As I Close My Eyes (16 page)

I made the drive in just over forty-five minutes and found Ben’s house very easily. It was big. Much larger than I expected, with a white wrap-around porch, brick façade and grand containers filled with colorful flowers at the entrance. I could picture Ben sitting on the swinging porch bench that hung from the overhang above the front deck, reading his favorite novel. The house reflected his old soul.

He greeted me as I pulled into the driveway with flowers in hand.

“
Hey, Dani!”

“
Hi, Ben. You know, you really don’t have to give me flowers every time I see you,” I said as I got out of the car. “It’s going to lose its magic after a while when I begin to expect them.”

“
Until that time, I will continue to shower you with roses.”

Ben kissed me and the butterflies I got each time we touched returned.

He opened the back door of my car and grabbed my bag. I wasn’t sure what to pack since I didn’t know what the day would bring, so I brought a dress, bathing suit - which I was very apprehensive about - my make-up, and some jeans.

I noticed as Ben turned around that he had cut his hair. He could no longer pull it back into a small ponytail. Without his hair tied at the base of his neck, Ben’s dark brown locks fell in waves just above his ears. I liked his natural look and wanted to run my fingers through the thick strands. I didn’t think he could look better than when I first saw him, but this new haircut made him even more attractive. The temptation to jump on him and tackle him to the ground, kissing as we fell, took over my entire body. I held back and went for his hand instead.

“
I can’t wait to show you what I have planned. Do you want the whole day to be a surprise or should I tell you some of the plans?” he asked.

“
I don’t want to know anything,” I replied, practically skipping my way to his front door.

“
Okay. Just don’t be alarmed at the hideous wallpaper inside. It’s in every room in the house. I haven’t done a thing here since I bought it.”

As we made our way past the front door, the inside looked as though it could be a part of my dreams. The floor had large, wooden planks that were at least six inches wide with deep grooves in them as though they had been there since it was built. A giant brass chandelier hung in the foyer with two missing light bulbs. And Ben was right
-
the wallpaper was hideous. It had a shiny blue background with a fuzzy, ornate design on the top that you could actually feel when you brushed your hand over it. Each room was a different shade of horrible. Some of the furniture had been left from the previous owner, including a curved pink velvet couch that called the living room home and several old oak chairs that probably dated back to the early 1900s. He had a few pictures on the walls and family photos were scattered around the house.

“
Is this your mama and daddy?” I asked as I held up a silver frame from the mantel.

“
Yeah, that was at their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary,” Ben replied. “And here is my sister and brother. This was taken at Sharon’s wedding. That’s my sister’s name. Sharon.”

“
What is your family like, anyway? We haven’t ever talked about them in much detail.”

“
My dad is a character. He was once deemed the mayor of the small development I grew up in. He’d get along with anyone. My mom is a huge socialite and very talented. She likes to paint and has a studio in our house in New Jersey. My sister, Sharon, lives about ten minutes from my parents and has one daughter, Leah, who is five. Her husband is awesome. My brother is over in Europe right now finding himself
-
or at least that’s what he told us in his last Skype call on Thanksgiving.”

“
Well, that was a quick summary of everyone.”

“
It’s hard to tell you about them just by photographs. I’d like you to meet them sometime. I usually only see my family for the holidays because I’m too busy with the bookstore.”

“
I’d like to meet them, too. Maybe we can make a trip up there soon,” I said, glad that Ben thought about his family meeting me.

“
Definitely.”

We made our way around each grand room. This house was way more than the bachelor pad I had pictured it to be. Every room was furnished. Some things were old, but much of Ben’s décor was new, although it blended in very well with the house. As we went from room to room, Ben pointed out art he’d collected from various places in Europe. The paintings were either abstract or impressionistic with splashes of bright colors. Italian glass hooks hung in the hallway and an owl statue, purchased in Greece, sat in the center of his round dining room table. Two large paintings, created by his mama when she spent time in Germany, hung side by side above a couch in the family room.

“
This house is amazing, Ben. I guess you really like to collect art.”

“
I like to surround myself with things from favorite times in my life, but as you can see, home improvements are a struggle for me,” he replied as he led me to the kitchen where a giant bowl of chocolate- covered strawberries sat on a white, marble-topped center island.

“
Oh, these are my favorite.” I immediately grabbed two for the rest of the tour as Ben led me to another room with a large marble fireplace.

“
This house has three fireplaces, if you can believe that.”
             

“
Why did you buy this place if you weren’t going to fix it up?” I asked him.

“
Well, I had planned on fixing it, but I realized after completely trashing the bathroom that it wasn’t my forte.”

I laughed and shoved the first strawberry in my mouth, taking a much bigger bite than I had intended. We moved on to the library in the back of the house, which was filled with floor to ceiling windows, a large desk to my right, and a red velvet chaise lounge that sat under one wall of massive bookcases. The room had a door that went out to the backyard. It was actually very similar to Robert’s backyard in my dreams, but Ben took much more pride in the plants and vegetables that lived there.

“
Reading and planting are two of the things I love most,” Ben said as he took my hand to show me his most prized possessions in the garden.

At the back of his yard was a huge garden full of every vegetable you could imagine. Plump red tomatoes, purple carrots - which I never even knew existed - basil, lettuce, and greens like okra and endive. Surrounding the yard was a wrought iron fence covered by climbing clematis. There was an iron bench that sat to the left and was surrounded by giant blue hydrangeas. The large flowers reminded me of those I saw at Robert’s.

“
I come out here on the weekends most of the time to work. It’s very satisfying to cook with things from my own garden. That’s what I’m going to do for you this evening. I’ll make you dinner, but first, I have a surprise.”

After the tour of the garden and all of the plants he had grown himself, we went inside to finish the walk-through of his house.

He led me up the old mahogany staircase at the entrance, which was covered in more awful wallpaper. We got to the top landing and made a left into his master bedroom. I got a little nervous when we walked in. Seeing his bedroom took our relationship to an entirely different level. He didn’t seem to notice how I tensed.

As we walked into the room, he disappeared into a large walk-in closet and re-emerged with a cream-colored canvas bag. The outside of the bag was embroidered with my name. In it I found a bathing suit, a towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a bottle of wine.

“
Is this a clue?” I asked as I pulled out each item.

“
Sort of. I figured we’d head to The Falls first since it’s barely four o’clock and then we could come back, listen to some music, and have some good food. Well, I hope it’s good food. I haven’t ever cooked for anyone besides my family and they could have just said they enjoyed my cooking to be nice.”

“
I’m sure you’re a wonderful cook, Ben. It seems like you enjoy the finer things in life, but I really didn’t want to know what we were doing today.” I pouted.

“
I know. Sorry. I can’t keep a secret.”

Ben left me alone to get changed. I was a little leery about the bathing suit. I worried that he picked a larger size than I was, which would make me feel awful about myself, but on the other hand, if he picked a smaller size, I would feel equally as terrible.

To my surprise, it was the perfect size four, navy blue, two-piece. It had to have been the best bathing suit I had ever owned. I threw on the sundress I brought with me, fixed my hair, touched up my make-up, and made my way downstairs with the bag. As I entered the kitchen, I found Ben packing for the day at The Falls.

He had placed the chocolate strawberries carefully in a Ziploc bag and had thrown them, along with the wine, plastic cups, and a blanket into a small backpack.

“
You look incredible,” he said as I walked into the kitchen.

“
Thanks.”

The truth was, I felt like Ben always outshined me, and today was no different. He was dressed in teal and black Tommy Hilfiger swim trunks and a white Nautica polo with brown flip-flops. He wore flip-flops too. Could I love this man any more than I did right then?

“
Before we go, I have something else for you. It’s for you to borrow, not keep, but I thought you’d like it.”

Ben handed me the first edition of
Pride and Prejudice
.

“
Ben, how expensive is this?”

“
Oh, it could pay for college, or a small house.”

“
Holy crap! This is not safe in these hands. Don’t you remember? Boat ... water ... unconscious. I’m not exactly the epitome of vigilance.”

“
It’ll be perfectly safe in your company. I can’t wait until you read it. And now you have a bookmark from yours truly,” he said.

“
You’re right, I do.” I carefully placed the book on the counter and pressed my lips to his. Halfway through our kiss, Ben put his hands on my waist and hoisted me up on top of the counter. We kissed with force. My fingers frantically moved through his hair. His strong hands went from my face, down my sides, and onto the tops of my thighs. Maybe we wouldn’t make it to The Falls today like I thought we would. I sighed and he made his way down my neck with his lips. 

Ben pulled away. “We better go before I do things to you I will regret.”
             

“
No, no. Do things to me ... do things,” I begged as I yanked him back towards me by his shirt collar.

“
Dani, I’m in love with you. I want to do this right. I’ve messed things up before with other women because I moved to fast. You’re too important to me.”

“
Well that’s disappointing. By the way ... I love you, too.”

Chapter 15

We drove to The Falls in Ben’s Audi and made it in less than five minutes because he did at least eighty miles per hour around the back roads of Tallulah. It was almost a hundred degrees outside with no breeze at all. I couldn’t wait to get into the cool, refreshing water.