She met his gaze. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Anytime,” he replied, smiling that boyish smile.
Ben felt weightless as he stared into Jenna’s haunting brown eyes. She was like the sun, and he was locked in her orbit. Bringing her hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss to her palm. She inhaled sharply, and the sound ignited something primal inside him, making him want to drag her over to the nearest flat surface. Completely bewitched, he cupped her cheek with his other hand.
“Daddy! Jenna’s car’s here! And there’s a tow truck! A giant tow truck!” Kate called from outside.
“I think your car’s here,” he said as he ran his thumb over Jenna’s bottom lip. It trembled beneath his touch.
She held his gaze and nodded.
“I’m going to go look at the tow truck,” Kate called from outside, her voice trailing off.
“I think my car’s here,” Jenna echoed, her voice sounding like it was caught in a dream.
“I think I just said that.”
He felt like a lovesick teenager. She made him feel complete, made him feel like he could grab onto life with both hands and really live.
A knock came from the front door and, reluctantly, he released his hold. He followed Jenna toward the front door. But just as she was about to turn the doorknob, he took her hand and pressed her back against the door.
“I have to kiss you first,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.
She was so sweet. She released a contented sigh, and her mouth opened, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He wanted to take his time, but his body had other plans. Within seconds, his hands were everywhere—cupping her face, running down her neck, then finding their way into her hair. With every touch, he was coming back to life. He was a man waking up from a coma, all his senses rebooting.
After Sara’s death, the only way he could keep going was to live a controlled, orderly life focused on Kate and his work. But as he listened to Jenna’s breaths come faster and felt the rise and fall of her chest against his, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleepwalk through life anymore. He slid his hand down, cupped her ass, and pressed his cock against her belly. Jenna released a low moan and threaded her fingers into his hair.
There was no beginning and no end, just his mouth on hers, his teeth gently biting her lip. He’d never known anything like this before. He slid his hand under her skirt and dipped a finger into her panties. Wet heat greeted him, and his cock twitched.
Another tentative knock came, and Ben could feel the vibration through the front door. Jenna tensed, and he removed his hand from her panties. They pulled apart and stood there for a moment, breathing hard and smiling at each other like teenagers caught kissing under the bleachers. She was gorgeous. Her hair, a golden tussled mess. Her lips, cherry red from his kisses. Her eyes, swimming with desire. A possessive urge coursed through his veins. He liked knowing he’d done this to her.
“We should probably open the door,” he said, taking a step back but leaving one hand on her hip. “We’re pretty trusting in Kansas, but I don’t think they’ll release your car to a first grader.”
Jenna leaned into his touch. “Probably not.”
A third knock came, and Ben shrugged his shoulders. “I better open it.”
Jenna nodded and stepped away from the door.
“Sorry to bother you,” a young mechanic said, giving Ben and Jenna a bit of a double take. The thin lines of grease visible on his neck and cheek weren’t enough to hide the embarrassed blush creeping up to his face. He gestured toward the street. “Don’t mind the tow truck, we got a call to go pick up a stalled car but wanted to drop your vehicle off first. She’s in great shape, all fixed up and ready to go.”
Jenna tucked a few strands of her disheveled hair behind her ears and quickly smoothed her skirt. A pink blush bloomed on her cheeks. She was even more beautiful when she was flustered.
“Thank you so much,” she said, finding another errant curl and tucking it back.
He was sporting a stupid grin, but he didn’t care. He had Jenna’s taste on his lips and was covered in her lavender scent.
She glanced up at him from under her eyelashes and gestured toward where her car was parked on the street. “We should probably go check the car,” she said with the world’s sexiest smile stretched across her lips.
The mechanic gave an exaggerated nod, and Ben and Jenna followed him over to her car now fitted with four shiny new tires.
“Do you want me to park it in the garage?” the young mechanic offered, removing Jenna’s keys from his pocket.
Ben’s body tensed. The garage. Christ, he hadn’t even considered parking her car in there. But after what had happened, what choice did he have.
“No, I’ll do it,” he said, retrieving the keys before Jenna had a chance to answer.
He could hear Jenna speaking with the mechanic. Kate had joined them, and his daughter was asking the man questions about the different parts of the tow truck. Their conversation blurred as his heart rate kicked up. He put the key into the ignition and started her car. Slowly, he maneuvered the vehicle onto the gravel driveway. The crack and crunch grated his nerves. Each pop sounded like cannon fire. He blinked, trying to push back the memories of Sara’s death.
Ben pulled the car up and cut the ignition. His movements were sharp and deliberate as he walked over to the garage door and pulled out a set of keys. A drop of perspiration fell from his chin as his gaze settled on the small silver key that unlocked the garage door.
He stared at the key. It was just a piece of metal, and this was just a garage. It was merely a physical space he had designed himself, but his trembling hands told him his body disagreed. He inserted the key into the lock hoping that the years of being left untouched may have rendered it unworkable. But the key slid inside smoothly and with a quick turn, the lock disengaged.
He could feel the blood pumping through his veins and whooshing in his ears. After Sara’s death, Neil had cleaned and emptied the entire garage. In the days after Sara’s funeral, needing to do something other than sit and be idle, he went and purchased wood and materials. Letting his mind focus on the measuring, hammering, and sawing, he built a small shed on the side of the house to accommodate things like the lawn mower, a few snow shovels, and his tools. To this day, the garage remained unoccupied and was empty except for an old broom Neil had left propped in the far corner.
Kate and Jenna were chatting behind him, but he wasn’t able to focus on the content of their conversation. He heard Kate say things like “fairies” and “dancing.” But his addled mind could only focus on thoughts of Sara and her lifeless body. He held the silver t-bar in his hand and lifted the garage door, each little click sounding like the macabre lowering of a coffin. His hands shook. A chill passed through him.
He turned. He needed to see Kate. He needed to know she was alive and breathing. But instead of finding his daughter, all he saw was Jenna.
Concern clouded her eyes. “Are you feeling okay, Ben?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Time felt like it was folding in on itself. He stared at her face, trying to piece together the present and the past. But Jenna’s look of worry changed to one of delight as she gazed over his shoulder into the opened garage.
Ben turned to see Kate, green leaves now adorning her braided hair, twirling inside the center of the garage. The garage faced west, and the setting sun cast an ethereal glow into the space. As Kate danced in the sunlight, Ben’s first thought was that his daughter looked like a celestial pixie spinning barefoot on tiptoes. Her yellow dress billowed out and caught each ray of sunshine.
But then his paternal instinct kicked in. He ran into the garage and grabbed ahold of his daughter, scooping her up mid-spin. Kate’s arms, still in motion from the twirling, knocked him in the face as he hurled both of them out of the garage and onto the grass.
Looking back and forth, a sick sort of déjà vu came over him. This was the exact spot where he had held
Kate, drowsy from the carbon monoxide, three years ago when his wife had not only taken her own life but had tried to take their daughter’s as well.
“Kathryn Elizabeth Fisher, you are never, never to go inside that garage. Do you understand me?” His voice shook with fear and relief. “Kathryn, say you understand.”
This was the first time he had raised his voice to his daughter. Eyes wide, she stared at him as if she was looking at a stranger. A beat passed, and her eyes filled with frightened tears. She sobbed against his chest.
Jenna ran over to them. “Ben! Ben! You’re scaring Kate.”
He ignored her and focused his attention on his daughter. “Promise me, Jellybean. Promise me you will never go inside the garage,” he said, softening his tone as Kate cried in his arms.
“Okay, Daddy,” she answered, her little voice wobbling. “I won’t go in the garage. I promise.”
He closed his eyes and cradled his daughter in his arms. Something touched his shoulder, and he recoiled.
“It’s just me,” Jenna said, holding her hands up defensively. “What can I do to help?”
Ben pulled away from her touch and came to his feet with Kate still in his arms. She’d stopped crying, but her head was burrowed into his shoulder. His gaze bounced from the garage then back to Jenna or was it Sara standing in front of him. He blinked. He needed to get away. He needed the nightmare to end.
“Please, let me help.”
Hands shaking, Ben reached into his pocket and took out the spare garage door key. “This has nothing to do with you,” he said, tossing her the key. “Keep the garage locked at all times. No exceptions, Sara. Do you understand?”
A perplexed look crossed her face. She parted her lips to speak, but he cut her off.
“Good night,” he said over his shoulder as he headed into the house and left her standing next to the garage.
16
A week had passed, and not a word had been spoken regarding Ben’s outburst. Jenna hoped to bring it up with him, but he never gave her the chance. When she knocked on the French doors this week to tutor Kate, it was Kathy, not Ben, who let her in.
Now it was Friday, and Jenna was just finishing up her session with Kate. Ben might as well have been a ghost. The only glimpses of him she had caught this week had come late at night. She would be working at the corner desk, and every time she looked up from her computer, her gaze was drawn to the main house. There were a few times when she thought she saw him standing by his bedroom window. But every time she tried to take a closer look, the form in the window would vanish.
Was that Ben? Did he think about her?
She couldn’t let her mind go there. Ben’s absence had made his feelings loud and clear.
“I know he’s got a lot going on at work,” Kathy said as Jenna packed up her tutoring materials, and Kate ran outside to jump rope.
“I’m sure he does,” Jenna answered, trying to sound pleasant but indifferent.
Kathy had been a social worker for many years, and she started teaching yoga after she retired. Both jobs fit her perfectly. But her usually calm, serene manner seemed off as she fingered the small tree of life necklace dangling around her neck.
“Mrs. G says they’re swamped at work, and they’re even thinking about hiring someone just to do the drafting.”
Kathy sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of something rather than make small talk.
Her gaze moved to the carriage house. “Have you seen Ben much this week?”
“Not really. But I’ve been working quite a bit myself.”
Kathy’s gaze lingered on the garage.
“Ben was kind enough to let me use the garage after my car was vandalized,” she said, wishing she knew why everyone seemed so preoccupied with that space.
“Your bike, too?”
“Yes, they got my bike as well.”
“That’s what Zoe said. I’m so sorry, Jenna.”
“Luckily, it was an easy fix for both.”
Kathy nodded, glanced once more at the carriage house, and started chopping vegetables.
The front door opened and Ben walked in. His messenger bag was slung over his shoulder, and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He gave his mother a tired smile, and then he noticed Jenna.
“I wasn’t sure if you were working with Kate today,” he said, in lieu of a greeting.
Jenna gave him a curt nod. “Kate didn’t seem to mind it being the last day of school and even reminded me that we agreed to work together Monday through Friday.”
“Friday, already?” He said the words as if he was discussing a prison sentence.
“Ben, you know we’ve got the Langley Park Festival tomorrow. You’re supposed to set up the jumpy castle like last year, honey,” Kathy called over her shoulder.
Like magic, the words “jumpy castle” summoned Kate from the backyard and into the kitchen.
“Daddy, can I help set up the jumpy castle?”
“Jellybean, you just want to be the first jumper,” Ben said as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.
“I can help you, and then I can be the first jumper.”
Ben released a tired chuckle. “All right. You can help.”
“Jenna, are you still helping Sam and Zoe?” Kathy asked, eyeing her son as he grabbed a Boulevard Pale Ale from the fridge.
“Yes, I’m just helping them hand out popsicles and cookies. Nothing too involved.”
“Just you wait and see. With all the Langley Park kids running around, the cookies and popsicles are a pretty big deal. You may be busier than you think.”
Jenna nodded. “Well, I’m off.”
Kate ran over and clasped her little arms around Jenna’s waist. She knelt to give Kate a proper hug, then pulled back and tucked a few strands of Kate’s hair behind her ears.
“You worked so hard today, Miss Kate. You’re a reading machine,” she said, wiping off a bit of dirt from Kate’s cheek.
Jenna looked up to see Ben watching them. A shadow of longing passed over his face, but it disappeared as he hardened his features into one of casual indifference. That callous look sent daggers through her heart. The Ben who had kissed her just days ago, the Ben who had looked at her as if she made up the entirety of his universe, wasn’t the man standing in front of her now.
Rising quickly, Jenna picked up her bag and passed through the open French doors. She knew his eyes were on her. She felt the heat of his gaze nearly boring holes into her back.
Don’t turn around. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
But she couldn’t help herself. Jenna stopped and turned to find Ben standing in the doorway. They looked at each other for one beat, then two, before he turned away and closed the doors.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. Some clouds had formed to the east of them, but the weather was mild, and all of Langley Park and the surrounding towns had come out to enjoy the weather and the festivities.
The festival had grown over the years. What was once a gathering of neighbors selling a few knickknacks and baked goods, had turned into hundreds of vendors and artists showcasing their wares. The festival stretched from the actual park of Langley Park and into the Langley Park Botanic Gardens. Tables and tents were spread out over the thick zoysia grass, and oak trees provided shade from the late spring sun. A large play structure situated near the center of the park was teeming with children, sticky from ice cream and popsicles while music from the bands floated through the air.
Kathy wasn’t kidding about it being busy. The Park Tavern booth was hopping from the moment the first cookie left the tray. Jenna, Zoe, and Sam were handing out cookies and popsicles as fast as they could to a chorus of cheers and squeals of delight.
“These Langley Park kids do not mess around with free treats,” Zoe joked as she brought out another large tray filled with deliciously gooey chocolate chip cookies.
Jenna passed two cookies to a set of twins, and then she caught sight of Ben
helping a group of men string lights inside the pavilion. She had watched him all day setting up jumpy castles, assisting an elderly couple with their marmalade booth, and even hanging a gong for his mother to use during her yoga demonstration. He seemed to be everywhere except near her.
She’d barely been able to work this past week. Her treacherous thoughts kept going back to that kiss. It had to have been more than just a kiss. Everything about it seemed so real. But then again, what did a girl whose life was based on lies know about what was real?
“How are things with Ben and Kate?” Zoe asked.
Jenna dropped a cookie. “What do you mean? I mean…they’re fine. Did he mention anything to you?”
“I just meant, how’s everything going with the tutoring and living in the carriage house. I know Ben can sometimes be a douche-canoe. I’m hoping he’s been on good behavior with you.”
“A what?” Jenna asked, tossing the ruined cookie into a trash bin.
“You know, like a jerk but on a grander scale.”
“Watch your language, Zoe Christine Stein,” came an amused voice.
Just then, Kate ran up to the table and grabbed the hand of an older gentleman smiling and shaking his head.
“Dad, you taught us to speak our minds,” Zoe said, leaning over the table to kiss the man’s cheek.
“Jenna, this is my dad, Dr. Neil Stein, aka the language police.”
Jenna smiled and shook Neil’s hand.“It’s so nice to meet you. Kate talks about you all the time.”
“Likewise,” Neil answered, meeting Jenna’s smile with one of his own.
Kate jumped up and down. “Jenna, will you take me to get my face painted? I want to look like a butterfly.”
“I’m not sure I can, Kate. I’m helping your Aunt Zoe and Sam with the cookies and popsicles.”
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 13