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Let her go once and for all.
“Text me all the details. I’ll be there.”
* * *
I’m toying with the idea of texting Jessa, though I’ll have to get her number from my cousins. That itself isn’t worth the drama. Both Millie and Ava will interrogate me, asking a million questions for which I have no time or patience.
All I want is to make sure she knows, not wanting to surprise her and have her act all awkward around me. If Benedict told her, she hadn’t texted me either.
The butler opens the large door, welcoming me inside in a formal tone. I chose to wear a light blue buttoned shirt and black pants over jeans and a tee since Benedict didn’t appear to be a casual type of guy.
The moment I step inside the grand foyer, Jessa walks down the stairs with Bentley in her arms, stopping halfway on the landing when her eyes fall upon mine. The knee-length navy dress she wears reminds me of a school uniform, pristine and nothing at all like the ripped jean shorts she would wear back home. Her hair is left out, the curls just how I remember, and the urge to tug on them is too much.
“A... Andy?” she stammers. “What are you doing here?”
“Your husband invited me for lunch.”
Benedict walks in from another room as his gaze darts from Jessa to me. He extends his hand to shake mine, which I do so politely, considering I’m standing in his home. I’m thanking myself for taking a swig of the bourbon I had sitting inside a flask in the car, eager to take the edge off today.
“I invited him over. I thought it would be nice for you to spend time with family.”
Jessa tries to hide her worry, forcing a smile. “Of course, what a wonderful thought.”
“Shall we then?”
I follow Benedict as Jessa walks beside me, carrying Bentley in her arms. The little boy is happy to be in his mama’s embrace, smiling back at me.
“Why did you say yes?” she barely whispers.
“Because it would look bad if I said no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
We reach the formal dining room, and Benedict gestures for me to take a seat across from Jessa. The table is large enough for at least twelve guests, giving ample space for the servers to place trays of food in front of us. I notice the blood pudding, noting to stay away from it since its appeal is less than par.
Across the table, Jessa is trying to get Bentley to eat something, but he’s more interested in banging his spoon on the plate. Benedict glances at his son, insisting he stop the incessant noise to which Jessa tries to retrieve the spoon from his chubby little hands.
“Tell me more about your work?” Benedict asks, focusing his attention back onto me.
I explain more about Lex and Noah’s vision, not sure what else to talk about with him since this lunch is already peaking at an uncomfortable level. The more we converse, the more my mind questions precisely what made her fall in love with him. Sure, he’s attractive and well-dressed, but his personality is stiff. He comes across as arrogant and entitled. Everything Jessa despised in men. At least, she used to.
The talk bores Jessa when Benedict segues to the stock market. In an effort to include Jessa, I nod my head but don’t encourage the conversation to continue.
I place my fork down, fixating on Jessa as she finally gets a moment to take a bite of food. Bentley is distracted with fruit which he enjoys squashing in his hands.
“Have you managed to pursue your writing?” I ask, hoping the shift in topic will relieve her.
Her eyes fall toward the plate, and only now do I notice she’s stirring her food around. “I… uh… I’m taking a break to spend time with Bentley.”
“Banks women have very important roles in our family,” Benedict states, placing his hand on Jessa’s. My eyes instantly notice the gesture and how Jessa doesn’t welcome it with a smile on her face. The muscles inside my chest begin to tighten, forcing me to turn away to ease the burning sensation while ignoring his sexist comment.
The butler enters the room, sliding a note to Benedict.
“Will you both excuse me? An investor from Hong Kong insists I jump on a video call right now. Normally, I would decline, but he’s putting a lot of money into our next project and would only ask if it’s important.”
“It’s fine,” Jessa says while attempting to clean Bentley’s face. “I’ll show Andy the gardens so Bentley can get out before his afternoon nap.”
Benedict shakes my hand, thanking me for joining them, then insists on dinner in London when he’s back from a business trip. I nod, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the suggestion for dinner.
