by Zoe Ann Wood
Jade’s face flamed at the memory. She’d blushed back then as well, shocked and elated at the same time.
“How romantic. Did you say yes?” Millie prompted her.
Jade nodded. “Yeah, but it was super confusing. We’d barely spoken to each other up until then. He’d asked me for my notes once because he’d missed a couple of days, and one time, he commented on something I’d said in class.”
She remembered those instances precisely because they’d been the highlights of her senior year up until the point when he’d asked her to go to prom with him. In hindsight, it was pretty pathetic, but her life had revolved around school and music so much that each interaction with a boy was supremely notable.
“I take it you didn’t actually go to prom together,” Hailey said. “Or you’d have just said so.”
Jade grimaced. “Nope. That’s where the issue lies.” She swallowed, reliving the crushing disappointment of the following weeks. Bracing herself, she continued, “A week before prom night, my best friend overheard a bunch of girls talking in the locker room. One of them said she couldn’t believe Ben was going to prom with me, and another replied that he was doing it to humiliate me. Because a football player would never go to prom with a loser.”
She clenched her hands in her lap and stamped down on the feelings resurfacing from the past. “They had a plan,” she added, “to film it. One of the girls said she’d bring her dad’s camera. That was before smartphones.”
It was all in the past, so the memory shouldn’t have been enough to hurt her, except she knew how nasty kids could still be to each other. Not much had changed in high schools with the arrival of new technology. Even worse, cyberbullying was now a thing.
Millie brought her hand to her mouth. “How awful.”
“What did you do?” Hailey asked, her eyebrows knit together in a frown.
“At first, I didn’t want to believe it,” Jade said. The news had shocked her, but Ben had never been nasty to her—or anyone else, for that matter—so she couldn’t fathom it. She’d even defended him to Leah and nearly lost her best friend in the process. Leah had been mortally offended that Jade didn’t believe her, and it had taken them weeks to get over it.
“But then I met him at Flap Jack Joe’s a couple of days later,” she went on. “And he didn’t even say hi to me. It was like he was embarrassed to be seen in public with me because his football buddies were there with him. He ignored me completely.”
It had been humiliating and painful. But it had stripped her of any illusions she’d fabricated about him.
Now, the two women were watching her with twin expressions of worry mixed with anger. It felt so good to get this off her chest finally.
Jade clasped her hands together in her lap. “In the end, I canceled on him the day before prom.”
“Wow,” Millie said. “How did he take it?”
“I don’t know,” Jade admitted. “I was a coward, and I didn’t want to face him because I was afraid he’d laugh at me. So I texted him that I got the stomach flu and didn’t go to school for the rest of the week.”
It had taken everything she had to convince her mother to let her stay home that close to the end of the year. She’d even made fake puking noises in the bathroom. It wasn’t her proudest moment, but she didn’t want to see Ben—or anyone else.
Her mother had been furious with her because she’d already announced to her posse of friends that her daughter was going out with the star football player. It had been the first blow to their relationship when her mother had taken a stand against her. Jade never really forgave her for not being on her side.
“But you saw him at school at some point, right?” Hailey said.
Jade shrugged. “He was dating Katherine Dahl by the next Monday, so I don’t think he was too crushed.”
It had been Katherine and her friend who Leah had overheard in the locker room, so the news had stung even more.
“So you never talked to him about it?” Hailey asked.
“Nope.” Jade glanced at Ben, who was now eating his fries. “We both left for college at the end of that summer, and I hadn’t seen him since. He remembered me when we met a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t mention anything about the prom.”
Hailey made a contemplative face and pursed her lips. “Hmm.”
“What does ‘Hmm’ mean?” Millie asked.
The hairstylist shifted in her seat. “Well, you don’t know for sure that he meant to humiliate you,” she said. “All you had to go on was what those girls said.”
Jade straightened her spine, affronted. “And the fact that he ignored me in public. Besides, we weren’t even friends!”
“Yeah,” Hailey replied, “but teenage boys are weird. And stupid. That doesn’t necessarily mean Ben was evil.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “I mean, look at him. He seems so…lonely.”
All three of them looked at Ben, who did seem kind of isolated, dining alone at the bar.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Jade said. “Being the uncool person, I mean.”
“Actually, I do,” Hailey said. “It’s a story for another day, but Rhett humiliated me when I was a teenager, and it took me a decade to get over it. He changed so much, though. He’s the best man I know.”
Her eyes shone with her love for the man, and Jade wished she could bottle some of that happiness and keep it for herself. But Hailey’s confession unlocked something inside her. She hadn’t held a grudge against Ben all these years, exactly, but she had judged the man he was now by the actions he’d committed as a teen. In their recent interactions, he’d been so helpful to her.
Jade blew out a long breath. “Okay.” She got to her feet and glanced down at her companions. “I’m going to fix this.”
“Oh, wow.”
Millie’s exclamation followed her as she marched along the bar toward Ben. She stopped two feet from him and waited for him to notice her.
“Hi,” she said, her mind going temporarily blank.
She noticed the clean scent of him, even from her distance. He’d shaved at her place, and his delicious scruff was gone. He wore the clean-shaven look well, though, his sharp-edged jaw smooth and lickable.
Ugh. No, she wouldn’t be licking Ben’s jaw anytime soon.
“Um, would you like to join us?” She forced out the words. “I’m here with two…friends.” The word came naturally, though she hesitated slightly over it.
He was still staring at her, his gaze intent. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.”
“Oh.” Jade tucked the wavy strands behind her ears. “Thanks. It was all Hailey. She’s the hair master. Or mistress.”
She flushed, wishing the ground would swallow her up. But no, she was still standing in the middle of a crowded small-town bar, unsuccessfully trying to get her former crush to join her at the table. She knew for a fact that Millie and Hailey were witnessing this train wreck as well. Maybe others were staring at her, too.
“Anyway, I didn’t want to bother you,” she hurried to say. “I just thought I’d say hi and ask you… Well, never mind. Enjoy your dinner.”
She was about to flee when Ben slid from his barstool and stood in front of her, suddenly taller than her by several inches. The move brought him closer to her. She would only need to take one step forward to be flush with him.
“I’d be happy to join you.”
His voice was quiet and intimate, and Jade barely heard him over the nervous buzzing in her ears. She stared up at his mesmerizing eyes, then dipped her gaze to his lips. Man, he had such great lips. They were sensuous without being too full…and he was smirking at her.
Jade snapped her gaze back up and caught the flash of heat in his eyes. For a brief second, she thought he might lower his head and kiss her. The idea thrilled her. She could almost feel how his thick, curly hair would slide through her fingers when she gripped the nape of his neck, and those strong arms would pull her in…
Ben turned to the bar
and signaled the waitress that he was moving to another table. Jade blinked, crashing back to reality. Had she imagined the moment between them? She’d been so sure they shared something.
Instead of waiting to find out the truth, she spun on her heels and hurried back to the table where Millie and Hailey waited for her.
“Act natural,” she hissed.
The two women nodded in unison, and Jade instinctively trusted them not to say anything incriminating about her. She’d shared her story with them, and they would protect her. How she knew this, she couldn’t say, but it was a lifeline, an anchor in the emotional storm that Ben brought into her life.
“Hello,” he rumbled from beside the table. “Jade invited me to join you if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” Millie said.
“Nope,” Hailey replied, giving him a big smile.
Jade made the introductions, and Ben slid onto the bench beside her. She froze. Oh man, she hadn’t thought this through at all. But since Millie and Hailey occupied one side of the booth, there was nowhere else for Ben to sit but next to her. Their legs touched briefly before she had a chance to pull away. She breathed in, trying to calm her nerves, and watched him like a hawk for any sudden movements, keeping a steady distance between them.
Millie and Hailey took pity on her and carried the entire conversation without much participation from Jade. Ben was friendly and answered all their questions about the renovation with good humor, denying the presence of any ghosts in the old house.
“So what brings you back to Hidden Hollows?” Hailey asked. “I don’t know many people who return once they’ve escaped.”
Jade fidgeted in her seat, unsure whether the question, though aimed at Ben, was meant for her as well. She hadn’t told the two women about her injury yet.
“My father had a health scare,” Ben said, “and I thought it would be good to stay here for a while to see if he’s recovering.”
Jade was about to ask him for details when Millie’s face lit up, and she waved at someone behind Jade’s back. A moment later, the sheriff, Luke St. Clair, approached the table and leaned down to kiss Millie on the lips.
Hailey watched them with unabashed interest and clapped as he straightened. “Very romantic, Luke. Are you joining us?”
But Millie stood instead and picked up her purse. “No, we have to get going. Thanks for joining us tonight, Jade.” She pointed at her. “We’re doing this again. Soon.”
Jade laughed and agreed, and Millie was whisked away by her fiancé.
Hailey lifted her eyebrows. “You want to get another drink, or should we head out as well?”
Jade checked her phone. “I have class in the morning, so we better go. Thanks for inviting me here.”
Ben watched them with a curious expression, silent beside her. They flagged down the waitress and paid, and Jade tried to avoid nudging Ben as they slid out of the booth. Ben said good-night to the woman Millie had greeted earlier, and got a nod in reply. He held the door open for Jade and Hailey, and stopped outside the tavern with them.
“Where’s your car?” he asked suddenly, looking around the parking lot.
Jade buttoned up her jacket; the late September evening had grown cold, heralding the first frost of the year. The scent of leaves and mulch was thick in the air, and she breathed in deeply, enjoying it. Fall was her favorite season of the year, and this night had been wonderful. She was full of good food accompanied by a beer, so she was feeling mellow and happy.
She wasn’t even tense anymore now that Ben was a safe distance away from her.
“Hailey gave me a ride,” she told him.
“Oh.” Ben was silent for a moment, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I can drive you home.”
Jade glanced at Hailey, and the other woman winked at her.
“It’s no problem,” she said. “I can drive Jade. It’s not a long detour for me.”
At that moment, Jade decided that Hailey was the best person in the world. She could have easily thrown Jade under the bus and left her with Ben. But she’d stuck with her. That was what real friends did. Even though they’d only just started to get to know each other, Jade was sure this was the first link in an unbreakable bond that would grow in the future.
But Hailey was also tired, and it didn’t make sense for her to drive across town if Ben lived right next door to Jade.
“I’ll go with Ben,” she announced, proud that her voice didn’t waver one bit.
Hailey lifted her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Yep,” Jade said. “It’s fine.”
She hugged Hailey and thanked her again for the lovely evening, then followed Ben to his big truck. He held the door open for her as she climbed up into the cabin and closed it carefully behind her. The truck was clean, with no clutter on the seats or the floor, and it smelled of sawdust and paint. Jade supposed this was a typical scent for someone who renovated houses, but it surprised her how pleasant it was. She could get used to smelling this.
No. That wasn’t why she was in Ben’s truck. He was giving her a ride home because he was a decent person and her neighbor, which was how things were done in small towns. Everyone knew their neighbors, and they helped each other out.
The truck dipped as Ben got in on the other side and started the engine. Jade clenched her hands in her lap, frantically thinking of something to say so the silence between them wouldn’t get awkward. She wanted to apologize for skipping out on him earlier, but then maybe he wasn’t really worried about that, and her mentioning it would only make it weirder.
Finally, she settled on a different tactic. “Is your dad doing better now?”
Ben kept his gaze on the road. “Yeah. But he’s being difficult too.” He drew in a breath, then added, “He had a heart attack a month ago, and he’s refusing to follow his diet plan. His blood pressure is through the roof, and we just learned that he’s got type 2 diabetes. I don’t really know how to fix him.”
She blew out a breath. “Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
She didn’t know his father personally because he’d retired from his janitorial position just weeks after she’d arrived at the high school.
“Thanks,” Ben said. “It’s, uh, nice to tell someone who’s not involved in the whole mess. And I’m sorry if I’ve been curt with you at any point. I’m not the best company these days.”
She shook her head. “No, you haven’t. I get it, really.”
He offered her a brief, tired smile, then focused back on the road to take a turn onto the long street leading to their neighborhood. Jade studied his profile. He had a small mole on one cheekbone, and it made her like him even more. It somehow humanized him, showed that his handsome face was imperfect in this small way. The more she looked at him, the more she noticed little details that she wanted to explore and memorize: the straight line of his nose, the proud slant of his eyebrows, the tiny web of laugh lines at the corner of his eye.
Aware that she was staring, she turned her gaze out the window at the houses and trees passing by. The people of Hidden Hollows were turning in for the night. Windows glowed yellow with welcoming light, and Jade wished, not for the first time, that she had someone to come home to. Someone to watch TV with. Someone to chat with at the end of a difficult day.
She swallowed down the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her and focused on Ben. “So you’re staying in town for a while?” she asked.
She didn’t mean for it to sound hopeful—or worse, needy—but she wanted to know. If Ben was leaving in a couple of weeks, there was no use getting attached to him. No use exploring that spark of attraction she’d felt in the bar earlier.
He grimaced. “I’m not sure yet. There’s work for sure, and my dad’s made it clear he wants me to be here, but… I don’t know, returning here brings back so many memories.”
Jade clenched her jaw, then forced herself to relax. Surely he wasn’t talking about her and their brief high school drama. “Oh?” she said.
She did know, so she nodded. But she hoped that she’d changed, for the better, in the past decade. “Some people have changed, though,” she remarked. “I didn’t know Hailey and Millie before.”
“Why did you return, Jade?” Ben asked suddenly. His voice had acquired an edge of urgency, and when he looked at her again, he was frowning. “You were on a fast track out of here.”
Jade thought of giving him a brief, non-committal answer. I like it here. I grew tired of the big city. I just love teaching high school students how to play an instrument their parents picked out for them. They would be half-truths, shallow replies that she could give a neighbor who got a little too nosy.
But something held her back. Ben deserved better, and she wanted to offer him more. He’d shared his problems with her, and she was grateful for his trust. She wanted more of it, more of him.
“I had an accident,” she said, keeping her voice level. “In Nashville.”
12
Ben
Ben stopped the car, wishing the drive to Jade’s house was longer. He cut the engine and shifted in his seat to face her. Would she escape without telling him the story? He’d shared something of his own in the hopes of getting her to open up, but now that they were here, she had a way out.
He waited patiently, watching her. For a long moment, she studied him, then a determined expression came over her face, and she clenched her hands tight in her lap.
“I was returning home from a concert,” she began, “when I was mugged.”
Ben’s eyebrows snapped together in a scowl. “What?”
She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “There were two men wearing masks. I couldn’t identify them later, and I only saw that one of them had blue eyes. They were after my purse. I don’t think they were targeting me, specifically, I just happened to walk past.”
“That’s terrible.” Ben ached to reach out to her, but she held herself so stiffly, he was afraid she’d bolt if he touched her arm.