Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6)

by Smith, Nicole

  He laughed. "Most everyone does find that to be true eventually. You two have fun."

  They went back out into the warming morning air. The sky was a brilliant blue and the day felt to Rose like a shiny gift. She whirled around on the spot, arms stretched wide, laughing.

  She stopped, to find Ben watching her with a look in his eyes that warmed her insides down to her toes. Those blue eyes of his...the look was like a caress.

  "Uh, I just felt happy," she said.

  "I wish I'd brought my camera. We have to get that in a photo. Your face was amazing."

  She felt her cheeks heating up in a blush. "Come on. Let's go see what's in the yarn shop."

  "I'm gonna bet it's...yarn," he said with a grin.

  They went into the shop and met Violet who was a huge fan of Ben Sterling, the actor.

  "I've seen everything you've been in, Ben, and I think you're going to be extremely famous someday soon," Violet said rather breathlessly.

  Rose watched as he held the older woman's hand and thanked her. While Violet seemed determined to ask Ben a whole series of questions about his movie experiences, Rose poked around the shop, looking at skeins of colorful yarn. With her life, she'd never had any time for things like knitting. It always seemed to her to be a relaxing thing to do if she'd ever had time to sit down. Her life had been one of running from one crisis to the next.

  She realized Ben was finally disengaging from Violet, telling her he wanted to check out the Bakery on the next corner. Violet recommended the harvest muffin, so that he didn't 'fill out' too much to be on camera. Rose was choking off a laugh at that comment and the look on Ben's face.

  Outside, Ben looked at her as she bent over laughing. "It wasn't that funny," he said.

  "Oh, yes, it was. Your face...priceless," she said, and started laughing again.

  He finally smiled and shook his head. "She sounded like my manager."

  "Do you have a lot of people in your life...an entourage?"

  "Not really. I have a few close friends that I trust and have known forever. Then there's my manager, my agent, my accountant, my trainer, my...hmm...I guess I do have a few people."

  "Will any of them be coming out here?"

  "No, I don't think so. Let's go see what damage I can do with pastry. It's liberating being out from under my trainer's eye. Although, I guess now I'm under Violet's eye so I'd better not go overboard."

  "The harvest muffin must be the Bakery's healthy alternative. Are you already hungry?"

  "Not quite yet. I mainly said that to get out of there."

  "Let's go into the park for a while then," Rose said. "It looks like a well-kept place."

  "I'm game," Ben said.

  They followed a trail into the park. Rose loved how there were patches of wildflowers and a profusion of plants and trees. The path showed the park was managed, but it had been left with a feeling of natural wildness. They wandered through until coming to a clearing with some picnic tables.

  "Let's sit," Ben said.

  They sat down and enjoyed the breeze blowing through the trees around them. Rose felt energized by the walk and the surroundings, but especially, the company. Ben sat across from her at the table with his blond hair tumbled by the wind.

  "You know, this isn't a bad place at all for photos," he said.

  "You're right. I like it here."

  "You like my park?" a voice said behind her.

  Turning she saw a man wearing a vest that said Sully Point Park. She saw that he had Down's syndrome.

  "Hello," Ben said. "We do like your park. Very much."

  The man smiled broadly. "I'm Nicky. I work here. Who are you?"

  "I'm Ben, and this lovely lady is Rose."

  "Hi, Rose!" Nicky said, holding up a hand and waving it.

  "You might know my brother, Sam Carter," Rose said.

  The smile on Nicky's face got bigger. "Sam? And Anna and little Joshie? They are my friends."

  "Well then, I guess we can be friends too. I'm Sam's sister."

  Nicky nodded vigorously. "Okay! We can be friends too."

  "Me too?" Ben asked.

  "Yeah. I know you. You were at the movie. I saw you."

  Ben raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I have been in the movies. It's my job."

  "My job is keep the park clean."

  "You do a great job, Nicky. The park looks really good," Rose said.

  "Okay! I gotta go look for things to pick up," Nicky said.

  "It was nice to meet you, Nicky," Ben said.

  "Okay! Bye-bye!" Nicky turned and vanished into the trees.

  Rose and Ben turned back to face each other.

  "I'm glad he has a job here," Rose said.

  "I do volunteer work back in L.A. with the Special Olympics. I often think if people would only realize how much the differently-abled have to offer, it would change a lot of things. Nicky seems perfectly content, unlike some folks I've met who don't have enough to occupy them.

  "But now," Ben said, clearly changing the subject. "I want to get a drink somewhere and maybe check out the Bakery. Let's see what there is of interest between here and there."

  "Okay," Rose said, and they got up from the table to leave the park.

  They discovered Deb's Deli when they exited the park, and went in to get something to drink. The place wasn't very busy at this time of day since it was still early for lunch.

  "Can I help you?" a woman behind the counter said.

  "Yes, I want bottled water," Ben said. "What do you want, Rose?"

  "Rose? Rose Carter?" the woman asked.

  "Yes, I'm Rose."

  "Sam's sister, right? And Beth and Maggie's. I'm Deb. I know all your family."

  "Good to meet you," Rose said. "And this is Ben Sterling. He's in town for—"

  "Oh, I know," she said with a bright smile. "He's the actor here for the play. I'm trying out in the auditions tomorrow."

  "Nice to meet you, Deb," Ben said. "I didn't realize that people from town would be in the play, too. That's cool."

  "Yes, Mr. Christopher says he has to have one play a year with a lot of townspeople. Now what can I get you Rose?"

  "Do you have lemonade? I saw a sign on the window..."

  "Yeah, sure. Here's your water, Ben."

  Ben started to take it, hesitated, and then said, "I changed my mind. I want the lemonade too."

  Soon they were seated at a table drinking icy cold lemonade. Rose shivered, loving every sip. The balance of sugary sweetness and tangy lemons was perfect.

  "This is superb," Ben said. "So tell me, are you in a relationship with anyone?"

  Since she'd just been taking a sip, it got spewed out across the table. Mortified, she quickly mopped it up with napkins.

  "Sorry, sorry. You startled me. Uh, no, there's no relationship in my life at the moment. It's been a while."

  "Same for me," he said.

  She knew she must have looked surprised because he continued.

  "I got tired of the same kind of woman, someone in the business who was more fluff than substance. Where everything was about appearance rather than what was inside the person. Of course, I suppose in your line of work, you have to be concerned about appearance."

  "What? Oh, yes, sometimes."

  "Only sometimes?" he asked puzzlement in his voice.

  "Er...you know what I need? Sunglasses for the beach. That shop next door looked like it might have some. Let's go check."

  She stood up and took a final drink from her almost empty lemonade. Ben shrugged and finished off his drink, too, and then headed for the door.

  "Bye, you guys. Come back soon!" Deb called after them. They waved and left.

  Rose tried on a number of pairs of sunglasses in the next shop until she found some that Ben said were 'movie star perfect.' They were leaving the shop when they ran into Cody Grainger.

  Rose introduced him to Ben, explaining that Cody was Anna's brother and was married to Julia.

  "What are you two up to on this sun
ny day?" Cody asked.

  "Just looking around the square," Ben answered. "Tell me, Cody, where are some picturesque places for me to get photos around here? I want to include Rose in some of them."

  Cody grinned at them. "How about on a boat out on the water? I run a charter fishing boat business in addition to the Bait and Tackle Shop. You guys really ought to go out on one of the boats while you're here. Do either of you fish?"

  Rose shook her head, but Ben raised a hand. "I've been deep sea fishing before, in the Gulf of Mexico and it was exciting. We should go out on his boat, Rose."

  "Fishing? I don't know..."

  "Even if all you do is sunbathing, you'll have fun. There's nothing like the feeling of being out on the water in the quiet, with no sounds except for water lapping against the side of the boat," Cody said.

  Rose laughed. "You are an excellent salesman. Okay, I'm game. When should we go?"

  Cody consulted the tablet he'd been holding in one hand. "Let's just see here...We could fit you in tomorrow morning. Otherwise it will be a few days."

  "Tomorrow? I guess that would work," she said. "I have nothing else going on, so why not? I'll just need to buy a bathing suit."

  "Count me in, too," Ben said. "How could you come here without a suit?"

  "I was in a hurry when I packed. Is there a mall around here, Cody?"

  "Yep, sure is." He gave her directions on how to get there and then walked into the shop on his original errand.

  Ben and Rose continued walking to the corner. They were almost past the Bakery when the door opened and tantalizing smells wafted out.

  "That smells fantastic. We have to go in. We deserve a snack after that walk," Ben said with a grin.

  "Why not?" Rose said. She was still trying to figure out what on earth had made her agree to going out fishing on a boat. It had been many years since she'd been on a boat, and she'd never fished. And that didn't even begin to consider the fact that she had to buy a bathing suit. Knowing Ben would be there made it a tough decision on what kind to get.

  "Rose? You with me?" Ben said.

  "Oh, sorry. Just thinking about how I've never fished before. Tomorrow should be interesting. Wow, are those cannoli?"

  "Those look remarkably edible. Let's get some and take them up to your place."

  The girl behind the counter had a nametag that read 'Kayla,' and Ben held up two fingers and said, "Two please, Kayla."

  "Sure! Are you two in town for a while?" Kayla asked.

  "Oh, we're not...that is, we aren't..." Rose said, stumbling to a halt.

  Ben grinned at her. "You never know, Rose."

  Rose felt herself blushing. "I just moved in upstairs. I'm Rose Carter, sister of Beth, Maggie and Sam."

  Kayla's eyes widened. "You're the—"

  "The model, that's right," Rose said hurriedly.

  Kayla frowned, and then shook her head and handed the pastry box to Ben. He introduced himself and Kayla welcomed them both to the town. Rose occupied herself trying to decide if the whole model identity was too big a pain to continue with, or if it was worth keeping.

  They headed up to the apartment, and Rose made them coffee to go with their pastry.

  "I'm going to have to take a longer run on the beach than usual," Ben said as he bit into the sweet treat.

  "I know. I usually eat so healthy, but this is just...fantastic. Yum."

  They ate and drank in silence for a minute or two. Ben looked at Rose and said, "Why? Why have there been no men in your life for a while?"

  "No time. And I guess I expect a lot of a man."

  "What kinds of traits are you looking for? Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Or something more prosaic than that?"

  She smiled. "I want to feel I trust him, really trust him. That he's honest with me, and is able to feel real love for just one person in a relationship. That he wants a commitment, not just an affair. I want to know that I can depend on him like he can depend on me, that he is a partner in my life as I am in his."

  Ben leaned back in his chair and said, "Interesting."

  "Honestly, I don't believe I just said all that to you. I feel so comfortable with you that words just pour out of my mouth."

  He reached across the table and took her hand in his, gently holding it. "I'm glad you feel that comfortable with me. I like being with you, too."

  They sat that way for a moment looking into each other's eyes intently, and then they both pulled their hands away at the same time.

  "Well...I need to get to that mall and buy a bathing suit," Rose said.

  "And I need to check in at the Playhouse for the auditions this afternoon. Mr. Christopher wanted me there for them." He paused, and stood up as she did also, and then said, "I had a great time this morning. Thanks for going out with me."

  "I had a good time, too," Rose said. "When did Cody say we had to be at the dock in the morning?"

  "Nine. Want me to come pick you up?"

  "Sure. I'll be ready."

  "Okay then. I'd better get going. See you later, Rose."

  She walked him to the door and there was a moment when they stared at each other again. She wondered if he would kiss her, but then he just smiled and started down the stairs.

  "See you tomorrow!" she called after him.

  He waved and then was gone.

  Rose closed the door and leaned against it, thinking. "Definitely a sexy swimsuit," she said to the empty room.

  * * * *

  Maggie was waiting with excitement in the examining room when Doc Watson entered. She always loved hearing the baby's heartbeat.

  "Hello there, Maggie. How are you feeling?" Doc asked.

  "Perfect," she said with a smile.

  He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, that's not something I hear very much in here. Is something new going on?"

  "All my family is here now. Rose arrived and is living in my old apartment above the Bakery."

  "Rose," Doc said. "Isn't she the doctor?"

  "Yes, she is. Doc, if she's still around when the time comes, I want her in there with me, in delivery."

  "That's fine, Maggie. I want you comfortable and happy, plus she's a doctor." He stopped talking and a slight frown flew across his face before he looked at Maggie again. "You know, I'd like to speak with her. How can I get in touch?"

  Maggie was surprised, but gave him Rose's cell number. She thought the Doc seemed preoccupied, but then he smiled at her and she thought she'd imagined it.

  "Okay, so now can I listen?"

  He laughed and handed over the stethoscope while he pulled the sonogram machine over. "Let's see how things look today."

  Later, when she was walking down Main on the square, she wondered what that frown had been about. If it was about her, he'd have told her. It must be something else, she decided. She was walking over to the apartment and restrained herself from entering the Bakery, turning the corner and going to the back of the building, only to find Rose getting into her car.

  "Rose! Wait up!"

  Maggie hurried over to the car and gave Rose a hug. "Where are you going? I was coming to visit."

  "I need a swimsuit from the mall. I'm going shopping."

  Maggie looked at what her sister was wearing and said thoughtfully, "You know, you need to shop for clothes, too."

  "What's wrong with this?"

  "Nothing, nothing, but...you're a bit out of date."

  "It never mattered what I wore under my white coat at the hospital, usually I was in greens anyway."

  "I think you need company, Rose. I'm going with you," Maggie announced.

  "Mags...actually, yeah, that might be a help. I need advice on the swimsuit."

  Maggie grinned and got in the car. She was flabbergasted when Rose told her that she and Ben were going out on Cody's boat in the morning, and that they'd spent this morning together.

  "I can't believe it! You never date and suddenly this man is just, poof, in your life. What's going on?"

  "I don't know. I re
ally don't."

  Rose appeared to be concentrating on her driving, and Maggie let her be silent for a few minutes. But then Maggie had to ask questions.

  "Is he very handsome? I can't remember any of his movies."

  "He is...so handsome, Mags, so sexy."

  "Ooh."

  "But it's more than that," Rose said quickly. "He's got this gentleness about him, a kindness that comes through. He's funny and quick to laugh, and when I'm around him...it's like I've known him forever. But I've only just met him!"

  Maggie smiled at her sister's confusion. She knew exactly what that was like. Her relationship with Eric had developed quickly and now they were blissfully happy. Maybe Rose had stumbled upon the love of her life. Maggie knew better than to say that, however.

  "Then a killer suit is a must-have. Plus you'll need a cover-up and some sandals. By the way, those are marvelous sunglasses."

  "Like them? I got them in the shop by the deli this morning. Ben helped me pick them out."

  "You look like a model in them."

  "And that's another thing—should I be doing this whole model thing or should I just tell him who I really am? I'm starting to think maybe it was a mistake."

  Maggie shook her head. "No, Rose, you haven't had any time off in the last few years. It's time for you to learn how to play again. Have a little fun with it, and then later on tell him. I'm sure it won't be that big a deal."

  "Maybe...there's the mall. They are always so big," she said, sounding dismayed.

  "Park at the near end here, we only need a few shops to get you decked out."

  "Decked out...cute, Maggie," Rose said, laughing.

  "One more thing. Today's shopping is my treat. You're my sister, so let me buy you some clothes, okay?"

  "Mags..."

  "Please, please, please?"

  "Don't whine. Okay, okay, you can stop with the wide violet eyes thing. I agree. And thank you."

  Maggie hugged her sister, and thought the shopping trip was going well.

  * * * *

  Ben sat with Mr. Christopher, William, at the auditions. He'd been told to call him William, but it was hard since Ben knew that everyone in the business called him Mr. Christopher.

  It had been a surprise to see the talent in the auditions of the townspeople. William had him go up on stage with some of the actors to read lines and judge how the chemistry worked. He was stunned to be reading opposite Lucretia, the jewelry designer. It turned out she was a very talented actress.