Despite all the upsets in recent months, Ben couldn’t help but feel like in the vast scheme of things, everything had been coming out ahead. Yeah, Nora might have gotten married before he and Cao, but they were engaged. He looked down at his hands and tried to imagine a ring there among the callouses and ground-in dirt. He couldn’t, but that didn’t matter much. Ben knew he wasn’t very imaginative or creative. He left that to others.
Speaking of people who were much more creative than he, Benny collected the hydrangeas he’d cut from the garden this morning. While he would never call it a bribe, it never hurt to bring a gift when asking for a favor. It wasn’t a long walk from the greenhouses to Nora’s office and he whistled as he made his way across the Reserve, Bruno trotting alongside him unleashed, happy for the exercise.
It seemed pretty quiet in Fighting when Ben poked his head in and he made a beeline for Nora’s desk.
The last person Nora had expected to see today was her oldest brother. Of course, she hadn't really seen much of her any of her family except in passing or when she'd stop into the Kestral or diner. It sucked, really. Nora was family-oriented in a big way... so much so that the fact that she hadn't gotten to spend much time with them since she got married bothered her. Significantly.
So, for the redhead, the appearance of Benny at her door was a welcome one, especially when she noted the bouquet of hydrangeas it looked like he'd just cut.
The bark that sounded at her left had her looking down to find Bruno sitting there wagging his tail. Grinning, she reached down to scratch him behind the ears and looked back to her brother. "Well, now, to what do I owe this pleasant little surprise visit?" she questioned, grinning widely.
Bruno, pleased at the attention, put his head in Nora’s lap and gave a huff of contentment.
“Oh, I see how it is. You see one pretty girl and you abandon me.” Ben laughed as he took a seat in the spare chair and leaned back to give his legs some room to stretch out. “And do I need a reason to visit with my tied-for-first favorite sister?”
There was a reason, of course, but Ben couldn’t just come out and say it. He wouldn’t be Ben if he didn’t drag it out a little for maximum impact. And mostly because he was trying to figure out exactly how he wanted to put his request into words. “I want to do something for Cao,” he said finally. “Surprise her somehow. But my idea of a surprise is to get her a new cooking appliance like an immersion blender. And that’s no sexy. Or romantic. Or anything a fiancé should get. Maybe if we were married for fifteen years and far too comfortable with ourselves. But not now.”
"He just knows how to soak in the attention from people he doesn't see everyday," Nora stated, defending little Bruno in that highly amused way she tended to have when speaking of animals of his nature—or her husband.
Leaning back in her own chair, Nora smiled at his question. It was nice to hear that her brother wanted to do something romantic for his woman. It was nice to know that romance wasn't dead at all.
"She does enjoy cooking, so I don't see why you couldn't still give her some new cooking appliance that she doesn't have yet. But, if that's not all you want to do... maybe take a vacation and take her somewhere where she can learn something new. New recipes. New ways to prepare what she knows. Maybe even some new foods she's never used before."
Nora was a big believer in experiences instead of material things. For someone like Cao, anything having to do with food would probably be a good bet. But still...
"But make sure to add in some fun for yourself too. Do other things with her. Massages, snuggling with movies or a good book. Lots of great sex."
"Getting away from the Diner is going to be an issue." Not that Ben begrudged Cao having a successful business that she loved. He didn't know if he could ask her to step away, even to go on vacation. That seemed unfair to him. Because he knew there would be others to look after the plants in the greenhouse while he was away. He wasn't so sure that someone could do that with the Diner.
He tapped his chin. "We haven't spent much time in California or Mexico." Ideas were already forming in his head. California would be easier to get to and there was the added benefit of doing both Northern and Southern. But Mexico was certainly a little farther afield. A bit more exotic. Both had plenty of opportunities for the other activities his sister had mentioned.
"She'd like California or Mexico, right? I'm not forgetting something incredibly obvious?"
"If it helps, I'm sure between the three of us still here and Mom and Dad, the diner would be in good hands," Nora pointed out. Cao was family anyway, whether Benny had put a ring on it yet or not, and the Adlers took care of what was theirs. "And if you're looking to take her somewhere out of the country, at least spring for Tuscany. Oooh, or Mendoza. I've always wanted to go there and Cao is as big of a foodie as I am."
Unless, of course, he was trying to save money, which she understood. "But if you have to choose between just those two, I'd say take her to Mexico. Give her a taste of something that isn't from here, you know?" Either way, she knew Cao would absolutely love where ever Benny took her, as long as the vacation was good and she was getting to spend time with him. It was part of why Nora liked the other woman. She didn't need anything other than her diner and Benny and that was all that seemed to matter.
And the puppies, of course. "I wouldn't say you're forgetting anything. Just don't try to make a spectacle of it. The woman loves you for you. So be you. And take her out to have a great time."
Ben nearly did a double-take when his sister suggested Italy… or wherever Mendoza was located, because that was too far away and far too complex. Ben was a pretty simple, straight-forward man. He liked the idea of big and grand gestures, but in reality, he didn't execute the plans very well. Just look at the proposal. Everything went completely sideways, that.
"There's Mexican wine, right?" He knew about Italian wines and Californian wines. French wines and German wines. He didn't know so much about Mexican's wine industry. When in doubt there was beer and tequila, but that wasn't very romantic. Ben ran a hand over his face. "Or we can just with your second suggestion: a beach and lots of sex."
"There is Mexican wine, yes," Nora chuckled. "It depends very much on what she prefers in terms of red or white. But for reds, there's Adobe Guadalupe. They have a great Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. Whites, I'd go with La Cetto. Though, Adobe Guadalupe makes some great rosés as well." Benny's sister generally enjoyed wine as a whole, but the Mexican wines she'd been introduced to by a member of Teo's family.
This was also something she appreciated about her oldest brother. The discussion of sex wasn't so taboo between them that he wouldn't even hear about it. "Mix wine with beach sex and I'd say you're good to go. I mean... Mexico has some great beaches as well as food. Bring a picnic with everything and then give her the best damn sex you've ever managed," Nora laughed.
He should have brought a pen and paper or something, the way that his sister named dropped different makers and varieties. Eh. He would just ask her later when he got down to the actual planning of everything. Or he'd just buy a bottle of each and then let Cao decide which ones she liked best. Yes, that sounded like a plan. He made note of it in his head…. To pester Nora later about all the wines she'd listed so he could purchase a bottle or two.
"Have you ever had sex on a beach?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "Lots of sand in some very uncomfortable places. I don't care how many charms you use, somehow it always manages to get into places you don't want. No," he shook his head, "I'll rent a cabana and figure it out from there."
Nora smirked at her brother's question and raised an eyebrow. He really should have known better. "That's why you bring a blanket, genius. One of those ones that the sand filters through and it's always on top?" Nora just chuckled, shaking her head slowly. "Or you do it in the water. But the cabana works too, though. Good for privacy." If people were into that sort of thing. Nora didn't much care—but then again, when she was with Teo like that there wasn't much she did care about...
"Don't worry about the wines. I'll send you a text with a list of good options to try. And ones to stay away from. I think the most important thing here is not to stress. Cao loves you, big brother, so you must be doing something right. Just keep it simple and enjoy yourselves. And if she argues about leaving the diner, tell her I'll take care of it."
Now sex in the water was an idea. Ben added it to his ever-increasing list of things to remember. Of course, he would actually have to remember that he had the list, but that was a small minor detail. “Thanks. For everything.” Because if he couldn’t convince Cao to leave the diner for a few days of vacation he knew Nora would be able to. Because she was amazing like that.
Grinning, Nora spun idly in her chair and thought for a moment. She knew her brother. She knew he’d make a list, knew he’d forget about that list, freak out temporarily, and then work with what he had. She and Teo had promised Bettina and Freddy that they’d stay out of their love lives from now on (really, the two of them had no idea how much they were loved sometimes, the idiots), and even though she wasn’t necessarily helping Benny with some big thing, it was nice to know that he thought enough of her to ask her opinion.
Lately, it seemed she was so busy with everything that she hadn’t had enough time to actually spend with her family. It sucked.
“I’ll make sure to send you little reminders if you want,” she chuckled, coming to a stop once she was facing him once more. “Or I can just send you with everything you’ll need.” Making this as easy as possible for Benny was a priority. It would mean more time he could spend with Cao just relaxing and that was what a vacation was all about.