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"Hi," he waved back, rounding the island. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. Victoria and I were talking." Her gaze shifted past him to Victoria before looking up at him again.
Benjamin leaned forward to hold her cheeks in his hands and kiss her. Just a brief touch, but a jolt of awareness hit him at the contact, and he immediately wanted more. He realized on one level that in any other relationship he'd had, he'd be more than annoyed at the surprise, uninvited intrusion. But beyond the fact that he was surprised to see her on a Sunday afternoon, he was far from annoyed. He rubbed his lips together as he pulled back, running his tongue across his lower lip.
"Chocolate?"
Jewell grinned and nodded. "My mom has been baking. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies."
"Did you bring me any?" he teased.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and raised her hands. "Actually…" She stilled her signs, giving him a smile that made his blood warm beneath his skin. "That's kind of what I came about."
"Cookies?"
"Cookies. And pie. And raw apple brownies," she said, ticking off each item on a fingertip. Benjamin raised an eyebrow and she paused, gifting him with a flirty smile that warmed his insides. "Every year at the beginning of October my mother starts baking, it's like a compulsion for her, and she's already in full force. I wondered if you'd like to come with me, to Manchester, and help with the sampling of the goods."
Benjamin took a step back and pushed his hands into his pockets. The warmth that had stirred in his chest instantly went cold and tension pulled across his shoulders. Her smile slipped, and Benjamin looked down to save himself the self-resentment at being the cause. He shifted back to lean on the edge of the center island, his feet in front of him. They were nearly toe to toe, his white sneakers and her brown leather boots. She shifted her feet, adding a few inches between his toes and hers, and touched his arm. Benjamin swallowed and raised his head.
Her smile was back, but it wasn't as open and easy. She took her hand from his arm and signed as she shook her head. "It was just a thought. You don't have to, especially if you don't want to?—"
He pulled his hand from his pocket and wrapped his fingers around hers, stilling her excuse. "Why did you want me to come?"
Jewell tilted her head, her gaze shifting away a moment before returning to him. "I thought you might enjoy an afternoon of?—"
"Family?"
Jewell shrugged. "Among other things." She tilted her head the other way, the smile almost gone. Her expression wasn't angry, wasn't hurt, but almost neutral. She worked hard to mask whatever her true feelings were over his questions. "Benjamin, I'm not trying to push something on you. And I promise I won't be angry if you don't go. I'll be disappointed, but not angry. I'm spending the day with my family, and thought it would be nice if you were there with me." The smile came back, and some of the tension in his chest eased.
His gut reaction was to flinch away from the idea of spending time with a family like Jewell's. Beyond Ruby, he hadn't met any, but he'd heard enough to know they were the polar opposite of the Roths. Before he could form a response—in truth, an excuse—she stepped to him and raised her arms, wrapping them around his shoulders in an embrace. Never even thinking to resist, Benjamin returned the hug. She kissed his cheek and stepped back.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Benjamin just nodded, hating himself for being thankful that she hadn't forced him to explain or to make up unbelievable reasons. She squeezed his hand and walked past him to leave the kitchen. He crossed his arms and let his chin drop toward his chest, drawing a deep breath. He jumped and jerked when Victoria slapped his arm.
"What?" he snapped, stepping back when she raised her hand to hit him again.
"Why are you being stupid?"
"What are you talking about, Victoria?" She swung at him with a potholder, but he dodged it and moved around behind the island, putting it between them. "Stop."
"Why didn't you go with her," she demanded, holding the potholder aloft like a weapon. "She drove here from Manchester to ask you to come with her. Manchester," she repeated, opening her arms wide in an expression of the immeasurable distance she apparently believed it to be between Manchester and Boston. "She cared enough about you to come down here for you." She chucked the potholder at him, and he caught it as it bounced off his chest, before it landed on the floor.
"She doesn't want me with her family—" He didn't finish, barely catching the wooden spoon she threw at him. "Vicki, stop." An apple from the basket on the island flew by his head. "Vicki!" he shouted.
"I'll stop when you stop being stupid."
"You know as well as I do that—" An orange bounced off his chest. "Stop throwing things and let me finish."
"I'll stop when you stop being stupid."
"You said that already." She grabbed the last apple from the fruit basket and drew it back by her ear, ready to throw it straight at his head. Benjamin raised his hands, blocking his face. "Okay, okay."
"Will you listen?" He nodded and she lowered the fruit, scowling at him. Just as quickly, the scowl faded to a sad, strained frown. "Ben, please…please don't let him mess this up for you. She saw him, she saw how angry he was, and she still came here today for you. He didn't scare her away, don't you do it."
Benjamin set his hands on the edge of the counter and dropped his head forward, closing his eyes. His knee-jerk reaction had been to pull back, but only because it had been a split second faster than his gut reaction to say yes and go. He felt Victoria's presence beside him just before she covered one of his hands with hers and slid her other hand across his shoulders. She leaned her cheek against his upper arm. He opened his eyes and looked down at his younger sister, and she offered a small smile.
"Please, Ben," she said, her lip quivering with the words. Tears welled in her eyes. She kissed his sleeve. "Go on. Have a good time. Eat a cookie, or twelve, for me."
