AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave a small laugh and nodded at Bentley. “I think it’s a wonderful idea; the two of you should do that.”
She leaned closer into Russ’s side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she smiled up at him. “We were out late last night with everyone.”
Alyssa loved the way her dad smiled back at Ria as he said, “And there is a full moon tonight.”
Alyssa gave him a puzzled look, not sure what the state of the moon had to do with anything.
Ria laughed, looking a little embarrassed. “You’ll probably think it’s silly, but I love to watch the moon rise over the lake.”
Alyssa’s heart melted a little bit. “I don’t think that’s silly. I think it’s lovely.” She smiled at her dad. “And I think it’s lovely that you knew that.”
Her dad shrugged, looking a little embarrassed, and made a face at Bentley. “Judge me if you must. All I can say in my defense is that it’s about making your mom happy.”
Bentley smiled and nodded. “I wasn’t about to judge you; I think it’s awesome.”
“Okay, so that’s settled?” asked Ria. “The two of you can take care of yourselves for dinner, and we’ll all meet up again in the morning?”
Bentley met Alyssa’s gaze and nodded. “It’s settled, as long as you’re good with it.”
She nodded back at him, hoping that no one would notice just how good with it she was.
~ ~ ~
When Russ brought his truck to a stop in the square, he met Bentley’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Are you guys going to have dinner here at The Boathouse?”
Bentley had to wipe his hands on his pants. There was nothing for him to be nervous about, not really, but his palms were sweating anyway. He prided himself on being upfront and honest in all his interactions. It was a trait his mom had passed down to him. She hadn’t always been well-liked in business, but she was well respected and known as a straight shooter.
It bothered him to think that he was deceiving Russ. He liked the guy. And more than that, he wasn’t just someone Bentley knew in a business capacity. Russ was with his mom; they were becoming family. The last thing he wanted to do was deceive family. At the same time, he didn’t know how in the hell he could come out with the truth.
Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but I slept with your daughter last nightwasn’t something he could imagine saying. And he didn’t want to imagine what Russ’s reaction might be if he did. He had to figure this out, and he had to figure it out quickly.
The first thing he had to figure out was how he was going to answer Russ’s question.
“Unless you think we would be better somewhere else?”
Russ held his gaze, and for a moment, Bentley felt guilty as hell – had he figured it out?
“You could go to Giuseppe’s …” Russ began.
“I was thinking here would be best,” Alyssa spoke over her dad, and Bentley got the impression that it was deliberate.
Russ let out a short laugh. “Sorry, guys. You’re both adults, you can figure it out for yourselves.”
Alyssa rested her hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “We can, but we appreciate you trying to help.”
“We do, thanks,” said Bentley. He didn’t know why, but he could tell that it was important to Alyssa that Russ shouldn’t feel like he was overstepping – well, he could imagine why; she probably felt as guilty as he did.
She shifted across and pecked Ria’s cheek. “I hope you enjoy the moonrise. And I have to tell you that you’ve got me thinking about it. I think I might have to try and see it for myself.”
Bentley felt a mix of emotions when Russ caught his eye in the rearview mirror again and said, “I’m trusting you to take care of my daughter tonight. If she’s going to be out looking at the moon, I’m going to need you to promise me that you will be right there by her side.”
“I give you my word.” It was one of the easiest promises he’d ever made, even though Russ wasn’t aware of the full context of what he was asking.
They stood in the square, side-by-side, and waved as Russ’s truck pulled away. It made Bentley smile to see his mom sitting in the passenger seat. Before she’d come to Summer Lake, he’d been accustomed to seeing her either driving her Lexus or sitting in the back of a chauffeur-driven Mercedes. He didn’t think she’d ever ridden in a truck before she met Russ, but the change suited her. She was happy here, there was no mistaking that.
The sound of Alyssa letting out what sounded like a sigh of relief beside him brought him back to the moment.
