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He was relieved when Russ spoke, saving him from having to come up with anything.
“I don’t think anyone here is going to laugh at you for that, sweetheart. Ria and Bentley have conquered the world with spreadsheets, and even I know their value. Although, I rely on Evie to manage mine for me.”
Bentley nodded at her. He wanted her to understand that, although he had been joking around about spreadsheets lastnight, he hadn’t been joking about the way he felt about accountants.
“Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing now?”
Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled at him. “I don’t mind at all. I was working for one of the big accounting firms in the Bay Area, but as I said, it wasn’t the right fit for me. I didn’t want that to be my life.”
Bentley understood what she meant. Some of his friends from college had gone to work for the big accounting firms. It was more than a career; it was an entire lifestyle. Those guys worked seventy and eighty-hour weeks, and the little time they had left for socializing was all about networking and ladder climbing. He might not know her all that well yet socially. He already knew her pretty well physically, but he already knew that Lizzie – Alyssa, dammit! – wasn’t the kind of person who would thrive in that environment. In fact, he was surprised that she’d even survived in it long enough to earn a position where she was managing a team.
Russ was smiling at her as he said, “And in case I haven’t told you before, I’m glad.”
Bentley watched with interest as Alyssa’s gaze snapped toward her dad. “You are?”
“I am, sweetheart. I never wanted to say too much, but …” He let out a short laugh. “I probably shouldn’t say too much now.”
Alyssa reached across the table and squeezed her dad’s hand. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say a thing. I know what you mean, and you’re right.”
Bentley raised an eyebrow at his mom. He had no clue what they were talking about, and he wanted to know. But the polite,blank expression on his mom’s face told him that even if she knew, she wouldn’t be explaining it to him.
He knew that he shouldn’t, but he tapped Alyssa’s foot with his own again. He didn’t even know what he meant; all he knew was that he liked feeling connected to her. He wanted her to know that he was listening to what she had to say. He might not feel comfortable asking questions in front of their parents, but he hoped that she would understand that his silence wasn’t due to a lack of interest.
His mom was smiling at Alyssa now, and Bentley’s heart started to pound when she said, “From what your father tells me, you’ve started to build quite a clientele with your audits.” She shot Bentley a mischievous smile. “Perhaps you and Bentley should talk about reviewing the accounting at the company.”
Alyssa’s eyes grew wide, and Bentley wasn’t sure that he understood why. Had she already decided that she didn’t want to spend any more time around him? That question sat heavy in his stomach. He hoped that wasn’t the case, but all of a sudden it felt important to know.
Under the table, he rested his leg against hers, while in front of their parents, he gave her a polite smile. “That might not be a bad idea. I’ve been talking about establishing a baseline before we implement any major changes.”
Alyssa met his gaze for a moment before looking at Russ and his mom. “That’s a wonderful idea, but I don’t know that I … I mean …”
Bentley couldn’t hide his smile when Russ said, “Don’t go underestimating yourself or what you can do, sweetheart. If Bentley thinks you can help, then I’m sure you can.”
Alyssa nodded slowly as she turned back to face him. He felt a rush of warmth spread through his chest when she said, “Perhaps we should talk about it before the weekend’s over.”
He knew that his smile was much bigger than the conversation warranted, but he couldn’t help it. “I think we absolutely should.”
Chapter Six
Alyssa glanced over her shoulder to the kitchen where, her dad and Ria were standing, talking. After breakfast at the resort, her dad had taken them all on a little tour of the town and the lake. It had been a good day. Of course, it would have been much better if the guy she’d spent the night with hadn’t turned out to be her soon-to-be stepbrother. But even despite that, she’d enjoyed the day. She and Bentley seem to have fallen into an unspoken agreement that they would both just act as though they were complete strangers. It wasn’t a total lie; they were strangers. But their parents didn’t need to know that they were strangers who’d spent the night together.
Her dad and Ria looked deep enough in conversation that she risked looking back at Bentley. This was the first time that they’d been alone together, and they really needed to talk.
She wasn’t surprised to find him looking at her with a small smile playing on his lips.
“I had no idea …” she began.
“I’m so sorry. I …” Bentley spoke at the same time.
They both laughed.
“I’m sorry,” said Bentley. “I want to say, you go first. But I don’t know if it would be more gentlemanly of me to be the one who goes first. I know I need to explain myself, and I don’t want to put you on the spot.”
Alyssa glanced over her shoulder again and was relieved to see that her dad and Ria were sneaking a kiss, and it didn’t look like they’d be coming back out for at least a few minutes.
“I honestly don’t think that either of us has anything to explain. We were both blindsided.” She chuckled. “Weren’t we,Lee? What is that, your hookup name?”
He smiled through pursed lips. “I suppose you could call it that. Although, in my defense, last night was the first time I’ve used it.”
