by Ivy Sinclair
Mike opened the back door of Cole’s small four door sedan and practically shoved her inside. “I told you we had to go.” Mike grabbed the keys from Cole’s hand despite Cole’s protests and slid into the driver’s seat.
Julia felt a warning flash of fear. “Did something happen to Clary?”
“No,” Mike said. “Something happened down at Bruiser’s Spot. I have to go down there.”
She realized that something had to have happened with Ben. That’s the only reason that she could think of that would have Mike so panicked. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, I’ll drop you off at your house, and you get some sleep. It’s nothing,” Mike said.
“If it were nothing you wouldn’t be driving like a bat out of hell,” Julia snapped.
“I agree with Jules. Slow down, bro,” Cole said, bracing his body against the dashboard as the car swerved around a corner. Mike barely braked for the stop sign at the end of the next block.
“Mike, what happened to Ben?” Julia fought to keep the panic out of her voice.
Moments later they were pulling up to the curb in front of Julia’s house and Mike jumped out of the car without even turning off the car. “It’s not any of your concern, Julia.”
It was Mike calling her by her given name that spurred Julia out of the car. She trotted after Mike and caught up to him just as he opened the door to Ben’s Jeep. “Mike, I want to go with you.”
Mike whirled around. “Haven’t you done enough for one day, Julia? I’ll take care of this. Clary may have wanted you here, but Ben and I don’t need you anymore. Go inside and we can all pretend again like you give a shit about anybody other than yourself.”
Leaving Julia with her mouth hanging open, Mike brought the Jeep to life. She watched the taillights disappear around the corner and then he was gone. Cole stood on the steps of the house next door and waved to her before heading inside. Julia was glad that the dimly lit walkway hid most of his face. She was sure that he heard Mike’s parting comment.
Her feet took her slowly across the street. Just when she thought progress had been made in repairing the relationships between her and those she left behind, the venom in Mike’s voice told her she had a long way to go. She worried about what happened to Ben, but Mike’s sentiment that she was no longer allowed into the inner circle anymore stung. She didn’t blame him, but she and Ben had a connection. He seemed willing to move past what happened before and give her another chance. She may not have been there for him in the past five years, but she could be there for him now.
Her mind made up, Julia dug her keys out of her bag and hurried to her car. She felt certain that what she was doing was the right thing. People may judge and hate on her, but as long as Ben knew that she wanted to be there for him, maybe he’d start to trust her again. If he could trust her again, maybe they could even be friends again.
As she started her small car, Julia realized how empty her life was. It took coming back to Benton Hill to see it. She worked long hours to avoid forming deep friendships or any kind of romantic entanglement. Her life had been on hold waiting for her to come back to it, and whether she was ready to accept it or not, that included Benton Hill and everyone in it.
It hit her like a ton of bricks. She was ready for something else. She was ready for someone else. That was why she couldn’t get Ben out of her mind. Seeing him solidified the thoughts and feelings that, on some level, she had already known were there. Would it be fair of her to ask Ben if he still had feelings for her? The idea thrilled her. It carried the air of a fairy tale. She wasn’t unrealistic to think it would be that easy, and it was possible that Ben had moved on for good. But he had feelings for her once, and so it stood to reason that he could have feelings for her again.
It was like a huge weight lifted off of Julia’s shoulders and her foot pushed the gas. She wanted to see him. She burst with the words that she wanted to tell him to see if it was possible to start over. They both had grown up, but the seeds planted five years ago in Julia’s mind had taken root. As long as Ben felt the same way, she was willing to try.
Plus she knew that it was time to be actively involved in her family’s life again. She was going to be an aunt soon, and she loved kids. She always had. She would be there to help Clary, and they could be close again. She started plotting how she would split her time between the city and Benton Hill. Then she rounded the corner that led to Bruiser’s Spot and saw the flashing lights of an ambulance outside.
Her heart leapt in her throat, and she hoped that she wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER TWELVE
As he answered a string of questions, and submitted to being poked and prodded by a paramedic who looked like she was barely out of high school, Ben didn’t think he could feel more embarrassed.
Maggie cleared the bar after his fainting spell so, by the time he regained consciousness, it was only her and few of the wait staff looking down at him anxiously. He insisted that he was fine, but Maggie had already called 911 and the ambulance was on its way.
She neglected to tell him that she also got a hold of Mike, who barreled through the door looking as if he expected to witness the aftermath of a terrible accident.
“Is he okay?” Mike said, looking over Ben’s head at Maggie.
“I’m right here,” Ben said. The paramedic was shining a light in his eyes then and propping the corners up with her fingers to see beneath the lid. “And I’m fine.”
“He took a nasty blow to the head,” Maggie said, pretending as if she hadn’t heard him. “I told him he should get it checked out, but you know my brother. Always the stoic one, he decided instead to pass out in front of half the town.”
“I’m amazed you even know what the word stoic means,” Ben said. “It’s not a big deal. I don’t want everybody fussing over me.”
“I’ll help close up,” Mike said. “I know you gotta get home to the kids.”
“I want to make sure Ben is okay,” Maggie said.
“He appears to be his usual smartass self,” Mike said. “I’ll call you if something happens, but I’ll keep an eye on him. Don’t worry about a thing, Maggie.”
Now that the orbs of light had disappeared from his sight, Ben could see that his sister was struggling to decide what to do.
“Maggie, I’m fine. Mike’s right. You should head home. Don’t tell Mom and Dad about this though, it’ll just freak them out.”
“You think at least half a dozen people haven’t already called them and told them?” Mike pointed out.
Ben sighed. “Good point. At least go home so you can tell them that everything is okay.”
Maggie nodded. “Okay. Call me if you need me.” She pointed at Mike. “Don’t let him out of your sight. You know how he gets.”
Ben knew that his sister was worried about the kids and probably wondering if Everett was going to show up on her doorstep. He didn’t blame her for wanting to get home to them as quickly as possible. Other than the beginnings of a nasty headache, he felt fine.
Mike turned his attention to the paramedic. “What’s the verdict?”
The woman smiled, and Ben saw a flush of pink cross her cheeks. He rolled his eyes. No woman seemed immune to Mike’s charms. “Mild concussion, but he should be fine. It would be a good idea to keep an eye on him tonight though,” she said.
“Thanks,” Mike said. He looked over at Ben. “Lucky me. I’m your designated babysitter for the evening.”
Ben groaned. “You are not sleeping at my house. You snore like a bear. I don’t need anyone to stay with me tonight. This is ridiculous.”
“I’ll stay with him.” Julia’s voice cut through the room.
Mike’s head whipped around, and Ben was surprised to see his lips set in a straight line. He wasn’t sure what happened, but Mike wasn’t pleased to see Julia one bit.
Julia’s expression was calm and serene as she seemed to float to Ben’s side. Only her eyes gave away her anxiousness as she examined the small bandage on his he
ad. “What happened?”
“My sister’s ex-husband blew back in town,” Ben said. “Needless to say, I didn’t call out the Welcome Wagon for him.” He saw her smile.
“I think it’s time for you to retire. Speaking from my own personal experience earlier and then seeing this, I’d say you shouldn’t quit your day job,” she said.
“That hurts,” he said, then he winced in real pain as her fingers probed the sensitive spot above his forehead.
“I saw Maggie outside,” Julia said. “She looked pretty upset.”
“I thought you were going to make sure everything was good at home, Jules,” Mike said tightly.
“Considering the lights were all out when you dropped me off, I’m pretty sure everyone is snug as a bug in a rug,” Julia said coolly.
Something was definitely up between the two of them, but Ben wasn’t sure that he wanted to know what. His headache worsening by the minute, he wanted to be home in his bed. He didn’t really care at that point how he got there.
“You said you’re okay to close up?” he asked Mike.
“It won’t take me long,” Mike said. “I’ll drop you off.”
“Jules is already here. No sense in having all of us stay.” Ben gingerly stood up, relieved that his legs felt steady. “Thanks for coming and doing this.” His words to Mike were sincere. He knew that he often took his friend for granted, but once again, Mike came through when he was needed. “And if you could round somebody up to drop off my Jeep that would be great.”
He saw the small smirk on Julia’s face. She had won the round, and she was pleased. Mike looked as if he was chewing on rocks. Ben was too tired to worry about smoothing things over between them.
“Sure,” Mike said. His tone told Ben that he wasn’t one bit happy that Ben was leaving with Julia. Ben made a mental note to ask Julia what happened later. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
Julia gently took his arm and threaded hers through it. “You look pale as a ghost. Let’s get you home.”
He hated how easily she stepped back into his life, and the fact that he let her. His head said he should push her away, but he couldn’t find it within him to do it. As they emerged from the bar out into the parking lot, Ben saw another unwelcome sight. Julia’s grip on his arm loosened and fell away. Sarah West was walking toward them with a look of alarm on her face.
“Ben! I just heard what happened. Are you okay?” Her hands immediately flew to cup his face, but Ben stepped back.
“It’s nothing, Sarah,” he said.
He watched Sarah look at him and then cast a sidelong glance at Julia. “Do you need a ride home? Let me help.” Her tone was heavy with unspoken questions.
“I’m taking Ben home,” Julia said, stepping closer to him.
“That’s ridiculous,” Sarah said. “I’ll take him home. I’m already here and it’s on my way.”
“Ben wants me to take him home,” Julia said with a quiet confidence. “Your concern is appreciated, but I’ve got it covered.”
“Since when? This morning?” Sarah said. “You’ve been gone a long time, Julia. I don’t think you understand that things are different now.”
Ben rubbed his face at Sarah’s thinly disguised attempt to say that she and Ben were an item. The ache in his head was growing worse by the minute, and the last thing he needed was a replay of prom night. “Ladies, please. My head is killing me and I need to lie down. Julia will take me home. Sarah, thanks for coming over. I’ll talk to you later.”
He could tell that Sarah wanted to say something else, but screeching in the parking lot wasn’t her style. As Julia moved into the driver’s seat next to him a few minutes later, he leaned his head back against the headrest and said, “I don’t want to hear anymore about it.”
“About what?” Julia said innocently.
“You’d think that you and Sarah could get along after all this time.”
“No matter what you say you won’t convince me that Sarah West has turned over a new leaf. Some people never change,” Julia said. “You’re going to have to give me directions.”
The only words spoken for the next fifteen minutes were Ben’s as he directed Julia to the small house he occupied on the outskirts of town. Although it was still close to his parents’ house, it was just enough outside of the main activity of town that it felt as if he lived in the country. With his nearest neighbor half a block away, it was peaceful. He felt as if he had the best of both worlds.
Julia didn’t persist about asking what happened at the bar, and Ben was grateful. He didn’t feel like rehashing the situation. No doubt there was something he could have done differently to diffuse the situation, but he wasn’t going to worry about it at that moment. He wanted his bed, some aspirin, and sleep. He had no energy to think about anything beyond that.
Pulling into the driveway, Julia looked at the small house and then at Ben. “It suits you,” she said.
He had no idea if she thought that was a good thing or a bad thing. He popped the car door open. “I’m assuming you are going to insist on staying here even though I’d tell you that you didn’t have to.”
“You assume correctly,” Julia said.
She followed closely behind him as he made his way to the side door. He suddenly felt self-conscious. Julia Bell was about to walk into his house. She would look around and make a judgment about him and his life. He didn’t have anything to hide, but he still felt vulnerable as he opened the door and flipped on the kitchen light.
He watched Julia step into the room and then look around with great interest. She ran her fingers across the granite countertop and peered at the rack of cookbooks on the wall on the other side of the stove. “So judging by what you do at the bar and the fact that I’m looking at a gourmet kitchen set-up, I’d say that you like to cook.”
“I like to cook,” Ben said warily. “Whether I’m any good at it or not is a point of contention.”
“Maybe you’ll cook for me sometime,” Julia said, turning toward him. When she smiled, he saw her dimples. He knew that she had as long a day as he had, and yet she seemed to have adapted easily to the later hour. She looked relaxed and refreshed.
“Sure,” he said. A shot of pain through his temple reminded him that Julia’s presence in his kitchen wasn’t a social call. He closed his eyes and winced.
Closing the gap in an instant, he felt Julia’s cool fingertips touching the skin at his temple. “I’m sure that hurts like a beast.”
He couldn’t help but lean his head into her hand. His head throbbed, but her touch made him feel better. He sighed. “I’ve felt better.”
“You can give me the grand tour later,” Julia said. “Tell me where to find the aspirin and you head to bed. I’ll be in to tuck you in.”
Ben’s eyes shot open at the image that blossomed in his mind. He had a completely different idea of what Julia tucking him into bed could look like. He looked down at her upturned, concerned face and thought again how beautiful she was. His memory hadn’t done her justice.
Her hand fell away, and he immediately felt a sense of loss at its absence. He forced himself to the task at hand. She was right that he needed to lie down, but with her in such close proximity he wondered about his ability to get any rest. “Bathroom is the first door on the right. My bedroom is the next door up, same side.”
“Nurse Julia is on the case,” she said.
New images ran through his mind and Ben escaped through the door into the hallway before she had a chance to give him any other ideas. Having Julia inside his house taking care of him was surreal. When he woke up that morning, he would have never guessed that this was the way that the day would end. There was a small part of him that was ready to thank Everett for being such a douchebag.
Ben stopped just inside the entrance to his bedroom. The king size bed took up almost all the space in the room. There was a dresser across from the foot of the bed and then a small nightstand on one side near the window. His dilemma was that h
e usually slept in the nude, but that wasn’t going to work with his overnight guest prowling about in the house.
He’d could compromise by wearing boxers. Then he realized that it wasn’t going to be possible to be comfortable. His senses were tingling from Julia’s presence, and there was a part of him that was afraid that if he went to sleep she wouldn’t be there when he woke up, and he would find it had all been a dream.
Ben quickly kicked off his shoes and slipped out of his clothes. He was just sliding underneath the covers when Julia appeared with a glass of water in her hand. Her eyes widened and then glanced away when she saw his state of undress. She clearly hadn’t thought that far ahead either.
“Um, here are your aspirin,” she said as she held out her hand. He took the two small pills from her and then the glass of water. He dutifully knocked them back in his throat and took a swish of water. Then he placed the glass on the nightstand and leaned back against the pillows with a groan.
Julia perched on the edge of the bed. “If you need anything, I’ll be right here.”
“There’s a guest room across the hall,” Ben said. She was just a foot away from him, and it was difficult for him to breathe.
“Scoot over,” she said. “You’re talking crazy if you think I’m going to take my eyes off of you.” She lifted her feet and took her shoes off, and then settled onto the bed. She stretched and rolled into a side position and then stared at him thoughtfully. “I’m watching you. I promise I won’t fall asleep.”
Ben groaned again. He definitely wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep that night.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Julia thought that it was possible she lost her mind. As soon as she put her head on the pillow and found herself staring into Ben’s impossibly blue eyes, she knew that she was on the brink of doing something crazy. It had been a long time since she felt that way. The Julia of her teenage years would have thought nothing of finding a way to crawl into bed with a hot guy hoping to get a kiss or even more.