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“Now, I know I’m an old man,” Ben smiles softly, “but there’s nothing wrong with my eye sight. You two clearly hit it off when Jackson was here, and by your uncharacteristic misery this last three weeks, you’re obviously hurting. I have no doubt Jackson fell for you, and I’m sure you did too…”
Ben is still talking, but I’ve stopped listening as those last words pierce me. Of course, I’ve avoided thinking about all this in my misery. But hearing Ben tell me I’ve fallen for Jackson, feels like a punch to the stomach. Is it even possible, after us knowing each other for such a short amount of time? Could I really feel for him so deeply?
I nearly laugh out loud, because clearly, this is my MO. I did exactly the same with Rob. It shouldn’t really come as a shock. I just fall for guys too fast. And yet, I am shocked. I haven’t been listening to a word Ben has been saying, and when I finally join the conversation again, I can only look at him blankly.
“What are your thoughts?”
“What?” I say, completely lost.
Ben looks at me for a long moment. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
I can feel heat rising to my cheeks with the embarrassment of zoning out, and I bashfully shake my head.
The sound of the front door closing distracts us both, and relief washes over me as Daniel calls out that he’s home. His presence takes the focus off me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
“We’re in here,” Ben replies.
“Hey,” Daniel says, walking into the study. “I forgot my wallet, and…” He looks at me and then he looks at Ben, and the smile he wore a second ago disappears. “What’s going on?”
Ben looks at me with his eyebrows slightly raised. It’s an unspoken request for permission to tell Daniel. I nod. Daniel isn’t a fool. Like his father, he has sharp eyes; and, since Jackson’s departure, I’ve noticed a certain hesitance about him when he’s spoken to me, which had never been there before.
Ben explains to him the gist of it. Daniel listens carefully.
“Well,” Daniel says, when his father shares his conclusion, “you guys did look really good together. Whether Jackson admitted it or not, I know he likes you.”
“You have a choice to make, Bree,” Ben says. “You can either continue dwelling in this painful agony, or you and Jackson can talk to each other and try and sort this out. I can’t tell you what to do, but I know this much—When the right person comes into your life, you need to grab on to them with both hands. Life is too short for missed chances.”
Coming from Ben, it hits me hard. He was speaking from painful experience. Maybe, just maybe, I ought to take his wisdom seriously.
