by Susan Hatler
I suddenly forgot about the caterers, the tea, and even the wedding charm. I even forgot this was the guy who’d teased me endlessly since I was a child. All I could focus on was the taste and feel of his mouth, and the crazy little sensations running all through me. Oh, wow.
“Oh, yeah,” the guy said, letting out a low whistle, pulling me from my heavenly cloud. “That was definitely y’all kissing earlier.” He hit a button and the gate swung open.
Ben released me and I fought to catch my breath. With my heart pounding, I grabbed the parasol, wiggled my fingers at the works, and sailed in on spaghetti legs. Were Ben and I going to talk about what just happened? I turned to him, unsure of how to start the conversation.
Instead of declaring his love, he pointed to a tray going by “Oh, look. Cheese straws.”
He wanted to eat cheese straws at a time like this? What happened to our earth-shattering kiss? Hadn’t it rocked his world as it had mine? Apparently not since he popped a handful of cheese straws into his mouth. Actually, those did look pretty good.
Ben lifted a couple flutes of champagne from a server and handed one to me. It turned out the cheese straws were delicious and the very dry champagne was divine. We sipped and munched as we walked through the crowd. That kiss replayed in my mind over and over.
“What now?” I asked, remembering we had a task to do.
“We have to get in the house to find the painting. I say we slip in, claiming we’re looking for the restroom if we get caught in the wrong area.”
“Sounds plausible enough.” I spotted a set of open French doors and made a beeline for them, slipping into a small sunroom. Then we entered a long hallway where people bustled by, obviously too busy to pay attention to us.
“Come this way.” Ben took hold of my hand, leading me down the hall. “Artwork is probably in that big room with all of the windows and thick blinds.”
We tiptoed through empty rooms, my senses on high alert.
“I feel like a cat burglar,” I whispered.
“You better not burgle anything.” He guided me along with a gentle tug on my hand, which felt so perfect and natural.
I gave him a cutting look but then I whispered, “Look!”
At the end of the hall, we turned into a room that was clearly a study of some sort, and hanging on one tall wall was a lovely painting of a young ballerina with a bright blue sash!
“Is it a Degas?” I asked.
Ben looked anxious. “I have no idea.”
“Let’s pull up a search on our phones, or something.”
“Good idea.” He let go of my hand—which was a bummer—and typed something into his phone. Then he frowned, glanced at the painting, and then at his phone. “I think it is a Degas. It sure looks like one.”
“Well, come on.” I laced my arm through his, moving toward the lovely painting. “Let’s get our picture with the painting and get out of here!”
We came to a stop by the painting. He held his phone up and snapped a selfie, but I wasn’t sure if he got the entire painting in the background.
“Take one more,” I suggested, moving just an inch, and my shoulder brushed the frame.
Ehn-ehn-ehn. An alarm started shrieking.
Ben’s face drained of color. “What happened?”
“I touched the painting!” I squeaked, covering my mouth. “What do we do now?”
“We run!” He grabbed my hand and then we took off.
“Oh!” I held on tight to his hand as we flew out of the study. Ben ran along slightly ahead of me, rushing toward a staircase. I managed to catch up and we went down a set of stairs fast. We’d moved so quickly that I was sure we were home free—up until I ran right into the arms of a burly security guard. “Oof!”
A second security guard stood beside him.
I decided to try to use the parasol to hide my face, but the security guard grabbed it in one smooth move, plucking it right out of my hands. So much for my hiding place. We’d been cornered against a wall. Ben slipped his arm around me, pulling me close to him.
There was nothing we could do. We’d been caught.
Chapter Eight
I’d never been hauled away by a burly security guard at a formal tea before, so this one was going down for the record. I probably should’ve tried to talk my way out of trouble, but I was way too nervous. I’d never been busted before.
The guard was a man of few words, four to be exact. He said, “Trespassing is a crime,” in a really scary voice and then deposited us in a room with high windows. Was I really in trouble? I just wanted a photo with the Degas, not a criminal record.
Once the burly guard and his security partner left the room, I immediately went to a window to attempt an escape. But the window wouldn’t budge. Even if it had opened, my huge skirt would probably have prevented my climbing out or it would’ve made me tumble out the window. I’d already lost my freedom, so there was no sense in losing my dignity, too.
“We’re in so much trouble.” I paced the room, being careful not to let my skirt trash the place. My hands were busy with that task or I would have been wringing them like crazy. “I can’t believe this. We’re going to jail.”
Ben lifted a brow. “I wish we’d known there was an alarm.”
“This is all my fault?” I put my hands near what I thought might be my hips. The dress made it hard to tell. “How was I supposed to know there was an alarm?”
“Calm down. Everything will be fine. We just have to explain ourselves. I’m sure a patron of the arts is a reasonable person.”
“Fine?” I squeaked, pretty sure I’d reached panic mode. “How is any of this going to be fine? If we go to jail then we can’t finish the challenge and get the charm for Jill. Her wedding will be ruined because of me and I’m the maid of honor.”
Ben tilted his head as if he were confused. “We could be going to jail and you’re worried about the wedding charm?”
“Jill’s been an amazing friend to me, through thick and thin. This is her special day and it can’t be ruined because of us. Why wouldn’t I be worried about the wedding charm when it means so much to her?”
Ben’s hands came up. “Whoa, slow down. I wasn’t being mean. I’m actually impressed at your dedication to the friendship.” He paused, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I’m even more impressed that you let me kiss you out there. You were very believable, too.”
He had to bring our kiss up now? I stopped pacing, opening my mouth to say something in protest, but ended up blurting, “It was a pretty impressive kiss, to be honest.”
“It sure was.” His mouth curved upward and he pushed himself away from the wall he’d been leaning against. He kept his eyes on mine as he walked toward me. I had no idea what he was planning to do, but I knew what I wanted him to do.
When he was only a few steps away from me, the door flew open and a tall woman entered the room. Her red hair was pulled back in a French twist, spilling in small ringlets around her face. She stomped toward us with a loud rustle of silk. She looked sweet and friendly. I’d never been so glad to see someone in all of my life. Maybe this woman had dismissed the security guards?
She stopped before us, snapped a fan open and waved it in front of her face. “I’m Effie May Warrington. My security guards have informed me that you two just tried to steal my Degas!”
“No, no.” Ben hastened to assure her. “We weren’t trying to steal it. We just had to take a picture with it.”
Effie May’s fan worked faster. She gave me a knowing look. “So you could sell it on the black market?”
“No!” I gasped, putting my hands to my cheeks. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life. Okay, well, there was the black eyeliner I took from a store in the seventh grade. But I felt so bad I ended up returning it, so that shouldn’t count.”
Ben gave me a strange look.
“What? I’m just being honest,” I said, although this was probably not a time for confessions. She wasn’t exactly a friend, with the w
hole threat of arrest for attempted theft and all.
Then Miss Ella swept into the room. “There has been a mistake.”
Oh, no. Not only were we in trouble legally, but now we’d been caught by Miss Ella? I was such a failure and the wedding charm was so doomed.
“They weren’t trying to steal the Degas, Effie.” Miss Ella shook her gloved finger back and forth. “This is the couple I told you about. They’re working on tasks to earn Florence’s wedding charm. One task was to take a photo with a Degas.”
“Well, that does seem like a worthy task,” Effie said.
“Very much so,” Miss Ella said, approaching Ben and me, her eyes boring into mine. “I’m so sorry. You see, I knew there was no Degas on display at the High. But I also knew if you just checked you’d find out there was one here. I didn’t think you’d break into the house to see it, though. I thought you’d just ask for me since you knew I was here.”
To my complete horror, I burst into tears. The combination of a lack of sleep, my mixed emotions about Ben, and failing to get the wedding charm, must’ve been too much to handle. Because I really let the waterworks loose, which was so unlike me.
Then I felt a pair of firm arms envelop me and I looked up to find myself tucked against Ben’s chest. I leaned into him and everything felt better. Yeah, I was going to jail and poor Moose was locked in the laundry room, but nothing felt as gloomy when I was with Ben.
“I’m so sorry for crashing the tea, Miss Ella,” I babbled out, sniffling. “It’s just that the wedding will be ruined if we don’t get the picture with the Degas like you instructed.
“It was my idea to crash the tea,” Ben said, hurriedly. “Please don’t blame her. I’m sorry we came without an invitation, but it never occurred to me that we’d create a problem.” He paused for a breath, and glanced at me for a moment. “I’ll admit I got carried away thinking about how lovely she would look in a dress like the one you’re wearing, Miss Effie May. Not that she’s able to carry it off as well as you do. But she’s from California, so that’s working against her.”
Torn between laughing and feeling really offended, all I could do was stare up at Ben. Was he really trying to charm his way out of this?
Effie May blushed and smiled, before she tapped Ben’s arm with her fan. “Don’t you try to charm me. Oh, well, all right then. If Ella’s willing to vouch for you then we’ll just pretend this whole incident never happened. But the next time you want to see a painting in my home, send an email or something first requesting to do so.”
Then Effie May Warrington sailed out of the room.
We weren’t going to jail? I was so relieved I sagged against Ben, who smiled down at me. “I told you not to worry, dimples.”
Miss Ella clasped her hands together. “I’m sorry for sending you to the High for the Degas, but part of the challenge was to see how you’d react with defeat. A marriage needs trust and teamwork, even in the face of adversity. But seeing you two right now makes it obvious that you not only love and respect each other, but you have trust and teamwork in your relationship as well. I sure didn’t mean to almost get you arrested, though.”
Relief flooded through me. “It’s fine, Miss Ella. But we really are running out of time. We did get the photo with the Degas, but we need to achieve the very last task.”
“Well, proving your commitment to each other isn’t up to me. You’ll have to meet your grandma’s dear friend, Gina Larson, at eight o’clock tomorrow morning at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. She will determine that.”
I nodded. “We’ll be there. Thanks for making sure we didn’t get arrested.”
As we made our way past the guards outside the door, Ben whispered, “Do you think there’s any chance we could get some of those cheese straws to go?”
“Are you crazy?” I stopped walking and gawked at him.
He grinned. “Nope, I’m just hungry.”
“We’ve pretended to be a coroner and his wife, angered a museum guide, broke into a very expensive home, and faced down jail time so we could get a picture with a priceless painting and all you can say is you’re hungry?” My belly suddenly grumbled, causing my cheeks to heat. “Yeah, me too. But there’s no way I’m stealing cheese straws for you. We’ve been in enough trouble for one day.”
****
We went out for a quick dinner, returned to the house a couple hours later to shower and change our clothes. Then we let Moose out of the laundry room and he greeted us with wriggling excitement. He’d seemed content while we were gone with his small dog bed, cute little rope toy, and fluffy squeaky toys.
I replenished Moose’s food and water, and then we let him out into the dusky twilight of the backyard. The smell of magnolias and jasmine wafted along on a cooling breeze, and the sky showed dark indigo and bright carnelian streaks in the furthest western edge.
Moose fetched a toy and came running back with his head covered in mud.
“Oh, no.” Ben laughed.
I groaned. “How did he find mud? It hasn’t rained at all.”
“Must be a sprinkler system,” Ben said.
My nose wrinkled. “He needs a bath.”
Ben nodded. “I have to agree with you on that one. Come on, Moose.”
I grabbed the dog shampoo we’d bought earlier and Moose trotted down the hall with us until we reached the nearest bathroom. I picked him up and set him down in the marble-clad tub and shower combination. He immediately jumped out of the tub.
Ben shut the door, but that didn’t hinder Moose’s desire to escape. He dodged between Ben’s legs and under the tall and wide pedestal sink. I grabbed for him but he wedged himself in deeper, his toenails scraping along the lovely grey-and-white tile floors and barking in a way that said he was absolutely not going to get in that tub quietly if he could help it.
I gathered him up again, petting him a minute to soothe him. Ben turned on the water, letting his forearm test the temperature. “I think that water’s fine.”
I put Moose back into the tub. “We’d better hurry. I don’t think he likes baths so much.”
Ben sprayed water along Moose’s body and I squirted the shampoo on, which smelled sweet until it hit Moose’s stinky dog fur. “Hold still, boy. It’s going to be over soon.”
Moose gave me a woebegone look, and I snapped a photo of him with my cell phone. Too cute. Ben wielded the sprayer while I lathered shampoo along Moose’s back and legs. Moose was clearly not happy, and I was worried—but not about Moose.
I worried about all of the things Miss Ella had said about Ben and me. Did she really think we were right for each other? That we had what it took to make a marriage last?
Moose interrupted my thoughts with a loud bark.
Ben scratched behind his ears. “I know you think you’re having the worst day ever, but this is a cake walk compared to what we went through today.”
“I know, right?” I added a dollop of shampoo to Moose’s head. “I’m so tired. I never thought getting that wedding charm would be so exhausting.”
Ben chuckled. “Me, either.”
I peeked over at him. “I guess being charming is tiring you out, huh?”
His gaze latched onto mine. “You find me charming?”
I gave a noncommittal shrug. “Lorraine, Effie May, and Miss Ella sure seem to find you charming. I’m surprised Lorraine didn’t slip you her number along with those tickets. She’s probably crushing on you right now.”
“So you think I’m crushable,” he said, his voice low.
I’d walked right into that one. Deciding to be honest, I said, “Yes, I’d say you’re crushable.”
He ran the sprayer along Moose’s back, sending suds into the tub, before he looked back at me. “You’re pretty crushable, too. Especially when you’re holding a parasol.”
I gave him a quick glance as confusion rolled through my mind. What was happening here? Ben thought I was crush material? I didn’t know what to say to that.
“You probably have a boyf
riend back home.” His tone was that of a statement, but it felt like he was asking a question.
I shook my head. “I was dating someone, but we broke up months ago.”
“Why did you two break up?” he asked, an intense look in his eyes.
“He was nice, but I didn’t have strong feelings for him.” I’d meant to just give him the oh-we-weren’t-right-for-each-other-speech, but the truth just rolled out easily. I dried my hands on a hanging towel and then pulled Moose out to dry him. “Are you dating someone special?”
Ben’s gaze became twice as intense. “Not besides you.”
My belly fluttered, until I remembered our fake engagement.
“Right,” I joked, as I rubbed Moose dry with the towel. “Can you believe Miss Ella really thinks we’re right for each other? She sure doesn’t know us at all.”
A line formed between his brows. “Why wouldn’t we be right for each other?”
I winced, remembering all of the reasons. “You tease me, for one. You’ve called me dimples since I was young, reminded me of how goofy my dimples look.”
“Is that what you think?” He leaned toward me, holding both of my shoulders so I couldn’t look away. “I love those dimples. I’ve called you that to make you smile, just so I can see them. They’re so you. And you’re beautiful.”
A ripple of excitement rolled through me, but then I frowned. “You ruined my high school science project,” I said, hating that something from a decade ago still hurt so much.
He sat back and blew out a breath. “No, I didn’t.”
My mouth dropped open. Ben may be a lot of things, but he never been dishonest. I couldn’t believe he was denying this now after all these years. “Ben, I saw you before the science fair. You’re the only one who had the opportunity, and the motive.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”
Moose wriggled in my lap, so I pulled the towel off him so he could roam free.
“If you didn’t ruin my science project then who else would’ve done it?” I asked, logically.
