“I appreciate that, Adrian,” Ben said, standing up and putting his hand out to shake hers. “I will consider your suggestion. It’s the most promising thing I’ve heard all day.”
Disgusted, Ben drove back home. He had thought about going to Yellowstone to sit and think, but he couldn’t muster up the motivation to do it. All he felt like doing was taking a nap. Sulking, some would call it. He preferred the term “regrouping.”
His mother was indeed away on a business trip for a few days, so he had no fear of being summoned to her study during that time. Still, as he walked through the halls of his home, he felt an outsider for the first time in his life. Were the maids and the butler looking strangely at him? Was that sympathy or disappointment in their faces? Scrubbing his hand through his hair, he headed for his rec room. Lucas wouldn’t be there, of course, but at least he could take refuge in his solitude. It was all he had left…until his mother took that, too. First Abbie was taken away from him and now everything else. He hadn’t felt this badly about life since his father died. He wondered how he could find her to talk to her. He thought about how his mother was controlling matters, destroying his phone and having his account deleted, and it made him want to bite something.
Just before he reached his rooms, Claire Roberts came around the corner and caught sight of him. He really didn’t want to talk to the Housekeeper, but he couldn’t be rude to her either. Her face had a soft expression, her eyes lidded and her mouth in as close to a pout as he had ever seen. It reminded him of the look she had when he had found a baby bird when he was a child, one that had fallen out of its nest, and he brought it to her to nurse back to health.
“Master Benjamin,” she said.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Roberts,” he said politely, trying his best to smile though his misery.
“I was just thinking of you this morning,” she said. That was a strange thing to say. Her job was basically to take care of him. Well, his home, anyway, but still. It was strange.
“I remember,” she continued, “when your father was not too much older than you. He had a friend, and those two were inseparable. His name was Jacob Johnson, but Mr. Mason always called him JJ. You probably don’t remember him.”
Why is she telling me this? “No, I’m afraid I don’t recall. I don’t really remember any of my father’s friends. I always just assumed he was so busy working that he didn’t have many.”
“That’s true, yes,” the Housekeeper said. “But that was only later. Before he met Ms. Huntsman, he had friends, and among them JJ was the closest.” A pained look came over her face, but she smoothed it away and continued. “Ms. Huntsman did not like him spending his time with his friends and neglecting her, and she seemed to take a special dislike to JJ. But I fear I am being inappropriate in speaking about this.” She patted her gray hair, curled up tight in her typical bun.
“That is interesting, Mrs. Roberts,” Ben said, “but I am not feeling well right now, so if you will excuse me, I think I’ll lie down.”
“Of course, of course,” she said. “I do ramble on. The point. I’ll get to the point. When your father was given a choice, he cut off ties with his former friends. Because of some support and good advice he had given your father, JJ was given some starting capital to develop a business. He chose to open a restaurant in Custer. You know, in South Dakota. He is still there, according to the last information I had about him.”
She reached into the pocket of her uniform and drew out a small piece of paper. “Custer. JJ never blamed your father for choosing his wife over him. He would probably love to see Mr. Mason’s son, maybe enough to help him out if that son ever needed anything. I just thought maybe you would like to know a little bit about your father’s past. For no particular reason, you understand.”
Ben took the note and scanned it. A name and address, even a phone number. He looked down at the woman who had been in his life for almost his entire twenty-six years. When it finally hit him what she had done, the risk she had taken—she could easily lose her job for this—his eyes became liquid. Impulsively, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. “Mrs. Roberts, you are an angel. You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you so much.”
The round woman seemed flustered, no doubt because of the impropriety of him hugging her. “Not at all. Just an old woman thinking about the past and sharing little stories of a boy’s father. A man’s father. How you have grown.” She shook her head and sniffled, looking like she might cry. “Well, Master Benjamin, I have work to do. I hope the rest of your day is better than the first part.”
Ben smiled at her, the first genuine smile he had for days. “It definitely will be. Thank you so much, Mrs. Roberts. I will miss you.”
“I will miss you, too, Master Benjamin. You remind me so much of your father. Good luck to you. I hope to see you again soon.”
Ben hugged her again, and she hurried off. He looked at the paper in his hand. Custer. Well, that was as good a place as any. He had things to do. For the first time that day, he felt like there may be some hope left for him.
Chapter 30
Ben packed some clothes and a few personal items into a suitcase and walked out of his room. As he made his way to the front door, memories of every inch of the house assailed him. Running through the halls as a child, parties his father used to throw, dozens of other little insignificant scenes flashed through his mind. No, not insignificant. Just mundane. He cherished every one of them.
He would miss this house; he had lived here all his life. The hope that he would be able to come back some day pulsed in him. His mother couldn’t hold a grudge forever, could she? Not with her own son. But he wasn’t so sure. Some of the stories he’d heard about her business dealings made him even warier of his mother than he was from his personal experience. He’d have to see how it turned out. For now, he had to leave.
He reached the door and took one last look around at the grand entryway. Then he turned and went through the door to his waiting car, closing it behind him.
Ben had decided a phone call out of the blue wouldn’t be appropriate. If he was going to ask a man he didn’t remember ever meeting for help, he would do it in person. That was the respectful thing to do. It was quite a drive, but he figured he had nothing if he didn’t have time.
The drive to Custer was about six hours through rolling hills, mountains, and plains. He had traveled those roads before, but not in years, and he enjoyed the open road, the thought that he was doing something for himself, something that wasn’t tied to his mother’s power. It made him feel—how could he describe it?—grown up. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.
When he finally reached Custer, he was tired from his job-searching earlier in the day and from the long drive. He thought of getting a motel room, but it was the last week of July, right in the middle of tourist season, so he probably wouldn’t be able to find a vacancy. Besides, he had a limited amount of cash and didn’t really want to spend it on a room unless he had to. If, after he found JJ, the man couldn’t help him, he’d just sleep in his car or make the long drive back home.
Custer was a small town with most of its businesses apparently based on the tourist trade. With Mount Rushmore and several other major attractions nearby, it seemed logical. He drove down Highway 16, Mount Rushmore road, his head swiveling to take in the scenery.
The word he would have had to use for the city was “quaint.” Many of the buildings were rustic and life-sized statues of buffalo stood at just about every intersection. Some of them were painted wildly, in stars and stripes or even solid purple. Ben laughed at that. With an eye on his GPS, he headed toward his destination.
He had briefly entertained the thought of sleeping in his car and trying to find JJ the next day, but he was hungry and needed to eat, so he figured he would kill two birds with one stone and find the restaurant. No time like the present.
Ben followed the GPS directions and made it to the restaurant JJ owned. It was called “JJ’s Place,” a
steakhouse, with the dishes mainly centered around cuts of red meat, but they had chicken, some different international dishes, and even a vegetarian meal or two.
A kindly older woman named Mabel, according to her name tag, greeted Ben. She looked at him strangely, as if she recognized him, but just shook her head and led him to a table. When she had him settled and started to walk away, Ben asked her about the man he had come to see.
“Is JJ around?” he said.
The woman narrowed her eyes and looked at him as if she was trying to figure out if he was teasing her. Her expression became more pleasant, but still curious. “Yeah, he’s helping out in the kitchen. One of the cooks called in sick.”
“Could you please let him know that Hank Mason’s son, Ben, is here? I’d like to see him, if he can spare a few minutes.”
“Ben Mason?” the woman said, a smile breaking through her previously suspicious expression. “Little Benjie?”
“Please,” he said, face reddening. He hadn’t heard that name in more than twenty years. “Just Ben.”
“You don’t remember me,” she said. “But of course, you wouldn’t. The last time I saw you was when you were three or four years old. I should have recognized you. You look just like your father when he was your age. It is so good to see you.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “But I’m blabbering when you want to talk to JJ. Let me go get him. We can catch up after you two talk. Ben Mason. It is so good to see you.” She hurried off toward the kitchen.
Ben hadn’t even ordered yet when an older man, tall and skinny as a scarecrow, came up to his booth. His age worn face looked as if he had been through a lifetime of challenges but had come out victorious. There was a regal aspect in how his steady gaze met Ben’s eyes and scanned him briefly before lighting up. His face, wrinkled but still firm, broke into a smile. Swiping a lock of gray hair that had fallen from his cook’s hat, he reached his hand out to Ben.
“Ben Mason,” he said, shaking Ben’s hand firmly. He had a strong grip. “I couldn’t believe it when Mabel told me you were out here. Just look at you. All grown up and looking as good as your father ever did.”
His smile faltered. “I’m so sorry to hear about his death. I figured he’d live forever, and I’m not the only one who hoped he would. He was a saint, that man, a true gentleman and humanitarian. The world lost something the day he left it.”
“Thanks, JJ,” Ben said. “I feel the same way. I have never heard anyone say anything negative about him. I only hope I can be half the man he was.”
“I’m sure you will be, Ben. With his blood in you, I’m sure you will be. So, then, what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
“Well, that’s a bit of a story. If it’s not too much trouble, could I stick around until closing time and then we can take the time to talk? Mabel told me that you were covering for one of the cooks, so I know you’re busy. If you don’t mind me taking up a booth, I can eat and then wait around until you can really talk. Is there anything I can do to help out?”
“That sounds great,” the old man said. “Thanks for the offer to help, but we’ll be fine. Just like your father, always thinking of others. Sit and enjoy your dinner. We’ll be done in no time. It’s only an hour until closing time.”
“Okay,” Ben said. “You’re sure I can’t do anything to help?”
“Young man,” Mabel said, “trying to help is one thing, but don’t overdo it. You are to sit there and eat your dinner and patiently wait until we are done. Not another word out of you.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ben said, smiling at the old woman. She reminded him of Mrs. Roberts.
After ordering and receiving his food, Ben sat there eating it, thinking about his situation. He wasn’t sure how JJ could help him out, but just talking to someone who knew his father lightened his mood. He still thought of Abbie with every other thought, but at least he was doing something productive. He hoped he was.
When the restaurant closed and everything was cleaned up and put away, JJ and Mabel bid goodnight to the employees who were still there helping to close and then came to sit with Ben.
JJ lowered himself to the seat with a grunt. “I’m getting too old for this,” he grumbled.
“Oh, hush,” Mabel said. “You’ve been saying that for years. You still work circles around all these youngsters.” She patted his hand and smiled at him.
The man turned to Ben. “So, young Ben. Do you like to be called Ben or Benjamin? I’ve heard everyone calls you Benjamin.”
“I prefer Ben among friends,” Ben said. “Please call me Ben.”
The old man’s face crinkled into a smile. “Ben it is, then. So, what brings you all the way out here?”
“I’m kind of in a tough spot,” Ben said. “My mother decided I would be married to a woman in another family with money, but I don’t love her. In fact, I can’t stand her. She’s beautiful and everything, but she’s a horrible person. Well, maybe that’s too harsh, but I don’t get along with her, and I don’t like her personality.”
A look passed between the two, as if they knew something about the situation but didn’t want to say so. He disregarded it and continued.
“I finally got fed up with it all and told my mother I wouldn’t marry Penelope—that’s the girl’s name—and there was nothing she could do to make me. She threatened to cut me off if I didn’t change my mind. I told her nothing would change my mind and I wouldn’t marry Penelope and that was all there was to it. I figured she was bluffing about cutting me off.
“She wasn’t. I tried to find a job locally, but she has made sure that I can’t get a job anywhere. She’s too powerful for any of the businesses to defy. I was trying to figure out what to do when Mrs. Roberts told me about you.”
“Claire is still there?” Mabel asked. “She’s a lovely woman.”
“Yes,” Ben said. “She told me about you and where to find you. I didn’t remember you. She said maybe you could help me get a job or something.”
JJ sat silent, considering, for a moment. “I just might be able to help you at that. It’s a shame that you are in such a predicament, but I agree with you. Marriage is one of life’s greatest pleasures, if you marry someone you love.” He reached out and took Mabel’s hand in his own and patted it with his other. “There’s no better reason to stand up to adversity. Your father said almost those very same words to me once.
“Truth is, I’ve been wanting someone to manage the restaurant for me. I’m trying to spend less time here, but I haven’t been successful so far. I think a smart young fella like you would probably do a good job, allow me to forget the place for a day or two, get some fishing in.”
“JJ, that’s very nice of you, but I don’t know anything about restaurants. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Oh, it’s not all that hard. My head cook and some of the others have been here for years. They can let you know if you’re confused. I can teach you all I know in no time. What do you say? Would you help an old man out?”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Ben said. He looked over and saw Mabel smiling and nodding her head. “That would be great. I just can’t promise how long I’ll be here. I’m not sure what will happen with my mother. I may be here a long time or only a few months. I don’t want you to spend all that effort teaching me and then have me leave.”
“We’ll worry about that if and when it happens,” JJ said. “I know you’re not going to make a career out of it. I heard you went and got some fancy degree at the university. Even if your mother never comes around, you’ll want a higher-paying job eventually. We’ll help each other out now, and it’ll all settle out eventually.”
“Thank you so much for this, JJ. It really helps a lot. I’ll take you up on it.”
“Good, it’s settled then.” JJ looked him up and down. “You really do look an awful lot like your father. Brings back memories. Do you have a place to stay?”
“Uh, no,” Ben said. “I just got to town. I’ll find
something, though.”
“Nonsense,” Mabel interrupted. “You can come and stay with us. We have a couple of extra rooms since the boys moved out and you are more than welcome. You may want to get your own place later, but for now, it’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
Ben felt warm in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, except for when he was with Abbie. It felt like…he didn’t know…family. He agreed and the three closed up the restaurant and headed home. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was much more than he had expected earlier in the day. He had time now. Time to figure out what he’d do, time to think. Time to decide how to survive without Abbie.
Chapter 31
Abbie took her time driving back home. She wasn’t much in the mood for people, even family. She drove through Yellowstone National park, the shortest distance between the Huntsman Estate and Aqua Terra, enjoying the trees and the occasional sighting of an elk or a buffalo as she went. Tears came and went until her eyes felt crusty and her face puffy.
How could she have been so stupid? Why would she think that Ben would actually be interested in her? She was, as far as he knew, just a maid. He was rich and handsome and such a great guy. Of course he had ulterior motives in asking to marry her so soon. Still, she had believed he was trustworthy and that he really cared about her.
When Arianna told her about what she had heard, Abbie didn’t believe it at first. She’d always had a small doubt and that doubt had been confirmed as valid. She felt like a fool. She felt betrayed. She felt…lonely.
Anyway, it was over. All she had to do was to wait until time smoothed it all away, until every thought that came into her head was not of Ben. Wasn’t that how it worked with her mother leaving her? She should have known that falling in love so quickly was not possible. For him, anyway. Her love was true, she knew. False love couldn’t hurt this much. Oh, what was she doing even thinking about it? It only made it all worse.
Water & Flame (Witches of the Elements Series Book 1) Page 18