Page 66 of Beni

Beni tipped his head down like he might kiss her. “And you are perfect.”

August sucked in a breath. “Are you trying to make me fall—”

A throat clearing behind Beni had the two of them breaking apart, even if it was only a couple of inches. August wished she could be surprised to see Camilla grinning like the cat who found the cream on the top of her steps, but she wasn’t.

“How long were you standing there?” August asked.

“Long enough.”

“You are terrible.”

Camilla shrugged. “Wonderful, I think, is the word you’re looking for. Now, if you’ll let me get inside my house, I can hunker down for the night in my robe with my reruns and wine, and you two can get a start on your date.”

August’s brow furrowed. “What date?”

“Tom said,” Camilla drawled, stepping beyond the two of them when they moved out of her home’s doorway, “that Beni here was coming over to take you out for the night. And while I might want to bitch and moan because you’re my best friend and I want all your time, I should shut up because I might get other things I want. So, that is what I am going to do.”

Beni gaped. “What did you just ramble on about?”

August pressed her lips together, entirely amused, because she understood just fine what her friend had pointedly, albeit still crazily, said without directly saying it. “Seriously, Cam?”

Camilla shrugged. “Just let it happen, that’s all I’m saying.”

Her friend really thought that.

Believed it to be true.

She thought August was going to—if she had not already—fall in love with Beni, which might give her yet another reason to want to be here. Closer to Camilla. A win-win, she imagined, for her friend. And yet all August could do was shake her head.

“Anyway,” Camilla said, closing the door behind her as she entered the house, “I’m totally cool with missing that dinner and movie, Aug, so you’re fine to go with Beni on this date he has planned for you tonight … you know, according to Tom.”

“You are something else. You are … trying too hard, Camilla.”

Her friend winked. “But am I, really?”

The door closed with an audible snap.

Beni still just looked entirely fucking confused. It was sort of … a little bit, though she would never tell him … cute. “What just happened?”

August pressed her lips together to stop from laughing. “You know what, I guess we’re going on a date.”

“So yeah, Tom must have called her as soon as I left him at the gym and filled her in on what I had planned,” Beni said.

August shook her head. “Figures. Although, this is nice, too.”

“Just nice?”

She gave him a teasing wink before popping a fluffy bit of blue cotton candy into her grinning mouth. He only laughed, and then dragged her in closer to his side as they continued their stroll through the carnival.

“I still can’t convince you to get on another ride with me, huh?”

August shook her head. “Not after that first one.”

“Come on,” Beni groaned, “that was fucking awesome.”

“Yes, being whisked fifty feet in the air, and then rolling forward mid-air so that we feel like we’re about to fall to our deaths is exactly what I call fun, too!”

He eyed her from the side. “I can hear the sarcasm.”