The Accidental Boyfriend (21 page)

She needed to talk to Jack and clear the air at the very least. After an exhausting and unproductive day of wallowing she returned to Brunelli’s apartment but the luxurious apartment just felt…big. Too big for one person.

A knock on the door interrupted her packing. Jack! He was back. She knew he wouldn’t leave things like that. She all but ran to the door and threw it open.

“Hey, Holiday. Miss me?” Benjamin grinned at her in the hallway and Holly’s heart fell. She swallowed thick tears of disappointment that it wasn’t Jack on the other side of that door.

She tried to shove aside the disappointment. She was just in shock, that was all. How had he found her? What was he doing at Brunelli’s? Of course she was ecstatic to see Benjamin. She should be over the moon. She was just…confused, that was all.

Benjamin raised his brows in a questioning look. “Uh, can I come in?”

“Oh, yes, of course, come on in,” she said, ushering him inside and showing him where to leave his luggage. The whole time her brain was going a million miles an hour trying to figure out what he was doing there and, more importantly, what his sudden appearance meant.

Once he was settled, she led him to the balcony where the sunset was washing the city in an orange glow.

Benjamin whistled. “This is one amazing view.”

“Mmm,” she said. He settled in beside her and they sat in silence for a moment before she finally asked the question. “Benjamin…what are you doing here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see you but….”

“But I’m not the type to hop on a plane on a whim?” he finished.

“Exactly,” she said with a laugh. “So, what’s up?”

Benjamin wiped his hands across his jeans in an unusual show of nerves. “Well, Holiday, I guess you and me have got a lot to talk about.”

This was it. There was no way Benjamin flew all this way to let her down easy. She waited for the swell of excitement, the butterflies in her stomach, the trembling limbs. Instead her mouth went dry and her stomach did a twist before flopping low in her belly.

Benjamin looked over her shoulder at the view for a moment before speaking. “The thing is, Holly, I’m worried about you.”

Holly’s head jerked back. That was so not the declaration of love she’d been waiting for. “Excuse me?”

“I’m worried,” he said again. “We all are—your parents, your sister, my family.”

Holly struggled to draw in breath. “So you all have been talking about me?”

Benjamin’s face was creased with concern. “Not in a bad way, Holiday. We’re just….”

“Worried, yeah I got that.”

She shook her head and brushed aside a hand that he reached out to squeeze her shoulder in a brotherly fashion. “I can’t believe this,”

“What?” Honest confusion clouded his eyes. Could he really not understand?

“I thought you were here for…” she left off with a sigh and tried again. “When you showed up like that I thought it was because you’d decided you wanted to…be with me.” She had to force the words out between stiff lips.

This wasn’t romantic—hell, it wasn’t even kind, it was…annoying.

Benjamin’s expression had gone from mild confusion to sympathetic understanding and that was so much worse. His sympathy was dangerously close to pity. “Holiday, I meant what I said. I think we
might
have a future together, I just don’t want to rush into anything.”

Holly shut her eyes and fought the impulse to cover her ears. That’s exactly what he’d said in the email. She’d thought he was just being cautious—Benjamin was nothing if not prudent. But there was caution and then there was cowardice and she couldn’t stand the latter.

“It’s not that complicated Benjamin. Do you want to be with me or don’t you?”

Now it was his turn to jerk back as though she’d just struck him. She watched his eyes widen in surprise at the simple question.

“I guess…I don’t know, I guess I always thought we would get together, you know? Eventually?”

She nodded. Oh, she knew.

“But, whenever I’ve tried to picture what our life would be like…I just can’t see it,” he said the words with such sadness, it was almost funny. Almost. But then he turned to her with an intensity that was unnerving, particularly coming from this particular laid-back, non-confrontational man.

“What about you?” he demanded. “What do you see when you picture our future together?”

She opened her mouth but no words could come out. She tried to conjure up the image of their future marriage and children but nothing was coming. Her mind had gone blank. He didn’t wait long before he continued on. “Because every time you talk about your future in Oakdale,” he started and then shook his head as though words couldn’t express his frustration.

“What?” Holly asked. “Every time I talk about it…what?”

He let out a loud exhale. “Every time you talk about your future it sounds like you’re describing an episode of
Little House on the Prairie
.”

Holly gasped at that and then found herself staring at Benjamin in shocked silence until they both were fighting back snickering laughs. “Really?” she asked, losing the battle with laughter as Benjamin joined her.

“Really,” he said.

She tilted her head to the side as she thought about the fantasy she’d become so focused on. She pictured the house, the white picket fence, the adorable little children running in the yard, the dog barking in the yard. Her eyes widened in horror. She was allergic to dogs.

He was right. She had created a lovely, one-dimensional,
completely delusional
fantasy world. She turned to stare out at the view and shot Benjamin a sideways look. “Okay, fine. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not entirely based on reality.”

Benjamin’s smile was soft and kind and so reassuring. That was what she’d always been drawn to—the comfortable, reliable, and oh-so-dependable friend. He reached out and grabbed her hand and a little part of Holly’s brain was aware of the fact that there was no electric spark at the touch of his skin, no pulsing energy between them to make the air thicken with sexual tension. There was just…friendship.

“Look, Holiday, I’m not saying there’s no possibility of a future for us, I’m just saying….”

She stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. “Hey, I get it. I do.” Also, she was fairly certain she would scream if she heard him say, “I don’t want to rush into anything” one more time.

He nodded then and they both turned to watch the sun sink below the skyline. “So, if you didn’t come here to win me over,” she finally said. “Why did you come?”

He looked to her in surprise. “I told you, I was—”

“Worried, yeah I know. But you shouldn’t have spent all that money just to come talk some sense into me.”

His eyes were crinkled in confusion as he watched her. “I didn’t spend any money,” he said, as though this was something obvious she should have known.

“What do you mean? How did you get here?”

He pulled back then and a slow smile spread across his face as though he just discovered a secret. “He didn’t tell you?” Benjamin asked.

A buzzing sound filled her head for a moment and she knew what Benjamin was going to say before he said it. “Your friend sent me the plane ticket. He said you needed to see me.”

Holly licked her dry lips. “My friend?” Her voice sounded far away.

“Yeah, Jack. Hey, are you all right?”

Holly reached out a hand to clutch the railing and steady herself. Jack had sent Benjamin to her. Tears stung the back of her eyes as the full weight of that news hit her straight in the heart.

But what did it mean? He’d sent her the man she’d said she wanted. Was he feeling guilty about the things he’d said or did he not mean them at all? Either way, sending Benjamin was the least selfish thing she’d ever seen.

The need to see Jack was so overwhelming she almost ran away but she had no idea where he was. Was he even in Paris anymore?

Benjamin was watching her with narrowed eyes. “What’s going on?”

She shook her head. She wished she knew. Did this gesture mean he was giving up or that he cared more about her and what she wanted than he did about himself? Her mind flashed back to the look on Jack’s face when he’d told her he couldn’t be with her, that he could never give her what she wanted.

He was an idiot.

She thought of the way he’d been there for her; the way he’d listened and cared and never asked for anything in return. That was the guy he was. All that talk of being unable to commit was just regurgitated crap that he’d come to believe. He had changed. Sometime over the course of his adult life Jack had become a reliable, kind and generous man. But he couldn’t see it. He couldn’t see the kind of future he could have if he just trusted himself.

And her.

Her breath left her lungs in a rush of air as her heart beat into double time. Images of the life they could have together raced through her mind. And these weren’t static pictures off the cover of a Hallmark card like they had been with Benjamin. These were real. She could see them laughing and traveling and having new experiences together. She could see them as a family. Unconventional, sure, but who wanted conventional? Not her. These new fantasies…they felt solid…they felt like her.

That was a life she wanted. A life of shared respect and mutual admiration. A life where they grew together. A life built on trust and friendship and…love.

“Holly, are you okay?” Benjamin asked. He was leaning toward her, his brows drawn together in concern.

Was she all right? She wasn’t sure. The world had momentarily flipped upside down before righting itself with a start. Or at least that’s how it felt. Her brain was reeling as it tried to keep up with her heart, which ached with unspoken emotions.

She needed to see him. She needed to make things right.

“I have to find Jack,” she whispered. “I think…I think I love him.”

The word felt strange on her tongue, like she was learning a new language.

Benjamin’s grin was so comforting, she nearly wept. “I think he probably feels the same way.”

Holly winced at the memory of her last words to him. Of the look on his face when she’d walked away. “I’m not so sure.”

“Well, all I know is, flying me all the way out here is a pretty grand gesture for someone who doesn’t care.”

Holly’s heartrate picked up speed at that. “You think so?”

His grin was answer enough. “How can I help?”

Ivy shook her head. “You can’t. This one I have to do on my own.” She reached out a hand and he took it. She struggled to find the right words to explain what she was feeling. Her best friend had flown all the way to France to save her, after all. “You are always coming to my rescue,” she said. “Ever since we were kids. And I love that about you. I love that you’re always there when I need you. But I think…I think maybe Jack needs
me
. I want to be the one who comes to the rescue this time. Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “It does. And you know what? Maybe it’s time I find someone who lights up at the sight of me like you just did over Jack.” He was teasing her, but he was right. He deserved to be with someone who was truly in love with him and didn’t just see him as reliable or comfortable.

“So what now?” Benjamin asked.

Holly sighed. “I’m going to Italy.”

Traffic was at a crawl as Holly tried to make her way out of the city. Her stomach was a jumble of knots as she tried to figure out what he would say once she saw Jack. There was every possibility he was regretting the things he’d said the night before.

There was every chance he was still convinced he couldn’t be in a real relationship. The sting of that rejection still hurt. He was wrong, she knew he was. Jack had a bigger heart than anyone she knew. The only thing keeping him from making a real commitment was his misguided belief that he wasn’t capable. His brother had done a brilliant job undermining Jack’s confidence and making him believe that he was selfish and unreliable.

Her fingers clenched her purse which sat on her lap in the backseat of the taxi. She wished she could give Robert a piece of her mind. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she recognized the neighborhood surrounding her. They were very close to Robert and Miranda’s apartment. “Can you stop here please?” she said.

Miranda opened on the first knock. She ignored Miranda’s wide-eyed look of surprise. “Is Robert here?”

Miranda ushered her in and led her into the living room where Robert sat reading a book.

“Holly, it’s nice to see you—”

Holly cut him off with a wave of her hand. She had no desire to exchange niceties with this man who kept meddling in her love life. She was here to give him a piece of her mind and that was exactly what she would do.

“Listen up,” she started, causing both Robert and Miranda to stare at her in surprise. “You are so incredibly blind when it comes to your brother, it’s not even funny.”

“Excuse me?” Robert started.

“No, I don’t excuse you,” Holly said. “You have been underestimating and misjudging your brother for years and thanks to you, he is under this incredibly stupid delusion that he can’t be in a serious relationship.”

Her voice had risen a bit despite her best intentions to remain calm. She was dimly aware that Miranda had picked up her phone and was dialing. Probably calling security to have her kicked out of their apartment. She’d better be quick.

Taking a deep breath, she started in again, “I may not know everything that went down between the two of you but I know this—Jack is smart, caring, kind, and generous to a fault. He is so incredibly selfless, it’s…” A lump in her throat cut her short. The fact that Jack had sent Benjamin to her…she still didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t know if she should be touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture or pissed that he was giving up on her so easily. Or maybe he didn’t care as much as she hoped? She shoved that thought to the side. She would confront Jack soon enough and make him see what they had together. But right now she had two very bewildered Everetts standing before her and she had to finish what she’d come to say.

Clearing her throat, she continued. “I know he’s made mistakes over the years but you know what? That’s called being human. And the fact that you can’t bring yourself to forgive him is…well, frankly it’s just stupid.”