He picked up the phone and dialed Sam’s number, hoping she’d be up for what he had in mind. As he waited for Sam to pick up, guilt brewed in his gut for icing out Kline. But like Casey said, Kline needed to realize on her own that they belonged together. Kline sometimes needed anger to make her face her real emotions.
It went against his nature to cut off all communication with Kline, but it might be the only way to make his point.
Now to show her in no uncertain terms that he’d do anything to be with her.
Kline checked the time and then called out to her first-period class, “Five more minutes. Hurry and finish up, everyone.”
As the kids completed their tests, she opened her purse and surreptitiously checked her phone. Still no word from Ben. What the heck was going on? Ben wasn’t one to let things hang. He loved resolution. Probably part of his control thing, but his behavior confused her.
She was still so hurt and angry by what Ben had done. Especially how he made a deal with his dad to talk her into pulling out of the race so he’d get his precious clinic. How could he have ever agreed to something like that? She understood the need for a better clinic, but why did he have to side with his father against her to get it? How could she ever trust him again?
It wouldn’t be an issue anyway because she’d left a voicemail with Ben’s grandmother to be pulled off the slate. Had her mom and Ruth told people in town to pretend to support her as part of the welcome home scheme? Well, she hoped everyone got their laughs at her behind her back for even thinking of running against Mayor Anderson.
The bell rang, and one by one the kids rose and laid their tests on her desk on their way out. She forced a smile as she gathered up the pages. “Have a good day, everyone.”
Ally was the last to hand in her test. Kline asked, “How do you think you did?”
“Crushed it,” she said with a smile and without a stammer.
Kline held out her fist for a bump. “Good job. Now go crush the rest of your day too.”
“’Kay. Bye.” Ally returned the bump then quickly disappeared out the door as the next class of kids filed in.
Kline passed out the tests and then started grading the ones from first period so Barb wouldn’t have to do it when she got back the next day. Assuming Barb got back the next day—she hadn’t heard anything from her cousin. She’d have to call later when Barb got back from Denver.
Kline couldn’t help but grin as she graded the tests. The kids had been paying attention for the most part. She was thrilled with all the As and Bs. A few poor grades, but that was to be expected. And Ally was right; she’d crushed a perfect score. Kline would’ve liked to see Ally’s face the next day when she got her test back. It just added to her sadness that she’d miss that.
By Kline’s last period, Ben still hadn’t even texted. She’d gone from hurt and sad to full-out mad again. Part of her wanted to hunt him down and let him have it. Yell like she’d never yelled before so he’d get it through his thick skull how much he’d hurt her again.
The bell rang and the last of her students handed in their papers. After they were all gone, she used the planning period to finish up her grading. She tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering back to Ben. He and her mom had accused her of running away from and not facing her problems. Would she just prove their point if she left town without having it out with Ben once and for all? Maybe she’d go find him after school and get that over with.
The door opened and Lisa walked in with a deep frown creasing her forehead. “Kline? Do you have a second to talk?”
Seeing Lisa still made Kline’s stomach clench with bad memories.
“Sure. What’s up?” She laid down her red pen.
Lisa sat in one of the front row desks. “I just got a call from the mayor.”
“Let me guess. He told you not to give me a job, right?” She’d heard him threaten it while yelling at Ben. Looked like whatever plan the mayor and Ben had cooked up was coming to fruition.
“Yes. But I don’t care if he’s the mayor or my father’s cousin, I won’t be told whom I can hire or fire. I wanted to be sure you knew that you still have a job here if you want it.”
That Lisa, who had teased Kline relentlessly as kids, would stand up to the mayor on her behalf made a lump form in Kline’s throat. “I appreciate it, but—”
“And Ally would like it too. You made a big impression on her yesterday. Maybe she recognized a kindred spirit in you.” Lisa stood and headed for the door. “Please stay, Kline.”
After the door closed behind Lisa, Kline dropped her head into her hands. Something Uncle Zeke had said the night before kept echoing in her head. She had been happy while she’d been back. But Ben was right. The town wasn’t big enough for the both of them. He obviously had no intentions of patching things up this time, or he would’ve called her. She needed to confront him to know for sure. She didn’t want to break up a second time without getting all the facts straight like the last time. So that meant she had no choice. She’d man up and go talk to Ben.
But there was no way she could bear the thought of seeing him all the time if what she’d heard was true and she stayed. If her suspicions proved correct about Ben, then she had no choice but to move forward with her original plan and move to Denver. Her mother could just come see her there from now on. And when Mom really did get too old to live alone, she could live in Denver with Kline.
She had Nate and a few other friends in Denver. Surely she’d make more friends if she stayed in one place long enough to meet people. It’d be a little lonely at first, but she’d adjust. She always had before.
Kline quit pondering her dreary future and got back to grading the papers. She finished a few minutes before school let out for the day, so she headed down the quiet hallway for home. The air was brisk on her walk, but Kline embraced it. Used it to fortify her for the confrontation she’d have with Ben. He’d see a side of her he’d never seen before. She’d show him how wrong he was about her. He was going to regret suggesting that she didn’t face her problems. Because she was going to let him have it. Maybe then she’d feel like she could move on with her life and shake off the doom and gloom that filled her.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and her stomach dropped. It was probably Ben. Finally. She pulled the phone out but was disappointed that it was her cousin Barb. “Hey there. How are you feeling?”
“Okay. My doctor suggested I take another day or two to rest up, though. Could you take my class for the rest of the week?”
The charging parts for her car wouldn’t arrive for a few more days anyway. “Of course. But hey, how come you didn’t mention Lisa was the principal now?”
Barb chuckled. “Because I knew you’d avoid her like the plague and never agree to sub. But she’s changed.”
Avoid her? That hit a little too close to home. “Yeah, she has changed. And Ally seems nothing like her mother was.”
“Ally is a great kid. So I’ll e-mail you the lesson plans. Then I’ll buy you dinner after you win the election, day after tomorrow, Mayor Grant! We’re all so proud of you, Kline.”
Proud of her? “Barb, I asked to be removed—”
“Sorry, it’s Lisa beeping in on the other line. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.” Kline hung up and put her phone away. Proud of her? That made her want to cry again. But she needed to stay tough. Just until after she had it out with Ben. Then she could fall apart.
Every step closer to the clinic chipped away at her confidence. And made her consider putting off her confrontation with Ben. She was going to be in town until the end of the week. It’d probably be less awkward if she yelled at him right before she left.
Nope. She could do it. She reached out and yanked on the front door to the clinic. The waiting room was empty except for Joyce, who was busy filing.
Kline sucked in a deep breath for courage. “Hi, Joyce. Is Ben busy?”
Joyce turned around and smiled. “Ben’s gone until Th
ursday.”
He hadn’t mentioned any plans to be out of town. “Some sort of emergency?”
“Nope. Personal time off. He hasn’t had any since I can remember. He said he needed to take care of something important in Denver.”
“Oh. I guess I’ll talk to him later then.” Kline turned to go, embarrassed that she felt a huge wave of relief knowing she wouldn’t have to confront him until the day after tomorrow. After the election was over and nothing mattered between them anymore.
Joyce yelled out, “You can always call him, Kline. I know he’d be happy to hear from you. He moped around here all morning over whatever is going on between you two.”
He was mopey? Good!
Kline stopped and turned around. “What I have to say needs to be said in person.”
Joyce tilted her head. “That doesn’t sound good. We all had such high hopes for you guys.”
“Why?” Kline suspected she knew what the answer would be. Because they wanted Ben to be happy. He was the town’s favorite son.
“Because of the way you both light up around each other. Neither of you seems complete without the other.”
“Oh.” Kline’s eyes suddenly burned with tears. “Gotta go.”
“Bye.” After a moment Joyce added, “I’d call him if I were you.”
Kline let the door swing closed behind her. What could Ben have had to do that was so important? Probably some recruiting for his new clinic. Clearly he was willing to throw her under the bus to get it. Although he’d never asked her to drop out of the race. Maybe he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet?
She couldn’t stand it any longer and fished her phone from her purse and dialed Ben’s number. It went straight to voicemail as if he was out of service range or his phone was turned off. She debated for half a second about leaving a message, but then it occurred to her that maybe he’d shut off his phone to avoid her, so she quickly hung up.
As she passed by the diner, deep in thought, Gloria came barreling out the door. “Kline. Come inside and see this!”
Before she could open her mouth to protest, Kline was being dragged by the arm into the diner. Gloria sat her down at the counter and said, “Be right back.”
When she reappeared a few seconds later she had a slice of chocolate mousse pie and a list in her hand. “After-school snack. And . . . the latest poll results.”
Kline hated to look. “Things have changed, Gloria. I withdrew my name.”
Gloria’s face fell. “But you can’t, Kline. Look at the numbers. You’re ahead! By two votes.”
Kline blinked at the page in her hand. Sure enough she had a small lead. But it was just Gloria’s poll. Nothing official. And two votes wasn’t much. “This is great, but I just don’t think I can live here long term. Ben’s father is probably the better choice. He’s proven he’s good at the money aspect, if not the social, anyway.”
“I heard you and Ben had a falling-out.” Gloria slammed her hands on her hips. “I never thought I’d see the day that Kline Grant would become a quitter.”
A quitter? God, if only it were that simple. She dug into her pie, hoping to offset the deep sadness that had settled around her heart. She’d definitely miss Gloria’s pie after she left. Heck, she’d miss Gloria. She’d forgotten how much she liked her. “Maybe things worked out for the best. As much as I wanted to make some needed changes, I really don’t have any experience running a town. What if I had done more harm than good?”
“We wouldn’t let you. We’re all here to support you, Kline. Promise me you’ll put yourself back on the slate and finish out the race, at least. Let fate decide?”
“How about I promise to think about it?” Kline finished up her pie and then dug out her wallet.
Gloria lifted a hand. “Nope. On the house.”
“No, I insist. I saw the ‘be nice to Kline’ e-mail on my mother’s computer. So I’m on to you all now.”
“Oh, that.” Gloria waved a hand. “Meggie sent that shortly after you arrived. She just wanted to help you and Ben get back together. It was as innocent as that, Kline. No big conspiracy. Folks were already happy to see you again.”
Meg and Casey had proved their desire for her and Ben to get back together by trying to make her jealous at the bar. Maybe she’d go back and read those e-mails again tomorrow, when she wasn’t so angry. “Well, I’d still feel better if you’d let me pay.”
Gloria shook her beehive hairdo. “You didn’t order it, so I can’t ask you to pay for it. But can I give you something else for free?”
Kline tilted her head. Gloria was up to something. “What?”
“Advice. You know that Brewster and I fought like cats and dogs for so long we thought it’d be best if we went our separate ways. But after looking back a few years later, I realized something. I wished I’d understood that the only person I can change is me. Hoping for Brewster to change was futile. Now I have to live with that decision every day. Alone.”
“So you still love Brewster?”
She nodded. “I do. But I hurt him so badly by wanting him to be something he isn’t that he’d never have me back. Believe me, I’ve tried. If Ben has flaws you can’t live with, then fine. But you’re not perfect either, young lady. Sometimes we have to weigh living without the one we love or learning to love them, faults and all. Can you fix this thing with Ben?”
Kline shrugged. “Ben’s not talking to me at the moment.”
“Well, hurry up and decide if it’s worth fixing. Now give me my poll back and go think about all the good things you can do as our new mayor.”
Kline smiled. Gloria was still mothering everyone in town no matter how old they were. “Yes, ma’am. Thanks for the pie.”
As Kline walked toward the door, Gloria called out, “Do yourself a favor and patch things up with Ben!”
Kline’s smile faded as she walked out the door. Assuming Ben had some reasonable explanation for his actions, fixing things wasn’t looking like an option when the man wouldn’t even take her calls. Had she somehow hurt him as badly as Gloria had hurt Brewster?
If it had all been a misunderstanding, would she want to live her life without Ben?
Wednesday after school, Kline was walking past Town Square when her feet changed direction on their own and led her to the mayor’s office. She’d replayed the snippets of conversation she’d overheard between Ben and the mayor two days ago around in her head so many times she was sick of them.
She wanted some answers about this so-called agreement they’d made regarding her and Ben’s clinic. Since Ben wasn’t talking to her, she’d go straight to the source.
She knocked on the mayor’s closed office door and waited. She wasn’t afraid of the mayor, but that didn’t mean she liked talking to a man who had told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t good enough for his son. When he said, “Come in,” her stomach clenched, but she turned the knob anyway.
He looked up from the papers on his desk and sighed. “What do you want, Kline? I can’t think of a thing we need to say to one another.”
“Fine.” She turned and pretended to leave. “But I know about your heart attack. I overheard you and Ben arguing the other day.”
She was almost all the way out the door when he called out, “Wait.”
When she returned and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, he said, “Why haven’t you told everyone? It’d guarantee you a win in the election.”
“I withdrew from the election. But I, unlike you, would never use such a personal issue against an opponent. I’m here because I want to know what deal you made with Ben about me and his clinic.”
The mayor leaned back in his chair. “You’re still on the slate. We’d have to have a board meeting to remove you, but my mother convinced the whole board to be busy until Friday.”
“So I’m still in the running?” That’d make Gloria happy. Kline was batting a thousand at disappointing people lately. And after Gloria’s pep talk, and reassurance that people would help
Kline learn the ropes, she was glad to still be on the slate.
“Yes. But you never belonged here, Kline. It’d be best for us all if you just snuck away in the night.”
That got her blood boiling. “I belong here just as much as you do, Mayor. And you never answered my question. What was the deal you and Ben struck regarding me and the clinic?”
“I told Ben he couldn’t have his clinic unless he made sure you withdrew from the race. Obviously, he chose not to do that.”
So he hadn’t thrown her under the bus? That was a huge relief, but dammit, then why wasn’t he talking to her?
She stood to leave. “Well, may the best person win tomorrow.”
The mayor frowned. “You’d really stay if you won?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see, I guess. Get ready for a fight, Mayor. Last I heard, I had the lead.”
Kline stood and walked out the door, relieved. Ben had finally stood up to his father and hadn’t chosen him over her. Why had she been so hasty to think that Ben hadn’t changed? Standing up to his father was something he’d never been able to do before, and that he’d chosen to stick up for her filled her with hope for their relationship. That is, if Ben was ever going to speak to her again.
Later that evening, Kline still hadn’t heard from Ben and it was making her downright cranky. He was due back in the morning for work, according to Joyce, so he was probably in Anderson Butte by now. So what was taking him so long to come find her and explain things?
She walked into her mother’s study and pulled up the town e-mails. She’d given herself a day to cool off a bit before she read them again.
She reread the one about Ben knowing about her mother’s fake illnesses. No wonder he’d never given her the name of a doctor in Denver and had asked to let him worry about her mom so they could have a nice visit. Ben was a staunch rule follower, so of course he followed HIPAA guidelines regarding her mom and his father.
Next, she read the e-mail Meg had sent. Taking into account Gloria’s perspective, it could be just a matchmaking attempt. There wasn’t any specific mention to give gifts. And after reading all the other e-mails that had been passed around in the last two days, it became clear that no one was laughing about her running for mayor. There was positive support for her. That must be chapping the mayor’s butt pretty hard.
It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4) Page 22