Business as Usual (Off The Subject)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  “Okay.”

  I make a cup of coffee and am starting to clean up the kitchen from last night when I notice the paper Ben was huddled over. I lean over the counter and realize he’s created a list of things to look for, along with places to look. He’s thought of things I haven’t, like a sequence of numbers and binary code. I’m still studying the paper when he comes back into the kitchen, his hair dripping wet.

  “Anything to add?” he asks, swiping his empty cup from the counter and putting it under the coffee maker.

  “No, in fact, I would never have come up with some of these.”

  He grins, but it’s not as playful as usual. “I was trying to think like him. He’s a computer geek, though. I’m more a trig and calculus guy.”

  “Do you think we’ll find anything in the lab?”

  He takes a deep breath and releases it. “Honestly, I don’t know. Like I said, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would leave evidence lying around. He’s meticulous to a fault. I think he’s going to have done a damn good job of covering his tracks.”

  I nod, trying to hide my disappointment.

  “Hey,” he says, trying to sound lighter. “No one’s perfect, though, so maybe he fucked up somewhere.”

  I shake my head and laugh. “I’m not sure which one to hope for.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “I’m going to make eggs for breakfast,” I say and open the refrigerator to pull out the carton. “How do you like your eggs?”

  His eyebrows lift and a grin spreads across his face as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Why do I think this sounds like a test?”

  “It’s not. It’s a simple question. Fried? Sunny side up? Scrambled?”

  “What if I want eggs Benedict?”

  I put a hand on my hip. “Then you’re out of luck.”

  “Scrambled,” he mutters over the rim of his mug. “And I’m more than a little afraid of what that says about me.”

  I walk over and pull a bowl from the cabinet. “It means you like scrambled eggs.”

  He holds his cup out and away from his body but snags his free arm around my waist, pulling me to him. His face lowers until it’s just inches from mine, and he stares into my eyes. “And how do you like your eggs, Ms. Pendergraft?”

  “Scrambled. Just like you.”

  His grin spreads, lighting up his eyes. “See? The stars have aligned. We were meant to be together.”

  I kiss him again and then pull out of his grasp. “On a planet with nearly seven billion people, what are the odds of finding someone else who likes scrambled eggs?”

  He tilts his head to the side with a smirk. “Mock me if you’d like, but I notice you’re barefoot and working in the kitchen again, so who gets the last laugh?”

  I’m happy to see his lightheartedness has returned. When I’m done, we sit side by side at the bar as we eat and there’s a familiarity I don’t expect. The beginning of a relationship is usually full of awkward moments and pauses, but I realize I’ve never experienced that with him.

  I find myself staring at him for lengthy stretches of time and he notices. He leans forward and gives me the most gentle of kisses, butterfly soft. “Let’s get moving.”

  I put the plates in the dishwasher as Ben reads his list. “Ideally, I’d love to crack his passwords, but I think we have a better chance of a meteorite striking the earth and sending us into an ice age.”

  “I could ask Caroline, but I’m worried she’ll ask questions. It’s a suspicious request.”

  His eyebrows lift in surprise. “Do you think he would have told her?”

  “I don’t know.” I give a half shrug. “They were really, really close. They spent almost every spare moment together until Reed started pulling away when this whole mess started.”

  “That’s pretty sad.”

  “Yeah.” The guilt eats at me.

  He leans across the counter and grabs my hand. “Alexa, don’t do that. You are not responsible for your brother’s relationship.”

  “Aren’t I? If it weren’t for me, they’d still be together.”

  “If it weren’t for you, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t have been together at all. Does that make you responsible for the health of their relationship for the rest of your life?”

  “No, but they split up because of me. Because Reed is trying to protect me.”

  “No, they split up because Reed kept secrets from Caroline. Granted, he did it to protect you both, but that’s the real reason.”

  I stare into his eyes. “Don’t keep secrets from me, okay? Even if you think they’ll hurt me.”

  He hesitates, and then a goofy grin spreads across his face. “My heart is laid bare for you, Alexa.”

  I shake my head. “Come on. Let’s get started.”

  We start searching Reed and Caroline’s room. When Ben opens a drawer full of Caroline’s lingerie, he takes a step back and lifts his hands in the air. “Whoa. Nothing makes you feel more like a creeper than going through your boss-slash-girlfriend’s-brother’s-fiancée’s lingerie. You look through it.”

  “I don’t want to go through it. I don’t want to think about her wearing it with my brother.”

  “Well, someone has to and it’s not going to be me.”

  I realize what he’s just said. “You called me your girlfriend.”

  He looks up from the next drawer he’s begun searching and then straightens to standing. “Do you like me?”

  I shudder in surprise. “Of course. How can you even ask that?”

  “Do you want to be with me?”

  “You know I do.”

  “You know how I feel about you, so what’s the big deal?” He shrugs. “It’s a title. A label.”

  I can’t help but chuckle. “You have no idea how much you sounded like Reed just now. I’m going to chalk it up to left brain domination.”

  He cringes. “Wow. I’m not sure whether to feel horrified or flattered.”

  I smile and wrap my hands around the back of his neck. “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “You are a demanding woman. Is this what I have to look forward too? You ordering me to kiss you?”

  “I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out.” I cock an eyebrow. “And you still haven’t kissed me.”

  His mouth lowers to mine, hovering less than an inch away. “Like this?”

  “No.”

  His mouth moves to the corner of my mouth. His lips brush along my cheek, his warm breath sending shivers up my spine. “Like this?”

  “No,” I say, breathless.

  His mouth returns to mine, his tongue barely outlining my lips. “Like this?”

  A jolt of desire spreads through my abdomen and my knees weaken. “No,” I moan.

  His mouth finds mine, hard and demanding as one hand grips the back of my head, the other pressing firmly on my back.

  I cling to him, wanting more.

  “I have absolutely no will power with you,” he murmurs when he lifts his head. “You have no idea how much I want to take you to your room and strip you naked. All from just a kiss.”

  A shiver of desire spreads across my skin.

  He stares into my eyes. “But we have to find clues about Reed.” His arms drop and he places a chaste kiss on my lips. “So no seducing me, you siren.”

  “Ever?” I ask, mischievously.

  “No, just the next hour or so.”

  We spend about forty-five minutes searching without finding anything. Ben shakes his head as he takes a final look around the room. “This isn’t a good sign. I’d expect any clues to be in here.”

  “But we’re still going to look at the math lab, right?”

  “Of course, just don’t get your hopes up.” He pauses. “Maybe it’s time to call Caroline.”

  “Yeah.” I know he’s right. But I did such a bad job of deflecting her questions the last time we spoke that I worry how I’ll manage now. “I need to get my cell phone. I think I left it in my purse.”

 
Ben follows me to the kitchen.

  My phone is at the top and I check the screen for any missed calls, finding none. The last call received was Todd’s number. I have Caroline’s number on speed dial, so it only takes a second to make the call. “Hey, Lex. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” I hedge. “I have an unusual request.”

  She answers hesitantly, “Okay.”

  “You’ll want to ask questions, but I’m begging you to wait until later for an explanation.”

  “No, Lexi.” Her voice is firm. “Enough secrets.”

  My shoulders sag with disappointment and I look up at Ben.

  “Tell her,” he says.

  My eyes widen and I cover the mouthpiece. “I can’t! What if she’s called to testify?”

  “Hopefully, we’ll stop Reed before he does anything. Tell her. She still won’t really know anything and she deserves to know.”

  “Lexi?” Caroline asks in my ear.

  “Okay,” I sigh. “I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes, but I want to do this in person.”

  “Meet me at Panera in fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  I hang up and look up at Ben and tell him when and where I’m meeting her.

  He looks grim. “Okay. Do you need to do anything else before leaving?”

  “I need to do something to my hair. I’m sure it’s a mess.”

  “It’s perfect.”

  I laugh and kiss him before heading to the bathroom. “You just want to get laid later.”

  “That too.”

  We take Ben’s car to Panera. He pulls into the parking lot and turns off the engine. “Is it okay if I come in with you?”

  I turn to him in surprise. “Of course. I need your help.”

  “Okay.” He gets out of the car and comes around to the passenger side. “Are you going to start off by telling Caroline what’s going on? That’s probably the best way to handle it, since she’ll probably be more on board with helping us.”

  “Yeah, good idea.”

  Caroline is sitting at a table with a coffee cup in front of her. She looks up as we approach, her eyes widening with surprise when they land on Ben.

  “Hey, Caroline.” I put my arm around Ben’s back. “This is Ben Masterson.”

  She’s still staring.

  “We’ve been seeing each other,” I add.

  Ben steps forward and shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you, Caroline. If you want references, I work with Scarlett in the math lab,” he teases. “I’m pretty sure she’ll vouch for me.”

  Recognition spreads over her face. “Yeah, Scarlett’s mentioned you. She likes you, especially after the Tina freak-out on Monday.”

  Ben leans down and kisses my cheek. “I’m going to get a coffee. Do you want anything?”

  I look up at him and smile. “No. I’m good.” My voice softens. “Thank you.”

  He nods and heads toward the counter.

  Caroline’s gaze follows him and then shifts to me as I sit across from her. “He’s in love with you.”

  “What?” I watch him at the counter. He turns around to check on me and when he sees me watching, he lifts his hand and waves, a grin spreading across his face.

  Caroline is watching too. “Yep, he’s a total goner.”

  I shake my head. “No, he can’t be in love with me. We haven’t been together for very long.”

  “Maybe not, but it didn’t take Reed very long either.” She laughs as she gives him another look before returning her gaze to me. “Well, the boy is smitten, we’ll leave it at that.”

  I blush. “Fair enough.”

  “For the record, Scarlett really does sing his praises. What does Reed think about this?”

  My smile falls. “He doesn’t know. Yet.”

  “Understood,” she says. “Sorry I haven’t been there to run interference.”

  “That’s not why I miss you, Caroline. I miss you.” A lump fills my throat and I try to swallow it.

  “I miss you too, Lex.” She grabs her coffee cup with both hands and her eyes turn serious. “So, you said you were going to tell me what’s going on.”

  I nod. “Reed’s going to be furious, but Ben agrees that you need to know.”

  Her mouth lifts on one side. “I like this Ben already.”

  I tell her everything about Reed and what I know. Somewhere in the course of my explanation, I decide to tell her everything, including going out with Tina and Ben helping me when I was drugged. She’s furious with Tina, but grateful that Ben was there to help me. And when I finally finish, she grabs my hand, tears in her eyes. “Why didn’t you and Reed tell me?”

  “I told you. Reed was trying to protect you. He was worried that you’d get in trouble with the cops if you knew everything.”

  Anger fills her eyes. “Damn him and his need to protect everyone. I’m not some delicate flower that’s easily crushed!”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Her voice rises. “And neither are you!”

  “I know.”

  Ben has been hanging in the periphery, but Caroline’s outburst draws him back to the table. “Is everything okay here?” His wary gaze moves from me to Caroline.

  “Relax. She’s fine.” She smirks, turning her attention to me. “He’s a lot like Reed.” Then she smiles at Ben. “Why don’t you sit? Lexi and I have reached the part where you’re about to pump me for all the information I have that might help us stop Reed.”

  Ben slides in next to me and takes my hand in his.

  Caroline’s mouth lifts into a soft smile.

  Ben taps the table with his free hand. “We’re trying to figure out what Reed’s up to and where he actually went. Alexa says he told you he was going to Boston.”

  She nods. “Yes, but he didn’t say why. I presumed it was family stuff since that’s where he and Lexi are from.”

  “Do you have any clues that can help us figure out the passwords to his email accounts or a travel site where he might have bought his plane tickets?”

  “I can do better than clues,” she says. “I have access to the site he uses to book his travel. He wanted me to check airfare for our honeymoon.” Her voice breaks.

  I reach over and grab her hand with my free one. “Everything’s going to be okay, Caroline. We’re going to stop him.”

  Tears fill her eyes as she shakes her head. “Don’t you see, Lexi? Stopping him isn’t going to fix everything. What’s to stop him from doing something like this again?”

  Fear grips my heart. “But you said you wanted to come home.”

  “I do, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. But we have a few other things to resolve before everything’s okay.”

  “Let’s just concentrate on finding him,” Ben says. “Caroline, can you try calling him? I know he’s been a fucked-up mess since you left. I bet he would answer if you reached out to him.”

  She gives him a wary glance. “How do you know he’s been a fucked-up mess?”

  He smirks. “I worked with the dick—” he stops and clears his throat “—the guy. We all experienced the fallout of you leaving him.”

  “Sorry,” she says.

  He shrugs. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “So will you call him?” I ask.

  Her face softens. “Lexi, I still love him more than anything. I want to help him as much as you do. Of course I will.”

  Ben leans forward. “If he answers, be sure to tell him that Alexa has been in contact with the asshole who hurt her. Let Reed know that he can protect her better here than from somewhere else. It’s imperative for him to come home.”

  I turn to him and narrow my gaze. “Why do you want him to think he needs to come home to protect me?”

  Concern lowers his brow. “Alexa, this guy called you yesterday. I’m worried, and if I’m worried, your brother is going to flip out. This is what will drive him home.”

  “But how do you know it won’t drive hi
m to do the very thing we’re trying to prevent?”

  “Call it a hunch. Your immediate safety takes precedence over your long-term safety. If what he’s up to was so easy to set into action, he would have done it already.”

  My stomach is a bundle of nerves. “I hope you’re right.”

  He leans over and kisses me gently. “Trust me.”

  “Okay.” I stare into his eyes for several seconds before I remember Caroline is watching us.

  She’s already holding her phone in her hand. “While you two cuties had your tête-à-tête, I looked up Reed’s travel account. You’re right. He flew into Boston the day he left, and then he landed in JFK yesterday. He’s staying in a hotel in Manhattan.”

  Ben’s mouth presses together. “Maybe he’s there to try and dig up dirt on Todd’s family’s corporation.”

  Caroline shakes her head. “I’m going to call him and put an end to this nonsense.” She gets up from the table and walks away.

  I don’t realize I’m holding my breath while I watch her until my chest begins to burn. It looks like he’s answered and Caroline’s voice floats across the restaurant. She pushes through the doors and starts pacing on the sidewalk, shaking her pointed finger as though he can see her.

  “That Caroline is something else,” Ben murmurs. “No wonder Reed was so upset when she left him. I bet she keeps him on his toes.”

  I lean my head against his shoulder, praying that Caroline can talk some sense into my brother. I’m watching her when she suddenly stops pacing and turns her back to us, huddling with the phone. After several minutes, she wipes tears off her cheeks, lowers the phone, and comes back inside.

  Her eyes are red from crying when she sits down, so I’m not sure what to expect.

  “He’s coming home.”

  I feel close to crying myself. “Thank God.”

  “He wouldn’t tell me exactly what he was doing, but I think you guys were on the right track. It had something to do with their corporation. He’s coming back tonight. He booked a flight while we were on the phone, but it won’t get in until really late.”

  “Does that mean you’re coming home?” I ask, wondering if I’ve gone too far.

  She looks sad. “Not tonight. We’re going to hash things out tomorrow.” She gives me a grim smile. “Don’t worry, Lexi. I’ll probably be home tomorrow night. I can’t make it too easy for him, though, can I? I have to make sure he never keeps secrets like this from me again.”