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"Um…" I say while I try to make my brain start working again. "Why don't you guys come inside? It's kind of chilly out there."
Dad looks at Ben, giving him a visual once over. His lips tighten, and he seems to be very interested in Ben's hair. Probably because it's wet. Well, Ben might've taken a shower. Wet hair doesn't automatically mean I was going down on Ben in the hot tub. Of course, I'm wearing a bathrobe, and my hair is damp too.
My cheeks get warm. Fabulous. Ben and I look like we just took a shower together. That's what my parents will think, I'm sure, since the Lockharts do not go nude in a hot tub, a swimming pool, or anywhere except the privacy of a bathroom.
I lead my parents into the living room.
And that's when I remember I left the box of condoms on the table beside the entrance to the hallway. Since I have no luck at all, my mom swerves her gaze in that direction while appraising the living room, and I can tell she sees the condoms.
Mom lifts her brows, then looks at me.
I hunch my shoulders.
She smiles and winks.
Whatever that means, I don't have a clue. But maybe she's telling me she doesn't think I'm a total slut and a complete moron for inviting a foreigner to stay in my home. Once they get to know Ben, I'm sure even my dad will like him. It's hard not to like Ben. I've never met another man as kind and smart and fun as Bennett Montague.
My parents sit down on the sofa while Ben and I take the armchairs.
And we sit here. In silence. For a long time.
Okay, it's probably a minute at most. But the seconds ticking by feel like hours.
Finally, my dad rests one ankle on the other knee and stares straight at Ben. "So, Mr. Montague, where are you from?"
"I live in England."
"What are you doing here in America?"
"Taking a holiday. I was supposed to spend Christmas at my mate Chance's house in Hartmoor, but the snowstorm waylaid me. Your daughter was kind enough to save me when my car died during the blizzard, and she gave me a place to stay until the roads are clear."
I suddenly realize one important fact. "How did you guys get here? The plow's broken, so the roads are still impassable."
"Not anymore," Dad says. "We got stuck at the airport all night, then we finally managed to get through to North Slipperton an hour ago. We heard the roads up here had just been reopened."
"That's right," Mom says. "We bumped into Wayne Hendley in town, and he told us the plow's been fixed and it's all clear."
My mind circles back to my original question, which no one has answered yet. "Okay, I get how you managed to drive here. But why are you guys here at all?"
"We couldn't leave our baby out here alone at Christmas," Mom says. Her gaze drifts to Ben, and I swear she ogles him. "If we'd known you had company, we would've called ahead. But your father thought it would be fun to surprise you."
My parents don't do surprise visits. So of course, the first time they ever do that turns out to be the day I have a half-naked man in my living room. Jeez, I'm an adult. I shouldn't care what my parents think. Sure, because nobody over the age of eighteen ever feels that way.
"Where are you and Dad staying?" I ask my mother.
"Here." She says that like I invited them to come for a surprise visit and knew they'd need a place to crash. "You have a guest bedroom."
"No, not anymore. I'm using the upstairs for storage. Removed the furniture and put it in storage in town."
"You what? Your grandfather always had a room for guests."
"Well, I…" Suddenly feel like a kid again, like I just got caught reading a dirty magazine under the covers. But I am not a child. Time to act like the adult I'm supposed to be. "This is my house now, and I needed the storage space. I'm sorry. You'll need to stay at the bed-and-breakfast in town."
"Can't," Dad says. "We drove past it coming through town, and the sign said 'no vacancy.' But don't worry. We'll drive back into good old North Slipperton and buy us an air mattress. I'm sure that store has them."
This is just perfect. I finally meet a nice guy who I want to have sex with all day and all night, and my parents show up to wreck my naughty holiday. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see Mom and Dad. The timing sucks, that's all.
"Are you guys hungry?" I ask. "I could make sandwiches for you."
