by Lexy Timms
“Really?” Katherine asked with shock in her tone.
“Of course, sweetheart. I promise.”
With that, Ben led her out the door and into his garage. He chose the Audi R8 for their drive, opening Katherine’s door as he always did. She quickly climbed in the car and watched him as he walked around to the driver’s side.
Ben knew the city like he had lived there his whole life, and it made Katherine realize how much she didn’t know about him. After telling him her life story, she wondered what he had to hide. Sneaking a look at his handsome profile as he backed out of the garage, she was acutely aware of how much she wanted to know about this man.
“One day, I want you to tell me your story,” she said to him, causing Ben to hit the brake and turn to face her.
“You can know anything you want, sweetheart,” he answered without hesitation, staring at her for a few seconds, as if inviting her to ask questions right then and there. Katherine smiled instead, resting her hand over his as it rested on the gearshift.
When Ben was convinced by Katherine’s silence that she had no questions at the moment, he drove through San Francisco like a pro, taking no highways and avoiding the morning rush as everyone made their way to work.
Assuming that Ben was lost in his thoughts, Katherine enjoyed the quiet ride through the city. She had said so much, she had no conversation left, and Ben seemed to be contemplating something heavy the entire ride. In a way, Katherine was grateful he didn’t share his thoughts with her, because she couldn’t take another dilemma or problem to solve right now.
Before long, they were in Katherine’s neighborhood, and soon they were on her street. Ben was taking more precautions than normal and Katherine had even noticed him glancing at the rearview mirror, checking to see if anyone was following them. When they finally arrived at her apartment building, Ben pulled to the opposite side of the street before turning to face her.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” Ben asked, his face a clear indication that he wasn’t ready to leave.
“No, you don’t have to do that,” she assured him.
“I don’t want you to have to go in there alone, sweetheart. Just to be safe, how about I come up with you, check it out and then leave you alone to give you some privacy,” Ben offered. Katherine could tell how much he wanted to care for her, and while it was sweet, she didn’t want to be a burden.
She could feel the anxiety coating her body as she considered his proposal. She was terrified that Tim could have already found out where she lived, but that didn’t match the uncertainty she felt about inviting someone into her safe haven.
This was the first home she had ever had to herself and she wanted it to be secure. From her time on the road, Katherine had learned that the more people you invited into your place, the harder it was to keep a secret.
But the pain in her body tipped the scales, and she acknowledged to herself just how frightened of Tim she was feeling.
“Okay, you can come up,” she finally relented, before opening the car door.
Ben followed closely as Katherine, on unsteady legs, headed up the stairs that led to her floor, her nerves getting the best of her. She had never shared this part of her life with a man before, and it felt like a new threshold was being crossed. As they climbed the final flight of stairs, Katherine glanced over her shoulder to see Ben curiously reading a cork board filled with fliers for roommates and dog walkers.
“So, here it is,” Katherine announced, once they got to her door. She was happy to see it was still locked after imagining arriving to a door that was ajar, only to see that Tim had taken everything she owned before leaving like a thief in the night.
When she turned her key in the lock, silently accepting all that would come with sharing her sacred space with a man, Katherine was surprised to feel no apprehension. She opened her door and invited Ben inside with no regret. In fact, she wanted him to see where she lived, and was impressed when he began wandering around the apartment on his own.
“Would you like a tour?” she asked, smiling.
“A tour? Certainly. Lead the way.” Ben smiled, holding his hands behind his back as he followed her to the kitchen.
“Well, it’s not that big so you’ve pretty much seen it all,” she admitted. “This is the kitchen, and over here is the living room,” taking a step as she held her hands out, now standing in the living room.
“It’s very nice,” Ben nodded, raising his eyebrows as if he was actually impressed.
Katherine couldn’t take Bens seriously because his home was so much more impressive than hers. Coming from a mansion, it would be natural to see this apartment as a poor excuse for a place to live. He had so much, and she still couldn’t understand what he saw in her.
“Is this you?” Ben asked, as he squatted to look at a picture of a red headed baby in a walker, smiling brightly.
“Yes,” Katherine giggled. It was one of her least favorite pictures of herself, but her mother loved it so much she never let it go, despite all the moves she had made in her life.
“Red hair?” he asked, his tone carrying a bit of over-exaggerated shock.
“My mom said all the babies in her family start off red-headed, and then transform into blonds,” Katherine giggled, shrugging her shoulders, appreciating his levity.
“I noticed that you’re a natural blonde the first time I saw you,” Ben said and Katherine blushed profusely. She had dyed her hair darker in the hopes of throwing off Tim’s trackers, and she found it impressive that Ben had noticed.
“Well, I needed a new identity,” she explained, and Ben nodded.
Katherine showed Ben her bedroom and every other nook and cranny of the small apartment before declaring that he had seen everything there was to show. She wanted him to stay longer now that he had seen her place, but she also understood and appreciated the fact that he was respecting her decision to have some alone time.
“I’ll come by the bakery tomorrow, okay?” He asked with a gentle tone and Katherine nodded excitedly.
On his way to leave, Ben leaned down to press his lips to Katherine’s and she felt her knees weaken. Reaching up on her toes, she tried to deepen the kiss, catching Ben off guard as he stumbled back two steps until his back pressed up against the wall.
“Sweetheart, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Ben explained, after pulling away from their embrace. Katherine could understand his apprehension, but more than anything she could appreciate his respect for her. She found it to be really sweet.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Katherine smiled, before kissing him one last time.
Chapter Ten
Ben
“MR. O’LEARY, I THINK we should at least try to refurbish last year’s designs if we’re not going to use them,” Jim pleaded. He was in charge of the inventory of pet accessories and Ben’s latest decision to get rid of the older designs sent him in a frenzy.
“Jim, I’ll give you forty-eight hours to come up with a profitable alternative, but it just seems to me that we’re carrying over a loss.” Ben doubled down on his point.
It was the third meeting of the morning for Ben, and he could feel himself getting more uptight as the minutes passed. He couldn’t focus the way he used to, blocking out everything around him. Leaving Katherine alone had left him feeling anxious, hoping nothing happened while he was away.
Meanwhile, he’d also been trying to work through all Katherine had told him about her past relationship with her husband, which was still a strange concept for Ben to accept. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around Katherine running from one city to the next, trying to escape the craziness he’d witnessed at the charity event.
She ran out of there so fast, and Ben couldn’t figure out what he should or could have done better. To learn that there was nothing he would have been able to do was less of a relief than he expected, knowing that Tim was a bad man who would have only made an even bigger scene and causing more chaos than he had.
�
�Thanks, Mr. O’Leary. I won’t let you down,” Jim said, as everyone began packing up their things as the meeting came to an end.
Ben knew he was being a tough boss from the way his team was responding to him. It was rare for someone like Jim, the leader of his department, to refer to him as anything other than Ben. He was known for being down to earth and relatable, but all morning long his temper had been short and his tongue sharp.
Watching everyone file out of the large conference room, Ben tried to calm himself down with three deep breaths. Knowing he had to find a way to balance his growing personal life with his thriving professional career, he rubbed his temples as he tried to cope with the stress.
“Come on, grumpy. I got us some lunch,” a cheery voice called from the doorway, and Ben opened his eyes to see his oldest friend holding two large white paper bags.
“I hope there’s liquor in there,” Ben said, as he stood from the table, quickly gathering the stack of papers sitting in front of him.
“You look like you could use a shot of whisky,” Rachel teased, as she led the way to his office.
“What did you order, Rachel? It smells amazing,” Ben said, as he took the bags from her.
“Thai,” she answered over her shoulder.
Ben smiled behind her, taking in the delicious aroma of the takeout. She knew Thai was one of his favorite cuisines and had surprised him with it after such a rough morning. As they walked into his office, Ben smiled, appreciating the kindness from his friend who always took such good care of him.
After taking one Styrofoam box after another from the white bags, Rachel revealed two dishes of pad Thai, spring rolls, a papaya salad, and two iced chai lattes. Sitting across from each other in the comfy leather loveseats, Ben and Rachel enjoyed their lunch in silence.
“So, tell me what’s eating you, Ben.” Rachel finally started the conversation she had been waiting to have all morning. She hated when things bothered her friend and was always willing to help get him back to his normal easy-going self.
“I can’t get this situation with Katherine out of my mind,” Ben admitted.
“So what happened with her? Did you see her after the event? Who was that guy?” Rachel fired the questions, one after the other, revealing that she too had a lot on her mind regarding the events of the weekend.
“Her husband,” Ben answered flatly, allowing the shocking revelation to take her breath away.
“Wait. What? What husband?” She repeated the word as if it didn’t fit.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Turns out, she left him two years ago, but it’s an abusive relationship and he won’t let her go. It’s such a sad story,” Ben shook his head, remembering all that Katherine had told him about her marriage with Tim.
“That’s awful. So, he came to the event to take her back?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t know what he thought was going to happen. He didn’t strike me as the type of man who thinks things out too far, but he roughed her up after they left. She ended up getting away towards morning, and showed up at my house. I just can’t get the visual out of my mind, seeing her small body all bruised and beaten like that.”
Ben had been struggling since leaving Katherine in her apartment, because he wasn’t sure how to help her. That was what he wanted Rachel’s help with. She was always his sounding board for advice, and he looked forward to hearing what she thought about this.
“Wow. I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry that all happened, Ben. That had to be really hard. Does she want to go back to him?” Rachel asked.
“No. Hell no. She wants her freedom, but he’s an asshole so he won’t let her go. I can’t even think straight,” Ben huffed, getting to his feet before pacing his office. “She’s been running from him for two years, Rachel. Moving to a new town every time his people got close. Never knowing when he might show up and grab her, like he did the other night. Damn it!” The frustration was returning as he remembered the helplessness of the situation.
“What do you want to do?” Rachel asked, after a brief pause.
“Find him and kick his sorry ass!” Ben answered evenly as he continued to pace.
It was all he could think about. Seeking revenge on this man who had hurt Katherine. She was so precious and kind, he wanted to protect her at all costs. Of course, he knew it was unreasonable, but Ben went after the people who hurt those he cared about, and he cared about Katherine.
“Well, that wouldn’t be a good idea,” Rachel stated the obvious.
“I hate losing control. It’s like there’s nothing I can do to help her, and that just tears me up,” Ben said, as his fists balled tightly.
“She just needs to know you’re there for her,” Rachel said.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s going through a lot. If she’s trying to get free from an abusive relationship, she needs to know she has friends that can be there with her as she works through it. Let her know that she can depend on you. That’s what she needs most,” Rachel reasoned.
“She can’t afford to divorce him,” Ben finally shared the part that was really troubling him.
As a wealthy man, Ben had heard of women who were unable to divorce their powerful husbands due to the mounting attorney fees. While he always sympathized for the women, he never understood how unfair and devastating it could be. The women were marginalized, unable to speak for themselves or fight fairly.
“You know that’s what happened with the Arum’s.” Rachel reminded Ben of their mutual friends. He was a real estate mogul, and the rightful owner of more property in Silicon Valley than anyone else. When he and his wife split, they fought for years over everything from furniture to custody agreements. In the end, she had to walk away with nothing from her marriage, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
“I do remember,” Ben shook his head, thinking of how passively he had listened to the story in the past, never thinking of how Joe Arum’s wife must have suffered.
“You just need to let her know she’s not alone, Ben. You can help her more when the time comes, but if you want to be in her life, emotional support is what she’s going to need more than anything,” Rachel reiterated.
Ben nodded as if allowing the information to sink in. Still pacing his office, he wondered how he would show Katherine that she was not alone in her fight. Not only did he want to be by her side throughout whatever it was she would have to go through, but he wanted to help her with the fight.
Chapter Eleven
Katherine
AN AMBULANCE DRIVING by woke Katherine after an unexpected slumber. When Ben left her alone in the apartment, it suddenly felt cold and lonely. She had run from one room to the next, looking in every closet and under her bed, fearful that Tim had found her.
Once she was satisfied that she was alone, she did what she always did when Tim found her—she pulled her suitcase from the closet and began to throw her things in, ready to hit the road and run again. It had never been difficult, but this time was different. When she thought of leaving the friends she had made, and job she was growing to love, Katherine decided she wasn’t ready to go.
It was an emotional battle, one she lost to her bout of tears and frantic screams. When she finally threw the suitcase from the bed, she collapsed with exhaustion. It wasn’t until she finally woke up that she realized how tired she was.
After Tim showed up at the charity event, Katherine stayed up through the night—first arguing with him, and then finding a way to escape. After confessing everything to Ben, she fell asleep on his chest, but only for an hour or so. Her body was spent and as she glanced out of her window, she realized she had no concept of time.
Reaching to the nightstand, she grabbed her phone to check the time. Katherine’s eyes shot open when she realized she only had fifteen minutes to get to work. Scrambling from beneath the pile of clothes she had thrown on the bed, she rushed to the bathroom.
Tripping over a pair of sandals on the floor, Katherine shrieked as
she reached for the dresser to stop her fall. Still sore, she was slow to get up as her side hurt from Tim’s abuse. Remembering how close she was to being late, Katherine forced herself to push through the pain.
Her reflection in the mirror was a little better than she’d expected. When she was at Ben’s place, she’d been shocked at how bad she looked after her night with Tim. Thankfully, the sleep had done her good, and she looked much better after the rest. She still looked like she’d been in a scuffle, but better.
After quickly brushing her teeth, washing her face, and pulling her hair into a ponytail, Katherine was ready for work. Still at risk of being late, she pushed through the pain and ran down the steps of her apartment building as fast as she could before jogging down her street to get to the bakery as soon as possible.
“I’m here! I’m here!” Katherine yelled, as she walked through the back door designated for employees only. The bakery didn’t open for another twenty minutes, but she needed to help with prepping the cabinets before the store opened.
“Don’t worry, the boss isn’t here,” Talia said, as Katherine walked in.
“Thank God! I thought I was going to be late.” She sighed as she pulled an apron from the hanging rack before wrapping it around her body.
“Katherine! What happened?” Talia gasped as she held Katherine’s arm in her hand, inspecting a bad bruise on her bicep.
“Oh, this?” Katherine looked down, trying to think of an acceptable excuse. During her marriage to Tim, she was quick on her feet, creating excuses for bruises out of thin air. But after two years on her own, she was rusty and it took her longer than normal to come up with a lie. “It was at the gym.”
“I thought I was the only one who was that clumsy! I swear I get a new bruise every time I step in that place. I’m glad you’re okay,” Talia smiled as she rubbed the pad of her thumb over the bruised skin.
