by Alex Bailey
Ann pulled her cell phone from her pocket. One o’clock. She dialed Ben’s number. It went straight to voice mail. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Sweat poured off of it.
Too weak to get up, she gave in to the illness and slipped back into her dream world, full of sweet treats.
* * * * *
Brilliant golden rays streaked through the sheer curtains on the front windows. Ann opened her eyes slowly to the sound of the front door opening. She bolted upright, aware that whatever fever and virus she had during the night had passed. She was no longer exhausted or dizzy, just frightened of what might be on the other side of the door.
Her fears were allayed when Honey bounded in wagging her tail. Ann was relieved, but Ben looked like hell.
“Honey! You bad dog. Come here so I can scold you!”
Honey jumped onto the couch and licked her owner’s face. Ann was so happy and relieved to see her pooch, she almost cried. She rubbed her coat briskly, and then threw her arms around Honey’s neck. “I was so worried about you. How could you do that?” She didn’t want to let go, but said, “I bet you’re starving,” and went into the kitchen and poured kibble into Honey’s bowl.
Ben followed her into the kitchen, and Ann said, “Oh, uh…thanks Ben. That was really nice of you. I can’t believe you didn’t give up. I’m glad you didn’t. But I can’t believe you did this.”
“I did it for you, Ann.”
When she turned to get a closer look at him, she was dismayed. His shirt was ripped, his hair looked like he’d been pulling it out, and the expression on his face was one of sheer frustration and exhaustion. He looked like how she felt the night before.
She was so grateful he’d sacrificed his whole night to find Honey, her heart melted. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. She held on tight, wanting him to feel her gratitude.
He returned her embrace. “I see you’ve come back from the dead.”
“You look rather zombie-like yourself at the moment.” She grinned.
Ben pulled away. He scowled and said, “Do you even want to know what the hell I’ve been through all night, looking for your dog?”
Ann felt a tingle of guilt. She was only teasing him like he teased her. But she realized now was not the time to tease. He’d been up all night and instead of being grateful; she had given him a hard time. She deserved his anger. “I’m really sorry Ben, I’m sure it was rough.” She didn’t say she was sure because he looked the part. “And thanks for finding Honey. I was in no shape to go looking for her last night and I don’t know what would have happened to her if you hadn’t—”
He bent down and gently kissed her.
Ann was shocked. But when she realized she was kissing him back, it shocked her even more. She pulled him into her and wrapped her hand behind his neck. Is this just a thank you kiss for all he’d done? It doesn’t feel like a thank you kiss. It felt more like her heart was telling her something. And the fact that she didn’t pull away confirmed what her heart already knew.
Ben was the one to pull away. “Okay, okay, I can only handle so much right now. I’ve had no sleep in 24 hours. But that was a good start at saying thank you. And don’t you dare forget where we left off.” Ben turned to leave.
“Wait. Where are you going?” Ann wasn’t used to kissing someone like that and having them walk away. She was all mixed up inside. Why was she enjoying a passionate kiss with this man? She didn’t have feelings for him. Did she? She was confused but didn’t want him to leave. Was it all the after-effects of delirium? Or did spending the night in a gingerbread house make her super sappy?
Ben turned back around. “I’m going home. To finally get some sleep. It’s 6 a.m. and I can barely stand anymore. I’ve been all over town—”
It was Ann’s turn to cut him off with a kiss. And as she kissed him, she realized this indeed was passion. It was confusing. She had been shut off from these sorts of feelings since Tom died. She didn’t want to admit to herself she could care for another man this quickly after losing her husband. But it had happened. And she didn’t want Ben to leave.
“Look, Ben. I realize what you did for me. I can’t think of another person on earth who would stay up all night chasing my dog. And I am truly grateful. I really am. But I don’t want you to leave. Not now. Can you sleep here?”
Ben’s face turned from a scowl to a grin in seconds. He raised his eyebrows. “Are you offering—”
Ann put her hand over his mouth, took Ben’s hand, and led him to her bedroom.
* * * * *
Ann was in the kitchen making a batch of biscuits for Honey when she heard Ben whistling as he descended the stairs. He’d finally awakened after sleeping most of the day away. She smiled to herself thinking of how things had unfolded in the past twenty-four hours.
Ben hugged her from behind and asked, “Is this some new cookie you’re whipping up? Do you need a guinea pig to try it out?”
“Yeah, but you’d need to grow two more legs for this one. They’re dog biscuits.”
He bent over and kissed her on the neck.
“Mmm, don’t start that again. I’ve got to get these biscuits in the oven.” She turned into his embrace.
“And after that?” Ben looked expectantly down at her.
“Um, no. Don’t want Honey’s biscuits to burn.” She stood on her tip-toes to reach Ben. She kissed him hard on the mouth as he caressed her back. “But definitely later.” She grinned up at him.
“I was thinking. You know we never did have that celebration dinner. You up for going out?” he asked.
“Sure.” she grinned to herself thinking how fast things could change. Just yesterday she ran from Ben, and now she couldn’t pull away from him. “I think we’ve got more than cookie sales to celebrate.”
He snickered, “Hell, yeah! Tell you what. You finish up your doggie bites, and I’ll go home and shower and change. Then I’ll be back.
“Oh, do you have to go?” Ann whined, pulling him in to her.
Ben took a step backward, “This is what got us started the last time. And you’re the one who said you didn’t want to start something because you have to cook your fido food.”
“I know.” She pouted.
“I won’t be long.” When he turned, he grabbed a tin can from the trash. “You know these can be recycled.” He frowned and placed it in the recycle bin next to the trash can.
Ann smiled as though she’d been caught cheating on a test.
As soon as Ben left, she threw the biscuits in the oven and ran upstairs to change. She’d already taken a shower while Ben slept, but she wanted to look nice. She hadn’t gone to any of the town’s nicer restaurants and since this was a special celebration, she would go all out. She knew just what to wear too, her black sequined cocktail dress and strappy heels.
* * * * *
When Ben rang the bell, and Ann opened the door, both of their faces changed at the same time. Ben looked elated and Ann looked embarrassed.
Ben was in a blue polo shirt and khakis and said, “Wow! You look stunning, Ann,” then winced, “though, you may be a bit overdressed.”
“Oh? Where are we going?”
“I thought we’d celebrate at the same place you’re having all your success. Unless you’d rather go to a swankier place?” He wrapped his thickly-muscled arms firmly around her waist.
I should have known! Where else would he have thought to celebrate my success? “No, the Vinci Tavern is just perfect. But you’re right. I think I’ll be just a little bit overdressed.” Ann broke free of Ben’s embrace and said, “Just give me a second and I’ll—”
He grabbed her hand before she could leave. “No. Don’t! You look way too good to change. We’re going like this.”
Chapter 18
Things had definitely changed around the car dealership. Ann enjoyed her job, but now she looked forward to coming to work not just for the work, but to see Ben. She could no longer recall him being annoying or conceited.
She only knew how she felt now—and now she found Ben Jallopenson to be a man with a huge heart. She didn’t know how she hadn’t seen it before. She’d been so wrong about him, so stubborn. She just hadn’t expected to have feelings for another man so soon after Tom’s death. She’d felt like she had to fight against those feelings or be swept away. But then things changed.
Ann was very discreet when she returned to work on Monday and gave a small wave hello to Ben when she arrived. But Ben wasn’t having any part of that. He walked into the office she shared with Helga, swung her chair around, and reached for her hand.
Ann blushed and averted her eyes.
When he took her hand, and helped her out of the chair, she fell into his arms. Once she fell for a man, she was all in. And Ann had definitely fallen for Ben.
He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her. She glanced over at Helga but Ben assured her, “I own this dealership Ann. Plus, we’re all family here.”
Helga said without looking over her shoulder, “Yeah and we’re over-the-moon that Ben is in a relationship with someone. Actually, we’re higher than that, we’re over the entire cosmic universe. Because, that means he stays off our backs.”
“Since when have I ever been on your back? For anything?”
Helga spun in her chair, looked up at the pair still in an embrace. “Pretty much since Ann started working here. We all knew the stars were aligned for this relationship. But you were too pig-headed to figure it out.”
“Not I.” Ben smiled down at Ann. “I knew it all along. It was this pretty lady right here who turned me down. I believe, more than once.”
Ann didn’t know how to respond. It was true. She had thought Ben was full of himself, but she knew now how wrong that impression had been. “I confess. I have the head of a pig.”
“You mean you had the head of a pig, don’t you?” Ben glared.
“Okay, okay. I give up. I was w-w-w. I was w-w-w. Sorry, can’t seem to get it out.”
“Wrong! See, very easy. You were wrong! All along, you were just plain wrong.” As he released her, Ben grinned.
She returned to her seat and said, “Well, some of us have work to do, Boss. So, you can be on your wrong way now.” She turned back to her work as he started to leave.
Ben got to the door, and smirked. “I’m glad you were able to admit it. Finally.”
Ann twirled around, and said, “So this is how it’s going to be?”
“No, this is how it still is,” Ben corrected her.
* * * * *
When she left the dealership on Wednesday to bake her usual batch of cookies for the knitting club’s meeting, Ann decided to stop at the grocery store on her way home to pick up chicken stock to make dog biscuits. They’d been a big hit the last time she’d taken them and she had extra energy. In fact, she was on cloud nine. No, higher than that. She was on cloud ten. Her new life was working out extremely well. She had new friends, a job she enjoyed, her cookie business venture was taking off, and a new man had entered her life.
When she approached the checkout, there was a line at Bubbles’ register, so she begrudgingly went through the express ten-items-or-less lane. She would have liked to have talked to Bubbles, but instead she got good-old-Pete as her cashier. He wore his familiar red and white checkerboard shirt with fringe on top of the pocket.
She wondered if she dared to make conversation with the man who’d been abrupt with her when she’d asked for a job.
“Good afternoon,” Pete said in a monotone, “find everything you need?” His goatee barely moved when he spoke.
“Sure did. Thanks for asking. And how is your day today?” Ann asked spontaneously, as she handed the large man some cash.
Pete stopped for a moment and glanced at Ann. “Well,” he drawled, “if you really want to know…”
Ann truly did not want to know, but she’d blurted it out and now she had to take it.
“Got a bunion that’s bothering the heck out of me. On my toe, you know. And then there’s—”
She didn’t know where it was coming from, but Ann interrupted with a bold statement, “Oh you know my friend Bubbles over there? She’s the sweetest person. Don’t you think so?”
Pete seemed unfazed by Ann’s rude behavior or her strange remark. His eyebrows rose slightly as he handed her the change, then he put the can of stock in a plastic bag.
She felt something wasn’t right. And then it hit her—Ben had made an impact on her in a way she hadn’t expected. She pulled the can from the bag and handed the bag back to Pete. “Thanks, but I don’t need a bag. It’s a waste and it’s not good for the environment, you know.”
Pete accepted the bag from Ann and shoved it back on his rack. “Suit yourself,” he said in a lethargic tone.
She threw an arm in the air to wave to Bubbles as she left the store. Bubbles’ face lit up as she returned the wave.
* * * * *
At the meeting that night, Bubbles hugged Ann and said, “So good to see you in my store today, darlin’.”
“You’ve suddenly become the proprietor of the Okey Dokey Corral, have you?” Dona said sarcastically as Lady AdoraBelle jumped into her lap.
Bubbles glanced her way but didn’t respond. “I’ve got such great news!” She took her seat in the circle. “Pete asked me out again today! On another date!”
Tiny jumped up onto Bubbles’ lap in excitement and licked her face, almost knocking her backwards. “Down, Tiny!” she giggled.
Most of the group cheered. Dona turned awkwardly in her seat on the sofa, and huffed, “What on earth do you see in that—” Freda eyed her to quit.
Ann agreed with Dona but would never say it aloud; if Bubbles liked Pete that’s all that mattered.
“Where’s he taking you on this date?” Michelle asked as she tossed a biscuit to Tijuana Charley, dancing around her feet.
“We’re going to Fabio’s Fritter Fry Factory. It’s only half an hour away. They give you a tour of their factory. How they make ‘em and stuff. It’s so romantic. And at the end of the tour, they give you a free sample of fritter fries fresh from the factory fryer. And the best part,” Bubbles’ enthusiasm grew until she threw her hands in the air as if she were shouting, ‘Halleluiah,’ and said, “We’re both off on Saturday!”
“Ooooh,” Ele said.
“Sounds like a yummy date to me,” Ann said.
“Sounds detestable to me,” Dona mumbled under her breath.
Freda shot her another evil stare which made Dona fidget sideways.
“Look, Bubbles!” Ele exclaimed, as she held up one of Ann’s cookies, “It’s the spitting image of Pete.”
Bubbles nodded and said, “Sure, sugar. That’s right.”
“Well, after that bizarre observation, let’s get started,” Freda barked. “Who’s up?”
“I think I need a capsule, I’ve got the heebie-jeebies.” Amanda retrieved a water bottle from the table and washed back her pill.
“I’ll bet you do,” Jasmine smirked.
“What does that mean?” Gloria gave Jasmine a dirty look.
Freda shot Jasmine the same look as she gave Dona, which made Jasmine retreat into her seat.
Michelle Fitzelstein said, “I’d like to get it over with.” Michelle swooped her long gray hair into a pony tail and flung it over her shoulder so that it landed down her back. She took a bite of her cookie. “Mmm,” she said, with her eyes closed before she started. Her round cheeks shined even rosier when she smiled.
“I must say, Ann, these cookies are the highlight of my week. If I were a cook, I’d ask for the recipe so I could have these every day. And I know ‘ole Tijuana Charley here would agree about these doggy biscuits if he could talk.” She set another biscuit next to her Chihuahua who had settled in under her seat. “But alas, I’ve never been the home-baking grandma type.”
Ann smiled and listened patiently. She had learned by now responses were neither necessary nor desired while a testimonial was being given.
&
nbsp; After the group did their obligatory chant, Michelle sighed. “Whew, where do I start?”
“Where you always start, at the beginning,” Dona remarked tartly.
“Okay, I’ll start from the beginning. Since Dona insists,” Michelle shot Dona a smirk and rubbed her Rudolf-red nose.
When all eyes dropped to the floor, Ann figured she may as well pull out her knitting project. Why waste the time, she didn’t have much free time these days between working at the car dealership and the cookie business, and now the time she was spending with Ben. She was determined to take advantage of her short bits each week and get her project finished.
“I grew up in a mostly Jewish neighborhood in New York until I was about nine or so. It was back in the days when women stayed home with their children and raised them to be proper young men and ladies.”
Ele grunted and Amanda snorted, but neither protested.
“I had a brother, a year older than me, Ethan. He was so jealous of me. You could see every time I’d get something he didn’t, his eyes became all squinty. He’s not so jealous these days. Ethan’s doing pretty well. Big time lawyer in the city. Does corporate law. Big firm, corner office, all that type of thing.”
Freda cleared her throat.
“Anyway, I digress. My dad moved his company to Iowa when I was nine. Said the labor or parts or something were cheaper. I have no idea what it was. Never did figure out exactly what the company was. He sold it before I even graduated college. He and my mom lived high off the hog for the rest of their lives and there was absolutely nothing left for Ethan and me. I guess that’s the way it should be.”
Freda cleared her throat again.
“Okay, okay. So, Iowa wasn’t exactly swarming with Jews. And since my mom had drilled into my head she wanted us to keep the family blood line in the Jewish heritage, there were slim pickings, as they say. When I graduated from college, I moved back to New York. It was the early 70’s and flower power time. I can’t say I didn’t have my share of the women’s lib movement, but by the time I met Marvin at a Pink Floyd concert, I had had enough of that life and I was ready to settle down and become a nice Jewish housewife.