Page 53 of The Ex-Best Thing
He laughs. “You can have it. But I feel responsible for at least half of these choices, so it’s on me.”
He wasn’t the one walking the aisle and grabbing handfuls of candy like petal-happy flower girls. But I don’t argue.
I watch him tap his card while butterflies multiply in my stomach. He carries one bag while I hold the other, and the wind hits us in the face the moment we step outside again. A car rushes past on the highway directly next to where Benny’s truck is parked, and he eyes me. “Cows or sand?”
“What?”
“It’s a pretty simple question.” His blue eyes soaking me in are anything but simple.
“Cows,” I say, because it’s ridiculous.
When Benny grins, I know I gave him the right answer. He walks around to open my car door for me as another truck rushes by on the highway, and soon we’re off. It’s warm, despite the cool breeze, so I roll my window down and breathe in the chilled salty air while I unwrap my first saltwater taffy.
Which is tougher than I expect. “These things will take your teeth out.”
“They could,” he agrees, shooting me an amused glance as he pulls off the highway onto a one-track road away from the ocean. “Find an orange one for me? White center.”
I do, then unwrap it and hold it to his lips. He lets me feed it to him while he drives, and when my finger brushes his mouth, I almost melt into a puddle right there on his pleather seats.
Who am I kidding? This leather is definitely the real thing.
But I do the mature, responsible thing instead and shove another candy into my mouth. This one is much softer, the flavors exploding in my mouth.
“I saw all the posts about your heartbreak,” Benny says, driving along the one-track road like there’s no threat whatsoever of another car coming our way. “Alonzo, right?”
“Yeah. But they didn’t get it totally right.” I chew around the glue in my mouth. “I broke up with him because he had wandering eyes. He jumped immediately to a stylist who helped my girl sometimes, so I made the right move. Everyone wants to paint it as the big reason I ran and hid, but that narrative sold music, so my mom let them say what they wanted. We didn’t promote that line of thinking, but we didn’t refute it, either.”
Benny’s gaze sweeps over me before settling back on the road. “It couldn’t have been easy, though.”
“Are breakups ever?”
“No.”
I shrug. “Lonnie lost his job in the process, so I think it was worse for him overall. I couldn’t keep him on as my assistant, which didn’t make me look good.”
“Part of the reason your mom wanted to lean into the heartbreak thing?”
“Probably. To be honest, I only half-listen at PR meetings.”
“When your mom is in charge, it’s safe to assume your best interests are being considered.”
You’d think so, but that doesn’t always feel like the case. I can’t bring myself to say this, though, or Benny will ask more questions I’m not presently equipped to answer. The truck slows, and he pulls off the road, parking alongside a wire fence.
“Come on.”
“Bring the candy?”
“Leave it,” he says.
I stick a few in my pocket, because I’m not crazy, before I slip out of the truck and walk around the front to meet Benny on the deserted road. I unwrap a taffy and pop it in my mouth, absorbing the view. Rolling green hills stretch out in front of us, dotted with black and white cows lazing in the sun, chewing slowly. The vibrant hills meet with a stunning blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. I can see why Benny always considered this place an oasis. The ocean is rocky and cold but beautiful ina vibrant, rugged way that’s the polar opposite—pun intended—to what I’m used to back in Sunset Harbor in the Gulf. But it’s no less gorgeous.
A black baby cow runs across the field directly in front of us.
“Cows!” I say,awwwing at how adorable it is.
We cross the street to get closer to the cows. It’s so silent here, I can’t hear anything except the chirping of birds and the oddmooin the distance. Wind faintly rustles my long, fake blonde hair, but we’re in a curve in the road and the hill to our south is blocking most of the ocean breeze.
“Bay Hill Road,” Benny explains. “It’s the local shortcut, cutting out part of Highway One, but it only really shaves off a minute. The real draw is the view.”
