Chapter 14
As they approached the table, Natalie was torn between the urge to force Benton to move over next to his parents or to simply walk away from the whole situation. That would be cowardly, but what were her parents thinking to allow this seating arrangement? In what universe did it make sense to force her to sit between her ex-fiancé and her current boyfriend? Or worse yet, sitting between Tino and Benton’s mother, who clearly resented her for hurting her precious boy’s feelings? It wasn’t Natalie’s fault that no one had ever denied Benton anything he wanted.
When she met her mom’s gaze, her mother offered her an apologetic shrug. Good to know the awkward arrangement hadn’t been her doing, which meant either Benton or his mother had altered the seating arrangements at some point. Just great.
In the end, she let Tino decide which seat he wanted. Benton was already rising to pull out the chair beside his when Tino stepped between them to offer her the seat next to Mrs. Humboldt.
She thanked him for his courtesy even as she noted the flash of anger across Benton’s face as he dropped back into his own chair. By the time Tino was seated, the conversation around the table had resumed. A few more introductions were in order, but she’d leave that up to her mother as the hostess of this particular table.
A waiter appeared at their side with two bottles of wine. “May I pour you a glass of the red or the white?”
Natalie studied the bottles. “Tino, isn’t that the same white wine we had at dinner the other night? You know, the one that we both liked so much?”
“Yes, it is.” He barely glanced at the label before meeting her gaze head-on. The twinkle in the depths of his dark eyes served as a reminder that the wine they’d shared hadn’t been the only thing they’d both enjoyed that night—or even the best. They’d finished the bottle on the rug in front of the fire, with Tino licking up the last few drops that he’d drizzled on her skin right before he…Okay, now wasn’t the time for a stroll down that particular memory lane. Even so, she suspected she was blushing by the time he turned his attention back to the waiter.
“I haven’t tried that particular red, so I’ll have that. I’m always up for testing a new…vintage.”
She hoped she was the only one who’d noticed his slight hesitation. Was he trying to make her blush even more? Just to let him know she didn’t appreciate it, she gave his ankle a sharp kick. Tino winced while she smiled at the waiter. “We’ll both have the red.”
As soon as their glasses were filled, another waiter arrived with shrimp cocktails for everyone. With luck, the continuing rounds of food would prevent much in the way of conversation.
“So how long have you known our Natalie?”
So much for peace and quiet. Benton’s question had been spoken far louder than necessary, especially considering Tino was sitting right next to him. His question drew the attention of not only her parents but his own as well. He’d never been one for subtlety, but this was heavy-handed even for him.
“Long enough.” Tino reached for his wineglass as he spoke. Was he going to leave it at that? Maybe it was just her, but those two words seemed to convey a lot more information about their relationship than she was ready to share.
But after sipping the wine, he continued. “Sorry about that. My throat is a bit dry. As I was saying, I’ve known her long enough to know how special she is.”
As he spoke, he reached over to give her hand a soft squeeze, which only made her want to punch both men. They would all get through this evening without bloodshed if only Benton would discontinue the inquisition, but no such luck. “I would think that if you’d actually known her any length of time, our paths would have crossed before now. Our circle of friends isn’t all that big. How did you two meet?”
Natalie butted in to the conversation. “He volunteered to help out at the community center. We met when he saved me from a marauding bucket of green paint.”
Tino smiled at that, but Benton clearly didn’t know what to make of her explanation. “So you live in that area of town.”
Tino stared at Benton as if he were an interesting bug. “Why would you assume that?”
“Because the day I visited the center, all of the people working that day looked as if they lived in the neighborhood.”
No doubt meaning that they were poor and beneath his notice. Did he have to be such a snob? They certainly didn’t deserve Benton’s disdain. She was about to set him straight on that score, when Tino beat her to it.
“Actually, I don’t live anywhere near the center, but everyone I’ve met there has been terrific. Friendly and welcoming.”
Natalie suspected the look Tino had just given Benton said very clearly that the same wasn’t true of their present company. He sipped his wine again and continued talking. “My mother read they were looking for volunteers who had a specific skill set and thought I might be interested in helping out.”
Looking bored by the conversation, Benton asked, “And which skill set would that be?”
“My firsthand knowledge of the building trades.”
Benton went on point. “Oh, so is that how you make your living? As a carpenter or something similar?”
She held back the urge to sigh. Clearly, Benton thought everyone at the table would think less of Tino if he made his living with his hands. When had he become such a jerk? More important, how could she have ever been stupid enough to date him much less wear his ring?
Once again, Tino responded with far more civility than Benton deserved. “No, although my father was a general contractor. I worked for him summers until I finished high school.”
Mrs. Humboldt joined the conversation. “And after that?”
Tino didn’t bother to glance in the woman’s direction, instead keeping his gaze pinned on Benton. “I’ve spent the past ten years in the army. Most of that time, I was in the military police.”
