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And I never thought I’d use Josh, even if I thought it was for a noble reason. I’ve made mistakes, too, in the name of love. Guilt rose in Riley’s throat and her expression softened. What good is this doing, being mad at Leia? For what? Sleeping with a single guy? One you barely knew at the time. It could’ve been any guy sitting there that night, but it just happened to be Ben. You’ve forgiven him. Forgive her, too.
Riley nodded. “We’ve all been there, we’ve all done things we regret—I know I have.” A slight grin raised her cheeks. “Relationships, huh? They’re never easy.”
Leia’s brows relaxed and she let out a relieved breath. “Erika says, you and Ben…?”
“Yeah.”
“He seems like a nice guy.” Leia nodded.
“He is.”
“You’ll have to tell me what that’s like sometime. I’m happy for you.” Leia let go of her necklace and pointed over her shoulder. “Well, I should get back to Ty…”
Riley smiled kindly. “I hope things work out for you, Leia—really.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Leia gave a pained smile, a tinge of sadness muting her blue eyes. “Good luck with Ben.” She tucked a curl behind her ear and walked away toward the glamourous party, returning to the life Riley had left behind.
• • •
Two round, single-layer cakes sat on Maggie’s counter, both coated perfectly with a smooth layer of white buttercream icing. One was Ben’s work-in-progress canvas; pink dots and green swirls speckled the cake’s top, each colorful decoration a little neater than the one that came before.
Ben mopped his brow with the back of his hand and lifted the piping bag full of frosting away from his latest squiggle. Bugger, that was rubbish. His mouth twisted. “Maggie, you’ve got the patience of a saint.”
“Nonsense. You’re learning faster than I did.” She shifted off her tall stool, moving a cake smoother and several piping tips to the side to make more room for Ben to work. “If you apply a little more pressure to the piping bag and hover the tip just above the cake, you’ll get much better control, see?”
Okay, try again. Deep in concentration, Ben’s tongue slid along his bottom lip as the star-shaped tip of the piping bag inched above the cake, depositing a thick ruffle of pink and white buttercream goodness. NOW we’re talking! Ben’s face lit up at his fancy finishing touch. “Look at THAT. It works!” He pulled back, full grin on display.
His attention shifted past the cake to his phone, a new text waking up the dark screen. Riley’s latest add to the ‘4 Benjamin’ playlist had landed: “Throw Your Arms Around Me” by Hunters and Collectors. Oooh, girl! How’d you find that steamy eighties gem? A fan of the song’s sensual lyrics, Ben smiled wider. Wait ’til I see YOU tonight, lady!
Maggie leaned in to check his work and Ben quickly nudged the phone aside. “I’m having a great Saturday!”
Maggie laughed. “You don’t regret staying behind?”
“No. Riley had her maid-of-honor duties, and I dunno, I think she needed to socialize solo with her friends. I don’t want her to drift away from people she’s known forever just because there’s a new boyfriend on the scene. Friendships are important, especially ones from way back.”
“But you could get to know them, too?”
A text Riley received from Erika two days ago popped into his head.
Aw, not being funny, please remind Ben—no vintage Ts, ok? ;)
Erika seemed to think he was incapable of dressing appropriately for her wedding. Like I’d choose a concert tee over a dress shirt. Gimme some credit. “Yeah, I’m starting to, but I’d rather do it when Josh isn’t around. It’s just a bit awkward. He and Scott are pretty tight.” He hunched over the cake with the piping bag, practicing another design.
Maggie nodded, smiling at Ben’s progress. “Oh, angle the bag a little less…”
He lowered the bag so it was practically perpendicular to the cake’s edge.
“Looking great, Ben. Did you bake a lot with your mom when you were a kid?”
“Hell yeah.” He paused and licked icing off his finger. “Ingredients cost a bomb and she worked all hours, but when she had a few quid and time going spare, she made brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and heart-shaped gingerbread. She called them ‘little bites of home-baked love’”. His smile grew. “I found baking relaxing—and fun. And I got to play DJ with her old vinyl when we did it.”
“And an eighties music fan was born!” Maggie glanced down at Ben’s Police t-shirt and reached across the counter, switching on the radio. Smooth, poppy vocals filled the kitchen. “Ah, Boy George!”
“I know this! ‘Time’ by Culture Club. You a fan, Maggie?”
“Yep—my first concert. November 1984, the Brendan Byrne Arena in Rutherford, New Jersey. I was fourteen. My poor dad didn’t know what hit him. God, the things we put our parents through.”
“Why didn’t your mom go?” Ben leaned over and lowered the icing bag again.
