Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6) Read Online Free Page B

soon," Violet said rather
breathlessly.
    Rose watched as he held the older woman's hand and
thanked her. While Violet seemed determined to ask Ben a whole series of
questions about his movie experiences, Rose poked around the shop, looking at
skeins of colorful yarn. With her life, she'd never had any time for things
like knitting. It always seemed to her to be a relaxing thing to do if she'd
ever had time to sit down. Her life had been one of running from one crisis to
the next.
    She realized Ben was finally disengaging from
Violet, telling her he wanted to check out the Bakery on the next corner.
Violet recommended the harvest muffin, so that he didn't 'fill out' too much to
be on camera. Rose was choking off a laugh at that comment and the look on
Ben's face.
    Outside, Ben looked at her as she bent over
laughing. "It wasn't that funny," he said.
    "Oh, yes, it was. Your face...priceless," she
said, and started laughing again.
    He finally smiled and shook his head. "She sounded
like my manager."
    "Do you have a lot of people in your life...an
entourage?"
    "Not really. I have a few close friends that I
trust and have known forever. Then there's my manager, my agent, my accountant,
my trainer, my...hmm...I guess I do have a few people."
    "Will any of them be coming out here?"
    "No, I don't think so. Let's go see what damage I
can do with pastry. It's liberating being out from under my trainer's eye. Although,
I guess now I'm under Violet's eye so I'd better not go overboard."
    "The harvest muffin must be the Bakery's healthy
alternative. Are you already hungry?"
    "Not quite yet. I mainly said that to get out of
there."
    "Let's go into the park for a while then," Rose
said. "It looks like a well-kept place."
    "I'm game," Ben said.
    They followed a trail into the park. Rose loved
how there were patches of wildflowers and a profusion of plants and trees. The
path showed the park was managed, but it had been left with a feeling of
natural wildness. They wandered through until coming to a clearing with some
picnic tables.
    "Let's sit," Ben said.
    They sat down and enjoyed the breeze blowing
through the trees around them. Rose felt energized by the walk and the
surroundings, but especially, the company. Ben sat across from her at the table
with his blond hair tumbled by the wind.
    "You know, this isn't a bad place at all for
photos," he said.
    "You're right. I like it here."
    "You like my park?" a voice said behind her.
    Turning she saw a man wearing a vest that said
Sully Point Park. She saw that he had Down's syndrome.
    "Hello," Ben said. "We do like your park. Very
much."
    The man smiled broadly. "I'm Nicky. I work here.
Who are you?"
    "I'm Ben, and this lovely lady is Rose."
    "Hi, Rose!" Nicky said, holding up a hand and
waving it.
    "You might know my brother, Sam Carter," Rose
said.
    The smile on Nicky's face got bigger.
"Sam? And Anna and little Joshie? They are my friends."
    "Well then, I guess we can be friends too. I'm
Sam's sister."
    Nicky nodded vigorously. "Okay! We can be friends
too."
    "Me too?" Ben asked.
    "Yeah. I know you. You were at the movie. I saw
you."
    Ben raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I have been in the
movies. It's my job."
    "My job is keep the park clean."
    "You do a great job, Nicky. The park looks really good,"
Rose said.
    "Okay! I gotta go look for things to pick up,"
Nicky said.
    "It was nice to meet you, Nicky," Ben said.
    "Okay! Bye-bye!" Nicky turned and vanished into
the trees.
    Rose and Ben turned back to face each other.
    "I'm glad he has a job here," Rose said.
    "I do volunteer work back in L.A. with the Special
Olympics. I often think if people would only realize how much the
differently-abled have to offer, it would change a lot of things. Nicky seems
perfectly content, unlike some folks I've met who don't have enough to occupy
them.
    "But now," Ben said, clearly changing the subject.
"I want to get a drink somewhere and maybe check out the Bakery. Let's see what
there is of interest between here and