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“Oh, uh, nice to meet you.” Neither Liv nor Ben looked at Christine. “I guess I’ll let you get back to it.”
Ben wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when Christine walked away, but Liv’s body remained so taut, he was afraid to let out a single breath. “Liv, honey, what’s goin’ on?”
Her hands relaxed and she took her eyes from his.
“She’s stunning,” Liv murmured.
“She doesn’t hold a candle to you,” he answered, keeping his voice soft, hoping to soothe her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, she’s gorgeous.”
“You don’t have any idea how beautiful you are, do you?”
“For an older woman, who spends more of her time with horses than humans.”
He dropped her hands and sat back. “Liv, how much younger than you do you think I am?”
She shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “Ten years?”
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Forty.”
Ben shook his head. “I’m three years older than you are,” he laughed. “Not that it makes any difference. I thought you should know, since it seemed to bother you.”
“You are not.”
“I am, and I’ll prove it.” He dug out his wallet and handed her his driver’s license.
“I don’t need to see that,” she said, while at the same time taking it out of his hand. “Wow. You look damn good for your age, Benjamin Caldwell Rice.”
“Let’s see yours, Olivia.”
“Not on your life. Your picture is way better than mine.”
Ben let himself breathe that sigh of relief he’d been holding in. Liv was fine. The awkward moment passed, thank God.
He brushed his lips across her knuckles. “Wanna get out of here?”
“More than anything.”
Ben threw a fifty on the table and they walked out, before their drinks were even delivered.
They walked, hand in hand, around the corner and downstairs to the sushi restaurant. It was crowded as usual, but there were four open seats at the bar. Ben led Liv over, pulling out a stool for her.
“Shouldn’t we check in with someone?” she asked.
“There he is,” she heard a deep male voice say. “This must be Liv.”
Ben hugged the man and slapped him on the back. “Good to see you, big brother. Liv, I’d like you to meet Matt. Matt, this is Liv.”
Matt took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “The magnificent Liv, I’ve heard so much about you.” He turned to Ben. “She’s even more beautiful than you said.”
“Back off, brother,” Ben said, taking Liv’s hand from Matt’s and tucking it in his.
Matt threw his head back and laughed, the same hearty, whole-body, soulful laugh as Ben’s.
“This is Matt’s place,” Ben explained. He waved his hand over the corner section where they were seated. “Reserved for family, no matter how crowded it gets.”
