by M. Malone
Worse, he hadn’t even called her. Was he really not even going to try to explain this?
There was a light on in the living room. Mrs. Hillard usually spent the night in the guestroom when she babysat so she wasn’t shocked to see the light. However, when she stepped in the room to cut it off, she was shocked to discover Don asleep on the couch.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
Katie dropped her handbag on the floor and bounded up the stairs. The guest room door was open and the bed was made. Her heart racing, she pushed open the door to the room her sons shared. Hunter was in the top bunk as usual and Matthew was fast asleep on the bottom. Carter was asleep on the attached pull out trundle bed.
Katie closed the door gently on her way out. Where was Mrs. Hillard? She’d met the older woman at church and she’d become almost a surrogate grandmother to her kids. She wouldn’t have left without a good reason. Not to mention that none of it explained why Don was asleep on her couch.
Downstairs, she shook Don’s arm until he woke up. He grunted and turned his head toward the wall. At this angle, she noticed that he had a lot more gray hair than before. Apparently living the single life wasn’t as much fun as he’d thought it would be. She shook her head.
After several more attempts to wake him, she finally turned on the overhead light.
“What? What time is it?” He blinked blearily into the light.
“It’s the middle of the night. What are you doing here? And where is Mrs. Hillard?”
Don grunted again. “When I got here she said something about forgetting her medication. So I told her to go home since I would be here. She said she’d come get Carter tomorrow.”
Katie relaxed. Slightly. "That explains why she's gone but it doesn't explain why you're here in the first place."
“I have a medical conference in Newport News tomorrow.”
“Okay? I still don’t understand what that has to do with you sleeping on my couch. Aren't those conferences usually held at a hotel? Why didn't you book a room there?"
"I shouldn't have to book a hotel room for a local conference.” His words slurred slightly as he struggled to his feet.
What the hell? Katie shook her head in disbelief. "Are you drunk?"
"A couple of us were out at the bar before this. So what?"
He took a closer step and Katie held her hand over her nose. If he'd been closer before she wouldn't have had to ask if he'd been drinking. The smell of alcohol clung to him and the whiff of eau de roadside bar that washed over her was almost enough to make her tipsy, too.
"I wanted to come see you. I missed you. I miss the boys," he whined.
If anything, he probably missed having someone to clean up after him and make sure his dress shirts were starched the way he liked. But she swallowed her annoyance. As much as he’d hurt her, she’d vowed not to allow her personal feelings to keep him from their children. Hunter and Matthew pretended not to notice but it was obvious how much they missed their dad.
"Okay, I'm glad you're here to see the kids but I'm not going to wake them in the middle of the night. You should have gotten a hotel and come in the morning."
"I should be able to sleep in my own damn house!" Don's belligerent shout startled her and she took a step back, stumbling over the edge of the couch.
"It's not your house anymore."
"I paid for it", he grumbled.
Katie rolled her eyes at the predictable reply. He'd loved to rub her nose in the fact that he brought home all the money.
"Yeah, well so did I. With blood, sweat and tears as I took care of our kids and took care of you, too. Not that it matters anymore. You did me a favor when you left."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I would have never known what I was missing if you hadn't left. Dating is actually fun and there are men out there who know way more about how to please a woman. I'm having fun for the first time in years."
Don looked livid and for the first time, Katie was actually afraid of him. She swallowed over the lump that grew in her throat as he advanced on her but she refused to back down. He wasn't getting that from her.
"Now I want you to leave. Our children are asleep upstairs and I don't want them to wake up and see you like this."
A touch of vulnerability entered Don’s expression. “I can’t afford a hotel right now.” He fidgeted with the edge of his wrinkled shirt. “I’m having a little trouble at work.”
Katie didn’t say anything. Experience with Don told her that he’d spill the truth if she just let him keep talking. Sure enough, the silence was too much for him.
A few seconds later, he continued. “Some asshole said I was drunk at work. I wasn’t, by the way.”
Katie waved away the explanation. “Is this why you haven’t been paying child support?”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I’ll pay it. I just need a little time.”
“Why didn’t you just stay with your girlfriend?”
When he didn’t answer, Katie suddenly understood why he was there. Not only was he having trouble at work but he was also struggling to pay off the costs of their divorce and his child support. Now that he didn’t have as much money to spend on her, his girlfriend had probably left him. She almost laughed. Karma had a twisted sense of humor.
When he moved toward the door, Katie bit her tongue. She couldn’t let him leave and possibly drive drunk and hurt someone. He was a mess right now but maybe if he had a little support, he could get it together. For her children’s benefit, she could deal with having him around temporarily.
“Don’t go out there. You’ve been drinking and it’s not safe. You can stay in the guest room.”
He nodded and for the first time in years, she saw a little glimpse of the man she’d married. The one who’d cared about more than himself.
“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Katie followed him up the stairs and waited until he was in the guest room before she went to her own room. As she went through her usual nighttime routine, washing her face, brushing her teeth and moisturizing, she decided that tomorrow she was calling Don’s parents. He might not want to admit it but he needed help from someone. She wasn’t relying on his promises to get it together anymore.
She was tired of empty promises.
♥
Not calling Katie was one of the hardest things Bennett had ever done.
He’d cleaned up some project notes, sterilized the entire lab and then gone online to play a game of virtual chess against Grant. Which he lost.
That alone was proof that he was emotionally disturbed.
Bennett woke up on Saturday morning with a slight headache but a plan. He would go to Katie’s house and surprise her with breakfast. He wouldn’t cook (he wanted her to forgive him not get food poisoning), and then he would ask her to come with him to the awards ceremony. Olivia would understand and she’d be thrilled to meet his girlfriend afterward.
Bennett wasn’t sure why he’d reacted so badly to the idea of calling off his evening with Olivia at first. Probably just leftover worry that having a girlfriend would mean leaving everything he cared about behind.
But he was a grown man and secure in who he was. This was an entirely different scenario than his failed past relationships. He trusted that Katie really liked him as he was and wasn’t going to try to change him. Actually Katie had been resistant to the idea of changing him even when he’d asked her to do it.
As he got dressed, Bennett smiled at himself in the mirror. He should have trusted in her from the beginning. When it came down to it, he had very good taste in women.
He stopped by the grocery store and purchased breakfast sandwiches, croissants, fruit and a sad looking bouquet of flowers. Bennett wrinkled his nose at the faded blooms. He could only hope that it was the thought that counted since it was too early for the florist to be open. When he finally parked in Katie’s driveway, his brow furrowed when he noted the unfamiliar vehicle park
ed in the driveway.
The babysitter. Of course.
Katie had mentioned that she had a babysitter staying with the boys while she was hanging out with her friends. He was glad he’d purchased additional food so there would be enough for everyone. He got out of the car and decided to come back for the food. It would ruin the effect if she opened the door to Bennett laden down with packages and couldn’t even see his face.
He grabbed the flowers off the passenger seat and walked up to the door. Before he could knock, it opened and a man stepped out onto the porch.
When the guy finally noticed him, he stopped. “Oh hello. It’s a little early for deliveries, isn’t it?”
Bennett was so shocked at the sight of a man leaving Katie’s house in the early morning that he didn’t bother to correct him. Who was this? Katie had clearly said that her babysitter was an older woman with a grandson. The man before him was probably only a few years older than he was, so mid-thirties, but he wasn’t carrying it well. His hair was liberally threaded with gray and the large bags under his eyes made him look bloated and tired.
It should have been consolation that the guy leaving her house wasn’t some young stud but Bennett couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding. Especially since he had a pretty decent idea who this guy was.
“I’m here for Katie.”
The guy reached out for the flowers. “Yeah, I’ll give them to her for you. Like I said, it’s a little early for deliveries.”
“I’m not a delivery man. I’m a friend of Katie’s.”
His words made the other man take a closer look at him. His beady dark eyes narrowed as he took in Bennett’s tailored shirt and slacks. “Well, she’s not awake yet. She’s a little tired after last night. I’m just going to get breakfast for us now. We worked up an appetite last night, ya know? I’m Donald Mason. Her husband.”
Bennett gritted his teeth at the implication. “Aren’t you her ex-husband? Katie said you’re divorced.”
Don drew himself up to his full height, which was still half a foot shorter than Bennett.
“That was a mistake. Katie wants to keep our family together as much as I do.”
Bennett’s fingers tightened around the stem of the flowers. “Interesting how so many men discover they care about family after they’ve destroyed theirs.”
Don looked annoyed and then suddenly chuckled. “You must be the guy Katie is working for. The weirdo. Yeah she told me about you.”
Ice flashed through Bennett’s veins at the word. One he hadn’t heard in so long. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, she told me she was working for some guy who was really strange. Anything for a paycheck, she said. But she won’t be doing that much longer. I’m back now so she can focus on taking care of the kids. That’s what she’s always wanted, you know?”
Bennett was squeezing the flowers so hard that the stems cut into his skin. Had Katie talked about him with her ex? He thought about all the time they’d spent together and how much fun they’d had over the past few weeks. Could that really have all been just to get paid? He didn’t believe it. Or at least he didn’t want to. But then he thought about everything that had happened between them and how utterly unlikely it was that a woman like Katie would truly enjoy spending time with someone like him. What was more likely, that Katie was the one woman in the world who could appreciate him or that she was just smiling to keep her job?
He flexed his fingers.
“Yeah, I know. I hope she gets everything she’s always wanted.”
Bennett left, wondering how it was possible that he was walking upright when it felt like he’d been shattered from the inside out.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
♥
One week later …
Bennett laughed at something the man sitting on his left said. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was talking about. He was sitting at a large circular table filled with strangers, their only connection that they all volunteered their time mentoring youth in their field.
As usual, Olivia could tell when he needed a rescue. She placed a hand over his arm in a comforting gesture before turning to the man. “Congratulations on your tenure, Dr. Marks. That’s quite an accomplishment. And so young!”
The man next to him blushed and stuttered under Olivia’s praise. “I’m not the youngest to achieve tenure at the university. Second youngest, but not bad, I suppose.”
Bennett tuned out the rest of the conversation, wishing they could leave. He’d already received his award and mercifully, hadn’t been asked to make a speech. Now he really just wanted to go but he wouldn’t do that to Olivia. She’d been so excited to see him when he’d arrived at her apartment earlier that day.
They'd decided against going out to eat first, choosing to suffer through whatever chicken surprise was offered as dinner during the award ceremony. Olivia had barely touched her chicken and asparagus so they’d probably be going for burgers afterward.
Honestly, maybe if he suggested it now, they could leave early. He hated to do that when she’d gone out of her way to accompany him to the event but knowing Liv, she’d be more excited about the burgers than anything going on here.
He turned to ask her and that’s when he noticed it. Her hand was on his arm. She's touching me voluntarily.
He grinned, imagining Katie's reaction. If she were here, she'd be pointing and saying, "That's the signal. She likes you!"
Then he remembered that Katie wouldn’t be grinning at him at all. She thought he was a weirdo. Bennett’s heart clenched at the thought even after days of turning that hurtful phrase over and over in his mind. He’d left her a message telling her that he was going out of town and that she didn’t need to come to work that week so he’d have time to figure out what he wanted to do. It would be difficult to see her every day now that he knew what she really thought of him. She was probably thrilled that he’d been out of town all week so she could spend time with her ex-husband. The guy she’d married.
The one who treated her like garbage.
“Yikes, this chicken is even worse than it looks,” Liv whispered. “Maybe we can pick up some pizza on the way home.”
“Excellent idea. Let’s do that.” He stood and placed his napkin on the seat.
A startled Olivia followed suit. She made their excuses and then followed him through the crowd. The director of the Mentor Science program stopped him to congratulate him on his award and Bennett mustered all his patience not to blow the guy off. Apparently there was someone there he wanted Bennett to meet. He should have known that making a quick getaway was not in the cards.
Once the director walked away, he turned and noticed Olivia staring at him. If he hadn’t been so caught up in his own problems he would have noticed how tired and drawn she looked earlier. All at once, he was ashamed. Olivia had been dealing with relationship problems also and he hadn’t even thought to ask how things were going. Some friend he was.
“Are you okay, Boo?”
For once she didn’t protest at the nickname. “I’m going to be fine. Tell me about what’s new with your family. I haven’t seen everyone since Nick’s wedding.”
Over the next hour, he showed her pictures of Jackson’s two boys, Chris and Jase, and a picture of Nick’s daughter, Jada. Olivia cooed over the baby and promised to come visit soon so she could see them all in person. Somehow, he even found himself on the dance floor. Seeing Olivia laugh at his attempt to emulate the newest dance craze made the discomfort worth it.
Maybe everyone else thought he was weird but with Olivia he’d always fit in.
After the song ended, Olivia motioned toward the French doors on the other side of the ballroom. “Let’s take a walk. It’s nice outside this evening.”
Bennett looked around but didn’t see any sign of the program director. He didn’t want to be rude and leave without meeting whoever it was the director had mentioned, so they might as well enjoy themselves in the meantime. He accepted the hand Olivia held out.
“
Sure. The director mentioned that the gardens in this hotel are exceptional. I’d love to see what kind of plants they used.”
He’d heard all night that the gardens were a must see. So he followed Olivia through the crowd until they reached the French doors he’d seen people coming and going from all night. As soon as they stepped outside, Bennett was glad they’d come.
Even Olivia appreciated the artistry because her eyes sparkled in delight as she looked at the life-sized maze of hedges. He could have done without the artificial lights woven through the foliage but she seemed to love it.
“This is beautiful.”
Bennett walked up to the hedges. “Interesting. I was expecting Boxwoods but it appears they’ve gone with American Arborvitae.”
Normally he would have wanted a closer look but tonight, it felt like he was just going through the motions. If Katie were here, she would love the romanticism of walking through a garden at night. The thought made him sad that he’d never get to show her this. That he’d never get to show her anything ever again.
He turned from his study of the hedges when Olivia grabbed his hand.
“Bennett. I wanted to say thank you for bringing me with you tonight. This has been a lot of fun. I’ve missed just hanging out with you.”
“I’ve missed hanging out with you, too.”
It was true. He’d always loved spending time with her. Olivia was his oldest and dearest friend. Bennett was incredibly glad that he hadn’t canceled on her. He would have done it if he’d thought it would make Katie happy. That was the most pathetic part. He would have done anything and meanwhile she was laughing at him with her ex-husband.
Olivia didn’t laugh at him. Olivia was currently perfectly happy to allow him to examine the greenery and marvel over the soil conditions even though she probably couldn’t care less about those things. Olivia liked him.
Then she grabbed him by his collar and kissed him. Olivia kissed him. On the lips.