get the wrong idea. Not that it mattered to Gina, but it obviously mattered to Ben for some unknown reason.
She rested against the big double doors that weighed more than she did and had to take a minute to catch her breath. Damn, for a second she let herself imagine Ben wasn’t gay. Not a good thing to do. No, what she needed to do was forget both kisses ever occurred. Unfortunately, her body wasn’t getting the message. She looked around the foyer of her new mansion and wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the sudden chill. If she didn’t think about the kiss, all she was left with was the thought that she was the last person in the world who should be living in a place like this. Not a good alternative.
Everything about the place was so perfect. It was filled with what looked like priceless antiques, crystal chandeliers, and oriental carpets an inch thick. She hadn’t asked Ben how much the furniture and furnishings cost, but that was only because she’d already been wigged out over the price of the house itself. Three million seven hundred thousand dollars. She dealt with numbers like that every day in business, but they were just that—numbers. This was personal. She didn’t even want to know how much he spent on the contents, not to mention all the bedding, towels, and other incidentals that just appeared in the closets. She wondered if he’d hired a service to do that. Heck, she didn’t even know if there were services that did that.
She looked around the big empty house and didn’t think she’d ever felt so alone. She’d never lived alone until she stayed at Rosalie’s place, but that hadn’t bothered her. She knew the neighbors, Henry and Wayne, and heard them banging around upstairs, so it wasn’t much different than being at home in the apartment she’d shared with Sam and Tina. Here, there was no one to make noise but her—or so she hoped. Growing up, she’d always lived with her mother, Tina, and sometimes the guy she thought might be her father. Of course, there were also the times they’d lived in shelters, they were the pits, but having all this peace and quiet—it was unnerving. Gina pulled her cell phone from her pocket and hit the speed dial.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tina.” Gina returned to the kitchen thinking she should put the rest of the food away. “What are you and Sam doing tonight?” She dug through a box, pulled out all the pasta products, and carried them to the walk-in pantry. She remembered Jess had referred to it as a butler’s pantry. As if…
“Sam’s working tonight so I’m going home to make myself dinner. Why?”
Gina nudged the box filled with refrigerated food toward the refrigerator. Ben had bought enough to feed a family of five. There was so much perishable food, most of it would end up going bad if she didn’t cook and freeze meals. She’d gone to bed hungry enough times to never allow that to happen. No, wasting food was not something she ever did. “You want to come over after work and see my new place?”
“Tonight?”
Milk, cheese, eggs. “If you’re too tired, I understand.”
“Gina, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” He’d bought her two boxes of butter? It would take her a year to go through that much. “I just thought you’d like to see where I’m living. Hey, why don’t you pack a bag and have Sam come here after his shift.” Steak? She checked the label. Filet mignon. Nice. “I’ll have dinner ready by the time you get here. We can have a sleepover, and then have breakfast with Sam before work in the morning.”
“You want to have a sleepover?”
Gina heard concern in her sister’s voice. Madre de Dios . “Forget about it. It was a stupid idea. You’re right.”
“I’ll be there right after work. I don’t even need to stop at home. I know you’ll have something I can wear tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to. Really, I’m fine.”
“Give me the address.”
Gina did because once Tina started
She rested against the big double doors that weighed more than she did and had to take a minute to catch her breath. Damn, for a second she let herself imagine Ben wasn’t gay. Not a good thing to do. No, what she needed to do was forget both kisses ever occurred. Unfortunately, her body wasn’t getting the message. She looked around the foyer of her new mansion and wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the sudden chill. If she didn’t think about the kiss, all she was left with was the thought that she was the last person in the world who should be living in a place like this. Not a good alternative.
Everything about the place was so perfect. It was filled with what looked like priceless antiques, crystal chandeliers, and oriental carpets an inch thick. She hadn’t asked Ben how much the furniture and furnishings cost, but that was only because she’d already been wigged out over the price of the house itself. Three million seven hundred thousand dollars. She dealt with numbers like that every day in business, but they were just that—numbers. This was personal. She didn’t even want to know how much he spent on the contents, not to mention all the bedding, towels, and other incidentals that just appeared in the closets. She wondered if he’d hired a service to do that. Heck, she didn’t even know if there were services that did that.
She looked around the big empty house and didn’t think she’d ever felt so alone. She’d never lived alone until she stayed at Rosalie’s place, but that hadn’t bothered her. She knew the neighbors, Henry and Wayne, and heard them banging around upstairs, so it wasn’t much different than being at home in the apartment she’d shared with Sam and Tina. Here, there was no one to make noise but her—or so she hoped. Growing up, she’d always lived with her mother, Tina, and sometimes the guy she thought might be her father. Of course, there were also the times they’d lived in shelters, they were the pits, but having all this peace and quiet—it was unnerving. Gina pulled her cell phone from her pocket and hit the speed dial.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tina.” Gina returned to the kitchen thinking she should put the rest of the food away. “What are you and Sam doing tonight?” She dug through a box, pulled out all the pasta products, and carried them to the walk-in pantry. She remembered Jess had referred to it as a butler’s pantry. As if…
“Sam’s working tonight so I’m going home to make myself dinner. Why?”
Gina nudged the box filled with refrigerated food toward the refrigerator. Ben had bought enough to feed a family of five. There was so much perishable food, most of it would end up going bad if she didn’t cook and freeze meals. She’d gone to bed hungry enough times to never allow that to happen. No, wasting food was not something she ever did. “You want to come over after work and see my new place?”
“Tonight?”
Milk, cheese, eggs. “If you’re too tired, I understand.”
“Gina, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” He’d bought her two boxes of butter? It would take her a year to go through that much. “I just thought you’d like to see where I’m living. Hey, why don’t you pack a bag and have Sam come here after his shift.” Steak? She checked the label. Filet mignon. Nice. “I’ll have dinner ready by the time you get here. We can have a sleepover, and then have breakfast with Sam before work in the morning.”
“You want to have a sleepover?”
Gina heard concern in her sister’s voice. Madre de Dios . “Forget about it. It was a stupid idea. You’re right.”
“I’ll be there right after work. I don’t even need to stop at home. I know you’ll have something I can wear tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to. Really, I’m fine.”
“Give me the address.”
Gina did because once Tina started
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