So maybe she’d jumped to a wrong conclusion about the e-mail loop too. The townspeople had actually been supporting her. But that didn’t change the fact that Ben still hadn’t been honest with her when she’d specifically asked him for that.
She shook her head and turned off the computer. Would she stay if she lost the election? Or if Ben had decided they were through? The parts for her car were supposed to come in on Friday, and Uncle Zeke said he’d have her all ready and charged up by Saturday, so she’d be able to leave soon if she chose to.
She’d actually regret not being able to take over Barb’s classes. She had come to feel comfortable teaching in her old middle school the past few days. Most of the teachers had stopped by to greet her and wish her well. It was a tight-knit, cohesive group. Lisa probably had a lot to do with that, and it was clear she had really changed.
Kline went to the kitchen to grab some warm tea to take with her to bed. She hadn’t been sleeping well the last few nights and was exhausted, so crawling into bed early sounded like a good plan. Maybe she’d read a bit and hope to make her brain tired enough to shut off.
But she kept coming back to Ben, and how he’d always felt the need to shield her from things like she was a child. It’d probably never change. He should have just told her that the mayor wanted her to withdraw and let her decide what to do. The real question was, could she live with Ben’s faults rather than be apart from him again?
And Gloria was right. Kline wasn’t perfect either. She hated talking about feelings and shied away from emotional and complicated friendship issues rather than face them head-on. Could that be part of the reason Ben had treated her like he did? If she’d been able to get past the initial hurt when Ben had broken up with her and had tried to find a solution instead of taking off as fast as she could, things might have turned out differently.
She loved Ben but was so confused by his behavior. He’d never just flat-out ignored her before.
As she pondered the mess she’d made of things, she got ready for bed and settled in with her new tablet. Who was she fooling? She wasn’t going to fall asleep. She was waiting for Ben. He’d probably come tapping on her window any minute.
When three hours had passed, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She was going to go to his house and find out what the hell was going on. Would it have killed him to send a simple text? He could be dead on the side of the road somewhere for all she knew. How freakin’ inconsiderate could the man be? She’d told him that she loved him! Shouldn’t that imply that she’d worry about him if she hadn’t heard from him in three days?
Kline quickly dressed and then grabbed the package she’d ordered for Ben earlier. She slipped into her jacket on the way out the door, not caring that it was after eleven. If he’d gone to bed, she’d drag Ben out of it and make him talk to her. She was tired of whatever game he was playing.
It was cold, so Kline set out at a jog to stay warm. What if he was lying hurt and bleeding on the side of the road? Or, what if something had gone wrong with the chopper? She grabbed her cell and picked up the pace as she dialed his number. The call went straight to voicemail again, and she went into full panic mode.
When she got to his house it was dark.
Her stomach sank.
Maybe he was just in bed already. She opened the door and stuck her head inside. “Ben?”
No answer.
She flipped on some lights and walked toward his bedroom. The door stood open and the bed was made. Perfectly, of course. She could drop a quarter on the bedspread and it’d probably bounce right back.
Maybe he was flying back early in the morning?
She turned around to leave and noticed a duffle bag on a barstool in the kitchen and Ben’s cell phone, watch, and wallet on the counter. She picked up his cell and pressed a button. Fully juiced. So he’d ignored her calls on purpose then.
Next to all of his things lay her engagement ring box. Like he’d just dumped everything and left in a hurry. But the ring was still there, so was he dumping her?
Where was he so late at night? She was going to strangle him when she found him for making her worry. She laid the gift she’d bought for him on the counter and turned to leave.
The front door opened and Ben walked through it all out of breath, like he’d been running. When he saw her he said, “There you are. Your mom thought you’d left when you weren’t in your bed.”
Thank God he was okay.
He must’ve taken the back route to her house and they’d passed each other. “I’m still here because my mother and uncle conspired to be sure I didn’t have any car battery power to leave on my own. Which you would have known had you bothered to call me. I was worried about you, Ben!”
“Really?” His eyebrows shot up and he crossed his arms. “I would’ve never known by the way you drove off like a bat out of hell and left me standing in the rain.”
She blinked at him. “I was upset. I’d just overheard your father saying you’d made a deal with him.”
“There was no deal. But you tearing off like that made me decide it was time for one of us to compromise so we can move forward with our relationship.” Ben shook his head and switched off the hallway light. “I was going to tell you everything after I got done telling my dad to go to hell. But then after thinking about this for three days, I’m pissed you didn’t trust me enough to at least give me a chance to explain! So now it’s done, and I hope you’ll be happy!” He threw his arms up in frustration.
Kline was totally thrown off balance. Ben never yelled at her. “Fine. Here’s your chance to explain! So what’s your big plan?” She shouldn’t have yelled back at him but she was so frustrated by his cavalier behavior—cutting her off for three days while he formulated some plan. She’d at least tried to call him.
“We can talk about it all in the morning.” Ben walked toward his bedroom. “It’s late and I’m going to bed. You’re welcome to join me. But text your mom, she’s worried about you.”
Kline stood in the hallway with her mouth gaping and both palms in the air like an idiot. What the heck was going on? And he was not going to bed until they settled things! She pulled out her phone and texted her mom and then went to make Ben talk to her.
Ben forced himself to walk calmly to his bathroom and brush his teeth. His sister had been right to tell him not to talk to Kline. She was as flustered as he’d ever seen her. And she’d been worried about him. That made him smile.
That she’d finally yelled at him was a good thing. Kline not holding back for once hopefully meant she was digging deep and figuring out what she really wanted. Hopefully what she wanted was him.
He’d bet any minute she’d march in and let him have it.
Sure enough, Kline’s frowning reflection showed up in the mirror beside his. “We aren’t finished, Ben. What did you do?”
“I arranged for a job in Denver so we can be together. Sam is coming here to take my job and I’m taking a job at her hospital. They offered me a one-year contract.”
Her jaw dropped. “So you’re giving up your town, and being near your family, and your new clinic, everything you love, to be with me in Denver? Don’t you think we should have talked about something that drastic first?”
He washed his face and then wiped it with a towel. “What is there to talk about? You don’t want to live here, so I’m moving to Denver. Because I love you, dammit!”
“That’s not even the point! You just did it again. You went behind my back and made a decision for the both of us. You should’ve asked me what I thought about this before you went and did something so permanent!”
“But I did it for you!”
Kline shook her head. “What if I win the election tomorrow? And I’m stuck here for two years while you’re in Denver?”
“I never thought you’d actually stay!” Dammit. By reacting and not thinking this through, he’d really messed things up. Now what choice did they have? “I guess we can see each other on the weekends?”
“What if I don’t want to only see you on the weekends? What if I want to see you every day?”
He slowly turned around and leaned against the counter. “Do you still want to see me every day?”
She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. “Of course I do. I love you too! When we were younger, I thought you wanted to leave as much as I did. I’d never ask you to leave Anderson Butte or your family for me. I was coming to tell you that I’d decided to give Anderson Butte another chance that day when you were arguing with your father.”
So she really was willing to stay? “But I’d never ask you to live here just for me. So by signing a one-year contract in Denver, I just made it easier for both of us.”
“Oh. My. God. You still don’t get it! When you’re in a relationship you make decisions together!” She poked her finger into his shoulder. “We’ll talk about this after the election tomorrow. Maybe if I lose it won’t matter. But I don’t know how we can ever be married if you don’t figure this out!” She turned and walked away.
A few seconds later his bedroom door slammed shut.
He’d text her in a few minutes to be sure she got home okay.
Kline had actually talked about marriage. And slammed a door. Things she’d never done before. So Casey’s plan must’ve worked.
But he’d figured if he moved, she’d move with him in a heartbeat, regardless of the election. And be thrilled with his decision. What if she actually won and decided to stay in Anderson Butte? He’d done it again and hadn’t even realized it. Why hadn’t he talked to her first?
Crap!
He needed to find a way to fix things. To show Kline he could change. He started to go after her but found her sitting on a barstool in the kitchen with her head on top of her folded arms.
She hadn’t run for once.
“Kline? What are you doing?” He laid a hand on her back.
She drew in a deep breath. “Gloria said that I needed to decide if it was better to accept you as you are than to live without you. Like when you go and do things for me but forget to talk to me about them first. And do nice things like giving up your whole life for me to show that you love me.”
“I do love you. And I’d do anything to be with you. I’m sorry I was so focused on a solution that I didn’t stop to think beyond it. I should have talked to you first, instead of trying to solve the problem on my own.” He sat on the empty stool beside her.
She nodded. “And I should have trusted you enough to hear your side of the story instead of just reacting when I was hurt. We both have stuff we need to work on, I guess.”
“Yeah.” He ran his hand up and down her back to soothe her. “I’m willing to try, if you are. So what’s the verdict on Gloria’s question?”
“I hated not being able to talk to you these past three days. And I was scared when I thought something might have happened to you. It made me realize that sharing you with your family and this town is a small price to pay for being with you the rest of the time.” She slid the box she’d brought toward him.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. And for the record, I missed you too. What’s in the box?”
“Something I owe you.”
What could she possibly owe him? Short of a smack upside the head for his stupidity.
He quickly opened the package. When he spotted a pair of the latest Ferragamo loafers, he smiled. “Thank you. These are perfect. Just the ones I wanted.”
“Figured. But I still feel compelled to point out you could buy enough school supplies for fifteen African villages for the price of those.”
Typical Kline. “Then how about you return them for me and donate the money? Would that make you smile again? I miss seeing it.”
“Yes! Thank you.” She grinned widely and sat up. Then she took his hand. “When I got out of jail, I vowed to stop wasting time. To appreciate all the good things in my life because I deserve to be happy. You make me happy you’re mine about ninety-five percent of the time, Ben.”
He chuckled. “Ninety-five percent’s still pretty good, right? Like getting an A from my favorite teacher?”
After she wiped the tears from her cheeks, she nodded. “Yeah. I’d still give you an A for effort because I know your heart is always in the right place. Is there any way out of the job?”
“I’ll call first thing in the morning and see. Maybe I’d better take you to bed now and see if I can improve on my grade point average.”
“Good idea. And maybe I can think of some extra credit work to help keep that GPA up.” Her lips slowly bloomed into a mischievous grin. “It might involve that huge tub of yours again.”
“My kind of homework.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Thanks for sticking around to settle things.”
“I’m going to work on doing that from now on.” Fresh tears sprung into her eyes. “And no matter where we end up living, it’ll be okay because we’ll be together. I love you, Ben.”
“I love you too.” He scooped her up off the barstool and carried her toward his bedroom. “Let’s get started on that extra credit.”
Getting through the next school day was torture for Kline. Her stomach had been in knots about the election all day. She was excited at the prospect of being the mayor, but Ben’s last text said he still wasn’t sure if he could get out of the contract. She hated to think of seeing Ben only on weekends, but they’d have to work it out if that’s what happened.
Only five more minutes and then she could go to the library to vote. She’d always gotten the absentee ballots every few years if her mail could find her, because with online bill paying, she’d never officially had another permanent address other than her parents’ house. That might not change anytime soon depending on the election results.
The bell finally rang, so she smiled and waved to the kids and then cleaned up before calling it a day.
The door opened and Ben appeared. “Hey. You want to go vote and then grab something at the diner while we wait for the results?”
“Depends.” She grabbed her laptop case and stuffed her notes inside. “Whom are you voting for?”
“The next mayor of Anderson Butte. So far, I’ve never been wrong.”
She rolled her eyes. “Very funny.”
He reached out for her laptop bag so she handed it over and they started out toward the main exit. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.” Their footsteps echoed off the shiny hallway floors as he finally got around to answering her question. “In a recent act of self-preservation, I’ve decided I’m apolitical.” Ben slung her bag’s strap onto his shoulder. “So rather than flipping a coin or something unscientific like that, because that’d surely drive you nuts, I’m simply voting for the strongest candidate.” He held the front door open for her.
She loved that he knew she was nervous so he was teasing to distract her. “That’s actually not a bad plan based on nature. Usually the best of the species tend to survive longest.”
It was cold outside, so Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as they walked toward the library. She smiled at the familiar warmth that filled her when she touched him that had nothing to do with his body heat.
He said, “But I have a feeling my survival might depend on this vote.” Ben opened the library door for her and when they stepped inside, everyone cheered.
Kline had never voted in person before, so she wasn’t sure what the setup would be. But there among the kiosks of paperback books stood two electronic voting machines. Kline asked, “So how long before we know the results?”
Mrs. Anderson replied, “Depends. We have to count the paper ballots too, but your mom and I worked our fannies off to get these fancy electronic machines for quicker results. It helped that we got permission to hold a special election today rather than on Tuesday. So hurry up, you two. Most everyone else has already voted.”
Ben winked at Kline before he stepped up to his machine and started punching buttons. It’d probably make more sense if they bot
h voted for his father. It would solve the living-in-Denver-with-Ben problem. But then she wouldn’t be able to do what she set out to do. Make Anderson Butte a better place to live.
Kline took to her own machine and quickly voted for herself. Would she actually get her chance to finally change the way Anderson Butte was run?
Ben sat across from Kline at the diner as they ate their supper and waited for the election results. Many in town had squeezed inside, including his father. When his dad glanced their way with a hard stare, guilt arrowed through Ben’s gut.
He’d voted for Kline because she was the strongest candidate. And because his father needed to take things easy. He’d done the right thing on both counts, so he pushed the guilty feelings aside.
He glanced at Kline, who was playing with the food on her plate. “Sam is coming in a few minutes. She’s spending the night at my house, if that’s okay with you?”
Kline laid her fork down and smiled. “I don’t mind if she spends the night. Thanks for asking.”
“What are we going to do if you win tonight?”
Kline arched a brow. “Ah, so it’s finally we, huh?” She leaned across the table and kissed him.
He whispered, “See? I’m trainable.”
“So no more busting out your Superman suit to save me?”
“Nope. But I hope you’ll tell me when I can help you. You don’t have to be so tough, Kline. No more lone-wolfing it, okay?”
Her eyes misted. “I don’t want to be alone anymore, Ben. We’ll figure this communication stuff out yet.”
“Yeah.” He reached out and took her hand. “I know the job thing is my fault, but I really don’t want to only see you on weekends for an entire year. I need to put that out there before we see the results.”
“Me either.” She lifted their entwined hands and laid a kiss on the back of his. “But I’m not a quitter. I doubt those owls will survive if I don’t win. And I can’t disappoint all the Grants.”
It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4) Page 23