Ben took out his mobile and punched in Tristan’s number. “Hey, it’s me. Yes, it’s all good. Still have to take it easy for a while but other than that, I am on a great road to recovery I think. My next appointment is in a few weeks.”
Tristan was ecstatic. He was not sure what he had been expecting, but he’d had a weird feeling recently about Ben, which he’d kept to himself. He had noticed Ben’s memory was not as it should be, that he forgot recent conversations and arrangements. This was something he would keep an eye on, as he knew Ben well enough to know he wouldn’t talk about it willingly. He always kept things close to his chest so as not to worry anyone. “That’s great, Ben. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you, of course. You always were a fighter.”
“You know me too well, Tristan. Look, I’m going now as I am just about to pull out of the hospital car park; I shall see you on Saturday at Lisa’s.” Ben rung off and headed home; he knew he should be swinging from the treetops but he was plagued by a negative strange feeling he couldn’t explain. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head and headed for the city.
Chapter fifteen
As Arianna opened the curtains, she looked up towards the beautiful clear blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and the sun was smiling down on the world, sharing its warmth. Arianna took a deep breath and stretched her arms. A perfect day, she thought as she headed for the shower. As the warm water flowed over her lithe, toned body, Arianna opened her lungs and bellowed out the words, “What a wonderful day!”
Thoughts of the night ahead made her feel dizzy with excitement; she couldn’t wait to see Ben once again. She shaved to within an inch of her life, ensuring she was smooth all over, especially as she was wearing a tea dress which came to just above her knees. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel securely around her body. Suddenly she was startled by the ringing of her doorbell. She wondered who it could possibly be as she wasn’t expecting anyone.
She made her way down the winding staircase and along the stone floor hallway; she opened the door and stood there with her mouth agape.
“Hello, I have a delivery for a Miss Arianna Ferria.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Great, could you sign here please?”
Arianna signed for the large bouquet of flowers and closed the door behind her. Totally puzzled, she tore the card from the cellophane wrapper around the flowers and opened it.
May these flowers keep you smiling all day. I shall pick you up at six o’clock. Ben x
Arianna headed upstairs slowly, holding the bouquet of flowers with one hand and securing her sliding towel with the other. Just when she thought her day could not possibly get any better, it does. She placed the arrangement of lilies into a tall lily vase and stood admiring them for the longest time. Then it struck her. How on earth did he know where she lived? Her address was not on her business card. There was nothing lying around in the gallery with her address on? And how could he have possibly known lilies were her favourite flowers? She glanced at her mobile phone as it was vibrating on the table indicating she had received a message. Clicking on the icon and opening the message, she smiled as she read Ben’s message.
Good morning beautiful,
I hope the flowers made you smile, and just in case you’re wondering, I sweet-talked your assistant at the gallery for your address and, of course, your favourite flowers! See you at six. x
Arianna could barely contain herself, jumping from one room to another in disbelief. All the time she had been with Justin, he had never made her feel the way Ben had in such a short space of time, not once. When she thought back to the time spent with Justin, over the four years they were together she realised he’d made very few romantic gestures. He always seemed so pragmatic and never threw caution to the wind, always preferring to take the sensible option. Which, for the most part, she had always thought was a good thing, not knowing he was preparing to set up a new life with another woman and steal all her money. She felt her blood rise at the mere thought of his cruel deception. I will not let thoughts of Justin ruin my day, she mumbled to herself as she slipped into a pair of skinny jeans and a fitted white t-shirt. She bent down to smell the beautiful aroma of the lilies permeating the room and then turned on her heel, headed out of the door and up the high street to the hairdressers for a trim. She wanted to look her best for the party and she was going to spend the day making sure she did.
With a bounce in her step, she walked into Cutz Hair and Nail salon and took a seat while she waited for Sarah to finish up with another client. The salon was always especially busy on Saturdays. “Can I get you a tea or coffee, Arianna?” offered the salon junior.
“A tea would be lovely, Tracy. How is your training coming along?”
“I think I am doing okay. I just need to build up my confidence but Sarah said it will come with time.”
“And it will, Tracy. Just remember, we all started at the beginning at whatever our chosen profession is and we were all lacking in confidence at the start. Sarah is right, confidence comes with time and experience. I know you will make a great hairdresser one day.”
Tracy smiled shyly and walked off to prepare Arianna’s tea.
“Okay, Arianna, I am ready for you now, take a seat over here. Is it the usual hair wash, trim, and blow dry?”
“Please, Sarah, you know me. I am not very adventurous when it comes to my hair.”
“Well, you have no need to be, your hair is lovely as it is so why change it?”
Arianna spent the next two hours being pampered in the salon; she opted to have a French manicure too, which completed her polished look perfectly. She stopped off at the florist and ordered a spring flower arrangement for Lisa, as she felt this would be a welcome gesture on her arrival at the party.
Ben was due to pick her up at six o’clock, so she had four hours to prepare herself. She ran herself a long hot bath and tied her hair in a loose knot on top of her head so not to get it wet. She stepped in and allowed her body to slip gently under the bubbled-filled bath. She closed her eyes and listened to Heart FM playing subtly in the background.
A couple of hours later, Arianna made a quick call to Casey. A few words of wisdom from Casey were always needed when she was feeling nervous.
“Hey, I can’t tell you how nervous I’m feeling. I had my hair and nails done this morning and have not long climbed out of the bath. I can’t believe he will be here in less than two hours. God, Casey, do you think I am rushing in to this too soon after Justin?”
“Of course not, now stop it, Arianna. You are feeling nervous and now you’re doing that thing you always do. Just remember how he makes you feel and after all, it’s a date at his secretary’s garden party. He clearly likes you as much as you like him so just go with the flow and stop analysing things too much, okay.”
“Okay, I hear you; you always know the right thing to say to me when I am nervous. What would I do without you? Hey, you’ll never guess what, he sent me a bouquet of flowers today. Oh Casey, they are so beautiful.”
“Wow, flowers already, he really does like you a lot it seems. Just enjoy it, Arianna, he sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to meet him myself.”
“Thanks, Casey, look I have to go finish getting ready. I want to take my time putting on my make-up and I have to paint my toenails yet. I will call you tomorrow and fill you in on the events of my night.”
Arianna put her phone on charge and spent the next 90 minutes grooming until Ben was due. She was pacing up and down her kitchen looking out of the window eagerly waiting for him to arrive. Then suddenly she saw a large BMW pulling up on to the curb and watched as Ben stepped out of the car. God he looks handsome, she thought as he made his way to her door. She waited for him to ring the bell and then took her time answering the door, not wanting to appear over eager.
“Wow, you look beautiful.” Ben planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Are you ready for a night of fun? I promise you have nothing to fear, my secre
tary and her husband are quite laid back and I think it will be more of a barbeque than a typical garden party, with plenty of help yourself food and copious amount of wine. They are great hosts.”
“Sounds like fun, I’m really looking forward to it. I love a good barbeque!”
Arianna locked up the house and walked with Ben to his car. She glanced over to Ben as he climbed into the driver’s side and noticed how well put together he was in a crisp white shirt with the top button open and a pair of faded jeans and black leather Timberland walking boots. She liked the way he looked in jeans and couldn’t help but notice how well they fit his firm bum.
“It’s about a 25-minute journey, depending on the traffic, of course. Lisa and her husband live in a four-bed detached house with a ridiculously huge garden. I have known them for a little over 10 years now, since Lisa came to work for me. She has been a rock to me since my accident and a very loyal P.A too. I fast became great friends with her husband, mainly due to the fact he loves fishing as much as I do and in the early days we did a fair bit of fishing together, and my brother Tristan came along too. Oh, by the way, you will meet my brother tonight as he has been invited.”
“I can’t remember the last time I went out. I’ve been so busy with work of late I just have not found the time.”
“Ah, well then, we shall have to change that, won’t we?” said Ben with a mischievous smile.
Arianna could feel the tingling sensation on the back of her neck once more; she felt the delicate hairs rising as they did the first time they’d met. She turned and glanced at him and Ben threw her an affectionate smile. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him right there and then.
“Okay, we’re here now. It’s the second house on the right, oh, and there is Lisa, ready to greet us.” Arianna saw Lisa waving frantically at them from the porch as they pulled onto her driveway. She was petite in every way and had a very kind face, which was sporting a beautiful welcoming smile.
As they climbed out of the car and made their way towards a very excited Lisa, she came bounding over and threw her arms around Ben. “Thank you so much for coming. Quite a few people have arrived already and are in the garden, you better get there quick if you want to sample my famous banoffee pie. It’s being devoured as we speak, and there won’t be anything left soon! And this must be the beautiful Arianna. I have heard so much about you and don’t worry, it’s all good. Very pleased to meet you.” Arianna smiled and handed over the flowers to Lisa as she linked arms with her and whisked her off into the kitchen while Ben headed straight for the garden. “You really shouldn’t have, Arianna, but they are very beautiful, thank you.”
“Tristan, you came then, I wasn’t sure if you would come or not. Look, there is someone I really want you to meet. She is in the kitchen, being held hostage by Lisa.”
Tristan grabbed a glass of wine off the table on the way and followed Ben’s lead. He was very curious to meet the woman who had clearly captured his brother’s heart.
“Arianna, this is my brother Tristan and the better looking one of the two of us.”
“Hello Tristan, it’s lovely to meet you. Ben has spoken fondly of you.”
“Likewise, Arianna, and may I say, the pleasure is all mine.”
Tristan was enamoured by her, and could totally understand why Ben was swept away by the beautiful Arianna. If he had met her first, he would have asked her out on a date for sure. Pushing that thought to the very back of his mind, feeling a little guilty for even thinking it, he made his excuses and hurried back into the garden before he made a fool out of himself. He could not stop staring at her.
Lisa carried on talking to Arianna but Ben’s eyes followed Tristan. He wasn’t sure if he was just imagining it but he could have sworn Tristan was slightly off with Arianna. Not that she would have noticed as he was polite, but Ben knew his brother. He wasn’t his usual over-the-top charming self, and he found that extremely odd.
“Lisa, could I steal my date from you for a few moments and show her your beautiful garden?” asked Ben jovially as he smiled towards Arianna.
“Of course, we can finish chatting later,” replied Lisa as she scurried around the kitchen, plating up more nibbles for her guests.
“So, what do you think? She’s great, isn’t she?”
“Lisa is lovely and so hospitable, the perfect host I’d say. And you’re right, Tristan is the better looking of the two,” teased Arianna.
“Ah, I knew it; I’ve lost before I have even begun.” Taking it in the manner in which it was intended.
“Luckily for you, I have always supported the underdog so all is not lost!”
Ben laughed out loud and wiped his forehead in a mocking manner, indicating he was very relieved. “So, what is the lady drinking this evening? There is red or white wine, or if you prefer, there is beer.”
“Most definitely wine, please, red.” Arianna stood alone for a few seconds observing the garden and the people who had filled it. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
Then Tristan came up behind her. “Hey, so it seems you have caught the attention of my brother’s heart. He’s a good man and a very genuine one, Arianna. He tells me you own your own gallery in North Warwickshire.”
“Yes, it’s only a small gallery, but it’s paying for itself right now and I am doing what I love.”
“I know what you mean. I have my own studio too. I’m a freelance photographer and it’s great to be doing your dream job. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like work at all. I’ve always said I would do it for free and, to be honest, in the early days, I practically did.”
They both laughed and felt at ease with one another, especially after discovering their mutual love of art and photography.
“Ben is always trying to get me to show my own collection of photography, I think he’s my biggest fan.”
“So who do you freelance for?” enquired Arianna curiously.
“Local newspapers, magazines, some big and some small. Local companies and private individuals. It more than pays the bills and after years of hard work, I have built a respectable name for myself in the business. Play the long game I always say, and in the end, you will benefit from the fruits of your labour.”
Arianna was fascinated by Tristan. He was a very interesting guy and she was pleased they had a lot in common, as it would make it much easier for Ben if their relationship progressed, and she sincerely hoped it would. She couldn’t wait to spend some time alone with Ben tonight.
“Maybe you could show me your collection someday; I would love to see it.”
“Sure, you can drop by the studio anytime. However, I must stress, it really is my own personal collection. I have no plans to have a show of my own, I do it for the love of it really.”
“Noted,” Arianna said, laughing.
Ben came ambling over with their drinks and smiled at the sight of Tristan and Arianna getting along so well. “It’s great to see you guys hitting it off, that’s one less thing for me to worry about,” teased Ben. He handed Arianna her glass of wine and sipped at his diet coke.
“What, no alcohol tonight, Ben?”
“Not tonight, Tristan. Firstly, I’m driving and secondly I really shouldn’t be drinking while on medication. I don’t want to push my luck.”
“So what have you guys been talking about?” asked Ben curiously.
“I was telling Arianna she should drop by my studio.”
“Excellent idea, Tristan. You should see his collection of photographs, Arianna, they are a pure work of art.”
“I think you’re right, Tristan. Ben really is your biggest fan.” They all fell about laughing and that’s the way it continued into the night. Several glasses of wine later, Arianna was feeling rather tipsy. She helped herself to a couple of slices of the pizza that was left on the kitchen table and perched on a seat by the window.
“Hey, would you like a coffee, Arianna? I’m making one for myself.”
“That would be lovely, Lisa, thank you.”
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br /> “I hope you don’t mind me saying but you look great together, you and Ben. He’s a great guy, very genuine. You will be hard pressed to find someone like him anywhere these days. He really is one in a million.”
“I think I am beginning to see that. He really is a lovely guy, Lisa, I like him a lot.”
“Well, thank goodness for that. The last girl he was seeing was a real, well, let’s just say she wasn’t very nice. She dumped him while he was in a coma, can you believe that? A few weeks before the accident, she was pushing to move in with him, but as soon as she thought she may have to take care of him after the accident, she was off.”
“Oh my God, who could do such a thing?” was all Arianna could say. She was rendered speechless by this revelation and words failed her.
Arianna looked out of the window and watched as Ben moved from one group of people to another, the ease with which he communicated with each person was not lost on her; he made it look like an art form. She more than liked him, she was falling for him. She couldn’t imagine any woman being so heartless and wondered how it must have affected him, waking up from a coma and being told such news. It was unfathomable. He must have been devastated, not to mention confused. There was a strong pull in her heart and she wanted nothing more than to hold him right there and then. He looked back over his shoulder and spotted her looking at him through the window. He winked at her and then threw her a very cute smile and raised his hand to indicate he would be just five minutes.
Arianna was having a conversation with Lisa’s neighbour in the conservatory when Ben found her and rescued her from a detailed account of Beth’s day spent weeding her own garden until her hands were red raw!
“Are you ready to leave?” asked Ben.
“I really don’t mind. If you’re okay with that, then yes.”
“Okay, let’s say our goodbyes and then we will make a quick exit.”
Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 Page 9