Page 145 of Bene

For who, he didn’t know.

By the looks of Vanna’s flour-dusted hands, she’d joined in.

And probably loved it, too.

He’d thought after his walk that Vanna might want him to save her from whatever awkward conversation she found in that time, but it seemed she was doing just fine. Plus, wouldn’t she need some friends in this family?

Before he could convince himself otherwise—because God knew he wanted her all to himself—Bene turned on his heels and headed deeper into the mansion. Before long, he found himself standing in the sitting room that connected his old bedroom with his twin’s. Unsurprisingly, Beni stood near the windows while he chatted on the phone to his wife waiting for him in Chicago.

“Yeah, soon, Aug,” Beni said, “once we get everything settled out here … nah, I think you’ll like her, and she’s exactly what I thought she would be considering him.”

Bene smirked a bit.

His twin … always the first to have his back.

Even when he was a shit.

Bene cleared his throat, gaining his brother’s attention for the moment. Beni gave him a look over his shoulder, but quickly went back to his call with a, “Okay, love you, too, babe.”

“I’m surprised she’s not here, too.”

His brother shrugged as he pocketed his cell and turned to face him. “She’s working on an article and has a bunch of interviews to do for it … some of them could be done over the phone, but others were better in person. I didn’t want her sacrificing that for something we were handling, you know? Besides, she calls Ma every day just to talk to her about whatever book they’re currently reading.”

Huh.

“They read the same book?”

“Yeah, Aug picks one and then Ma picks the next.”

Bene nodded. “Didn’t know that.”

“It’s their thing, you know.”

“Vanna might like that—huge fan of Ma’s reviews, and all.”

Beni chuckled, saying, “I will let August know. Where is Vanna, anyway?”

“In the kitchen with Val and Ginny and the kids.”

“Oh?”

“They seem to like her.”

It was just … everyone else.

Yeah.

Beni, seeing the nerves in Bene’s jittery hands, said, “Give Marcus some time, huh? He’ll relax and fall in line with the rest of us. He just needs to get shit figured out in his own head before he’ll come around, that’s all. It’s been a rough couple of months for him.”

“Doesn’t matter if he does or not. She’s mine anyway.”

“No, right,” Beni agreed, “I’m sure you’re more worried about Ma and Papa.”

Bene shifted on his feet, clearing the lump in his throat. “A little, maybe.”

“Don’t be.”

Easier said than done.