Page 111 of Until the Last Star Fades

“No, he’s brilliant.” Ben smiled at Riley. “Just because he’s been around the block doesn’t mean he’s not lovable.”

“Exactly.” Riley noticed Maggie yawning between bites. “Mom, do you want to lie down or have some more water?”

“No, I’m good, sweetie. Just a bit tired, but that’s not stopping me from enjoying this cake!” She met Ben’s eyes. “It’s really good, Ben. Have you baked before?”

Cheeks full, Casey froze and looked up. “You made this?”

“Uh, yeah.” Ben scratched his clean-shaven chin. “Mum taught me to bake, but I never mastered icing or decorating…”

“Who cares what it looks like?” Riley licked her fork. “It tastes just like Mom’s.”

Casey nodded begrudgingly. “It does.”

“Well, that’s Ben’s compliment, not mine.” Maggie smiled at him. “I can teach you icing.”

Ben glanced at Riley.

“Means more ferry rides out here for you, Ben.” Riley snickered into her plate. “Say yes.”

“That would be great, always willing to learn!” His face lit up. “Cheers, Maggie.”

“And you know what else is great?” Riley smiled at Ben. “Come on, tell them.”

Casey stopped chewing.

Ben scratched his neck. “I’ve…got an audition.”

“No! You kept that quiet!” Piper threw a pretzel at him while Casey looked underwhelmed and dove back into his slice.

“Ben! Congratulations!” Maggie smiled. “What’s it for?”

“It’s a scripted comedy TV series.” He popped Piper’s projectile in his mouth and chewed slowly. “A small part, the boyfriend of one of the main characters. It’s non-union so pay won’t be great, but it’s something to slap on my CV.”

“I think it’s amazing.” Riley beamed.

“You say that now. Wait until he has an on-screen kiss,” said Piper, cutting herself a large slice of cake. “Or a nude sex scene!”

“Oh, he’ll be great at that,” Riley blurted out uncensored, forgetting Maggie’s presence for a moment. She bit her lip and leaned into Ben, stifling a giggle.

His complexion began to turn pink.

Maggie smiled kindly. “I hope you get it, Ben.” Her eyes hopped to her daughter. “Riley, should we get out the Monopoly board or Jenga? I’ve got Operation around here somewhere…”

Mom’s tired. We should do something relaxing. She might want to doze. “Let’s have a Lairds and Liars marathon. Is that okay?”

“YES! I’m soooo in.” Balancing her cake plate, Piper slipped her feet under her butt, making herself comfy.

Casey nodded. “Season three just got added to Netflix.”

“Okay, let’s go to Scotland!” Maggie smiled through a yawn as Riley set down her plate and stepped around Ben.

“Lean forward a bit, Mom…” She plumped up Maggie’s pillows and scooped up the throw from the sofa’s armrest, unfurling it over her lap. “Pip, cue up the first episode and we’ll get more snacks.” She signaled for Ben to follow into the kitchen.

“You gonna make me watch Keegs in a kilt?” He chuckled, grabbing several sodas from the fridge. “You owe me, Hope.”

“And I’ll gladly pay up.” She filled her arms with bags of Funyuns and Doritos then shot him a teasing glint. “Guess what Piper gave me this morning—Twister bedsheets.”

“Wahey!” Ben slapped Riley’s butt and followed her back to the living room.