The Love Bookshop

Chapter Fourteen

Ben wasn't usually scatterbrained but that Saturday had not been a typical one for him so he wrote off forgetting not only his wallet but his house keys on the Dr. Who keychain behind at his house as an one time fluke. Luckily Daniel was agreeable to climbing into his kitchen window which never closed all the way to let him in the front so it was all good. Except for the very long winded lecture he got from Daniel about the possible danger of that faulty window. " You know that is probably how he got in , right? ," Daniel warned with a protective light shining in his eyes. Ben hadn't even thought of that. He was just so used to that old wonky window never acting right. And it was an easy way for his cat Matilda to get in and out. Plus the town really didn't have that much crime.

" I'm coming back tomorrow to fix the window, doll. Bright and early. Tonight you shove a chair under your bedroom door handle. And keep your phone handy and close. You hear me? '

Ben just started laughing at him. This guy was too much. But he strangely liked that. " Bossy much? I bet you're a bossy bottom too! " Then almost as soon as the words came out his mouth he realized what he just said and his pale face flushed bright cherry red. Shit. Shit. Double shit. He should not have said that. What could Daniel be thinking now ? That he lived next to a lunatic?

The man leaned closer to him and whispered," Actually I'm a flexible one. You on the other hand are the perfect bossy bottom. "

Then he had pressed another kiss on Ben's lips. Light, gentle, tender but with the alluring promise of more to come. Much more. " Good night, Benjamin Baldwin Love. Sleep tight. Be careful. Lock up when I leave. I'll see you tomorrow. " Then he left the house with a wink.

Ben started to breathe again and just barely remembered to lock the door.

" Nice date , son ? ," he heard a wry voice say from the staircase. He turned to see his dead uncle standing there in his old familiar tweeds and pipe. He looked the same as when he was alive. Except for the lack of his white cane with the red tip. He didn't need that anymore apparently.

Rolling his eyes, Ben said ," Shouldn't you be playing poker with Einstein and Elvis? "

Gerald Love laughed heartily. His eyes soaked in the sight of the nephew who he considered his son. " That's tomorrow ! Elvis is currently wooing Dorothy Parker tonight. That's a handsome young man you found. He likes you. "

" He's just a neighbor, Uncle Gerald. It was not a date. "

" You never could lie worth spit. That's how everyone always found out about all you and Henry's pranks. From the look on your face that is not just a neighbor. I have a feeling this is the first of many many dates. About time. You're too young to keep wasting your last name. "