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He smirked. “You don’t think you can handle it?”
I sighed. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”
“I know you can’t resist.”
I couldn’t resist him, not when he was being so genuine, so sweet. His challenges used to fire me up, and they still got me going, but there was an entirely different response in my body to him now. My skin tingled, and my heart flip-flopped in my chest.
“I doubt the kids will make it all night outside,” Ben said thoughtfully.
“Then where will we sleep?” It was sounding worse and worse.
Ben winked. “Don’t worry. There’s plenty of room in my bed.”
That’s what I was worried about. “In your childhood bedroom? With your parents sleeping down the hall?”
Ben frowned. “It’s been renovated since I was a kid, but yes, I guess so. That reminds me, I need to get a new house sooner rather than later.”
“It’ll be good to have your own space.” Not so good for me.
“It’s nice to have my parents’ help with Cammie. Although, I can’t go for runs if I live by myself. At least not while Cammie’s home. She’s too young to stay by herself.”
“You’ll work out a new schedule,” I said, confident I wouldn’t be involved in any of those arrangements. Friends with benefits didn’t stay overnight or babysit kids.
“Having my own space will be worth it.”
“For when your girlfriends come over?” I’d gotten caught up in our banter and didn’t catch the minefield before I stepped into it. Why had I brought up the G-word? It sounded like I was fishing for a label, and I definitely wasn’t. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”
He looked thoughtful. “I’ve never brought women over when Cammie’s been home. But then, she was usually at her mother’s.”
He’d brought me by, but then, it was under the guise of a children’s playdate. He hadn’t introduced me to his daughter as anything else, and I didn’t expect him to.
“Have you found anything yet?” I asked, hoping for a safer conversation.
“There were a few houses I liked, but they go quickly. The market is hot right now,” he said. “What about you? Planning on living in town for the long-term?”
I felt a pang of guilt. I’d spent all my savings on the renovation, so I wouldn’t be buying a home anytime soon. “I have no plans to leave unless the owners decide to sell. I like the walk to work, the shops, and restaurants.”
“It is convenient to walk to work, but my commute is still better here than in the city.”
“I bet.” We carefully avoided any talk of business. There was an unspoken rule about mentioning profit margins and losses. When we were kids, we were quick to compare, but now, we both seemed to realize it was a slippery slope neither of us wanted to go down.
“Will you sleep over on Saturday night?” Ben asked.
I sighed. “I guess I never answered, huh?”
“I promise it will be fun.”
“How could sleeping in a tent and watching a movie not be fun?” I was being sarcastic, but his face lit up at my response.
“You’ll love it.”
“Do you need me to ask Abby if Hunter can come?” I was excited about that conversation. Abby was more likely to push me toward him than away.
Ben smiled. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll tell her you’ll be there so she won’t worry.”
He was good to do that because she definitely would.
I should be more worried about spending time together, even if it was purely about the kids. The more time I spent with him and Cammie, the more we felt like a real couple.
