Your Alluring Love (The Bennett Family 6)

“Shit. Am I that bad?”

“Yes, you are. And I never lie to you.”

True. I’ve been taking out my anger on all of them, and they don’t deserve it.

“Fine, let’s go.”

I swear the room sighs in unison as Clara and I cross the studio, heading toward the exit.

“Hot dogs?” she asks. “A bit hardcore in the morning.”

“I don’t care.”

“Hot dogs it is.”

We walk side by side down the stairs and out of the building, crossing the street to our usual hot dog stand. After buying two, we head to the small park behind the truck, walking around aimlessly.

“Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“You were at the gala. You know what’s wrong.”

“Well, I saw Alice leave, looking upset. You’ll have to fill in the blanks.”

The last thing I want is to talk about it, but Clara watches me like a hawk. She won’t let it go, so in as few words as possible, I tell her what happened with Alice. The words come out fast, like ripping off a Band-Aid, but under it, the wound is still raw, blood gurgling out.

“Did you talk to her since?” Clara asks, her voice softer now.

“No.”

Clara cocks a brow. “Why not?”

“What part of ‘don’t call me’ wasn’t clear to you? Was clear as day to me.” I opened myself up to Alice in a way I haven’t done with anyone before, and clearly it was a mistake. Even so, I can’t deny I want to talk to her. We have a great thing, and I don’t want to give up on us.

“This might come as a surprise to you, but people sometimes don’t say out loud the things they really want to say.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I bet what Alice really meant was ‘please call me as soon as possible, declare your undying love and grow old next to me.’”

A young woman pushing a stroller passes us, throwing us a startled look. Yeah, I’m about as confused as she is.

I stare at Clara, my head spinning. “Are you pulling my leg right now?”

She shakes her head, muttering under her breath something that sounds a lot like “Men are so clueless.”

“I’m being serious.”

“What part of the things she told me led you to that conclusion?”

“Look, you and Alice have known each other for years.”

“How is this relevant?”

“Because during that time she saw you chase around the world for opportunities. She knew how much you wanted this.”

“Still not following.”

We come to a halt in front of a small clearing where a group is practicing yoga, or whatever requires them to put their legs around their necks.