baby. Or maybe it was because they couldn’t, that the miscarriage had somehow damaged Monica’s mom.
Having sex with Steve was a big mistake, the worst mistake of her life. Now that Ben was her friend, Danni imagined what life would be like if she was still a virgin, if she was going out with Ben, if they were dating, not just working together at the vet clinic. From what she could see, he would probably be the kind of boyfriend who wouldn’t push her to have sex unless she wanted it, who would really care about her. She sighed and stood up when she heard the car he was driving pull into the driveway.
Ben and Danni walked the beach together , her dark hair whippin g in the wind. They used the longest lead for the dog so he could bound into the waves w ithout splashing them as they strolled along the hard-packed sand. Ben skipped stones along the top of the water whenever they stopped . Dannilynn collected shells and tuck ed them in the pockets of her jacket. As the sun began to go down, they found a log and sat down to watch the far mountains turn pink in the evening light.
“You’re going back to school soon, Shortie. Are you ready for that?” Ben looked at her. She was so pretty ; those eyes that were blue pools , the freckles that dotted her cheeks and the bridge of her nose , her dark eyebrows that arched so often whenever she joked with him . N o wonder she’d h ad a boy friend , but where was he when she ’d needed him? Why wasn’t the father of her baby in her life anymore?
She nodded . “ I have to concentrate on my classes so I don’t get the grades I got last term. And, when I get back to campus , I’ll find out if my b iology prof is going to change my grade . I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” She smiled back at him. “Yo u’ve been a good friend, Ben. I’m grateful. A lot .”
He did his best to ignore his pulse as it began to race when she gazed at him. “That’s me, friend to all damsels in distress,” he j ok ed, before turning serious. “ W ho showed me around when I first got here, and who’s helped me with lots of the procedures ? You even correct ed me when I almost did something wrong— like spacing the stitches on my first surgical pat ient . Yo u didn’t tell Joe l on me.” He put his arm around her and gave her a quick sq u eeze . “Of course, I’ m your friend— and I ’ll keep being your friend as long as you want me to be .” Maybe more than a friend? Except I don’t think you’re ready for that, are you? But when he thought of her boyfriend, he hoped the guy would n’t be back in to the picture either.
“I do —want you to be a friend , I mean . I still don’t know what I’m going to do—about the baby . Whether I ’m going to keep it or no t.”
“ When Julie ’s baby was first born, we helped her . I read my c alculus book while rocking my nephew to sleep . He’s ten now, and really likes m ath. I like to think it’ s because I talked him through c alc ulus when he was a baby and he had no excuse for no t listening to his U ncle Benjie.” H e smi rk ed at her.
“You’ re fun ny. ” She giggled and traced figure eights in the sand with a stick . “You said your sister is married now and has two babies? ”
He nodded. “ A couple of years after Mark was born , she met a really great guy and they got married. Jason adopted Mark and is Natalie ’s dad . She’s four . They live about five blocks from my mom. ”
“It sounds like y ou have a wonderful family. Y ou’ re so lucky.”
“We’ve had our hard times, but we ’re a big family . We all pull together. My big brother —after he finished college and got his first job — sent money back home so I could go to school. That , plus sch olarships , is how I got through. Jeff is at Whitman now —on a full music scholarship. When I’m working , I’ll send money back for the twins . They’ re next to leave the nest. ”
H e pulled the big dog away from a smelly piece of
Having sex with Steve was a big mistake, the worst mistake of her life. Now that Ben was her friend, Danni imagined what life would be like if she was still a virgin, if she was going out with Ben, if they were dating, not just working together at the vet clinic. From what she could see, he would probably be the kind of boyfriend who wouldn’t push her to have sex unless she wanted it, who would really care about her. She sighed and stood up when she heard the car he was driving pull into the driveway.
Ben and Danni walked the beach together , her dark hair whippin g in the wind. They used the longest lead for the dog so he could bound into the waves w ithout splashing them as they strolled along the hard-packed sand. Ben skipped stones along the top of the water whenever they stopped . Dannilynn collected shells and tuck ed them in the pockets of her jacket. As the sun began to go down, they found a log and sat down to watch the far mountains turn pink in the evening light.
“You’re going back to school soon, Shortie. Are you ready for that?” Ben looked at her. She was so pretty ; those eyes that were blue pools , the freckles that dotted her cheeks and the bridge of her nose , her dark eyebrows that arched so often whenever she joked with him . N o wonder she’d h ad a boy friend , but where was he when she ’d needed him? Why wasn’t the father of her baby in her life anymore?
She nodded . “ I have to concentrate on my classes so I don’t get the grades I got last term. And, when I get back to campus , I’ll find out if my b iology prof is going to change my grade . I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” She smiled back at him. “Yo u’ve been a good friend, Ben. I’m grateful. A lot .”
He did his best to ignore his pulse as it began to race when she gazed at him. “That’s me, friend to all damsels in distress,” he j ok ed, before turning serious. “ W ho showed me around when I first got here, and who’s helped me with lots of the procedures ? You even correct ed me when I almost did something wrong— like spacing the stitches on my first surgical pat ient . Yo u didn’t tell Joe l on me.” He put his arm around her and gave her a quick sq u eeze . “Of course, I’ m your friend— and I ’ll keep being your friend as long as you want me to be .” Maybe more than a friend? Except I don’t think you’re ready for that, are you? But when he thought of her boyfriend, he hoped the guy would n’t be back in to the picture either.
“I do —want you to be a friend , I mean . I still don’t know what I’m going to do—about the baby . Whether I ’m going to keep it or no t.”
“ When Julie ’s baby was first born, we helped her . I read my c alculus book while rocking my nephew to sleep . He’s ten now, and really likes m ath. I like to think it’ s because I talked him through c alc ulus when he was a baby and he had no excuse for no t listening to his U ncle Benjie.” H e smi rk ed at her.
“You’ re fun ny. ” She giggled and traced figure eights in the sand with a stick . “You said your sister is married now and has two babies? ”
He nodded. “ A couple of years after Mark was born , she met a really great guy and they got married. Jason adopted Mark and is Natalie ’s dad . She’s four . They live about five blocks from my mom. ”
“It sounds like y ou have a wonderful family. Y ou’ re so lucky.”
“We’ve had our hard times, but we ’re a big family . We all pull together. My big brother —after he finished college and got his first job — sent money back home so I could go to school. That , plus sch olarships , is how I got through. Jeff is at Whitman now —on a full music scholarship. When I’m working , I’ll send money back for the twins . They’ re next to leave the nest. ”
H e pulled the big dog away from a smelly piece of
Similar Books
