Starting over chapter 10

Chapter ten

“All work and no play” Ben lent on the doorframe and startled Meg looked up “Hi” she looked at her wristwatch “Wow, is that the time?” She realized it was 6pm “Yes it is, I was on my way home and thought since I hadn’t heard from you that I’d stop by” “I’m so sorry Ben. I got lost in paperwork” she leant back in her chair. Ben moved in and sat down in a chair opposite her “So, are we still on for dinner?” he asked “Dinner? Oh yes, dinner” Meg looked at her watch again “Oh, it’s not yet for an hour” she started to put together a few files and Ben got his eye on one of them “May I look what my brother promised you?” Meg looked at his hand on the file for Twin Cqur “Oh, how stupid am I? Of course you’re in that company with Derek, sure you may look” Meg said. “I’m more of a silent partner really, I’ve got enough with the Java Web and the Deep” he said. “To me it seems like you’re doing great there” “I hold my own” Ben said a bit modesty “Yeah” Meg lifted her eyebrows. “You’re a bit cheeky miss Cummings, besides you will be able to keep your own too when you get this place going, when will I get the grand tour?” Ben invited himself “Well not tonight, mom’s got dinner almost ready. But what about tomorrow” she suggested “That is if you’re free” “Let’s see, it’s Saturday, no deliveries, no meetings… I think I could fit you in” Ben smiled.

“Do you need to go home, or will you walk with me?” Meg asked when she had gathered her stuff “Well I should go home and change, but it’s just down the street. If you like to you could come and then we’d go back to yours” Meg was a bit curious about where Ben lived “Sure, there is enough time” She hung her work bag on her shoulder where she had the computer and paperwork that she had to do sometime during the evening or night. “What did you mean really by down the street” she said as they walked in the backstreet of the hotel and the houses of the beach “Pretty literary” Ben said and pointed “It’s over there” he pointed to the house that had an orange color to it “That was really close” Meg laughed “I hope the activities at the hotel won’t be disturbing when we get it up and running” “I doubt it, I’ve been looking forward to a bit more life since I noticed the hotel was being restored” Ben unlocked the door as they had reached his house “Come on in” he let Meg ahead and she stood stunned in the entrance “Wow Ben, this is really exclusive” The marble pillars that stood on each side of the stairs leading upstairs were amazing. Ben put his hand on the small of her back and led her in so he could close the door “Can I offer you something to drink while I change?” he went over to the bar that was beside the fireplace. Meg stood stunned looking around “Meg?” “Uhu?” “Something to drink?” Ben asked again “No, I’m fine. You go change and I’ll just look around if it’s ok with you” “Sure” Ben went for the stairs and Meg couldn’t resist the urge to enjoy the view of him climbing it two steps at a time. Slowly she walked around, in the corner of the room she found the door to the kitchen and couldn’t resist going inside. She found a great equipped kitchen and she understood that Ben had been true when he said he loved cooking, but somehow she believed that he didn’t do it quiet enough. She felt the marble tops and she walked around “Hungry?” Ben was leaning on the doorframe and Meg turned around “Yeah actually I am, but I know from sources that there is a great place serving dinner tonight” Ben laughed “Why don’t we go there then and we could cook something up here another evening” he winked an eye at her. “I will hold you to that” Meg said and passed him. Ben opened the door for her and picked up her bag. He turned the alarm on and locked the door. They walked around the house and bumped into Sarah and Derek “Oh oh” Sarah said “Did we do this?” She looked from Meg to Ben and back to her sister again who was shaking her head “Sarah, what shall I do with you” she hooked her arm under Sarah’s and started to walk “We met at Mallorca really” she told the story.

“You know brother dear, it’s not necessary for the best man to hook up with the maid of honor” Derek nudge Ben in the side as they walked a few steps behind the girls. Well I met Meg long before the wedding, not really that long but at least before” Derek looked at him “That explains why she wanted to bite my head of yesterday” he laughed “What did you do to her, she was pretty angry with me, or you or...” “I didn’t do anything she wasn’t in on. I just think she mistook you for me yesterday, you saw how she fainted when she saw us both” Ben explained. “So where did you meet, according to Sarah Meg’s not been much in town since they bought the hotel, she’s been on a long holiday in Europe from what I understood” and Ben could see how he connected the dots in his head “Of course, Meg’s the girl you wrote me about, what did you say… your soul mate” Derek teased “Just because you’re the youngest you don’t have to be cheeky brother dear, and yes, I believe that Meg’s my soul mate, just see how quickly we met again and we parted at Mallorca without exchanging e-mails or mobile numbers” “Sometimes I don’t know how you’re thinking. Why didn’t you ask for it, were you planning on going around moping because you didn’t hear from her again” Derek stopped at looked at his brother “Did Maria hurt you that bad?” Ben hadn’t thought about Maria for a long time, they had been dating when Ben and Derek first came to Sunset Beach and Ben had planned on asking her to marry him when he’d found her in bed with Tim Truman, a young man looking for the Californian dream “You know she did Derek, but I don’t want to talk about it” and he was lucky, they had just arrived at Meg and Sarah’s house. The girls had already gotten inside and left the door open for the guys.

Hank and Joan both stood in the living room where they had set the table for dinner “There you all are, and at the same time too” Joan said and hugged both her girls and then Derek her son-in-law and after that Ben, the one she thought was going to be her son-in-law in time. “It smells lovely Joan” Derek said as he put his arm around Sarah’s shoulders “Well why don’t you all sit down” she said “It’s ready I will just bring the last things out” “Do you need any help” both Sarah and Meg said at the same time, being used to help out “No, you can sit down too” Joan smiled at them “You can help out with the dishes afterwards” she teased but knew that was exactly what they were going to do. The meal was pleasant. Hank slowly opened up to both Ben and Derek when they talked about job and business “Without you farmers we wouldn’t be much now would we?” Derek said “I mean if you didn’t grow crops and breed animals we wouldn’t have bread and meat among things and I hope Sarah wants to ‘take me home’ one of these days” he looked affectionate at her “Sure I will, but that has to be after the opening of the hotel and our by then very late honeymoon” she smiled back and met him for a soft kiss. “Oh, I’m looking forward to that day” Joan said and added “You are also welcome Ben, anytime you like. If you come alone or with Meg it doesn’t matter, we’re considering you family too” “Thank you Mrs Cummings” she rolled her eyes “I thought I told you to call me Joan” he smiled “Joan then”

After dinner Meg went out to the kitchen, she put the coffee on and then got cracking on the dishes. She had told Sarah to stay with the others when she had offered to help and told her it was her wedding present. “Can I help you?” Ben cut of her thoughts when he arrived with a pile of plates “Seems to me you already are” she pointed to the counter where he put them down “Meg, is there something wrong?” he asked and she shook her head “it’s just that you seem a bit distant to me” Ben said and took her by the shoulder and turned her around and he found tears in her eyes “But Meg” he held her close “why are you crying” Meg sobbed against his chest “It’s silly really” she said “I think it’s both exhaustion and emotions. It’s been pretty long days and I’m jetlagged” she dried her eyes with a towel and Ben looked at her. The look was pretty intense and he hoped he wouldn’t do wrong by kissing her so he lowered his head to hers.
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All connections to Sunset Beach and real life characters are purely for your pleasure.
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