Rain shivered as she held her hands up against the vents in Ben’s truck to warm them. The plane had run their air conditioner the entire way and the airport hadn’t been much warmer. The walk to the truck had chilled her to the bone. She was worried she’d never get warm again.
Ben looked over at her in worry. Maybe this California native wasn’t going to survive her first actual winter.
Rain caught his glance and smiled at him. “Don’t worry Ben. Unless you expect me to live in an igloo I think I’ll be fine… once I get some warmer clothes that is.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. Hannah talked to Dr. Granger who got you a job interview at a clinic downtown on Friday. The position is for councillor but she feels you could be moved into a psychologist position if all goes well. I’ve asked Lisa and Lori if they could take you out shopping for an outfit for your job interview tomorrow night. They will take you out shopping this weekend for the rest of the clothes you’ll need for the winter.”
Rain sat looking at Ben with her mouth open in shock.
Ben glanced over and saw her expression. “Have you frozen solid?”
“I- I thought the best I’d get in a medical center was working reception, being a filing clerk, or sweeping floors. Being a councillor? Oh my god! Thank you!” Rain gasped.
“I just had friends who could get you in the door. You still have to impress them in the interview. Personally, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem for you,” he said and smiled at her. “Tonight though, tonight you have to pick out the furniture for your new bedroom. The girls, Tina, Lucy, Trish, you and I are all going out for a quick dinner then off to the furniture mall.”
“Pick out furniture?”
“I just had the house rebuilt almost from the ground up. The renovation team is painting next week and you get to move in by next Saturday. It would be good to have some furniture for you to use when you move in. Hopefully the stuff you guys select will be in stock and can be delivered by that day but if it comes a little later we will make alternate living arrangements until its ready. The house is currently empty.”
Rain looked like she was going to cry.
“Hey! No tears in my truck! That’s my rule!” Ben growled without any real heat.
“Thank you Ben!” she whispered through the tightness of her throat.
They pulled into Trish’s driveway and Ben got them as close to the door as he could. “We’ll drop your bags off here. Trish will drive you to the deli we’re having dinner at and we’ll meet you there.”
Rain popped her seatbelt and leapt on Ben to give him a happy kiss.
When she pulled back Ben saw Trish standing behind her storm door grinning at them. He got out and grabbed Rain’s bags from the back seat as the woman dashed for the door with her other suitcase. She made it inside and was hugging Trish tight and the two were squealing happily as Ben set the bags down.
“We’ll meet at the deli at 5PM, right?” he asked and Trish gave him a happy nod. After giving her a kiss, he slipped back outside and drove home. The girls hadn’t come home yet but would be arriving soon.
Ben found Tina in the living room and gave her some smooches until she was gasping for breath and pushing at his chest as she grinned. She knew they’d have company soon. He gave her the bank card and let her know the PIN. He warned her that it had no daily limit and if it was lost she needed to call the bank immediately to cancel it.
From the laughter Ben could tell the girls had arrived. He glanced at the clock and saw they still had a little time. He walked out to greet them. Karen and Penny were giggling excitedly and leapt against his chest to give him hugs.
“Alright you two, go get ready to go out,” he growled fondly and they scurried away. He pulled Lucy to his chest and kissed her until she purred.
“You ready to go out?” he asked and she just nodded. The girls returned and Tina smiled at them. Ben scooped her into his arms and Lucy took her crutches as they went into the garage to pile into Ben’s truck. He got them on their way and the drive to the deli wasn’t long.
They made their way inside and spotted Trish at a long table. Rain stood and faced the ladies with Ben with a trembling smile.
“There is no need to be nervous with us. Ben told us what you did for him in Costa Rica. We are all very grateful! Welcome to the family,” Tina said sweetly and Rain got a little teary eyed as she came forward to be hugged by Tina.
“I am Tina Lee and this is Lucy Bennett,” she said continuing the introductions. Lucy enveloped the petite brunette in a warm hug and Rain wiped her eyes when Lucy released her.
“This is Karen and Penny Shepherd,” Tina said.
“Ah! Ben’s daughters and my soon to be roommates!” Rain smiled.
The girls hugged her as well and they all took seats. They wasted no time in ordering as they were eager to get shopping. They kept their meals light, except for Ben.
The food was good but they ate quickly and were looking at Ben impatiently as he gobbled down the last few bites. Ben paid the bill and they made their way to the furniture mall. Once they were all inside they gathered around Ben.
“Ok, I’m going to take Tina and Lucy with me as we are going to pick out the appliances. What I’d like you all to do is review the bedroom sets. This means a bed, two bedside tables with lamps, a dresser and mirror, and a bureau. My suggestion is that you look for beds with storage under them. It’s the most practical design. The bedrooms are large so you can easily fit a desk and chair in there as well so once you’ve picked out the bedroom set take a look at the office furniture. Text me when you are done.”
He got nods from the others so off they went, Rain still looking a little dazed by the whirlwind experience. Lucy returned with a wheel chair from customer service and Tina settled into it. Lucy pushed while Ben carried the crutches.
Tina was very particular about the kitchen appliances but they finally made their selections. They looked over at a salesmen who had been hovering not too far away and he swooped in. Ben got him to start an order and the man grinned when he heard they had more items. He followed them like a puppy as Tina and Lucy inspected the washer dryer sets. Once they’d chosen, Ben directed the man to add them to the order.
Ben’s phone chirped and he saw Trish had sent him a text that all three ladies had chosen their sets. He responded that they were on their way. The group made their way over to the bedroom suites and spotted them. The salesman was wide eyed with surprise at the beauties waiting for them.
Trish indicated to the man which sets each of the three had selected and he added the items to the order. Karen had chosen the same set her sister chose and all three had at least some under bed storage.
A stop by the mattress section and they added three mattresses to the list. Karen and Penny chose plush and Rain went with a firmer mattress.
They’d all chosen the same office desk and chair combination so that was simple enough to add to the order. The salesman’s eyes were growing wide.
Then they went to the living room sets and after much discussion they settled on a sectional sofa, a loveseat, two comfortable chairs, two end tables, and a coffee table. They then selected a sofa, two end tables with lamps, two love seats and a coffee table for the family room.
For the dining room Ben insisted they get a really big table so they could host get togethers for large groups of neighbors. The home’s dining room was designed with a large table in mind. They found one they all fell in love with which expanded with a leaf on either end to extend the table to a huge length. They selected comfy cushioned chairs for the table as well.
Finally Ben dragged them over to the electronics department and got them to see a big, flat screen TV he’d researched. Though the ladies groaned about his insistence on getting a truly large screen he stood fast that the 80″ set would be perfect for watching movies and playing games. The set had a multitude of connectivity options. As he was the one paying for it they finally gave in. Karen and Penny were secretly thrilled as they imagined gaming on the big screen.
He also chose a set of surround sound speakers which could be connected directly to the TV.
The salesman reviewed the item list and once Ben was satisfied he left to key it all into the system to place the order.
Ben glanced at the time and saw it was 9:30PM. “Wow! Time really flew!”
Rain crushed herself against Ben’s chest and hugged him. “Thank you for this! I have never felt so… included in a group in my life!” she said looking up at him happily.
“You know I know something about the feeling of being an outsider. I won’t allow that here. We’re not only neighbors, we’re a family!” Ben said to her.
The salesman rushed back and was relieved to see they hadn’t slipped away. He led Ben away to make the payment and arrangements for delivery.
Once done he collected his family and everyone made their way back to the vehicles. A round of hugs and kisses ensued then they piled into the trucks and headed home. Lucy walked with him over to Ashley’s place to collect Christopher then carried the sleeping boy home.
Ben admired how Ashley’s yellow blond hair was braided. Most likely one of her girls had done it. He admired her body as he followed her into the home.
Ashley led Ben into the kitchen. “Off with your top,” she said with a grin.
Ben managed to pull his sweater off while keeping the undershirt on. When he saw her pout he pulled the undershirt off too. That got a smile from Ashley. Ben leaned over the sink and she leaned against his body as she began washing his hair. She was far more comfortable touching him this time and her body felt really good against his.
“Where are the girls?” he asked.
“I sent them to bed. They were up late last night playing games at your place so they were extra tired today,” she replied.
“Ah, sorry about that.”
“No, it’s fine. Once in a while it’s ok and they really did have fun!” Ashley sighed as she rinsed the shampoo, running her fingers through his hair.
She turned off the tap and put a towel over his head. She led him to the chair in the middle of the kitchen and sat him down. She took the towel off and looked critically at his head. “Size one bowl or size two bowl. Hmmm…”
Ben reached for her with a grin but she danced out of reach with a grin of her own.