"So why did you want me to stay back?" Ben asked Dan as they both got out of the car and headed inside the house. Ben had dozed off halfway through the ride while chatting with Bella. She had kept trying to remind him of how he was to behave and things he wasn't supposed to say or do. And she had also made sure to remind him to set his alarm so he would wake up early since she would need to tell him all about Dan's plan for the day before they left for the office.
"Did anything happen while you were outside the hall waiting earlier?" Dan asked as he unlocked the door, and they both walked into the house. He didn't bother heading for his bedroom as he would have done had he been with Bella. Instead, he headed for the dining to pick up a bottle of wine and two glasses and led the way to the balcony outside.
