She’s right. I nod my understanding.
She grins at Ben. “He was very surprised to hear about you and Lexi. He wants to see you tonight and expects you to be there when he gets home. I’m sure he’ll have unearthed a full debriefing of your entire life by the time his plane lands in Knoxville. Knowing him, he’ll dig up everything, down to the number of times you were tardy in the third grade.”
Ben’s back becomes rigid and his face turns pale.
My anger rushes to the surface. “I’m going to call him back and tell him to stop. He thinks he can investigate anyone I meet. It’s insulting.” I say, gritting my teeth at Reed’s audacity. “And he can’t just order Ben to be at our apartment when he gets home. He has to work tonight.”
“I can get off, Alexa.” His voice is quiet.
“The hell you can. You already skipped your class to come meet Caroline with me.”
He doesn’t answer, but he seems distracted.
“Reed loves you, Lex,” Caroline says softly. “You know why he is this way.”
“I know.” The very fact that he was willing to risk everything to protect me—again—is evidence enough of that, but he and I are going to have to reach a compromise. He can’t keep prying into my personal life whenever he wants.
She picks up her purse and grabs her coat. “I have to head to class. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Ben gets up and shakes her hand. Caroline shakes it back, looking amused.
“Thank you for helping Alexa.”
“Thank you for insisting that she tell me the truth. These Pendergrafts can be pretty hard-headed.”
He grins, but he looks nervous. “I’ve already figured that one out on my own.”
“Let me give you some inside advice.” She leans forward and lowers her voice. “Reed might bark a lot, but once you earn his loyalty and trust, you’ve earned it for life—unless you screw up, of course. He’ll be a hardass on you at first, but once he sees how important Lexi is to you, he’ll back off.”
Ben’s eyes are serious as he nods. “Thanks. Good to know.”
I give Caroline a hug and watch her walk out the door before I turn to Ben. “What time is your next class?”
“Let’s just skip our classes today.”
My eyes narrow in suspicion. “Why?”
He snakes an arm around my back. “Because I haven’t had nearly enough of you yet.”
“We can’t hide forever.”
“No, but we can for one day.”
“As much as I love the idea, I can’t. I have a test this afternoon, and then I have to go by the charity to talk to the director about the current status of the summer program.”
“I’m off this afternoon. I’ll come with you.”
He’s making me anxious. I never would have struck him as the clingy type. “Why are you being so insistent? You’re acting like this is your last chance to be with me or something.” Then I realize what’s happening. “This is about Reed, isn’t it? You’re worried he’s going to convince me to stop seeing you.”
He blinks then nods. “You know how persuasive he can be. What if he convinces you that I’m not good enough for you?” He lowers his voice. “You’re a Monroe for God’s sake. I’m no one.”
I lean closer to him. “Caroline is ‘no one,’ as you say, and yet Reed’s with her.”
“That’s different, Lex. He’s the guy.”
I put my hand on my hip. “Are you going to get chauvinistic on me now?”
“No! Look.” He shakes his head. “The bottom line is that Reed will never approve of me. Ever.”
“He’ll never approve of anyone.” I take a deep breath. “Ben, I know you. You’re sweet and protective and you make me happier than I’ve been in ages. Reed’s not going to make me change my mind about you.”
He nods but doesn’t look convinced. “Maybe I need the rest of the day to plead my case.”
I kiss him softly. “You seem so certain that there’s going to be a Judgment Day. Why can’t you just accept that I like you and want to be with you?”
“I can accept it,” he says with a sad smile. “I only hope it’s enough.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ben
I’m man enough to admit that I’m scared shitless.
One way or another I’m going to lose her. She’s begged me to not keep secrets from her and my arrest last fall is like an albatross around my neck. How will Alexa react when she finds out that I was charged with the very crime that was committed against her? Will she think the charges were dropped for similar reasons? Granted, I don’t have money, but victims are coerced into dropping charges for a host of other reasons, all unsavory.
Will she believe me?
I need to be the one to tell her, because if Reed really is creating a dossier on the Life and Times of Benjamin Masterson, my arrest is going to be on top, probably bedazzled. But if I tell her and she’s horrified, she’ll send me away, which will leave her unprotected—not an option. Because I’m certain that asshole is coming to Hillsdale to see her. There’s no way I’m going to leave her alone until Reed comes home. And telling her that her rapist is coming for her is absolutely out of the question. She’s upset enough over Reed and everything else. I’m not about to subject her to more trauma.
So my only option is to stay close to her all day and keep my mouth shut.
We head back to the university and I’m glad I drove her to Panera. She’s dependent on me for transportation now, which is a good excuse for sticking by her side. The biggest monkey wrench in all of this—besides getting her to let me stay—is getting off work. I need to call my uncle as soon as possible.
I keep my backpack in my car, thankfully, so I don’t have to leave her to go back home.
She doesn’t realize she’s without transportation until we’re walking across campus, discussing our schedules. “Oh, Ben! I’m so sorry!”
“I really don’t mind driving you to the children’s charity, Alexa. I’ll probably get to see my little brother.”
She stops and smiles, that dazzling smile that fills all the dark corners of my heart. The thought hits me again, just like it’s been doing all morning. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose the way she makes me feel.
“Ben?” she asks. The puzzled look on my face must be a dead giveaway because she smirks. “You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”
“Sorry. I was too busy admiring you.”
Shaking her head, she continues walking.
I grab her arm and pull her to a halt. “I hope you get used to repeating things because it’s probably going to happen a lot.” I give her a wicked grin. “Now what did you ask?”
“I wanted to know if you had any other siblings.”
“No. Just Kyle.”
“There’s quite an age difference between you two.”
“My parents’ last-ditch effort to save their marriage. The fact that my brother’s eleven and my mother’s been gone for a little over ten years should be some indication of how well that one worked out.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
She slips her hand into mine and peace fills me just like that, along with a feeling that catches me by surprise: home.
It makes my imminent loss all the worse.
We both have an hour until our next class, so we go to the Higher Ground for coffee.
“How much coffee do you drink?” she asks as we sit at a table with our drinks. “You have to be caffeinated enough to power an electrical substation.”
She’s sitting across from me and the sunlight shines behind her, making her golden hair glow like a halo. “I need it to stay awake. Some nights I only get three hours of sleep.”
Her eyes widen in horror. “You can’t keep going like that, Ben. You’re going to get sick.”
“I borrowed money to buy my books and I’ve got living expenses, Alexa. I’m barely making do as it is.”
She closes her eyes and groans. “Now I f
eel like a bitch for telling you to be grateful for the semesters when you had your scholarship.”
I reach across the table and grab her hand. “No. You were right.”
We both have work to do. I study history since I have another test tomorrow, and she pulls out her statistics homework. When it’s time for our next class, I walk her to her classroom and stop outside the door. “I can’t believe I still don’t have your cell phone number,” I say as I drop her off.
We exchange numbers and I smile down at her. “Wait for me after class and we’ll have lunch together, okay?”
“Okay.”
I’m distracted through most of my engineering lecture because I spend a good part of my time on my laptop, searching the internet for information about Todd Millhouse, heir to Millhouse International, a big corporation with lots of fingers in lots of pies. Young master Todd has already earned himself a reputation as a party boy. I have to wonder why he’s spending his spare time chasing down Alexa. I can understand why his sick and twisted mind might justify what he did to her, but why is he trying to find her now? What does he care? From the photos plastered across the internet, he doesn’t face a shortage of available women.
Perhaps he’s one of those little rich boys who doesn’t like to be told no. I wish I knew what he planned to do with Alexa. I stiffen. I have a good idea. Let the motherfucker try.
I leave class early and jog across campus to make sure I’m at Alexa’s class when she gets out, but the room is empty. My heart slams against my ribcage. Where is she? I’m about to panic when I see her at the end of the hall talking to her friend, the one I saw at the bar with her after the play.
I take a deep breath to calm myself, then head toward her.
A smile lights up her face when she catches sight of me.
“You got out early,” I say, stating the obvious.
“You too, I see.” She turns to her friend. “Sylvia, this is Ben. Ben, Sylvia.”
Sylvia is clearly evaluating me and she seems to approve.
“You work with Alexa on the charity, don’t you?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
Alexa turns to me with a grimace. “I told Sylvia I would eat lunch with her today to work on the charity dating auction.”
“How about all three of us have lunch together?” I suggest.
Alexa looks worried. “You don’t have to do that, Ben.”
Sylvia waves her hand. “We can talk about it another time.”
“No, this will be great. You guys can work on your auction stuff and Sylvia can grill me.” I wink. “Isn’t that what a girl’s friends do when they meet the new man in her life?”
Alexa laughs and kisses me. “Have I told you how amazing you are?”
I wink. “No, but since I already know, it’s okay.”
She rolls her eyes, then takes my hand. “We were just going to eat in the student union.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We head to the student union and find an empty table after getting our lunch. I take a seat and Alexa sits next to me, with Sylvia across from us. I stay quiet while Alexa and Sylvia discuss the auction. They have almost everything set up, but they still don’t have enough participants for the auction.
“Lexi was supposed to ask you to be a bachelor.” Sylvia says. “Instead she kept you for herself.”
“I didn’t go after Ben,” Alexa says. “He went after me.”
“It’s true,” I tell Sylvia. “But she dazzled me with her beauty and her charm, so I didn’t stand a chance.”
Alexa rolls her eyes.
“Well, we still need someone to represent the math and engineering department,” Sylvia says.
I shrug. “I know a few guys who would do it.”
Sylvia leans forward, her voice stern. “They have to be cute. No geeky nerds.”
“That’s discriminatory,” I tease. “But the two guys I’m thinking of have no problem getting dates. I have a class with both of them tomorrow. I’ll ask.”
Sylvia seems pleased and hints that if I want to fix her up with one of them, she’s open to it.
After lunch, I walk Alexa to her next class. “You go to the charity after this, right?”
“Yeah, but I can get a ride from someone else, Ben. You don’t have to take me.”
“I already told you I want to go. I might get to see Kyle there.”
I cut my next class and call Uncle Tony to tell him why I need to skip work tonight. He tells me he has it covered. Britt has hinted that she needs some extra hours, but I worry it has something to do with her sleaze-ball ex who’s recently reemerged from somewhere dark and creepy.
One problem at a time, Masterson.
Next I call the Hillsdale police department to find out if there’s anything Alexa can do legally to stop Millhouse. They tell me she can file a restraining order, but a vague threat over the phone isn’t enough of an incentive.
Which means we’re on our own.
I’m nervous as we drive to the charity. I hope Kyle will be there, although I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t be. He’s been going to the afterschool program since I started college four years ago. But I haven’t seen Kyle since Christmas. Will he be angry? It hasn’t been by my choice, but he doesn’t necessarily know that.
When we pull into the parking lot, I study the buildings that make up the charity. They’ve purchased five older houses and converted them into their headquarters. Alexa heads for the office, the farthest building on the left, and I follow along. The director greets her with a smile, which is when I realize something.
Everyone loves Lexi Pendergraft.
Including me.
I expect the realization to shock me. I’ve never been in love before, and there’s no arguing the fact that I haven’t known her very long, but I know enough about her to know I’m damn lucky to be part of her life.
Alexa introduces me to the director as a fellow Southern student. “I think Ben would really like to go to the tutoring center to see his brother while we talk, if that’s okay.”
“Who’s your brother?” she asks.
“Kyle Masterson.”
She beams. “Kyle is such a delight. I’ll call the center to tell them you’re heading over.” When she completes the call, she takes me to the front porch and points. “It’s the house on the end. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you.” I give Alexa a smile before I leave.
One of the volunteers is a girl I know from school. In fact, several of the staff members are Southern students. “So you’re Kyle’s brother?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s going to be excited to see you. He talks about you all the time.” She leads me past several rooms and stops at what used to be a large bedroom. Now it contains a table with student-sized chairs, along with about eight students and a volunteer who’s working with two of them.
I see him before he sees me. He’s bent over the table, pencil in hand, as he fills out a worksheet. My breath catches in my throat and I suddenly worry how he’ll react. Will he accuse me of abandoning him?
But when he finally looks up, his face just about bursts with happiness. “Ben!” He jumps out of his seat and nearly tackles me. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
The volunteer leads Kyle and me to the kitchen so we can talk privately. She winks at me after handing him two pudding cups and a plastic spoon. “Just don’t tell the other kids or there’s bound to be a riot.”
Kyle sits across from me at a small table, working on opening his first pudding cup. He looks so much older than when I saw him last. How could I have missed so much in two months?
“How’s fifth grade going?” I ask.
His upper lip curls. “Okay, I guess. Math sucks since you’re not around to help me with it. Susanna Baker has a crush on me,” he says out of nowhere.
I cross my arms and watch him. “Is that a good thing or a bad one?”
He shudders. “It’s gross.”
&nbs
p; “Good. You have a few years left before girls will become a serious issue for you.” I pause and continue watching him, drinking in his presence. “I hear you’re rocking the basketball court.”
He looks up in surprise.
I grin. “I have my sources.”
“Coach Tucker told me that he saw you.”
“I wish I could come and watch you play, but I work one of my new jobs on Saturday mornings.”
He shrugs. “It’s okay.”
“No,” I say firmly. “It’s not. But I want you to know how much I’d like to be there.”
“Thanks.” He takes two bites, then keeps his gaze on the pudding cup as he says, “I really miss you, Ben.”
A lump fills my throat. “I miss you too, bud.”
He takes another bite and sniffs.
Even though Dad turned his back on me after my arrest, I realize now that I handled things badly as well. I was so mad about his lack of support that I let our relationship slip, which took my brother from me too. There’s plenty of blame to go around. “I’m going to talk to dad to see if I can spend some time helping you with math.”
He stares at me with eyes wide with hope.
“I’m going to talk to dad about a lot of things.”
“I think he misses you, but he won’t tell me why you guys are fighting.”
“We said some stupid things to each other. We both thought we were right and neither of us apologized. You were caught in the middle, and I’m sorry for that.” I pause and lean forward, lowering my voice. “And for the record, I miss him too.” And I’m surprised I mean it. My father isn’t a touchy-feely guy, but we became close in our own way after my mother left. It’s funny how differently I’m looking at things now that I know Alexa.
We’re talking about what he’s been up to at school when Alexa walks in the back door, her hair windblown, her cheeks pink from the cool breeze. I give her a bright smile as she approaches us and sits in the chair between Kyle and me.
I sit up straighter. “Kyle, I’d like for you to meet someone. This is my friend Alexa.”
Business as Usual (Off The Subject) Page 26