I didn’t reply but pressed my face against the window and muttered to myself about troublesome dogs and grandfathers.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Once we got home, Ben helped me get a tipsy grandpa inside the house and into the chair in his bedroom. He kept saying he wanted to have a nap. Grandpa’s eyes closed the second we gently rested his head against the chair. I placed a blanket from the bed over his legs in case he got cold.
We both crept out and tiptoed away.
‘I better get back and taste Rosie’s cakes,’ Ben said, with a smile. ‘You can leave your car outside mine for now as the snow is coming down.’
‘Thank you for helping me, Ben. I appreciate it.’
He nodded and, for a few seconds, we gazed at each other. Ben was no longer the handsome builder who made smartass comments. He was someone who knew Olivia and he was someone who made me melt inside. His pink lips looked soft and kissable, and I longed for his strong arms to pull me into another hug. We heard Layla coming down the stairs carrying Zac and the moment between us disappeared. Ben left with a smile.
‘Have you found Eric?’ she asked with a look of concern. Zac was busy sucking on his toy lion.
‘Grandpa was in the pub with Dorothy and is now sleeping it off.’
Layla nodded. ‘Why was Ben here?’
‘He helped me with Grandpa. Earlier he and I went sledging with his daughter, Rosie. He’s lovely.’
Layla cast me a puzzled look. ‘You’re looking dreamy. Do youlikehim?’
I felt my cheeks getting warm.
She didn’t let me answer. ‘A word of advice. Be careful with him. I’ve heard he’s a heartbreaker.’
‘Really?’ I gasped. ‘Ben?’
‘Have you met Denise – Vanessa’s sister?’
The tall woman with straight brown hair from the school hall appeared in my mind. ‘If this is the Denise who I met at the primary school the other evening, who had an issue with me painting the nativity stage scenery because of my family then yes, we have had a run-in.’
Layla nodded. ‘That’s her.’
‘She’s Vanessa’s sister?’
‘Yeah,’ said Layla. ‘Denise went on a few dates with Ben a few months ago. I’m not sure what happened but she told everyone in the pub he wasn’t nice to her and broke her heart. She tells everyone to avoid him.’
I scratched my head and tried to visualise Ben with bolshy Denise. They seemed an unlikely couple. The thought of those two together left me uncomfortable. Surely Olivia would have told me if Ben had red flags?
‘Be careful, Rachel, that’s all I am saying.’
I went into the kitchen and made myself a cup of tea. Layla followed. ‘Have I upset you?’
‘No,’ I said with a heavy sigh. ‘I do like Ben, but I think I am getting carried away. We took his daughter sledging, went for one coffee, had a “moment” and then he helped me search for Grandpa. My initial impressions of him were that he’s a decent guy. Do you want a cup of tea?’
She nodded and studied my face. ‘What was this “moment” you had?’
I flicked on the kettle. ‘I discovered that Ben and I have a connection. We both knew my best mate, Olivia, who died a few months ago.’
Layla placed her hand on my arm. ‘Sorry, Rachel, to hear about your friend.’
‘Thanks. In the café, I got upset over Olivia. Ben and I ended up hugging. What’s weird about Ben is that before Olivia died, she was arranging for us to go on a blind date. It never happened as he emailed me and then… I ghosted him.’
Layla raised her eyebrows. ‘Wow, that’s a bit mad.’ She let Zac crawl about with his toy lion.
I thought some more about what she’d said. ‘I’m glad you’ve told me though about Ben.’ Sam’s face appeared in my mind. ‘My ex-boyfriend dumped me on Christmas Eve last year. He’d been cheating on me. Eight months we were together. My friends kept warning me about his ex-girlfriend, but I didn’t listen, and I ignored the red flags. I need to learn not to go at a hundred miles an hour.’
