Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Starting over chapter 21

Chapter twenty one

Meg excused herself and went to Ben’s office to pick her purse up. She had a little early Christmas present for Ben in it. Ben on the other hand was busy with his last minute preparations for their Christmas Eve dinner in the wine cellar. Meg came back to the bar which now was empty expect from Roger who came towards Meg with a glass of wine “Ben said to give this to you, let you know he’s downstairs and then get out of here” Meg smiled “Well then, thank you for the wine and Merry Christmas to you and your family” she said “Merry Christmas to you too” Roger said and then he left. Meg went towards the wine cellar. She found a white rose tied to the handle and as she opened the door there were a white rose on every step for the first set of stairs. She opened the second door and the roses continued to decorate the steps, but now there was a little box attached to each and everyone. Meg opened the first one and found a pearl, she looked up and saw Ben standing at the end of the stairs “A few extra this week because it’s Christmas” he smiled. Meg slowly picked them all up “You spoil me Ben Evans” she said before she kissed him. When they parted Ben showed Meg to the table where he pulled the chair out for her before he sat down himself “It’s nice to finally be able to be alone” he took her hand and kissed her fingers “I’ve missed you a lot lately” Meg smiled back at him “I’ve missed you too, but tomorrow we got the whole day together” “It will really be strange” Ben admitted “It’s only been me and Derek for a lot of years now” “Not any girlfriends?” Meg asked “No, somehow it’s not turned out that way” “Well, then I maybe should prepare you, we’re pretty strong in our wills when it comes to Christmas. No one touches mom’s turkey and God help the one that even goes near dad’s eggnog” Ben laughed “Sounds like a perfect way to spend Christmas, not doing anything” Meg shook her head “No way, the dishes is always the children’s bit and you and Derek are children too now” Meg sipped her wine “Mmm this was nice” “You think?” Ben asked “It’s a new one and I thought maybe we could have it with dinner tomorrow” “That sounds great, I think it will go well with the turkey”

Meg opened her purse “I’ve got something for you too” she said and handed Ben a box “You didn’t have to” Ben kissed her softly “Thank you” “Go ahead, open it” she told him as she put her pearls into the purse. Ben unwrapped the gift and lifted the top of the box off and inside he found a watch “Thank you Meg, it’s lovely” “I noticed that you’ve left the watch behind quite a bit or just put it in the pocket so I took a look at it and saw the buckle was broken so I thought this was something you’d need” Ben smiled “You sure notice the small details don’t you?” “Try it on” she urged him and Ben took it out of the box and put it on “It looks great” Meg got up and sat down in Ben’s lap. She put her arms around his neck and leant in for a kiss “Merry Christmas Ben” she said. “Merry Christmas to you too” Ben said when they pulled apart “Are you ready to go home?” “Yes I am” Meg said and stood up.
Early the next morning Meg woke up when she heard the doorbell. She looked at the alarm clock and it was already 8.30. She pulled on her robe and went downstairs. When she arrived there Ben had already opened the door and let the guests in “Mom, Dad you’re here” Meg rushed over to hug first her father “Merry Christmas Meggie” Hank kissed her on the cheek. “Merry Christmas” Meg said back and hugged her mother too. Ben was in his jogging clothes “Have you already been out?” she asked “No, I was on my way when the doorbell rang” he kissed her cheek “Good morning my love” “Good morning and Merry Christmas” Meg said back “I should go get dressed” “You do that and then you can show me where everything is and I will get started on the turkey” Joan said. Ben excused himself and went for his morning jog along the beach. When Meg returned downstairs she followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen. “So, how was the flight?” she asked her parents as she poured herself a cup and offered them refills. “It was good, when we finally took off” her father said “I’m so happy it stopped snowing” Joan filled in “I don’t know what a Christmas without my girls would be like” “Well you didn’t have to find out this year at least” Meg smiled. She showed her mom where everything was and then she went to check things out at the hotel. Christmas or not they still had guests and it made her happy.

Meg returned home just in time to set the table. She took out a tablecloth she had gotten from her grandmother a few years back and Joan got tears in her eyes when she saw it “We’ve had many happy Christmas dinners with tablecloth” she sighed “Too bad she didn’t feel like traveling” Meg said “Well you know how she is, she likes to be close to home” Meg hugged her mother “I hope she will come for the wedding though, and to meet Sarah’s baby” she paused “And the weather back in Kansas is better then too” “That’s true Meg. It’s really lovely that you want to use this tablecloth” Meg smiled “Now I just have to see where Ben keeps his good china, that I’ve never looked for” Ben came down the stairs “Did I hear my name?” he walked over and kissed Meg on the cheek “You sure did, we need to set the table” “And…” Ben teased her “Well I don’t think grandma would appreciate if we eat directly off the table cloth, don’t think she intended that to happen when she gave it to me” Meg said sarcastically and went on “So where do you keep the good china?” “You’re sure I’ve got any?” “Ben don’t scare me like that” Meg looked at him with fear in her eyes. “Sorry to say Meg, but I don’t have any. I only have glasses” Meg almost panicked and started to think about getting to the hotel and get some plates there, or using the everyday china “Our mother had some old china and glasses and since I’ve got the glasses Derek’s got the china” Meg realized she had been holding her breath “Then get over there and borrow it” she gently pushed him towards the door.

The china story was one of the topics around the dinner table “Well Meg, now you know what you can register for” Joan said “Yes” she agreed and looked at Ben “And I think I will drag Ben with me to all the shops to look at patterns” she teased and leant over and rested her head on his shoulder. Ben took her hand “Really? I’m not that particular, it can be your choice” Meg looked at him but couldn’t hide the smile “Oh it will be my choice, but you still have to come along” everyone started laughing and Meg turned to her sister “I think I’ll bring you along Sarah, that way you can go wish for presents for your baby shower” she said “Oh, a baby shower” Joan sighed “My big girl is getting married and my little one is having a baby, what great gifts we’ll get next year” Hank patted her hand in support as Ben stood up at the table “Since we’ve all finished and the ladies cooked all this great food I only think it’s fair that we” he looked at Hank and Derek “at least clear the table” Meg, Sarah and Joan went to sit in the sofa as they did and when they came back it was time for presents. It was a mix of bought and homemade gifts and when all gifts from under the tree was shared Ben walked over to the mantelpiece of the fireplace “Now, Derek and I got one more gift” he said and turned towards Joan and Hank “I know you both have worked hard all your life and you are proud of it and so you shall be. Your farm is a great place to come and relax and I hope we can do that for many years more” he moved over and stood just behind Meg “Meg and Sarah’s made a fantastic renovation to their hotel and they’ve both settled in here in Sunset Beach quickly in the short time they’ve been here” he nodded towards his brother “Derek and I have been both lucky and successfully with what we’ve done in our lives and got more than our fair share of money” he again looked at Hank and Joan “Considering my wedding to Meg and the birth of Derek and Sarah’s baby I know that, especially you Joan, will like to be able to come here more often so” he handed them the envelope “This is from me and Derek and I hope you will use them all” Hank opened the envelope “It’s 10 open tickets to use whenever you feel like flying out here, they’re not personalized so you can use them as you like” he put a hand on Meg’s shoulders “And when it’s time for the Christening and then for the wedding we’d like to help out with bringing the girl’s grandmother here too” Hank stood up and shook hands with both guys and Joan hugged and kissed them both “Thank you so much” she said and Hank looked at them “Thank you, I’m not going to be that proud that I’m not going to accept this more than generous gift” Meg got up and kissed Ben on the cheek “Thank you Ben, this was so thoughtful of you” still in his arms she turned and faced Derek “You too”
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All connections to Sunset Beach, any other soaps/series and real life characters are purely for your pleasure.
©tinadolphin@comhem.se 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

Starting over chapter 20

Chapter twenty

Meg set up her laptop on Ben’s desk and decided to work a bit before bed and that was where Ben found her when he arrived home “Even better in real life, than the photo id on my cell phone” Ben said and Meg spun around “You’re back” she beamed and rushed up to hug and kiss him “I’ve missed you so much Ben” she said in between the kisses. Ben took a deep breath “I’ve missed you too, I don’t know if I ever want to be away from you again” he swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.
The next couple of months went by fast. Ben and Derek made a quick trip to England to sort out the affairs with the estate. Meg and Sarah were busy with the hotel. In between they all managed to fly to Kansas for Thanksgiving since Joan wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since Meg had moved into Ben’s house the house she and Sarah owned was now occupied by the employees of the hotel if they needed a place to stay and both Sarah and Meg was happy about that since they didn’t really want to part from the house. One of the tenants though was Casey Mitchum the lifeguard and he was a wizard when it came to getting things fixed around the place.
Ben was sitting at the desk in the living room when Meg got back home “Are you home?” she asked and kissed him “Yes, I couldn’t get any work done in the office and I really need to wrap this Christmas party up” Meg sat down in his lap “I think you’re going to make a lot of children happy with this Christmas Eve party” Ben stroke some hair out of Meg’s face “For as long as I’ve arranged this event I’ve never felt like doing it as much as I have this year. And with you by my side I know nothing can go wrong” he kissed her softly “You’re hungry?” he asked and Meg shook her head and kissed him on the neck. “Oh Meg” Ben moaned and unwillingly pushed her away “Meg darling, I really need to finish this” he said but gave in to her kisses, he never could resist her.

Meg changed into her new red dress, put her hair up in a simple but still elegant do. She put her feet into her favorite pair of shoes and went down the stairs where Ben was waiting “Wow” he said when he saw her “This must be what Lionel Richie meant when he sang ‘Lady in red’” he walked over and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Meg smiled at him “Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself tonight” she complimented Ben. “Are you sure we’re not overdressed for this evening?” “Not at all, when all the children’s left I’ve planned for you and me to have dinner in the wine cellar and for that we’re perfectly dressed” he took her hand “But if we don’t leave now, we’ll be late” they walked towards the door. Meg picked her purse up from the shelf by the door. At the Deep everyone was busy with the last minute stuff, soon all the children of Sunset Beach were coming. Ben had put in a lot of work with decorations and gotten all the toy stores in town to donate gifts which were now laying under a huge tree. “What kid wouldn’t love this” Meg said to Ben as they were standing at the bar with Derek and Sarah “And next year there will be a little Evans among them too” she added and smiled at her sister. “Well he or she will be here, but it will still be a bit young” Sarah said and put a protecting hand on the little bump on her stomach. “Have you heard if mom and dad have been able to leave Kansas yet?” she asked Meg “No, I haven’t. Last time I checked the internet the planes were still delayed, but they thought the snow was going to clear up” she sighed “I really hope they’ll be able to get here before tomorrow, I don’t know what a Christmas lunch it would be without mom and dad and then mom’s special seasoning of the turkey for dinner” Meg had bought all the ingredients, they were waiting for Joan at the house. Sarah hugged her sister “They will be here if I have to go to Kansas to get them myself. Derek’s promised me that I will get half a cup of dad’s eggnog” it wasn’t like Meg to be the worrying one of them. They were cut off by the first children and parents arriving. There were a big buffet with food and drinks, non alcoholic for everyone since this was all for the children. Just before it was time to open the presents Meg sneaked up to Ben’s office. She was there to check her phone to see if her parents had left any message about the flight but got the surprise of the day “Casey? What are you doing here?” she asked and he turned around with a costume in his hands “Didn’t Ben tell you? I’m moonlighting as Santa” he picked up a big fluffy pillow “Not a kid has yet recognized me during the years and most of the older ones I’ve taught to swim” Casey was not only a lifeguard he was a trained swimming teacher as well. “No, he never told me, actually I almost thought he would do it himself” she took out her cell phone “Anything important?” Casey asked and Meg looked up “Yes, my… our parents are coming for Christmas but it’s been snowing in Kansas” she read her new messages “But actually, they’re on the way now” she quickly hit a few buttons on the phone and was connected to the internet to check out the time the plane was going to land. “I’ll leave you alone” Meg said and went back downstairs. “Why does this always happen to me” Casey said to himself “I’m always too late” he sighed and got dressed. He couldn’t help but think of last Christmas when he and Rae had pretended to be married to get her parents to back off from them living together just as friends. It had all blown up when Rae’ ex-fiancé now husband Wei-Lee had turned up out of the blue. Casey put on the mask and went for the door.

Sarah and Derek were still sitting at the bar when Meg came back. Meg had together with Ben hosted the party up until it was time for Santa to come “This is great isn’t it?” Meg said to her sister “I can’t believe how wonderful and generous Ben is” and Sarah put her hand on Derek’s thigh “I can, he’s twin with my husband” she looked back to her sister “Heard anything yet?” Meg nodded “They’re on the way and they’re landing in two hours” “What is their flight number?” Sarah asked and Meg answered her “Good” Sarah went on “We’re collecting them” Meg started to protest “No Meg, you’ve done so much for me lately, sending me home from work so I could spend time with Derek when really it should be you that should spend time with Ben, the two of you got a wedding to plan, we already are married” Meg smiled “Maybe it’s because you already are married I want you two to spend time together” she said in defense “Meg, you’re always putting everyone in front of yourself. I know Ben’s got dinner plans for you tonight. I want you to relax and enjoy yourself. I know you want to meet mom and dad, but they probably just want to get to the hotel after having waited most of the day at the airport” Sarah said in her most convincing voice “And I know mom will be at your place first thing in the morning to get the turkey started” Meg hugged her sister “Ok, I’ll give in, you two can go get mom and dad”

“Ho, ho, ho” the words echoed thru the club “Oh, look it’s Santa” Ben said and pointed to the door “But why are you coming thru the door?” he asked “Because you haven’t built your chimney big enough” Casey answered and patted his big stomach and all the children laughed. To make the process of giving out the gifts all kids had played a game earlier on where they had searched all around the club for a note with a number on. Blue for boys and pink for girls and then the gifts all had numbers on them too. Ben was now stepping back, letting Casey run the show. He found Meg with his brother and Sarah at the bar “Another successful year brother dear” Derek said “Yes, it is” Ben smiled “Are you all up for a glass of champagne?” Derek looked at Sarah “You do what you like. I don’t have any problems driving” she said “Driving?” Ben asked and Meg put her arm around his waist “Yes, Sarah and Derek have offered to go pick mom and dad up, they’re finally on their way” Ben kissed Meg on the cheek “That’s great news. So three champagne then?” he looked at them all “No, I better not” Derek said and Sarah rolled her eyes “Now he’s doing it again. Being overprotective, I said I can drive you don’t have to do it” Derek looked at her “I just don’t want anything to happen to the things that are so precious to me” Derek held up his hands in defeat “Pour me one Ben, or I’ll never hear the end of it” Ben poured three glasses of champagne and some sparkling water for Sarah “To the first of many great Christmases” he raised his glass and the others joined.

When all the children had gotten their presents Ben wished everyone Merry Christmas and people started to leave, after all they did have things to do at their homes. Christmas Day the club would be closed but Boxing Day there would be a big party that had been sold out for a long time. Meg was looking forward to meeting a lot of her new friends. She was also looking forward to the big party she and Sarah would be hosting on New Year’s Eve. She had had help from a friend in Germany to book a band that probably would surprise a lot of people. “A penny for your thoughts” Ben snuck up behind her “Is that all they’re worth?” Meg turned around and smiled at him “No, they’re worth a lot more” Ben said “And I’m willing to give them to you for free” Meg admitted. “So, what are they?” Meg shook her head “Some are still secrets, but mostly I was thinking about how great this holiday season would be” “It sure will” Ben agreed.
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All connections to Sunset Beach, any other soaps/series and real life characters are purely for your pleasure.
©tinadolphin@comhem.se 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Starting over chapter 19

Chapter nineteen
Just then Ben’s cell phone rang “Excuse me” he said as he took out of his inner pocket. He smiled when he saw the photo id of Meg “You’re a sight for sore eyes” he answered the phone and forgot about his company totally.
“That’s one way to answer your phone” Meg laughed “How are you? Funeral over?” she asked “I’m ok, funeral is over and I’ve been to the house” he sighed “Was it bad?” Meg asked in her own sweet way “Not really, it’s just I don’t know what to keep and not. And I don’t know what Derek would like to keep” “Maybe you should come back home then and wait with selling the estate until you and Derek both have been able to be there together” “You are so wise my dear” Ben said “I think I will do just that” Meg smiled to herself “You know it was a selfish idea at first, I’ve missed you so much” she said and told him about having trouble sleeping alone “Why don’t you sleep in my house then” Ben shrugged his shoulders “Then I don’t have to look for you if I get home in the middle of the night either” “Now who’s the wise guy?” Meg laughed feeling satisfied with the idea of staying in Ben’s house, she even got an idea what to do with hers and Sarah’s. They talked a bit more about this and that before they said bye. Seeing the happy face on Ben the bartender asked the short question “Wife?” Ben grinned “Fiancée, but I can’t wait until I can call her wife” Sophia on the other hand hadn’t given up her attempts to get to Ben “Can I buy you another one?” she offered and Ben shook his head “Thanks but no thanks, I’m going to get to my room now” she raised her eyebrows and Ben added “Alone, rearrange my flights and fly home to my fiancée” Ben extended his hand as the businessman he is “Sorry to say miss Sinclair but we’ll not be doing business not even when we get back to sell” he hoped she learnt her lesson. He then left the bar.

Ben couldn’t get a flight until a couple of days later so the next day he went back to the estate, took some photos himself and met up with the two real estate agencies that he had talked to. They both said they would send him their offers by e-mail. The things Ben wanted to bring back to America at once were papers and jewelry that was of any worth. He didn’t like the feeling of those things stuck in a house that he was that far away from. Besides it got him a chance to look things over until he and Derek could return. He didn’t know if Derek was checking his e-mails but he sent him one telling him about the progress or the lack of.

Derek and Sarah had been to a few small cities exploring. The last one on their list was called Rosario and by old folk’s tales it meant happiness to visit the city as newlyweds. “Do we really have to go home tomorrow Derek?” Sarah asked as they were enjoying lunch at the old square of Rosario “Unfortunately real life is waiting for us” He took her hand and kissed her fingers “Besides, Christmas is coming up and I’m looking forward to spending it with you” he looked her deeply in the eyes and Sarah smiled at him “I believe mom and dad will come too since Meg and I can’t leave the hotel” “I don’t mind that a bit, I’ve not celebrated Christmas as a family in years, it’s just been me and Ben” Their food arrived and after having eaten they walked around looking at some old buildings and other things. There was a few market stalls with this and that to buy and Sarah picked a few things up for her sister and mother to give them at Christmas.

Since Meg had worked long the previous evening she decided to go in a bit later and spend the morning packing a few necessary things up and take them over to Ben’s. She felt a certain kind of calm when she entered the house. She let herself fantasies about the future she and Ben would have, children at least two hopefully a boy and a girl and how they would decorate the two spare rooms upstairs for them. But first they would marry “I need to find a dress” she suddenly realized and dropped her boxes right there and then and went to find the telephone book where she looked up Gaby’s number, after all she was planning her wedding to Ricardo. “Hello, this is Gaby” she answered “Hi Gaby, it’s Meg. Meg Cummings” Gaby laughed “You don’t have to say your last name every time we talk” they had talked a few times when Gaby’s been at work. “Guess it’s a habit from dealing with so many people over the phone” Meg said “Actually Gaby, I’ve got a problem that you might be able to solve” “Oh, what’s that?” she asked curiously. “I’m looking for a wedding boutique” Meg answered “A wedding boutique, that sounds interesting” “Exciting is more like it” Meg beamed “Ben and I are getting married” “Congratulations Meg, I’m so happy for you both you suite each other really well” “Thank you” Meg answered “Well, I know a few. I could pop over to the hotel after work and give you the numbers” Gaby offered “That would be great, I’ll be there after 2 or so” Meg said before they hung up.

Two days later Ben finally landed in New York, his connecting flight to California was delayed he found out and he rolled his eyes “This has been one bad trip from the start” he said out loud but mostly to himself. He turned around from the monitors and bumped into a man “Excuse me” Ben said and looked up and started to laugh “Max, what are you doing here?” “I could ask you the same cousin?” the men hugged “Well I’m on my way home, been back in England” Ben told and Max nodded “Then we’ll be on the same flight, that is if it leaves at all” Max said “You know why?” Ben asked “Something about some technicians going on strike and the rest won’t work overtime” They went to sit down “So, are you travelling alone?” Ben asked “Yes, I have to check out a theatre and Fran decided to stay back here with the twins” “Where?” Ben asked curiously “Actually in LA, but if it goes well and we need to live out there I thought we’d look for something in your town” Max said “You could do worse than Sunset Beach” Ben laughed. “Been doing some research, seems like the town’s growing, new hotel?” “Not really” Ben said “It’s just newly renovated” Max nodded “Two sisters from Kansas I read” Ben couldn’t help but smile “And the ‘never ever let anyone this close again’ Ben Evans have fallen head over heels” Max laughed. “Well I didn’t know that Meg was one of those sisters when I first met her since that was in Mallorca during my vacation there” “I’m happy for you, you deserve to find true love Ben” Max knew how hard it had been on Ben when he had found out that Maria who he thought was his soul mate had cheated on him. “So, what about Derek, he’s up to his usual mischief’s?” Ben shook his head “Believe it or not Max, but Derek’s happily married and expecting a baby next year” “No way?” he said surprised “Derek Evans a family man?” Ben shrugged his shoulders “Well I was surprised myself too, but Sarah’s a lovely lady” “With a will of iron if she got Derek to settle down” “That’s true, but those Cummings’ sisters does have a will of iron, you should see what they did to the hotel” “Now wait a minute” Max said after thinking about what Ben had said “Cummings’ sisters?” “Yes, Meg and Sarah are sisters” Max just laughed “Don’t tell me they’re twins just like you and Derek too?” Ben shook his head “No, they’re not” he said.

“We’ve got some good news for all travelers going west. The flight for LA will start boarding in 10 minutes” the voice over the speakers said. Both Ben and Max got up from the seats and went over to the gate “I can’t wait to get back” Ben said “I bet you can’t if you got a lovely lady waiting for you” Max teased and Ben looked at him Fran really has changed you”
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All connections to Sunset Beach, any other soaps/series and real life characters are purely for your pleasure.
©tinadolphin@comhem.se 2010

Monday, October 4, 2010

Starting over chapter 18

Chapter eighteen

A funeral suited Ben’s mood perfectly, the flights had been delayed so he was a day late landing in England, he was away from Meg and on top of all the lawyers had the keys to the estate and he couldn’t get them until after the funeral. He really would have liked to get a look at it and then decide on a real estate agent. He had a few lined up, one was a really old firm with great references. He finally arrived at his hotel at 10pm and was able to check in without any problems. When he was set up in his room he logged onto his computer and decided to try and see if Meg was on any messenger service and was up for a bit of a chat. “Just my luck” he sighed, wrote Meg an e-mail and then decided to try and get some sleep as the funeral was in the morning.

Meg felt sorry for Ben when she saw the e-mail. She was really missing him and would have loved to be with him. She looked up when she heard a knock on her door “Come in” and the person entered “Hi Casey” Meg smiled “What brings you here?” she motioned for the chair in front of her desk “Hi Meg” he smiled “I just thought I’d pop in before work and give you an update” Meg looked surprised “Don’t you remember, we talked about trying to see if your guests were interested in the beach” “Of course Casey, I was just thinking of something else” Meg answered “Or someone else?” Casey teased “Ben and Derek are some of my best friends and I can’t believe the way they both fell for you and your sister instantly” Meg smiled “We have a saying in Kansas, it must be Kismet” “Sounds like a great expression, how is Ben by the way?” “Good, irritated since he didn’t arrive in England until today, something about the flights being delayed and a few other things” Casey nodded. “Anyways, by the look of it I estimate between 25 and 50 percent of your hotel guests use the beach as well as the pool area. I did talk to your life guard on watch before I came there and thought that maybe we’d have some kind of exchange” Meg nodded “You know safety pamphlets and signs” Casey suggested “That sounds like a great idea, both me and Sarah wants this hotel to be as safe as possible” Casey stood up “I’ll get on it and I will come by another day so you can approve them” Meg followed him to the door “You do that Casey, if I’m not in just leave it in the reception and I promise to get back to you asap”

Ben dressed for the funeral, he really hated these occasions, especially here in England. It reminded him a lot about his mother’s. He got into his car and drove towards the church, he stopped by a florist to pick some flowers up. As next of kin he was seated in the front, at least at his mother’s funeral he had had the support of his brother. ‘If I only was the one that was in Mexico’ he thought. Then the service began. His aunt had wanted an old fashioned funeral so therefore the last part was to take place at the grave. Ben and the rest of aunt Louise’s friends followed the coffin and priest. She was going to her final rest at the same place as her parents and her sister. Ben hadn’t been here in ages, but it had been kept very well ‘Aunt Louise’s work’ he thought ‘I need to see to it that it keeps being looked after’ Ben made a mental note. When the priest had finished and the people had said their goodbyes and everyone said a few words to Ben they left. Finally Ben was alone, he crouched down in front of his mother’s headstone and arranged the flowers he had brought. “Sorry I’ve not been here in a long time Mom” he had tears in his eyes and felt a lump in his throat “You know I would have loved to but living in America doesn’t make it easy” he closed his eyes “Derek couldn’t come, he’s on his honeymoon, can you believe that? Derek’s married” Ben sat down not minding his trousers getting dirty or wet, he had loved his mother so much “Sarah’s a lovely lady and they’re having a baby in June” “You want to know about me” he smiled “Well, believe it or not but I’ve met my soul mate, she’s a Kansas girl and we met on vacation a few months ago. I know it might seem I rushed into things but I’ve asked her to marry me and we’ve set the date to September next year. I hope I can bring her here before the wedding, I want you to meet her” “Oh yes, her name’s Meg. Meg Cummings” Ben said proudly “And now you will laugh, she’s the older sister of Derek’s Sarah” Ben continued ‘talking’ to his mother. It was almost an hour later when he got up and left. He walked towards his car where a woman was waiting for him “Ben Evans?” she asked “Sophie Sinclair” she extended her hand “I’m with Stevens’ real estate” Ben remembered the name of the firm “I believe you might have something for us to help you sell” Ben didn’t know what to believe, how could professional people act this way? “Well yes” he answered and pulled his hand back “I’ve just not yet decided on any agent” he found his car key and unlocked the car “Well, let me give you my card” she took it out and scribbled something on the back “My home number in case you want to get hold of me outside the office” Was she for real Ben asked himself, was she flirting openly like this, what had the world come to. “Excuse me” Ben said and opened the door “I really need to get back to the hotel” “Ok, but please give me a call when you’ve decided, I promise I’ll make it a quick affair, estates like that are really on the market right now” She closed the car door for Ben and let him drive off. Ben was still stunned when he arrived at the hotel. It was almost 1 o’clock and with the time difference it was still in the middle of the night in California so Ben couldn’t call Meg just yet. He picked up the phone and called the lawyer’s office. He was put straight thru and got an appointment to come see the lawyer at once to get the keys to the estate.

Meg was tossing and turning in her bed, somehow she hadn’t slept very well the last few nights. She woke up and went downstairs to drink a glass of water. She still had a lot of the flowers left that Ben had had set up for the proposal. She brought her water with her and sat down in the living room. She closed her eyes and remembered that lovely evening minute by minute. She took a rose in her hand and smelled it. Feeling a bit at ease she laid down and fell asleep right there on the sofa.

Ben opened the front door. The last time he had visited his aunt she had been in hospital with a broken hip. He hadn’t been to this house since before he moved to America, it still looked as grand as he remembered it. He walked thru the hall towards the living room. Walking from room to room he remembered to many things, how would he be able to choose what to keep and what to sell on. He ended up in the kitchen remembering baking cookies with his mother and aunt as a little boy. Something felt both right and wrong about that memory. He thought back and remembered that his mother had packed them up really quick and said they were going for a little vacation. Knowing now what he didn’t then it must have been one of the periods when his father was drinking heavily. He sat down on a stool to think about what to do. He and Derek had decided it would be too expensive to keep the estate, especially since it wasn’t their family heritage, it had belonged to their ‘uncle‘s’ family. He got up and went up the stairs. Looking around the rooms he realized this wouldn’t be fixed in the two weeks he thought. He took out a notebook from his jacket where he had a few numbers to real estate agents.

He called two of the firms and made appointments for the next day to get the house evaluated. He tried a third firm as well but there he only got the answering machine, he left a message and if they didn’t call back by the evening he’d scrap them from his list as he already had with “Stevens’” That person looking him up at the funeral had really made Ben uncomfortable. He picked the keys up and went outside to have a look around before he went back to the hotel.

Ben walked into the hotel lobby where he bumped into Sophia again. Ben put on a fake smile as he didn’t for a second believe that she was there by chance. “Let me buy you a drink” She offered and since Ben was too well mannered to say no so he let her lead the way towards the bar. Luckily it was one of those brighter ones so hopefully she’d not get any ideas. “So Ben” she turned her stool towards him “May I call you Ben?” he nodded “Sure” was his short answer “You think we could help you sell the estate?” Ben shrugged his shoulders “I need to talk to my brother about it” she put a hand on his thigh “Did the house bring up memories?” she said sympathetically “Yes it did” Ben admitted “But that’s not the problem really. I just don’t know what Derek would like to keep from the house” “Maybe I can help you, we got great photographers that can take photos and you can send them by mail” Ben didn’t know how he could get out of this “Well I can’t get to my brother at the moment, he’s on his honeymoon” he saw a bit of shifting in her eyes since she had lit up when he mentioned he had a brother. He took a drink of his beer and felt her hand on his arm “We could go over there and take the photos anyway if you like” Just then Ben’s cell phone rang “Excuse me” he said as he took out of his inner pocket. He smiled when he saw the photo id of Meg “You’re a sight for sore eyes” he answered the phone and forgot about his company totally.
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