Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6) Page 4

  "I thought I might be seeing you again," she said.

  "Tell me something. What would it take for you to set aside that gold bracelet Rose liked this morning?"

  "I didn't realize that you two were serious," Lucretia said.

  "We aren't." Ben looked down at his feet, feeling foolish.

  "But you want me to save it...just in case?"

  He nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask. But I just have this feeling..."

  She smiled at him and gave him a knowing look. "I'll put it in the back for now. Just in case."

  "Thanks, Lucretia."

  After the auditions, Ben went back to his cabin and changed to shorts to go for a run on the beach. His job required that he keep in top physical shape, but he'd be doing the exercise anyway because he liked the feeling of being healthy. Running was a favorite method, because it gave him time to think. If something was bothering him, he always found he could sort it out when he was running. Maybe that was because he was focused on only one thing.

  This day, he thought about Rose. She was a bit of an enigma. He'd never met a model like her. She had such depth in her personality, in her character. Not that a model couldn't have that...but, in his experience, he'd found most were focused on themselves. Rose didn't seem to think about herself at all. She'd never looked at her reflection in the glass windows of the shops they'd passed by. She didn't hesitate to eat pastry, or biscuits, at breakfast. One treat, sure, he could see it. But in her line of work, every bite she ate would be scrutinized and weighed and counted for calories and carbs. Yet she dove into the cannoli like she hadn't a thought in her head about her weight.

  Then there was her description of what she wanted in a man. Not money, not fame, none of the things some of the starlets he'd dated were interested in. She talked like...an old-fashioned girl.

  But what he kept coming back to was that haunted look that showed up in her big brown eyes. What had put that look there? He knew there were things of importance that she wasn't telling him. However, he was in no rush. He could wait to discover more about Rose. They had time.

  With that settled in his mind, he headed back for the cabin. He'd showered and dressed again, when his phone rang.

  "Hello?"

  "Ben, it's Rose."

  "Hi, how are you?"

  "I'm fine. I was wondering how you'd feel about going to dinner with me at my brother's house. Tonight. I know it's late notice, but they just called me and invited us."

  "Us? I get it. They want to meet this stranger who entered your life."

  "Exactly. Please don't feel like you have to go. You'll probably get a ton of questions."

  "That's okay. I'd like to meet the man who wrote the psychic detective series. And his wife. What time? I can come by and pick you up."

  "You're sure?"

  "Yes."

  "Okay. Pick me up at six-thirty."

  "Great, I'll see you then, Rose."

  "Thanks, Ben. Really."

  He put his phone down and sat in the rocking chair by the window, staring out at the view. It would be interesting to see Rose in the setting of family.

  * * * *

  Rose dithered, waiting for Ben to arrive. She'd taken extra care when dressing, putting on her make-up with some flair, curling her hair, and picking out jewelry to go with her outfit.

  Maggie had been true to her word and bought a ton of clothes. Rose had decided to wear a sleeveless maxi dress of periwinkle with diagonal stripes of deep purple and mossy green on the bodice. She like how it flowed so freely around her ankles.

  Maggie had insisted she have several pairs of sandals, so she was wearing some with wedge heels and green leather that matched the dress. Her jewelry was a chunky bracelet she fallen in love with in the department store, in colors of green and dusty purple, along with green ceramic earrings. The bodice had a V-neck that showed just a bit of cleavage. She felt like she really was a tourist on vacation in the dress.

  She decided to go downstairs to wait in the parking lot for Ben. Grabbing her new green leather purse, she went down the stairs carefully so that she didn't trip with the long dress. Right as she stepped off the final stair, Ben drove up. He got out of the car, and after standing still for a minute to stare at her, hurried around the car to open her door.

  As she got in the car he leaned in and said, "You look amazing."

  She felt warm all over at hearing those words. It was funny how she cared what she looked like now, as opposed to when she was at work in the hospital. She smiled at the girly feeling she had, like when she was a kid playing dress-up with some of her mother's things.

  "What's the smile about?" Ben asked, turning the car around to leave.

  "I'm...happy," she said, with some surprise. "I feel...content."

  "That sounds like a nice way to start off the evening. Are you all set for going out on the boat tomorrow?"

  "Yes. I went on a shopping trip with my sister, Maggie. That woman can shop!"

  "I haven't met her yet, right? She's the pregnant one?"

  "Yes, the tiny thing is very obviously pregnant now. She'll be a terrific mom. Today she mentioned she wants to have the two of us over for a meal soon."

  "Aside from play rehearsals, I'm available. Schedule it whenever," Ben said. "I just stay on this beach road? That's what I was told."

  "Yes, their house is just about a mile further."

  They went around one final curve, and then Ben saw the beach house.

  "That is an astonishing place, even from the outside. When you said beach house, I expected something simple, but that house...it's extraordinary."

  Rose laughed. "I know. The first time I was here, I wandered around amazed at what they'd built. It fits the environment, and sprawls out on one level very comfortably."

  They parked in the drive and the front door opened before they got to it.

  "Rose!"

  It was Anna coming out with her son Joshua behind her. He immediately ran past his mother and grabbed Rose's hand.

  "Come on, Aunt Rosie. Gotta show you. I built it!"

  She was laughing and let herself be pulled into the house by the little boy. He led her to his room where she found an elaborate Lego block construction.

  "What is it?"

  He looked at her like she should know. Then he shrugged and said, "A space ship."

  After that he spent a few minutes showing her crew quarters, fuel storage, and more. She'd heard that Joshua was gifted, but nothing could have made it as clear to her as those few minutes with him.

  Sam popped his head into the room. "Hey, you two. Come join the party. Wow, Rose, you look terrific."

  Joshua ran down the hall calling out, "Party! Party!"

  "Thanks, Sam. He's really something," she said, pointing ahead to Joshua.

  "He keeps us hopping, that's for sure. Eric helps a lot, spending time with Joshua working on computers. He knows what it's like to be gifted. His knowledge and experience have benefitted us a lot."

  They entered the living room with its sliding glass door out onto the deck, and the beach beyond. Anna was talking to Ben about the painting on the main wall, a night-time view of the ocean, waves shimmering under three moons.

  Ben turned to smile at Rose, and she found herself smiling back, a shared look that made her feel a bit quivery in her stomach.

  Joshua was looking at Anna, with his hand hovering over a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Mom?"

  "Yes, go ahead. Have one before dinner. And everyone, please, help yourselves."

  Sam soon had them settled with wine, and Rose took a bite of what turned out to be a roasted veggie and cream cheese spread on delicate crackers.

  "Fantastic view you have here," Ben said.

  "Yes, we love it," Sam replied. "How long will you be in Sully Point, Ben?"

  "I have to be on location in New Zealand in mid-September, so I expect to be here until the first of September."

  "What's your next project?" Anna asked. "If you can tell us, that is."
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br />   Ben nodded. "It is a bit like being a secret agent sometimes, working on these movies. We sign confidentiality contracts. All I can say is that it will be an epic fantasy."

  "That will be different for you, won't it?" Anna said. "I think I've seen all your movies and they are usually action and crime drama."

  "Yes, usually. This will be action in a different kind of environment."

  "New Zealand," Sam said thoughtfully. "We've never gone there, Anna. You'll have to tell us what you think of it, Ben."

  Rose sat back and watched how comfortable Sam and Anna seemed to be with Ben. It was like he could fit in anywhere. She was noticing how expressive his hands were when he talked, when she realized everyone was looking at her.

  "What?" she asked.

  Anna smiled. "I was asking when you all were going to have a photo session. I was offering our deck and the beach here as a site for you."

  Rose blushed. "Oh, uh, I don't know. We're going deep sea fishing tomorrow with Cody."

  Sam grinned at her. "Yeah, Sis, Ben was just telling us that. You must have been preoccupied thinking of something."

  She hurried to say, "Anytime is fine with me."

  Ben turned to look at her and smile. "Then we'll be out here by the end of the week, Anna. Thanks for the scenic location."

  Anna stood up. "I'm just going to finish the sauces in the kitchen and then we'll be ready for dinner. And no, Rose, I don't need any help."

  Rose had started to get up, but then sat back down at Anna's words. "Just as well. I'm not awesome in the kitchen. How about you, Ben? Do you cook?"

  "I am a pro with a grill. Steak, chicken, hamburgers, even some vegetables. But don't ask me to bake anything. If it requires following a recipe and measuring out ingredients, I'm not your man."

  They continued chatting about cooking until Anna called them to the table. She had created a Chinese meal of spring rolls with shrimp, turkey sausage dumplings, sesame noodles, and pork with veggie stir fry. There were little bowls of two sauces at each place setting.

  "Don't worry. This whole meal is healthier than you think. Lately, I've been working over my recipes to make them healthy, baking instead of frying the spring rolls, using multigrain noodles, that sort of thing."

  "It looks divine, Anna," Rose said as she sat down.

  "Better than take-out, any day," Ben said.

  "Noodles!" Joshua said happily, and they all laughed.

  Later, on the drive home, Rose leaned her head back against the headrest, feeling pleasantly full. They had all turned down Anna's offer of dessert after the delicious meal.

  "What did you think of them?" she asked Ben, turning her head to watch him.

  "Your brother is interesting. He seems so down to earth and well, real, if you know what I mean. I expected a writer who was locked up in his office all the time writing, not interacting much. But he's clearly doing more than writing in his life. He's out there experiencing it. And Anna is lovely. Her paintings are so intense, and yet she seems so gentle. I like them both, very much."

  "I could tell they liked you, too," Rose said.

  "Sam and I talked about the barbecue there in a week or so. He said he had invited the whole family."

  "Yes, it should be fun. Will you be helping out on the grill?"

  "Yep," Ben said with satisfaction in his voice.

  Rose laughed quietly. Men and their grills!

  Chapter 3

  When Rose got up the next morning, she was feeling grumpy and confused. She'd tossed and turned during the night after Ben had left her at her door. It wasn't that she'd expected him to come in, or to kiss her good night...or maybe that was it exactly. They'd had such a fantastic time and he seemed to like her and yet, he was a perfect gentleman, giving her hand a squeeze at the door and that was it. Maybe she was reading every signal wrong, and he really just wanted to be friends.

  And maybe, she thought, you've been without a man long enough that you are glomming onto the first one who happened by! She shook her head at herself. At least she had remembered to set the alarm so that she was up early. She wanted to be fully awake by the time Ben came to pick her up for their adventure on the boat. A quick shower and a first cup of coffee, along with yogurt and granola, made her feel more ready to face the day.

  On the way to her bedroom to get dressed, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number.

  "Hello?"

  "Rose Carter? Dr. Carter? This is Doc Watson. I'm the local doctor here in Sully Point."

  "Hello, Doctor. What can I do for you today?"

  "I'd like to see you in the next day or so, if possible. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

  "Well, you've stirred my curiosity. Wait, is it Maggie?"

  "No, no, she's healthy as a horse."

  "Okay...no hints as to what this is about?"

  "I'm sorry, but I'd rather talk to you in person."

  "All right then. I'm supposed to go out deep sea fishing in a little while. Can it wait until tomorrow morning?"

  "Yes, yes it can," Doc Watson said. "How about nine o'clock in my office?"

  "Sounds fine. I'll see you then."

  "Thank you, Dr. Carter. Thank you very much."

  Rose ended the call and gazed at her phone thoughtfully. Unless she was mistaken, that man had sounded relieved when she agreed to talk to him. She wondered for a moment what it was about, but then looked at the time and dashed in to get dressed.

  She'd decided to wear her suit under shorts and a t-shirt, and she'd bring the cover-up that Maggie had insisted upon. Rose found the cover-up a bit silly since it was see-through, but she would take it. She filled a canvas beach bag with a couple of towels, sunscreen, a straw hat, another pair of shorts and shirt and flip flops. She planned to wear her new sneakers out there. At the last minute she remembered her sunglasses and a large comb. She'd braided her hair so that it hung down her back, but she knew at some point she'd want to comb it out.

  There was a knock at the apartment door, and she took everything into the living room, noticing her digital camera on the table. She tucked it securely into the bag and answered the door.

  "Ready?" Ben asked, smiling at her.

  "Yes, I'm all set. But I was wondering if we need to take bottled water or food?"

  "No. I called Cody this morning and he said the boat is stocked with food and drink. Let's go!"

  She grabbed the bag, put her sunglasses on, and they went down the stairs.

  "It's an ideal day for going out on the water," Ben said once they were in the car.

  "I'm going to slather on the sunscreen. That sun will be bright."

  "I already put mine on. But I may need to borrow some of yours later."

  She looked over at him and laughed. "You haven't stopped smiling. You're really looking forward to this aren't you?" she asked.

  "Yes, I am. I'm going to have fun and catch big fish, and maybe even eat one later today. It's a manly kind of day."

  Rose giggled.

  "That's right, you may laugh," he said sternly. "But you're playing the part of the fair maiden today. All that is expected from you is a frequent smile and many giggles and an occasional smoldering look. I'll be fighting off the dangerous creatures of the ocean depths, protecting you from the jaws of death."

  She burst out laughing, her grumpiness banished by his sense of humor. They parked at the lot by the docks and walked down to where they saw Cody loading some equipment onto a boat. Another man was helping him.

  "Hi, you two," Cody said. "This is Joe Crawford. He'll be along with us to help out. He makes this run a lot."

  Joe shook their hands. He was a man in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair, and a leathery face from spending so much time in the sun. There were creases at the edges of his eyes from squinting in the light off the water. He vanished into the pilot house and started the engines.

  Cody showed them where they could stow their things down below, where there were two cabins and a galley. He turned on the cof
fee maker and then they all went up on deck.

  As they pulled away from the dock, Cody began giving them a lecture on safety which Rose and Ben both listened to, even though it turned out both of them were capable swimmers. They put on lifejackets, while Cody began explaining about the type of fishing they'd be doing.

  Rose decided to keep the shorts and shirt on for the moment, since the air wasn't quite warmed up yet out on the water. She was sure, though, that soon enough the day would be hot.

  Once the boat was out of the waterway and into open water, Joe took them to a faster speed. Suddenly, Rose understood why people liked boats. It was a marvelous feeling to her, the breeze blowing against her body, seeing the water stretched out before them. She felt her muscles relaxing, as if they had been wound tightly deep inside all this time and only on the speeding boat were they finally loosening up. She smiled widely, and Ben came up to her and sat beside her.

  "Fun, isn't it?" he said loudly.

  She nodded and smiled at him. His blond hair was blown away from his face, and his blue eyes were dazzling in the light off the water. He'd taken off his t-shirt before putting on the lifejacket and she'd seen that his body was in excellent condition if his abs were anything to go by. As he got up to ask Cody a question, she thought the view of him walking away was pretty darned good, too.

  After a while the boat began slowing, and Cody took a bucket to the side of the boat and began dumping it overboard.

  "What're you doing?" Rose called out.

  "Tossing chum into the water. Around these parts we say, 'if you chum, they will come.'"

  "It's chopped up bait fish and other fish parts," Ben said. "The fish are attracted to it. While we're slowing, he's laying a trail for the fish to follow right to us."

  The boat finally stopped, and Cody came over to Rose.

  "Ready to try your hand at some fishing?"

  "Sure! Just tell me what to do," she said.

  He showed her how to stand, how to hold the fishing rod and more, and before she knew it she was officially fishing. The waters had become calm, but then she saw a disturbance.