“More than boil water? I can boil water, but that’s as far as it goes!” He joked easily with her.
“I didn’t attend culinary school like my sister Victoria, but I’m a pretty good sous chef.”
Time seemed to fly by. Soon they saw the girls galloping up the distant pathway toward the stables.
“Looks like they’ve returned,” Ben said. He began to stand up.
“Ben,” Nora said. He paused to look at her. “I had a nice time this afternoon. Thank you again for taking the time to keep me entertained. I’m sure you had more important things to do. I really appreciate it.” They looked at each other, and Nora felt an invisible pull.
Ben grinned, momentarily shifting his gaze down, before he looked up again into her eyes. “Anytime, Nora.” He stood swiftly, holding out his hand to her. He pulled her up with a little more force than necessary and drew her close to him. They paused that way for a moment, steadying each other.
Nora stepped back, chirping, “Thanks.”
They met the girls in the stable. Bree was the first to notice them enter. “Hey, Ben! Long time no see.” She jogged over and gave him a big hug that expressed their longtime friendship.
“Good to see you, Bree.”
Nora could not help but wonder if there had been any romance between the two. After all, they were both extremely good-looking. But they conversed and joked with ease. No sign of a failed romance that Nora could see.
“You took good care of Nora, I hope.” Bree gave Ben a look. “You didn’t bore her with horse talk, did you?”
Nora quickly came to Ben’s defense. “Ben was wonderful. He gave me a tour of the grounds, and we went up the hillside to take in that glorious view. And best of all, he introduced me to Bellefleur.”
Ben smiled appreciatively at her, the look they exchanged unnoticed by the others.
“Bellefleur! Is she still around?” astonishment in Bree’s voice.
Corrine piped up, “She down there, stall forty-six.”
“Oh, I have to visit her!”
“I’ve got to get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Nora. Ladies.” Ben waved a general good-bye as he turned away. The four girls went toward stall forty-six while Ben strode the other way.
“Oh, Ben!” Ashley yelled. He looked back over his shoulder. “We’ll be at the bridge tonight. Come by.” He shrugged and sent her a smirk before he walked out of sight.
Chapter Eleven
It was nearing nine o’clock in the evening when Nora, Bree, and Ashley finished their dinner. They ate in a small, private dining room just off the kitchen that accommodated ten people at most. The larger formal dining room seated up to forty-eight guests. During her tour of the house, Nora had thought her mother would love to have a banquet facility like this back home. The cook had made a shepherd’s pie filled with ground lamb and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes. Nora let the steam from the food fill her nostrils. Yum, she thought. She missed this comfort food. When she thought she could eat no more, a peach cobbler was served with fresh whipped cream.
Nora felt her eyelids drooping. The time change was catching up with her, and her full belly did not help matters. Nora glanced across the table at Bree, who did not look tired at all. She was entertaining Ashley with funny flight attendant stories.
“Let’s get going. I told everyone we’d meet up around nine,” Ashley said. The girls gathered their plates to take to the kitchen.
As they drove off in Ashley’s car, Nora asked, “Where are we going? You mentioned a bridge?”
“It’s literally a bridge.” Ashley addressed Nora in the backseat, her eyes on the rearview mirror.
Bree swiveled around to face the backseat. “There is a bridge not too far from here where we’ve been hanging out for years. All our friends usually come into town for the big charity event, and it’s tradition we meet up, catch up…and drink up.”
“And drink up!” Ashley repeated, dancing in her seat so her curls bounced.
They drove for ten minutes, and Ashley mentioned some friends she would like Nora to meet. When they arrived they pulled alongside several other cars parked on the grass. The waning full moon provided adequate light. Music was playing through beefed-up audio speakers from someone’s open hatchback.
Introductions were made, and someone handed Nora a beer. Nora found herself looking around for Ben. Cars continued pulling in, and the noise got louder. Corrine arrived, calling out to them. Nora hoped she had brought her brother along.
“Is Ben coming?” Ashley asked.
“Who knows?” Corrine rolled her eyes. “We have a mare about to foal any day now, and he doesn’t like to be too far from her. I can’t wait to see when he’s expecting his own kid.” They laughed in unison. “He’s too bloody serious. If only he’d show as much interest in girls as he does the horses–”
Bree interrupted. “Wait, what about Pam…or maybe Patty? What was her name? Is he still dating her?” Bree looked to Ashley for help.
“Caroline,” Ashley stated flatly.
“Oh, I thought it started with a P.”
Corrine informed her the relationship with Caroline was long over; it had only lasted a few months.
Nora smiled inwardly because Ben did not currently have a girlfriend. She didn’t consider Antonio a boyfriend. And whatever Antonio was, he wouldn’t be for much longer. There was Sergei–but those were jumbled feelings. Nora was definitely attracted to Ben, but she thought he probably wouldn’t be interested in her. She sighed, figuring she needed to forget about Ben in the romantic sense.
Soon someone got a bonfire going down by the river. Everyone migrated down to it. It was clear the group had done this before. There was an existing fire-pit encircled with large rocks, with stumps placed around it as makeshift seats. Some of them had brought lawn chairs.
Nora was amused by their friends’ tales. She laughed so hard at one guy’s animated story about when his car was surrounded by sheep on the roadway so he was stuck for two hours. He’d tried everything he could to move them until at last the farmer and his dog came by. After one whistle from the farmer, the one dog had moved the entire herd in minutes.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nora noticed someone walking up. Even in the dark she could tell it was Ben. When he came into the circle of firelight he waved at her. He headed in her direction but was stopped by a group of friends. Nora forced herself to look at the girl telling a story about a roommate, a pole, and some panties, but she could not quite give the anecdote her full attention. Ben is here!
After a few minutes Bree announced, “Hey, look who showed up.” Ben broke away from the group and came over, sitting next to Ashley. “Want a beer?” Bree offered.
“How’s the mare?” Corrine looked surprised to see her brother here after all.
“She’s doing well. She could foal any day now.” He took a swig from the bottle. “How did you enjoy your ride this afternoon?” The three women began talking over each other about how great it was to ride together again, like old times. They told him how far they had ridden and how the horses behaved.
Ashley slipped away to talk to a friend. Bree announced she needed a potty break.
“To the loo we must go!” Corrine chimed in. They headed toward the woods arm and arm. Others had wandered off too; Nora found herself alone with Ben. Ben stood and moved to sit beside her.
“Are you cold?” His eyes were caressing her face.
“A little,” she confessed. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She basked in the body heat that lingered inside his jacket. “Thanks, but won’t you be cold?”
“I’m used to the drop in temperature at night. I dress in layers.” She noticed a collared shirt under his fleece pullover.
“I didn’t expect a drop to this temperature–it’s June!”
They laughed and talked quietly.
Soon Bree and Corrine trudged their way back to the bonfi
re. Nora looked up at the sound of throats clearing and giggles. Corrine elbowed Bree, giving her brother a look.
“What did we miss?” Corrine asked innocently.
Ben stood and stretched, arching his back. “You missed nothing, Corrine. I’m heading back. I just came for a beer.” He held up the empty bottle. Nora noticed Corrine was smirking like her brother often did–minus the dimples.
“Oh, your jacket.” Nora shrugged her shoulders free, preparing to hand it back.
Before she could pull it off Ben said, “Keep it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled that crooked, dimple-in-the-cheek, devastatingly handsome smile. “Good night.”
“Good night, Ben,” the girls sang in chorus.
Bree and Corrine sat close to Nora wearing expectant looks. “So–you two are really hitting it off,” Bree observed. “Ben’s a really nice guy, and he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“He must really like you. For him to leave a mare about to give birth any day now is…” Corrine held out her hands, “monumental. I had no idea you two got along so well this afternoon.” Corrine studied Nora as if to see what brother found so interesting about her.
“He’s really nice.” Nora couldn’t help but smile. She crossed her arms, hugging his jacket tightly around her. “I’m sure he didn’t leave his mare to come here just for me. He talked with his other friends. And he offered me his jacket because I was cold. He was just being thoughtful.” Nora knew she didn’t sound convincing. The two girls nodded but said no more. Nora was thankful when they headed home soon after Ben left.
The next day Ashley drove them over to Westborough Meadows to pick up Corrine, and the four girls traveled to a neighboring town for an outing. Nora couldn’t help looking around to see if she might get a glimpse of Ben, but no luck. They got manicures in preparation for the big charity event and stopped at a soup place for lunch. They visited a few boutiques and sat in a coffee house drinking lattes until four o’clock.
Nora was getting to know Bree’s friends pretty well. Ashley told her what she did for work and how it was linked with the charities her mother sponsored. She talked about her latest love interest, George. She’d met him one night after work when she went out with some coworkers. They’d had one successful date so far, and she was hoping to reconnect with him next week.
Corrine confessed she was just too busy to date. Since she ran the family’s London branch of the business, she always felt obligated to pour all her spare time into it. She had not had a boyfriend in two years. Ashley rolled her eyes and rasped, “I am definitely getting you out more.” Even though they didn’t live far from each other in the city, they admitted they hardly had the chance to get together.
Bree and Nora nodded in mutual understanding. Bree explained that with their hectic schedules they didn’t often see each other for a week or two–and they lived together! Bree began telling them what life was like in Philly and trying to convince them to come for a visit when Corrine’s phone rang.
After Corrine hung up she said to the girls, “That was my mum. She’s invited you all back for dinner this evening.”
Ashley looked up and focused her expressive eyes on Nora. “Good, you’ll get a chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Westborough. Wait until you meet Judy. She’s great.” To the others she announced, “We should get going so we’ll have time to change for dinner.” Ashley nonchalantly tucked a mass of auburn curls behind her ear. They gathered their bags and headed for the door. A young man coming in held the door open. He gave Bree a wide smile and nodded hello only to her. The girls were used to the attention Bree received, but they teased her about it all the same. They dropped Corrine off and went back to Ashley’s regal residence to change for dinner.
Nora took extra care applying makeup and used her straightening iron on her hair. She was glad she’d packed an extra girly dress. Nora paired it with a denim shrug and some flats. She was looking at her image in the mirror when Bree knocked before sticking her head around the door.
“Hey, are you ready?” Bree flashed her white smile.
“Yes, I think so.” Nora wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and picked up her purse. She also grabbed the jacket Ben had lent her. Why do I have butterflies in my stomach? She closed the door behind her, and they moved down the hallway on the plush carpet.
“Ben mentioned that his mother had passed. His dad remarried someone named Judy?” Nora inquired.
Bree knew Ben did not talk much about his mother. “Yes, he remarried. Hmm. Ben mentioned his mother?”
“No, when we were with Bellefleur he just mentioned she’d passed.” Nora waited intently for Bree’s next words.
“Oh. Yes, their mom died when they were little. Corrine doesn’t really remember her. I never had the chance to meet her. Did he tell you it was a car accident?”
“No. That is so sad.” Nora’s heart constricted, thinking of Ben as a little boy without a mother.
“Yeah.” They reached the bottom of the steps. “Well, his stepmother is wonderful. Her name is Judy,” she reiterated. “We all love her.”
Nora looked at Ashley, who waited at the bottom of the steps, remembering that Ashley had said the same thing about Judy. Corrine had referred to Judy as Mum on the phone earlier. Nora felt sad that her new friend didn’t remember her own mother.
* * *
Corrine welcomed them at the door and led them into a room with comfortable seating. Corrine introduced her parents to Nora. The biggest surprise was that Judy was American; she grew up in Maryland. Nora’s mother had also grown up in Maryland, so they chatted for a while about that. Judy sent Corrine to fetch the hors d’oeuvres tray. Corrine and Ben’s dad, Derek, poured them some wine from the decorative tray set with wine glasses. Nora thought Judy Westborough was abundantly warm and friendly, and Derek Westborough was pleasantly agreeable, although somewhat reserved.
Corrine returned with not only a platter of bite-sized delights but her brother Ben. “Hello, ladies,” Ben greeted the guests. He looked at Ashley and asked, “Where is Evan? I thought he was coming up today.” Nora knew that Evan was Ashley’s older brother who worked for an investment company in London. Bree had told her that as kids it was always Evan and Ben, Corrine and Ashley. It worked out perfectly that both boys were the same age, as were the two girls.
Ben sat across from Nora and poured himself a glass of wine. He glanced up at her and gave her a dimpled smile.
Between bites Ashley answered, “Yeah, he got tied up. Mum is furious. He’ll either arrive later tonight or in the morning. This will be the first event he’ll attend this year. It’s already the end of June.”
“How is your mother, Ashley? I don’t know how she pulls off these charity events year after year. I invited her to come tonight, but she declined, saying she was dealing with an issue with the florist,” Judy inquired.
“She’s fine. There are always problems with these events, but she’s in her element. I know tomorrow night will be epic.” Even though Ashley had her own job, indirectly related to her mother’s charities, and an apartment in the city, she attended every event her mother put on. She was considered by many as a socialite.
Judy excused herself to finish making dinner.
“Would you like some help?” Nora offered.
“Oh no, honey. Sit and visit.” Judy smiled and seemed touched by her offer.
Nora stood and made her way to Judy’s side. “I don’t mind. Let me help you. It’s the least I can do.” She would have liked to talk with Ben, but she felt she was under the watchful eye of Bree and Corrine, who seemed to think Ben was interested in her.
Bree said encouragingly, “Her family has a catering business. Nora likes to cook.”
“Oh well, in that case…” Judy smiled again and led the way to the kitchen. “I’m glad to get a chance to chat with a fellow American.”
As they worked side by side in the gleaming gourmet kitchen, Nora enjoyed talking with Judy, who reminded Nora of h
er mother.
After about ten minutes, Ben wandered into the kitchen, just as Judy and Nora were discussing the best ingredients for vinaigrette. “Excuse me, ladies, but how much longer until we eat dinner?”
“About twenty minutes. Why, Ben? Where are you off to?” Judy placed a hand on her hip.
He chuckled. “I’m just going out to check on my mare. I’ll be five or ten minutes, tops.” He grabbed an apple from a bowl on a distant counter. His smiling eyes lingered on Nora as he moved toward the back door. Nora noted that he did not call Judy Mom or Mum as Corrine had. She wondered why.
“Don’t get dirty,” Judy shouted after him, as if he were a boy. She then turned to Nora and resumed their discussion.
Judy and Nora passed the stairwell on their way to announce that dinner was ready. Ben was coming down, fastening the sleeves on a new shirt. Judy looked up at Ben and said accusingly, “You got dirty.”
“Yes, but I’m back in time for dinner. And I have on a clean shirt.” He reached the bottom of the stairs as the others filed into the hallway.
“Dinner ready, my dear?” Derek asked his wife. At her nod the group crossed into the dining room and took their places. Ben pulled out a chair for Nora and circled around the table to sit across from her. From this vantage point, Nora noticed, they could easily glance at each other all night. She blushed every time their eyes met.
She became better acquainted with Judy and Derek over dinner, and Judy insisted she stop calling them Mr. and Mrs. Westborough. Her casual American attitude was just one of the things that made everyone love her. Nora noticed when Judy slipped her arm around Ben’s waist to give him a motherly squeeze. Ben seemed used to it. They reminded Nora of her own parents when she saw Judy rest her hand on her husband’s palm at the dinner table. Derek was stately, but it was evident he adored his vivacious wife.
Ashley and Corrine were great at including Nora over the weekend and making her feel welcome. Because Bree was like family to Nora, this group of her friends also felt like extended family. Then there was Ben. She learned he liked British football, better known to Americans as soccer, and he enjoyed playing when he had the time. He had been playing the guitar and the piano since elementary school, and Corrine vouched for his talent. Nora told them she played piano as well and that all three sisters had taken piano lessons since they were little. She and Victoria were good, continuing with lessons until eighth grade, but Lizzy had dropped the lessons by fourth grade; she became more of a jock.
Flying Backwards Page 12