watch, still smiling. “If you say so, Miss Lit., but right now I’ve got to go.” He leaned toward her, and Mari wondered if he was going to give her a kiss goodbye, but he put his lips to her ear instead. “Pretty sneaky way of getting out of our zoo date,” he whispered. “You know I want a rain check.” He pulled back with a questioning stare.
“It may be awhile.”
“I can wait.”
He locked eyes with her for a moment; then Mari realized something. “Eli, if your meeting was rescheduled for right now, you wouldn’t have been able to go to the zoo anyway.”
“Busted!” Ben threw in from his side of the bed.
Eli didn’t look at all sorry. “That’s technically true,” he said, crossing his arms, “but from what I understand, you broke your toe last night. My meeting plans didn’t form until this morning. So,” he went on, standing and rounding the bed, “you broke the date first, and therefore”—he stopped at the foot, his hands on both canopy poles— “you now owe me two.”
“Two dates?”
Eli nodded.
Ben shook his head. “He’s just making that up. That’s not a real thing.”
“Au contraire, little brother, it most definitely is a ‘real thing.’”
Mari couldn’t keep herself from smiling. Such a charmer. “We’ll see. Now run along, or Joe is going to have a fit.” She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Ben will be grand company today, I’m sure.”
Ben smiled and threw Eli a look of victory, and Mari regretted her mischief immediately. The last thing I want to do is lead Ben on. One glance at Eli told her he read her repentant expression as easily as if she’d given voice to it.
A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth, but surprisingly it wasn’t a gloating smile, it seemed to convey the same thing she felt. Eli doesn’t want to see Ben hurt either.
And in that moment, she didn’t care if it was a “real thing” or not. She wanted those two dates.
***
Ben made so many trips between their houses over the course of the afternoon, she imagined their snowless path to now look like a well-worn cattle trail.
First he’d gone back for a camp chair, so he could sit in her bedroom without being on the bed. Then he’d gone back for hand-held video games. As it turned out, Mari wasn’t very good at those, so he made the trip again for a deck of cards, and when they were tired of that, he actually brought over the small TV with a built-in dvd player from his room to set on her dresser.
Mari had hobbled to the bathroom while he was getting it set up, but when she came back, Ben seemed nervous. Mari watched him slide a dvd in, then come back and sit in the camp chair with the remote in hand. Except he didn’t start the movie; he just kept staring straight ahead with his jaw set.
“Ben?”
He slowly looked over at her. “He’s not good enough for you.”
She was pretty sure she knew who he was talking about, but she asked anyway. “Who?”
“Eli.” He looked at her with such sadness, Mari’s chest ached. “He has no idea what to do with someone like you. He’ll break your heart.”
She placed her hand on his forearm. “Ben, I’m not... I mean we’re not...” She knew what Ben was trying to say. It was the very thing she had told herself the day before. Eli was dangerous—not to be trusted—and yet just a few hours earlier she had nearly melted under his gaze. Part of her wanted him to rush in as soon as his meeting was over and keep her company for the evening.
“Maybe you’re not, but he definitely has his sights on you, and Eli’s used to getting what he wants when it comes to women.”
She gave his arm a pat and returned her hand to her lap. “Well, I’m not the type to come when a guy whistles,” she tried to reassure herself almost as much as Ben.
He hung his head, clearly wrestling with something. Finally he blurted. “He drinks too much, he sleeps around, and he doesn’t observe Shabbas. He thinks he’s God’s gift to
“It may be awhile.”
“I can wait.”
He locked eyes with her for a moment; then Mari realized something. “Eli, if your meeting was rescheduled for right now, you wouldn’t have been able to go to the zoo anyway.”
“Busted!” Ben threw in from his side of the bed.
Eli didn’t look at all sorry. “That’s technically true,” he said, crossing his arms, “but from what I understand, you broke your toe last night. My meeting plans didn’t form until this morning. So,” he went on, standing and rounding the bed, “you broke the date first, and therefore”—he stopped at the foot, his hands on both canopy poles— “you now owe me two.”
“Two dates?”
Eli nodded.
Ben shook his head. “He’s just making that up. That’s not a real thing.”
“Au contraire, little brother, it most definitely is a ‘real thing.’”
Mari couldn’t keep herself from smiling. Such a charmer. “We’ll see. Now run along, or Joe is going to have a fit.” She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Ben will be grand company today, I’m sure.”
Ben smiled and threw Eli a look of victory, and Mari regretted her mischief immediately. The last thing I want to do is lead Ben on. One glance at Eli told her he read her repentant expression as easily as if she’d given voice to it.
A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth, but surprisingly it wasn’t a gloating smile, it seemed to convey the same thing she felt. Eli doesn’t want to see Ben hurt either.
And in that moment, she didn’t care if it was a “real thing” or not. She wanted those two dates.
***
Ben made so many trips between their houses over the course of the afternoon, she imagined their snowless path to now look like a well-worn cattle trail.
First he’d gone back for a camp chair, so he could sit in her bedroom without being on the bed. Then he’d gone back for hand-held video games. As it turned out, Mari wasn’t very good at those, so he made the trip again for a deck of cards, and when they were tired of that, he actually brought over the small TV with a built-in dvd player from his room to set on her dresser.
Mari had hobbled to the bathroom while he was getting it set up, but when she came back, Ben seemed nervous. Mari watched him slide a dvd in, then come back and sit in the camp chair with the remote in hand. Except he didn’t start the movie; he just kept staring straight ahead with his jaw set.
“Ben?”
He slowly looked over at her. “He’s not good enough for you.”
She was pretty sure she knew who he was talking about, but she asked anyway. “Who?”
“Eli.” He looked at her with such sadness, Mari’s chest ached. “He has no idea what to do with someone like you. He’ll break your heart.”
She placed her hand on his forearm. “Ben, I’m not... I mean we’re not...” She knew what Ben was trying to say. It was the very thing she had told herself the day before. Eli was dangerous—not to be trusted—and yet just a few hours earlier she had nearly melted under his gaze. Part of her wanted him to rush in as soon as his meeting was over and keep her company for the evening.
“Maybe you’re not, but he definitely has his sights on you, and Eli’s used to getting what he wants when it comes to women.”
She gave his arm a pat and returned her hand to her lap. “Well, I’m not the type to come when a guy whistles,” she tried to reassure herself almost as much as Ben.
He hung his head, clearly wrestling with something. Finally he blurted. “He drinks too much, he sleeps around, and he doesn’t observe Shabbas. He thinks he’s God’s gift to
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