AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Interesting, I thought as the server nodded and hurried off to fulfill our requests. I would’ve expected Bennett to order a beer. I mentally chastised myself for assuming anything.
Just then, Ross’s assistant approached the mic and cleared his throat gently. “Welcome, esteemed guests,” he began, and the volume in the room fell noticeably. “Thank you for joining us for the Michaels Foundation’s tenth annual grant awards banquet. Please, help yourself to the food and drinks being passed. The buffet dinner will begin in twenty minutes.”
I turned to Bennett and dropped my voice low. “Should we have a seat?”
Bennett smiled sheepishly, the first hint of a smile I’d seen on him, and took a seat at the nearest table. No sooner had we sat down than Bennett picked up the name card at the place setting and frowned. “I think this one’s reserved.” He glanced around and the realization dawned on his face. “Shit, there’s a seating chart, isn’t there?” Before I could figure out a way to respond that didn’t implicate me in knowing the details of the night, the server returned with our drinks, handing a glass to each of us. Bennett’s face telegraphed his panic. “How do I know where to sit?”
The server spoke before I had a chance, mercifully. “The seating chart is just there,” he said, nodding toward a beautifully displayed chart on an easel nearby.
Bennett jumped up and rushed over, taking a gulp of his drink as he inspected the seating chart.
I pointed to his name at a table near the front. “Here you are, Mr. Cantrell.” There was a space for a seat next to him that simply read “Cantrell plus one.”
He turned to me, his cheeks a pleasant shade of pink, and looked at me for a moment. The corners of his lips were turned up, his gaze catching on my lips before meeting my eyes. “It’s just Bennett.”
I nodded. “Bennett, then. Mind if I join you?” When he shook his head without hesitation, I followed as he made his way to the table near the front.
As we sat, Bennett looked around the table before he turned to me. “Guess you’re my plus-one.”
I laughed a little and pressed my hand to my chest. “I’m honored.”
“I didn’t catch your name, though. If you’re going to be my date, I should at least know your name.”
I hesitated for a fraction of a second. Would he know who I was if I said my name? I couldn’t lie though, or not give a name at all. I had to say something. “Dex.”
“Dex? Is that short for something?”
I grinned for real and looked down for a second. When I looked back up, I met Bennett’s intense, dark gaze. “Dexter. But nobody calls me that.”
“Not even your mom?”
I tried to keep my smile, but it faltered. I could feel it. “She’s gone.”
Bennett’s voice was small when he replied. “Oh.” And then, in a rush, he kept talking. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I held up a hand to stop him. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.” I’d long since made peace with my mother’s passing, which had happened when I was in my late twenties, not much younger than Bennett was. We hadn’t had much of a friendly relationship at that point. She hadn’t approved of my sexuality or the fact that I had no interest in running the family’s investment firm. “She got what she wanted in the end, anyway.”
Bennett frowned and took another sip of his drink. “My mom is the reason I’m here. I mean, here tonight.” He hesitated, and I waited him out. “She’s sick—cancer—and needs expensive treatments. She wouldn’t ask for help herself, though. She’d never dream of it. Instead, I applied for this grant behind herback. She’s going to be mad when she finds out, but what was I supposed to do? She’s given up everything for my sister and me to have a good life. She deserves to have a chance to beat it.” When he was done with his little speech, he exhaled shakily. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to unload all that on you. You probably have your own problems to deal with. That’s probably why you’re here, right?”
I shook my head. “I’m just a guest of one of the companies that sponsors this thing. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I’m glad you’re getting her the help she needs.”
He nodded. “Let’s talk about something else. For example, how do we get another drink?” He raised his empty glass and shook it, so the ice cubes rattled.
“I think I can take care of that.” Once again, I flagged down a server.
“Can I help you?”
Bennett passed her his glass. “Can I get, like, a beer or something? I don’t exactly need to be getting drunk on vodka before the night even starts.”
She nodded. “And for you, sir?”
I still had a little of my drink left, and like Bennett, I had no intention of getting drunk. “Nothing for me.” Once the server had left, I turned back to him. “What do you do, Bennett Cantrell?”
This question lit his face up. “I’m an electrician’s apprentice. I know what you’re thinking—I’m thirty, I’m too old to be an apprentice. I’m a late bloomer, I guess, but I love it. I can’t wait to get my journeyman’s license.”
“What about fun? Do you ever have time for hobbies or anything like that?”
Bennett launched into a monologue about his kickball team at that question, clearly in his element. He told me about each of his friends, how much he loved the team, and some of theintricacies of adult recreational kickball. When he mentioned that the team was comprised of only queer men, and that the league was specifically an LGBT league, I fought the urge to celebrate—the fact had just solidified that I at least had achanceof convincing Bennett to go on a date with me. He glowed as he spoke, his smile radiant, his words coming easily, his laughter genuine. The way he spoke made my heart squeeze. When he was done, he turned the conversation to me.
