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“I mean, I can see where she’s coming from,” Renee stated as I shot daggers at her. She wasn’t catching on, though, since she was still staring at the baseball player while she talked. “It’s not every day a guy has a woman for a best friend. And a hot one at that, with amazing breasts.”
Ben glanced at my exposed cleavage then quickly averted his eyes as if he’d just burned them. I frowned and looked away.
“I’m trying to be understanding. But she told me today thatsheshould be my best friend.”
I nearly choked on my own spit. “I’m sorry, but first she says we can’t hang out, now she wants to completely take my place as your friend?”
Ben looked at me with an apologetic expression. “I know, Lily. And I’m sorry, but…I think maybe we need to step back from seeing each other so much. That would make Abby feel better.”
“Ben, we’ve been best friends since we were old enough to talk. Don’t you care about my feelings, too?”
“Of course, I do, but she’s my girlfriend, and I need to prove that she means more to me.”
“Wow,” Renee stated. “I didn’t realize Abby was so insecure in her relationship with you, Ben. Is she that threatened by Lily?”
Ben shot her a dirty look. “She’s not insecure. Put yourself in her shoes. If you were dating a guy who had a female best friend, wouldn’t you feel the same way?”
I wanted to say that I thought I would feel more secure in my relationship, but I kept my mouth shut. As much as I didn’t like Abby, I wasn’t in her shoes, no matter how much I wanted to be.
“Clearly, sheisinsecure, if you’re just tossing Lily to the side. Girls come and go, Ben, you know that. But Lily has been by your side for everything. It’s just strange to me that you can’t find a middle ground. And Abby has been jealous of Lily since day one, and you know it.”
“Renee,” I softly said. “It’s okay. You have to do what you have to do, Ben. After all, you love her, right?”
“Of course, I love her. But I love you, too, Lily.”
I felt my cheeks heat.
“Not in the same way, you know that. I love you like a sister.”
Forcing myself to smile, I said, “Then we simply cut back on the time we spend together.”
Ben sat back in his seat. “I still want to help with the riding camp this summer. I committed to one day a week, and I won’t back out.”
“My parents will appreciate that.”
He smiled…then looked beyond my shoulder and frowned. “What’s Maverick doing here?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled. “Granddad wasn’t feeling good, so my mother asked him if he would be Grams’s date.”
“That is so hot,” Renee said. “I would fall over right here on this table for him if he asked me to. I mean, look at him. Tall, hair that looks soft enough to run your fingers through, and eyes that look so light blue, I could swim in them for days.”
Ben gagged.
Laughing, I looked back at Renee. “His eyes are gray.”
“How do you know?” Ben asked.
I focused back on Maverick, taking in his strong body and easy smile…and a tingling sensation swept over my body. “I see him every day on the ranch, Ben. It’s hard not to notice. And,” I said as I directed my attention to Renee, “he’s not only handsome but also one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. My father thinks of him as a part of the family.”
“Yeah, he eats dinner with you guys more than I ever did.”
I looked at Ben. “What? Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”
He scoffed. “Over that guy? Don’t be ridiculous. I see the way he looks at you, though. I don’t like you being alone in the barn with him. Who knows where he even came from.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t even know him, Ben. Have you ever spoken two words to him?”
He snarled his lip. “I’ve met guys like him. He’s a nobody, and your dad better be careful, or that guy could try to take advantage.”
