in the back. Come on. I’ll show you.” He led her to the rear of the building. There was a small patio with tables and chairs under brightly-colored umbrellas. In the distance, windmills lined a hill.
“Okay, and when there’s no wind and no sun?” she asked smugly.
He shook his head. “No coffee.”
“That’s not too good for business.”
He grinned, “Just kidding! There’s a battery backup where the solar and wind power is stored. I see you’re a gullible one, lady.” He gently poked her in the rib.
She swiped him on the shoulder with the back of her hand and rolled her eyes.
He led her back to the front door and stood at the hostess stand. The interior was small, and Ann could view the entire restaurant from the front door. It was filled with modular sets of brightly colored tables and chairs. Many of the window panels were raised toward the sun, leaving streaks of light pouring through the all-glass walls.
A petite woman with dark hair, skin, and eyes approached them with arms stretched wide. She hugged Ben. They looked like David and Goliath. The woman all but disappeared in his embrace.
“Ben, my friend!” the tiny woman announced loudly when they released each other. “How’ve you been?”
“I’m swell. Busy. Business is good.”
Ann wondered how his business could be good if he was always trying to talk customers out of buying what they wanted and wasting hours of time running off to airports with customers he had just met.
Ben’s face turned serious as he took one of the woman’s hands into his own and said, “But how’ve you been, Leila? I haven’t seen you since—”
“Mom’s
funeral,” she filled in for him. “I’m hanging in there. Also busy, and business is good for me as well. So it helps. And who might this lovely lady be?” she turned to Ann.
“This is Ann Jones, a customer. Ann, this is Leila Dorsey, my good friend and owner of this fine establishment.”
Ann extended her hand, but Leila ignored it and hugged her instead. Ann was taken aback at first but once she realized what was happening, she gave into the embrace and instantly decided she liked this woman. “I’m so sorry about your mom.”
Leila smiled warmly. “Thanks.”
Leila led them to a table near one of the opened panels. There were tiny colorful chandeliers throughout the room. “Here’s a nice sunny spot for you two.” She handed them each a one-page menu. “Take your time. I’m dealing with a problem in the kitchen, so it’ll take me a few minutes.”
“Not a problem,” Ben grinned, as he pulled out a pair of glasses from his suit jacket. “Just for reading,” he explained even though Ann hadn’t asked.
“Right. My husband…” Ann stopped suddenly when she saw the look on Ben’s face.
Ben tilted his head backwards. “I didn’t realize you were married. I didn’t see a ring.”
She avoided eye contact. It was still a fresh wound, and she didn’t know if she wanted to talk about it to a practical stranger. “My husband is…” she sighed, “gone.”
“Gone?” Ben’s quizzical look quickly moved to one of sorrow. “He left you?’
“He died,” she whispered.
“Oh,” he took a deep breath, then glanced down, “I’m so sorry.”
Ann nodded, “Thanks.”
“My wife also died.”
Ann saw the familiar pain on his face. She tried to say something comforting, but knew nothing she said would help. “Oh, I’m also very sorry.”
Ben half-smiled, “It’s better now... Been a few years.”
“How long did it take you to get over it?” Ann hoped the answer would be somewhere close to the time it had already been for her.
He looked at her without speaking for a long moment. “I’ve never really gotten over it. Though the pain and the memories aren’t as fresh anymore.”
The look on his face made her uncomfortable. It reminded Ann of her own pain, so she changed the subject. “Know what you want?” She picked up the menu.
Ben answered without hesitation, “I’ve gotten the same thing ever since I moved to Burrburgh. Leila would probably have a heart attack and pass out on the floor if I ordered anything else. I’m getting an Oprah Winfrey and a peach muffin.”
Ann wondered what an Oprah Winfrey was. She scanned the menu. “Oprah Winfrey—strong, black coffee.” Makes sense. She read down the list of drinks. She usually drank her coffee black as well, but something else caught her eye. “I think I’ll have a Snow White.”
“Very interesting.” Ben raised an eyebrow.
“Why’s that? It makes sense—medium blend with a shot of white chocolate and whipped cream.”
“Oh, the name fits the drink alright. It’s just that Jillian, my wife, used to order something very similar from the Perk Place when we lived in Atlanta.”
“And what did she order when she came here?”
“She died before I moved here.”
Before Ann could respond, Leila appeared and grabbed a pen and notepad from her jeans pocket. “So, what’ll you have?” she glanced at Ann.
I’ll have a Snow White please.”
“Ah, you won’t be disappointed,” Leila jotted on her notepad.
“No muffin?” Ben asked.
Ann shook her head. “Don’t think so.” She wasn’t particularly hungry and she’d be indulging in enough calories with the chocolate and whipped cream.
“But Leila makes the best muffins,” Ben tried to persuade her.
“Thanks for trying to boost my sales,” Leila teased. “But if Ann’s not in the mood for a muffin, then let’s just stick with the coffee.” She then turned to Ben, “Your usual?”
“The usual. Plus, could you also wrap up a muffin to go?”
“Sure, be right up.” She stuffed her pen and pad into her pocket and scurried away.
“You were saying in the car that you recently moved to our small town,” Ben said. “How long have you been here?”
“Got in yesterday. I flew in a month ago for settlement on my house, then went back home to arrange the move.”
“And what made you decide on Burrburgh of all places?”
“Honestly?” Ann tilted her head to the side. “Don’t know. I saw this house on the Internet and thought it was quaint. Wanted to get away from the memories. And my kids are both off in college.” She shrugged. “So, I thought it was perfect.”
Ben nodded, “Although I can’t see why anyone would choose this town.”
“Well, why did you move here?”
“I felt compelled to come. We moved the dealership here after Jillian died.”
“To get away from the memories?”
“Touché.” He nodded.
Ann sat up straight in her chair. She’d finally won a battle with Ben, but couldn’t revel in this victory because she could see the pain on his face.
When Leila arrived with the coffee, she set the mugs on the table in front of each of them. She then set down the muffin and bag in front of Ben. They thanked Leila before she scooted away. Ann admired the beautiful Southwestern design on the side of her mug, then took a sip. “This is truly one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had!”
“I’m glad,” Ben said. He set the bag containing the muffin in front of her.
She could smell the sweet smell of warm peaches. It reminded her of her grandmother’s peach pie. “What’s this?”
“For you. I knew once you smelled this muffin, you’d want one. And no way are you getting any of mine. So that one’s for you.” He took a huge bite of his muffin.
Ann was not amused. Was this the most controlling man she’d ever met? She’d only known him one day, and already he tried to choose her car, roped her into having coffee with him, and ordered her a muffin against her wishes.
She sipped her coffee and sporting a whipped cream mustache, said, “You, Mr. Jallopenson, are most definitely a pain in the ass!”
Ben reached across the table and wiped the whipped cream off her lip with his napkin.
Ann was taken by surprise and swatted at his hand.
“How’s that? Because I just saved you the embarrassment of walking around with a whipped cream mustache?” He grinned, as if he found her irritation amusing.
She glared at him, embarrassed that no comeback entered her brain, furious over his arrogant attitude. But she would never give him the pleasure of thinking he was right about the muffin. No matter how much control she had to muster after wafting the sweet peachy aroma. To see his asinine self-indulgence, she absolutely would not open the bag. That will teach him a lesson about Ann Jones.
Of course, Ben, being the one with the delectable treat, looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying it. He swiftly lifted the muffin off the beautiful plate to his mouth. Not taking his eyes off hers, he bit down. He chewed slowly, deliberately moaning, all the while staring straight at her. After swallowing, he said, “Ann that’s why I asked Leila to wrap it up to go. I haven’t known you long, but I’ve noticed one thing about you; you’re pig-headed. I figured you’d be too stubborn to eat it now. And instead of giving up that obstinate façade and enjoying yourself, you’d choose to sit there and hurt me by not eating it. Well, you’re wrong, lady. Not hurting me one bit.” He took another large bite.
Ann could take no more of this; the aroma was overpowering. She ripped into the bag and devoured the muffin, while Ben chortled at her. She didn’t even care or notice much, as the muffin was so delicious that all her senses and attention were upon its peachy goodness.
Chapter 5
Ann couldn’t stop thinking about her time with Ben. She’d been quite irritated by his cocky behavior. Who
did he think he was, deciding for her that she would eat one of The Green Bean’s muffins?
It was awfully delicious though, and she had absolutely enjoyed it. Okay, so Ben was right about one thing. But he definitely had no business sticking his nose where it wasn’t welcome regarding her choice of cars. And even though she wasn’t about to admit it to him, she had been impressed by the Beta. She thought it was cool that it had started right up with no key in the ignition. It was a pretty hot car too. It reminded her of the Batmobile, kinda, sorta, if you squinted your eyes a bit. But far more chic.
And it was a nice gesture for Ben to take her all the way to the airport and back to drop her rental car off. But then again, he’d only done it to get a date with her. She went back and forth over the Ben situation and couldn’t quite figure out if he was a controlling cad or a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
She decided it was time to quit thinking about Ben and unpack more of her boxes. She wanted her life back to normal as quickly as possible. She was excited to be settling into her new house; away from all the painful memories she left behind. She and Tom were about to celebrate their twentieth anniversary, and a Mediterranean cruise had been planned for a year. But she wouldn’t allow herself to think about it. She was glad she had given the cruise to her friends, Alex and Jack. Alex certainly would enjoy it tremendously, and would think of her every day while cruising, by pointing out all the things Ann was missing.
Plus, Ann missed her kids, even more than she thought she would. They had gone off to college and she would have missed them anyway if she had stayed on the West Coast. She needed to break away from everything. The memories were too vivid, too fresh, and too painful. Burrburgh was home now. And she’d already started meeting people. She was looking forward to joining the knitting club. It was another way to meet people. And she was convinced knitting was like riding a bike, she’d pick up the needles and it would all come back to her.
