The clicking from the computer mouse paused, and Ben gave her a lopsided grin.
“I also like tea. And you know what happens when you drink too much tea…” Renee let her sentence trail away. She didn’t want to get graphic about her need to use the bathroom when she was on a date. “Well, when I got up to use the ladies’ room, I knew my feet were asleep.”
“Oh, no.” Ben put his hand over his mouth.
“I was used to using sleepy feet. They just have tingles in them, no big deal.” Renee shrugged. “That day, my feet weren’t just asleep. I swear, they were missing completely. When I put weight on the first one, it was like it was gone. I no longer had a foot. The other foot was very similar.”
“No tingles?” Ben’s amused expression was partially hidden behind the computer.
“No tingles. Suffice it to say I met the ground…hard and fast. The worst part of it was, absolutely everyone I worked with on a daily basis was there. In addition to the corporate head honcho and a few others pretty high up on the ladder.”
“Renee.”
She heard shock in his voice.
“I’m appalled.”
Renee frowned. Was there something wrong with her story? Did the fact that she needed to use the restroom turn him away?
Ben stood and side stepped around the computer. “I thought I was the only one you fell for.” He extended his hands out to both sides.
Renee noted his teasing tone and boyish grin.
“If I was sure that I had feet at the moment, I’d get up, come over there and smack those arms of yours back down.”
Ben feigned fear and slowly lowered his arms. “You have to admit, my arms have come in pretty handy.” He sat back down at the computer and started clicking again.
Renee wondered if he referred to the time he saved her from falling or when he helped her keep her dress in place. Maybe even when he put her out when she was on fire. Of course, that had been more with his entire body…
“Where do you get ideas for commercials?” Ben changed the subject.
“I hear voices in my head.” Renee blurted her answer before she could think about the implications.
“What?”
Renee couldn’t do anything right. She fell at his feet, lit herself on fire, pushed him into pools, told him embarrassing stories, and admitted to hearing voices. Why did he not alert security to her presence and have her escorted from the premises?
“When I have to write a commercial, I read up on the client and the information they want included. Then I close my eyes.” Renee closed her eyes like she had hundreds of times before when she formed commercials. “And I hear the commercial in my head. Really all I have to do is write it down and then produce it to match what I hear.”
“Interesting. Did you make the pet hospital one?”
Renee remembered how complicated that commercial had been to produce. It took a number of voice actors and myriad animal noises. “That was me.”
“I know you’re supposed to listen to the radio for the music, but I always looked forward to hearing that ad.”
Renee smiled. She was glad he appreciated her work behind the scenes.
“What made you go into radio?”
“I got a shift on the campus station back in college,” she began. “Really more for fun then anything else. When people started stopping me between classes to talk about my show, I wondered if I could make a career out of it.”
“And you have.”
“I have,” Renee agreed. “Enough about me, I want to hear more about you. Tell me something the city doesn’t already know.”
“You want the dirt, huh?”
“All of it.”
Renee moved her legs from beneath her on the couch and crossed her ankles on the floor. She didn’t want another foot disappearing incident. Ben was clicking even faster at the computer, and she wondered how he could work and talk at the same time.
Ben spoke after a long pause. “Well, my nickname in high school was The Pits.”
“That bad?”
“No, that was my nickname… The Pits.”
Renee frowned. She thought Ben was well-groomed. Perhaps his use of deodorant didn’t come until later in his life?
“Before you jump to any conclusions, let me explain.”
“Gladly.”
“My parents insisted that academics were not enough. They wanted me to be involved in other activities. To make me grow up into the well-rounded person I am today.” Ben grinned at Renee over the computer. “I joined the school marching band, and I didn’t think I would fit in with the flutes and clarinets, and I was too lazy to carry a tuba, so I became part of the pit.”
“You mean one of the people that stands on the sidelines?”
“Yes, I played the big things that couldn’t be moved out on the field. Occasionally the drum set, the timpani, various standing cymbals…but mostly the mallet instruments.”
“You were ‘The Pits’ because you were in the pit.”
“That pretty much sums it up.”
“And you have pictures of this?” Renee couldn’t stop herself from wondering what Ben would look like in a band uniform with tassels on the shoulders and a funny looking hat.
“Only one.” Ben got up from the computer and dug around on a shelf behind him. After a few moments of searching, he approached Renee and tossed a hardcover yearbook into her lap. “You find it, and I’ll let you call me The Pits…but only today and never again.”
“Deal.” Renee resolved to scour the yearbook until she found what she was looking for. The idea of Ben in a band uniform was too juicy a prize to pass up. As she searched, she glanced up at Ben from time to time and enjoyed the look of concentration on his face. The tension between them was gone, and she grew more relaxed in his presence then ever. She was enjoying the afternoon.
After studying half the book in her lap, Renee flipped to the back and found an alphabetical page key. She found Ben’s name and then had access to all of the pages he appeared on. There were only three. She searched for the first and found Ben’s portrait. He had a goofy grin and a twinkle in his eye that made her think he was up to something, but he looked very similar to the Ben who sat across the room. She continued her quest and next came across a picture of the school musical. Renee squinted and held the picture close to her face. The stars of the show were in mid-dance on stage, but Ben wasn’t one of them. Finally, she recognized his profile at the bottom of the stage.
“The musical?” he asked.
“That’s the one.”
“Yeah, I played percussion in that show. I liked to tell people that I was in every scene of the school musical. But it was only because I was standing in the orchestra pit, and my head went slightly above the stage level.
Renee smiled and wondered if Ben distracted anyone from what was going on in the musical. She wasn’t sure she would be concentrating on the song and dance above him had she been there.
Her search was almost complete. There was only one page left with Ben’s name tied to it. She furiously flipped to the back of the book. And there it was. A full marching band class photo. She scanned the faces until she found his. The stern look on her face took her aback. But he didn’t look silly as she’d hoped. He had the marching uniform on, but the black pants and white coats with red accents were not all that bad. And instead of the hats with plumes the rest of the band wore, the percussion section had on stylish berets.
Renee sighed. “Disappointed?” Ben’s voice sounded much closer than before.
“A little.”
“The hat helps.”
“What’s up with your face?”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked in mock hurt as he threw himself on the couch next to her.
“You’re so serious.”
Ben imitated the stare he gave in the photo. “This is just the way I look.”
Renee tried to keep a straight face, but found it impossible when met with his icy expression. She laughed until he joined
her.
“It was part of being in band, especially in the percussion section. We weren’t allowed to smile.”
“That’s not fair.” Renee closed the book in her lap and raised her eyes to meet Ben’s gaze. “You have a nice smile.”
“Why thank you, Miss Lockhart. Yours isn’t so bad either.” Ben leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and Renee closed her eyes.
CHAPTER NINTEEN
A shrill ding stopped Ben inches from Renee’s lips. “Saved by the bell,” Ben whispered.
Renee opened her eyes and swiveled away from Ben. They were having a good time together, but there were still other women involved. Her heart was dangerously close to being on the line. She needed to pull back now while she still could. “What was that?”
“My printer. Your creation is complete. But let’s take a look later.”
“I don’t get to see it now?”
“Not yet.” He waved his finger in the air. “First, we eat.”
Renee followed Ben through the apartment to a small cooking space. “This isn’t the main kitchen,” he explained. Renee wasn’t surprised. It looked like any other ordinary kitchen. “I have a staff taking care of the main kitchen…you know, for events and such. But it was awkward warming up a can of soup there, so I had this small den turned into a cooking space.” Ben shrugged. “It’s silly, I know, but I wanted to live comfortably in my own home.”
Renee nodded. She didn’t think it was silly at all, and she admired that Ben desired somewhere to call his own. She was sure the other kitchen had beauty and high quality stainless steel appliances and other finery, but this kitchen looked like a normal place to cook a meal. Ben seemed even more down to earth and human to her.
Renee backed up to the counter and jumped, placing herself in the center of the kitchen. “What can I do to help?” She attempted to see around his shoulder as he pulled a few things from the fridge.
“Not a thing. You’re my guest, and I want to impress you with my culinary skills. That way, if the artwork isn’t to your liking, perhaps you won’t notice since your stomach and taste buds will be singing.”
“My taste buds can sing?”
“Sure,” Ben answered. “You know…me me me me like before.”
Renee chuckled and found herself well entertained as Ben chopped, sliced, sautéed and scurried around the kitchen for the next half hour. When she could hardly stand the smells filling the room, he finally turned. “Dinner is served, my lady.”
Ben held his hand out to her, and she jumped down. She didn’t know if they would move to the formal dining room/conference room or plop down right there in the small kitchen.
“This okay?” Ben set water glasses on the miniscule table.
“Perfect.” Renee smiled as she sat at one end.
Ben set a steaming plate in front of her. “Spaghetti.” Renee inhaled the spicy scent before her.
“My specialty. I’ve been boiling noodles for as long as I can remember.”
“But you did so much cutting.” Renee placed the paper napkin in her lap. “I usually just pour out some sauce from a can and call it good.”
Ben laughed. “Me too, but I have a special recipe for sauce, and I like to make it fresh if I have time.”
Renee took a bite and closed her eyes. She would never be able to eat canned sauce again. “This is delicious,” she said before swallowing.
“I’ll tell my nana you enjoyed it. I used her recipe.”
Renee ate faster than she should have on a date, but enjoyed the spaghetti so much she didn’t want to slow down and allow it to cool. Normally, she spun noodles on her fork before eating, but with this dish, she slurped up long noodles so fast they hit her nose on the way by. After one particularly sloppy bite, Ben leaned over with his napkin and gently tapped her cheek.
“You’ve got a little sauce…well, everywhere.” His eyes gleamed.
“Sorry.” Renee raised her napkin to her lips. “I’m an enthusiastic eater. It’s a good thing we’re not taping today, or they’d surely do a close up of me right about now.”
“That they would,” Ben agreed. “One more moment to add to the montage at the end of the show.”
“Montage?”
“Yeah. Don’t you think they’re going to put all of your tricks together into some sort of blooper reel?” he asked. “You know, the mouse dance, the fire, the race car debacle…I could go on.”
“No, don’t.” Renee grinned along with him.
The smile slid off Ben’s face. “Those are all things I love about you, Renee.”
Renee frowned as she set her fork next to her plate. “You love when I push you into a pool?” She tried to lighten the serious turn the evening had taken.
“Well, maybe not so much. But the fact you had the guts to do it, yeah. You’re just so…I don’t know…real.” Ben paused and rose as he reached for Renee’s hands to help her stand. “Do you remember what you told me the first night?”
Renee nodded. She remembered every detail. She felt so smooth when she asked him to close his eyes. She planned to ask him if she sounded familiar to place herself on the radio radar before anything else.
“You actually wiped the makeup from your face…with my handkerchief. I couldn’t believe it.” He shook his head. Renee couldn’t believe it herself. “But after that, you explained that what I would get from you was nothing but the truth. And Renee, I think you’ve come through. You are a genuine girl who is not afraid to be herself in any situation. You would never lead me astray.” Ben paused and pulled her closer. “What I’m trying to say is that you aren’t shy about being who you are. And I happen to like who you are.”
Renee was speechless as Ben put his hand on the side of her face and wiped his thumb across her cheek. He drew her closer and whispered, “You had more spaghetti on your face.”
Before Renee could wonder if she had bad breath from his tasty creation, Ben’s lips were on hers. His kiss was light and soft, but she quickly melted. At first, her mind whirred about what he said. The idea that she was being true to her character in every situation and would never lead him astray made her stomach turn. Renee was being herself, but she was leading him down the wrong path just by being on the dating show. As he parted his lips and deepened the kiss, she could no longer think of anything.
After a few moments passed, Ben pulled back and placed his forehead on hers. “Do you want to see the creation?”
Renee managed to murmur a quick, “Yes.” She followed him back to his work studio, her hand neatly tucked into his. Her heart raced inside her chest, and she didn’t know if it was because of the kiss they shared or the anticipation of seeing the artwork he created using her image.
Ben sat her on the couch in the studio while he grabbed the piece from the printer and inspected it. Renee waited for what seemed like an eternity, though it was only a minute. She wanted nothing more than to be in Ben’s arms again, and she wasn’t sure how to address those longings. She needed to be smart about her situation, but her heart was taking over. Which should she listen to? Her head or her heart? She generally had logic and letting herself fall for Ben wasn’t a particularly logical answer to her predicament. She didn’t want to get hurt and she really didn’t want to talk about her failure on the radio, but she would have to if she fell for Ben and got dumped.
Renee hadn’t come to any conclusions when Ben returned holding a large 11x14 piece of photo paper before him backwards. All Renee saw was the white backing. “Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded and shifted on the couch as he sat down beside her, keeping the photo close to his chest.
“I give to you”—Ben paused—“what I am going to call…My Chosen Weed.” Ben turned the photo around.
Renee leaned forward. The image on the sheet held her lips, blowing. It must have been one of the last shots he took. In front of her lips was a bright white dandelion, which Ben had inserted with his software. There wasn’t much fluff left on the dandelion and it looke
d like she had blown most of it away. But instead of the fluff floating away, it looked like it stuck to her lips. Renee sat back and took in the picture. She noticed flowers…or weeds in the background. A sea of dandelions. There were intricate little details she never would have thought to place into a picture. And he created the piece in a few hours. While talking to her at the same time.
“Wow.” She tried to mold her thoughts into words. “You have a real talent, Ben.” She reached for the picture to take a closer look. “I really think this is something I could stare at all night and still not see it all.”
“You like it?” Ben bit his lip.
“Like? I love it.” She wasn’t sure what she would take away from the experience as a whole, but she did know this picture was something to cherish. She could look at it and remember how special she felt, even if it was the last close moment they shared. “I really don’t know what to say.”
“That’s strange for a radio personality, right?” Ben teased.
“Very.” Renee leaned back against Ben’s arm on the couch and held the picture up at another angle.
Renee couldn’t take her eyes from the piece. She liked the security of Ben’s arm around her shoulders. The whole day had been better than she ever expected. She got to know Ben on a friendly level and she enjoyed every detail she learned about him. He was down to earth, easy going, and nothing like the media made him out to be. Sure, he dated a lot of women, but only because he hadn’t found the right one yet.
When she finally put the photo down, Ben pulled her to her feet. “There’s one more thing I want to do.” He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“What’s that?” Renee held the large photo off to one side to avoid crushing it.
“In honor of honesty, I need to tell you the truth like you promised to do for me.”
Renee blushed. She had been honest about a lot of things including her personality and attitude towards life, but she still wasn’t being completely truthful with Ben.
“You know the show title…Accept This Dandelion?”
Renee nodded.
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