Leap of Faith: Second Chance at the Dream (Crossroads Collection Book 1) by Shannon Winslow

Author:Shannon Winslow [Winslow, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heather Ridge Arts
Published: 2017-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

~~*~~

Paul Ruston phoned that evening.

“I know this is short notice, Ben,” he said, “and you must be pretty busy, getting ready to leave town and all. But my parents insist on thanking the man who saved their son’s precious hide. They want to treat you to dinner at Anthony’s Home Port in Des Moines tomorrow. It’s on the waterfront, right next to the marina.”

“Yeah, I know the place, and I appreciate the thought. Dinner would be fine, although…”

“Is there a problem?”

Ben hesitated. “No. It’s just that I honestly don’t want anybody making a big deal out of this.”

“Still being alive is a big deal to me, and what you did is worth celebrating. But I’ll cancel the press conference if you insist,” Paul said, laughing good-naturedly. “No, seriously, I do understand, Ben. No fanfare, speeches, or reporters; I promise. It would just be me, my parents, and my sister. Oh, and I was going to invite Gail too. Does that sound okay?”

“Sounds nice, actually.”

Throughout the conversation, Scott had been reprising a time-honored tradition, distracting his brother with goofy faces and gestures just as he’d done when Ben used to talk to his girlfriends on that same house phone years before. It was insufferable then; now it was a mildly irritating joke.

“Good,” Paul was saying. “And you’re welcome to bring someone – a date or a friend.”

Ben saw his chance for a little payback. “How about I bring my obnoxious kid brother? He doesn’t get out much.”

Scott shook his head and wildly waved his objection.

Ben turned his back.

“Oh, sure,” Paul answered. “The more the merrier. Then I’ll see you both at six?”

“We’ll be there. Thanks.” Ben hung up the phone, smirking.

“What did you do that for?” Scott demanded.

“It’s a free dinner at Anthony’s! You should be thanking me.”

“I don’t want to be your sidekick for some dinner party with a bunch of people I don’t know.”

“Really? Since you’ve reverted to your annoying-little-brother ways, I thought tagging along after me would be perfect.”

Scott groaned. “Call them back and say I can’t make it.”

“No way. You’re going. You’ll get a good meal out of the arrangement, and it’s right on your way back to the U.”

With Scott following in his own car, Ben arrived at the restaurant the next day exactly on time, looking forward to the dinner more than he originally expected. If Paul was at all representative, his family should be a friendly bunch. And he had no objection to seeing Gail Albright again. As long as no one made a fuss, it would be fine.

Finding Anthony’s wasn’t a problem; he’d taken Jessica there several times in the past. He parked in the lot, got out, and waited for his brother to pull in a couple of spaces down. Scott glared and wordlessly shuffled toward the entrance, his hands in his pockets.

“Come on, bro,” Ben encouraged, “it’ll be fun.”

When they asked for the Ruston party at the reservations desk, a hostess escorted them to the upstairs dining room and toward a large table overlooking the water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.