Bittersweet Junction

by Ivy Sinclair

  The last thing Ben wanted to do was show up at dinner with Sarah. He could just imagine what Julia would think about that. But as they exited the church, Ben saw that the parking lot was almost empty. As he looked over at Sarah, he thought he saw a smug smile drop off of her face. He was fairly certain he had been set-up.

  He felt Sarah watching him expectantly. “Guess I’m your ride.”

  “Thanks, Ben,” she said, touching him lightly on the arm. “A girl never has to worry when you’re around.”

  It was too bad that it was the wrong woman telling him that she felt that way.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Julia was ready for the wedding to be over already, and she sensed that her sister felt the same way. Halfway through dinner, almost everyone in the wedding party was drunk including Mike. Ben, on the other hand, had been nursing the same beer since he walked in the door with Sarah. Although he assured her there was nothing going on with the tall blond, Julia hadn’t forgotten Sarah’s earlier taunt.

  Since she was still technically mad at Ben, Julia maneuvered it so that she wasn’t sitting next to him. Then as she watched Sarah sidle into the chair next to him she fretted that she made a strategic mistake. She wanted to prove a point. She didn’t want to give him the impression she was done with the conversation, or with him.

  When Julia wasn’t watching Sarah hanging on Ben’s every word, she was watching her dad fawn all over Norma Beasley. She wasn’t sure which couple’s interactions distressed her more.

  “If this is what I act like when I drink, I don’t think I ever want to drink again,” Clary whispered to her just before the dessert course was served.

  “It’s a celebration,” Julia countered. “Everyone is happy for you and expressing that through joyful ruckus.”

  “It makes my head hurt,” Clary said. Her voice was strained “Will you excuse me for a minute?”

  “Do you need me to get something for you?” Julia asked.

  “No, just some air and some quiet,” Clary said.

  Julia stood and thought that fresh air sounded like a good idea. She’d take the long way around to the ladies room first though. She saw that Ben noted her movements, but then Sarah bumped his arm to draw his attention back to her story. Julia’s mood darkened even further.

  The banquet room at Bruiser’s Spot was in the far back corner of the building, and the noise level only increased when Julia moved into the main bar. She cast her eyes around the exterior walls looking for the restrooms. Spying the sign on the far wall, she started to move through the dense throng of people toward her destination.

  Bruiser’s Spot was a popular destination on Friday night, not that she was surprised. Everyone in the banquet room was celebrating Mike and Clary’s wedding, but out here, people were celebrating the end of the work week. She felt multiple sets of eyes cruising her body, and she felt uncomfortable. She picked out the dress for Ben’s benefit. It frustrated her that she felt like they had run into yet another roadblock in their relationship and it wasn’t even established yet that they were a couple.

  She finally emerged across the room into the small hallway where the restrooms were located. When an arm encircled her waist and hauled her through a small door across the hallway, she opened her mouth to scream.

  “It’s just me, Jules,” Ben whispered in her ear.

  Instantly her body relaxed. Then she whipped around and smacked him hard on the chest. “You scared me! I thought I was about to be molested.” She looked around. They were standing inside what appeared to be an office. There was a desk set against the wall and two bookcases opposite. A picture of Ben with his parents, Maggie, and two small children sat on the desk.

  “That can be arranged,” Ben said with a wicked grin as he closed the door behind them and locked it.

  “Ben!” she huffed, crossing her arms. Examining all her emotions in that moment, she found that she wasn’t mad at him anymore. She was frustrated and confused, but her anger had completely dissipated. She hated to think it had anything to do with watching him with Sarah. “Why did you drag me in here?”

  The backs of her thighs pressed against the small desk as Ben moved close and pressed against her. One hand dropped to caress her leg below the hem of her dress while the other reached up to stroke her cheek. “I can’t stand the idea of fighting with you any longer. Whatever you want me to do or say, I’ll do,” he said. “Just don’t push me away.”

  The long, slow trail of his fingers on her bare skin lit a fire of desire inside of her. His mouth dropped down but stopped just short of her lips. She knew what he wanted and although there was still a small part of her that said she should resist, the rest of her wanted it as badly as he did. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck and she pulled his lips to hers.

  His tongue traced the corners of her lips and then slipped inside as she willingly opened her mouth to him. The fingers resting on her thigh moved up and underneath her dress and came to rest on her hip. He ground himself against her and she responded, rotating herself against him.

  “If you keep doing that, we’re going to have to make do with this desk,” Ben whispered.

  “Promises, promises,” Julia said, smiling as she realized that she was echoing the words that she said to him that afternoon. She didn’t resist when Ben boosted her up so that she sat on the edge of the desk. He used his knee to push her knees part so that he could get even closer.

  His mouth assaulted her neck and she arched her back, bracing an arm behind her to keep her steady. When she felt Ben’s hand move to explore between her legs, she knew that she should stop him. But then his fingers brushed her damp warmth and all thought left her mind. There was only pleasure and the confident exploration of Ben’s fingers that made her head swim.

  The knocking on the door barely registered in her mind, but then she heard Maggie’s voice. “Ben, are you in there? Mike’s looking for you. Something about a toast.”

  “Dammit,” Ben swore against the crook of her neck. His hand withdrew from her and Julia immediately felt frustrated. “Yea, Mags. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  The doorknob moved side to side and Julia slid off the desk in alarm trying to straighten her dress and her hair at the same time.

  “Why’s the door locked?” Maggie called out.

  Ben looked her over and gave her a thumbs up. Julia didn’t have time to process the fact that he was going to open the door until it was open and Maggie stood there gaping at them.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had company,” Maggie said. “Hey, Julia.”

  Julia brought her hand up knowing that the flush on her face was evident. “Hey, Maggie.”

  “Thanks for taking care of Ben last night,” Maggie said.

  “Happy to help,” Julia said, feeling like she was going to die at any minute.

  “So,” Maggie said, looking between the two of them. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. You might want to think about heading back to the banquet room soon though.” Then she gave Ben a lewd wink and left the room.

  “I need to go,” Julia said. She was completely embarrassed. “I’m sure Clary is looking for me.”

  Ben caught her hand. “Hey, we’re okay, right?”

  Julia’s breath came out in a shudder. “We need to talk some more, but for the moment, yes. We’re okay.”

  “Good.” Ben’s smile was brilliant and Julia couldn’t help but smile back.

  She paused in the doorway. “One thing though.”

  “Ask, and it’s yours,” Ben said, moving toward her.

  “Quit trying to make me jealous,” she said.

  “If you will allow me to sit next to you for the rest of dinner, I can guarantee that you will have nothing to be jealous about,” Ben said.

  Julia pretended to think about it, but then nodded. Her possessiveness was in full swing. She didn’t want Ben anywhere near Sarah. “See you back in there.”

  Her heart raced as she made her way to the banquet room. The swarm of bodi
es and smell of sweat and desperation in the air barely registered in her mind. She was flush with desire and she needed a release soon or else she thought she would explode. She wondered if she should reconsider Ben’s invitation to stay at his house.

  When she re-entered the banquet room, her eyes searched for Clary. She frowned. Her sister wasn’t back yet. She tracked Mike to the far side of the room. He was laughing so hard with Sarah that he had to wipe tears away from his eyes with the back of his hand.

  “Mike,” she said. “Where’s Clary?”

  It seemed to take Mike a minute to process Julia’s words. His head swung slowly to the right and the left. “She’s gotta be around here somewhere,” he said.

  “I can help look for her,” Sarah said. She got to her feet, wobbled, and then sat back down falling against Mike with a giggle. “Maybe not.”

  Disgusted, Julia rolled her eyes. She saw Ben sidle back into the room and he grinned at her. She made her way over to him.

  “I can’t find Clary,” she said. “She said she was going to get some air but she hasn’t come back in yet. Can you help me find her?”

  “Ben!” Mike roared. “I am ready for the bachelor party portion of the evening. It’s nine p.m. somewhere. Let’s get this show on the road.” The rest of the men in the room, with exception of Jack, noised their approval. Julia saw her father say something to Mrs. Beasley and then they both stood up. She was certain her dad had no interest in the bachelor party and would be out the door in minutes.

  “Be back in a minute, Mike!” Ben called out.

  Julia saw Sarah whisper something in Mike’s ear and then Mike’s eyes widened. His head nodded in vigorous approval. There was something about it that made Julia’s hackles rise.

  “Let’s check out front,” she said, tugging on Ben’s arm. The crowd parted much easier with Ben at the helm moving them through the mass of bodies.

  He held the door open for her and she moved outside. The fresh air cleared her head. She slipped her hand into Ben’s and scanned the parking lot. She didn’t see Clary anywhere.

  “You can check the ladies room,” Ben suggested.

  That was when they heard a small moan coming from around the corner of the building. Ben rushed ahead and Julia’s heart leapt into her chest when they found Clary leaning against the wall with her hands wrapped around her stomach.

  “Clary, what’s wrong?” she said, flying to her sister’s side. Clary’s breath came in short gasps and tears streaked down her face.

  Julia saw that Clary had a piece of paper clenched in her fist.

  “It hurts, Sissy, it hurts,” Clary groaned. The fact that Clary reverted back to her childhood nickname for her terrified Julia to her core.

  “We have to get her to the hospital,” Ben said. “Clary? Clary, I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

  Panting and moaning, Clary appeared to barely hear him. Julia was beside herself with panic. Ben lifted Clary gently in his arms and she cried out in pain. Julia kept pace with Ben as he raced across the parking lot to his jeep. He gestured to Julia to open the door and then he gently set Clary inside.

  Clary grabbed Julia’s arm with wild eyes. She pushed the piece of paper into Julia’s hands. “I can’t, Jules. I can’t do it.”

  Julia brushed her sister’s face. “It’ll be okay. We’re here. We’ll take care of you.”

  Clary nodded and then pushed back against the seat. She clutched her stomach again and Julia fought the waves of panic inside of her.

  Pushing the door closed, Ben pressed his keys into Julia’s hands. “Take her to the hospital. I’ll get Mike and be right behind you.”

  Julia looked at the piece of paper in her hand. She opened it up and her eyes widened. She clutched Ben’s arm. “Ben, look at this.”

  There were six names on the page with dates after each one. The small note at the top was vague, but its message vicious.

  If I were you, I’d want to know.

  “What is this, Ben? Do you think…?” It didn’t take a genius to recognize the message the author intended to convey. Julia couldn’t comprehend why someone would do something like that on the eve of Clary’s wedding.

  Ben took the paper from her hands and scanned it. “This may be nothing. Just someone trying to cause trouble, Julia. We’ve got more important things to worry about right now.”

  As Julia let go of Ben’s arm, Julia saw the thing that petrified her to her core. “Ben, there’s blood on your shirt,” she said, pointing to his sleeve. The spots of red were in stark contrast to the light blue of his shirt.

  Ben put his hands on her shoulders. “Julia, I think Clary’s in bad shape. I think the baby is in trouble. I need you to take her to the hospital now. Can you do that?”

  Heart breaking for her sister, Julia nodded. She felt numb. “Of course I can.” She couldn’t believe the upheaval of the last few minutes, or the consequences of what was unfolding in front of her.

  Ben embraced her and then kissed her on the forehead. “Go.”

  Julia dashed around the Jeep and climbed up into the driver’s seat. Clary balled up on the seat next to her. She started up the engine and then reached over to stroke Clary’s hair. Clary whimpered. She stretched out so that her head rested in Julia’s lap.

  “I’m scared, Sissy,” Clary whispered.

  “I’m here. It’ll be okay,” Julia said. She wheeled the jeep around and sped out of the parking lot. “I’ll take care of you, Clare Bear. Just hang on tight.”

  She griped the wheel to keep her hands from shaking. If the shock of finding out what Mike had done caused Clary to lose the baby, Julia was going to kill him. But she couldn’t think about that. Clary needed her to be strong. Julia stroked her sister’s hair and began to sing to her a song that their mother used to sing to them at bedtime. She prayed they weren’t too late.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Ben’s only thoughts were to throw Mike in the car, dunk him in the lake to sober him up, beat the crap out of him for being so stupid, and then get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. He couldn’t stop to think beyond that because if he did, he thought that he would hit something or someone. If something happened to the baby, he knew that Mike would be upset, but it would devastate Clary. It couldn’t happen.

  The other thing he needed to do was be there for Julia. She needed him, and once he delivered Mike to Clary, he had no intention of leaving her side. Damn the wedding and damn whatever the rest of the town thought. The more he was around her, the more he was certain of what he thought so many years ago. Julia was his other half. She belonged with him.

  Ben ran into Jack as the older man made his way across the room with Mrs. Beasley in tow. He could tell that Jack was angry by the look on his face. “You better get in there and sort that shit out,” he said to Ben without any other preamble. Ben had never heard Jack curse before.

  “Jack, Clary’s in trouble,” Ben said. “You need to get in the car and get to the hospital. Jules is on the way there with her now.”

  “What happened?” Jack said, the blood draining from his face.

  “I don’t know, but I think something’s wrong with the baby.” Ben stuffed the damning piece of paper into his back pocket. The truth of that would come out soon enough.

  Jack shoved Ben aside but then turned and grabbed his arm. “I’d think long and hard before showing up with that buffoon, Ben. My daughter deserves better.”

  Jack knew. He knew just like the rest of the town knew. Nonetheless, Ben was going to do what was right. “It’s his baby too, Jack.”

  Jack shook his head and headed for the exit. Ben continued back to the banquet room. As soon as he entered, he saw that things had gone seriously downhill since his and Julia’s exit. When Mike said he was ready to start the bachelor party, he hadn’t been kidding. Somehow the lights had been dimmed, and the music from the bar turned on to pipe through the speakers overhead. The tables were shoved aside to open the room for an impromptu dance floor. Mike forme
d his own little club in the banquet room.

  In the middle of the dance floor, Mike and Sarah gyrated to the music. Ben couldn’t even believe it. Mike hadn’t gotten strippers, but a handful of Sarah’s ass seemed to be an adequate substitute in his mind.

  It was then that it hit him. Who would be so cruel as to give Clary a note like that right before her wedding? When his eyes met Sarah’s over Mike’s shoulder, he saw something he hadn’t seen since high school. It was the smirk of a cold, calculating, conniving bitch. Ben didn’t fully understand why or how, but his gut told him the list came from Sarah. Sarah was much too smart to be part of the scene in front of him unless she wanted to be, and she had the right motive. She just chose to use Clary to get back at him and Julia.

  Ben flipped the light switch and immediately everyone in the room protested. Mike let go of Sarah blinking in Ben’s direction. He rolled his eyes when he saw Ben standing in the doorway. “It’s my bachelor party, Ben. Get with the program or get out.”

  Blood boiling, Ben closed the gap between the two of them. “Clary is on her way to the hospital, Mike. We need to leave. Now.”

  Mike blinked again, and this time Ben saw some semblance of his friend beneath the drunken exterior. “What’s wrong with Clary?”

  “It’s the baby, Mike.”

  Several people in the room gasped.

  “Let’s go,” Mike said.

  “Give me your keys. I’ll drive,” Ben said, holding out his hand. Mike struggled to pull the keys out of his pocket. He slapped them into Ben’s hand and wobbled toward the door.

  “I’ll go with you,” Sarah said. “Just let me get my purse.”

  Ben caught her arm. “I catch you anywhere near Clary Bell again, I’ll make you sorry.”

  “What are you talking about, Ben?” Her innocent tone grated on his nerves.

  “I don’t know what game you were playing by giving her that list, Sarah, but so help me if anything happens to that baby I will find a way to let the whole town know what you did. Clary’s done with you. We’re all done with you.” He didn’t wait to see her reaction. “We’ll call everyone when we have news,” he said to the rest of the room.