Bed & Breakfast

Ch. 16 Good Impressions

*** Lou's POV ***

Watching her interact with my parents, left a warmness in my chest. My ex, Melody, who I had been with on and off again for years had rarely illicited this type of feeling out of me. Andie moved about with this ease and genuineness that had me unable to take my eyes off her.

"You're all googly eyed." Riley called me out as we were strolling through aisles of the farmer's market.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I rolled my neck impatiently. Andie tossed her head back, laughing at likely some awful joke my dad was telling. Her eyes bounced delightfully about her surroundings and when they connected with me, I felt myself melt a bit inside.

"Sure you don't. " Riley rolled her eyes at me.

"Andie!" I heard a male voice interrupt our moment. Andie turned away from me in the direction of the person calling her name. I watched her carefully, scrutinizing her reaction.

"Bennett. Hi."

Oh boy. The look on his face told me all I needed to know. I shoved my fists into my pockets to keep my dominance at bay. We would see how this went.

The boy-next-door sidled up next to her and had the cajones to touch her gently on her lower back. I was thinking "read the room, bro" when he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. So much for not displaying my dominance. I stomped to where he had joined her and my parents. I must have looked like I was ready to intervene because everyone looked at me expectantly.

Andie took one look at me and started talking, likely sensing my irritation at this intruder. "Bennett, let me introduce you to some new friends of mine. This is Mac and Regina Cappadonna."

"Pleasure to meet you, folks." This smarmy son-of-a-bitch greeted my parents with a hearty handshake.

I thrusted my hand out there. "I'm Lou."

Bennett accepted my handshake. I resisted the urge to launch the guy across the room. He barely acknowledged me, nodding and turning his attention back to Andie. He grinned down at her and then back to us. "And how have you all come to know my Andie?"

Intimately, now back the hell up.

"We've known Andie since she was a child when we used to stay at her grandmother's inn. It has all come full circle, hasn't it?" My mom chirped, oblivious to this guy's angle.

"The kids, Riley and Parker, are sort of interning this summer." Andie awkwardly came up with a story.

"Oh that's neat. Are you looking to run your own inn someday?" Bennett addressed my niece and nephew.

"It's more circumstantial than aspirational." Andie mumbled.

"Okay..."Bennett replied. He seemed like he was figuring out that perhaps there was more to our story and I didn't know if I wanted him asking any more questions.

"We're together." I blurted out.

Every set of eyes looked to me with various degrees of surprise in their expression. Bennett gave me an tight smile and said quietly to Andie. "Wade mentioned seeing you out with some dude and his kids. So it's true?"

"Technically not my kids and why are you keeping tabs on my Andie?" I couldn't help the snark that laced my words.

"Lou." My mom warned. Andie crossed her arms and shot me an unimpressed look.