The Accidental Boyfriend. Maggie Dallen

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СКАЧАТЬ him. She followed him up the walkway to his front door and into the lovely comfort of his house.

      He dropped his briefcase near the front door and led the way toward the kitchen. “So did Donna have any news on Mrs. Ferndale?”

      “Um …” Before she could reply, Holly noticed the packed luggage sitting in the hallway. “Going somewhere?”

      Benjamin never went anywhere. Ever. He was born in Oakdale and had lived there his whole life. His idea of an exotic vacation was to drive one hour north to a state park and go camping.

      “Yeah, the company is sending me to Paris for a conference. I leave in the morning.”

      Holly’s mouth fell open and it took her a moment to form words. “Paris? Really? That’s awesome.”

      He shrugged, “It’s just a work trip.”

      And then it struck her, “When were you going to tell me?”

      “Tonight at dinner.” He glanced over to where she stood frozen in place by the doorway. “What’s wrong?”

      Her hands clenched at her sides. Unbelievable. Benjamin—her Benjamin—was finally taking a trip, and to Paris, of all places, and he hadn’t thought to tell her, let alone invite her along.

      He was watching her, his brows drawn together in concern. “Are you okay?”

      “Yes,” she said, a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and tried again. “So why is your work sending you on this trip?”

      Benjamin worked in IT and approximately three sentences into his story about the conference, her eyes glazed over. ‘Just a work trip,’ he’d said. Just a work trip…to the most romantic city in the world.

      Holly had laid all the ground work. She’d dropped hints, flirted and instigated deep, meaningful talks about the possibility of a future together. For the love of God, she had done everything short of pounce on this man and beg him to marry her. And he couldn’t even be bothered to make one romantic gesture. Did she have to do everything around here?

      “Holly?” He was eyeing her warily, like she might spontaneously combust.

      She forced her hands to unclench and took a deep breath. She had to get out of there before she lost it. She had spent the past few months trying to prove to Benjamin that she had matured since they’d last dated, way back in high school, and that she was now emotionally stable and even-keeled.

      Picking her purse back up from the table where she’d just set it down, she feigned a calm she did not feel. “I think we should take a rain check on dinner. You’re going to need your sleep before the big trip and I’ve had a long day.” She faked a loud yawn as she reached for the door. She would walk out of there without causing a scene if it killed her.

      * * * *

      Later that night Holly was camped out on the couch in her apartment. After living out of suitcases for so many years, she’d learned to get by with the necessities, which meant that all of her earthly belongings barely filled the spacious loft’s closet. Her parents had given her their old couch and she’d invested in a good bed. Other than that, her place was depressingly spare.

      It was more depressing than ever tonight, with Chinese food cartons scattered around the couch and an empty bottle of wine beside her. What was she doing with her life? That was the theme of this particular pity party. Had she made the wrong decision coming back here to this town? To Benjamin?

      Maybe. But what was the alternative? To go back to the life she had been living, a life filled with adventure and travel and new experiences . . . and men just as flaky and afraid of commitment as she was. While men like that led to a fun time—okay, a really fun time—she wanted more from a relationship than one night stands or casual flings. She was ready for a commitment.

      She and Benjamin didn’t have the kind of mad, passionate love that her sister had found with her new husband but so what? Passion wasn’t everything. Holly and Benjamin had history and, more importantly, trust. Weren’t her parents always telling her that was the foundation for a solid marriage? She and Benjamin could be happy together. She just had to make him see it.

      If he wouldn’t woo her, she would have to do it herself. Adrenaline erased the lazy malaise she’d been wallowing in all evening. She sat up straight and threw off the quilt she’d been huddled under. She’d never been one to sit by and let an opportunity pass her by, why would she start now? Flipping open her laptop, she started to assemble a plan.

      Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she sorted through flights with a well-practiced eye. Her heart was racing with excitement. She would be alone with Benjamin in the most romantic place in the world.

      Her traitorous mind flashed on a certain villa in Tuscany. One of the most romantic places in the world, she mentally amended.

      She took a deep breath and hit “Buy ticket.”

      Paris, here I come.

      * * * *

      Sixteen hours and multiple cups of coffee later, Holly arrived.

      She’d gotten some sleep on the plane but she was still exhausted, jet lagged and feeling the after effects of that bottle of wine she’d downed the night before.

      She exited the train station near the Montmartre neighborhood, where she’d stayed the last time she was in Paris between teaching gigs in Prague and Istanbul. All symptoms of a hangover disappeared in a rush of excitement.

      The sights and sounds of Paris were invigorating—a noisy bustle of people and cars filled her senses, and the smell—oh, the smell. Holly inhaled deeply. She had learned that every city had a unique scent and Paris’s parfum was intoxicating, a heady mix of fresh baked bread and exhaust fumes.

      Holly had no trouble finding a room at a hostel. As soon as she was settled, she found a landline in the hostel’s common room and pulled out a pre-paid phone card. Ivy could spread the word to their parents; she’d always been the best buffer when breaking news to their parents. Like, for example, that she’d run off to Paris on a whim to find her future husband.

      “I need you to tell Mom and Dad something,” she started the conversation.

      Ivy groaned. “Oh no. What did you do?”

      Holly ignored that. “First, how are you feeling?”

      “Like a whale,” Ivy said. “A beached whale.”

      “Well, if you’ve gotta be beached, you could do worse than a villa in Tuscany,” Holly said. Ivy’s husband was newly reunited with his family in Italy and the couple opted to stay there after the wedding to give Daniel a chance to reconnect with his relatives.

      “True,” Ivy said with a laugh. “I’ve got a small army waiting on me, and they’re all being led by the General.” “The General” was Ivy’s affectionate nickname for Daniel.

      “Is he driving you crazy yet?” Holly teased.

      She could practically hear Ivy’s eyes roll. “The man is insane. He won’t let me do anything for fear I’m going to tire myself out. Holly, I swear to God…he tried to spoon feed me my cereal СКАЧАТЬ