A Bet with Benefits

by Karen Booth

  Mindy hadn’t experienced a lot of personal tragedy, but she did know pain. She did know what it was to be vulnerable and helpless. She’d felt both many times over the years. “Tell me about the first time you cried about your mom’s illness. The first time you were pushed to the brink and you felt like you couldn’t take it anymore.”

  “Wow. You do not mess around.”

  “I know it sounds horrible, but this is the relatable moment. This is where people will hear your words and see some part of themselves.”

  Sam avoided making eye contact, picking at his pants leg. “It was the day I looked up ALS in the library at school.” His voice failed to carry its usual strong timbre, but when he looked up at Mindy, she could see on his face that his heart was doing the heavy lifting here. “Our parents had told us that our mom would get better, and I wanted to believe that. But I didn’t need to read very far before it became obvious that it would take her life.”

  Mindy typed every word as he said it, not commenting, only letting him run. She was usually very good at soldiering through hard work, but this was a battle. All she wanted to do was cast aside the computer and wrap him up in her arms.

  “I remember there was a small group of students at one of the big tables. Four or five kids. Freshmen like me. They were talking. The librarian kept shushing them and they would snicker and laugh, then go back to having their fun. That was the first time it really hit me. They had this life that I’d once thought I had. And for me, it was gone. It was hard to imagine myself ever laughing or goofing around like them because there was this dark cloud moving in overhead. My mom was going to die. That was a fact and there was no getting past it. That seemed like it would never be me again. I guess it was innocence lost. I just grabbed my backpack and hightailed it out of there. I didn’t even go back to class. I went straight home so I could spend time with my mom.”

  Mindy finished typing a few seconds after he stopped talking. It was good to have her hands occupied. She otherwise only wanted to hug Sam and take care of him. Tell him how sorry she was, even when she knew he didn’t want her pity. “That must have been such a hard day.”

  “One of many.”

  “I’ve never been to this event, but is that the sort of thing people talk about?”

  He cleared his throat. “It is.”

  “Okay. Then let’s keep going.”

  Mindy pressed on and Sam talked, continuing through several other retellings of the events of his past. She marveled at how far he had come with her in a short amount of time. A few weeks ago, and certainly the first time they’d been together, he never would have done this. Part of her wanted to believe that it was the timing that was off the first time for them. He wasn’t ready and she wasn’t sure she had been, either. Were things finally coming together for them? Would it all work out? Friday was a big test. Then, like everything else in her life, she’d reevaluate and figure out her next step.

  A few hours later, Sam had a working draft of the speech. He read it back to her from his laptop, and she did her best to stay objective and not get swayed by the emotion of the story. Still, it was impossible to not feel the pressure in the center of her chest, right in the vicinity of her heart.

  “Practice a few more times and you’ll be all set,” she said. “You’re going to do an incredible job. I know you will.” Now that the speech was wrapped up, Mindy wanted to get herself wrapped up in Sam, but there were other things that needed to be addressed. She needed to tell him about her sisters coming to the event, even when she knew that he had trusted her to not say a thing. As to how he would react, she did not know. But she was done with having barriers between them. It all had to go.

  * * *

  Mindy had succeeded at something no one else had—she’d gotten Sam to shed his hard exterior. Not even Isabel, who was especially good at getting people to do things they did not want to do, had ever been able to convince him that baring his soul was a good idea. He’d always been so convinced that letting down his guard would somehow make his pain worse. It wasn’t better now, but it was different. Oddly, he felt more comfortable with it. And that was all because of Mindy.

  “I really don’t quite know how to thank you for this. I’m starting to feel like you’re my therapist.”

  “Before you get too appreciative, you should know that I had to tell Sophie and Emma about the fundraiser.”

  Sam’s stomach sank. One minute they were on the same wavelength, and the next they were running off the rails. “Why did you do that? I specifically asked you not to.”

  Mindy wheeled herself closer to his chair and took his hands. “I know. And it was my intention to honor that. But I didn’t want to hide the fact that you and I had spent the week together.”

  “Despite the bet?”

  “Yes. Even with the bet. So I spilled that detail and, of course, they protested.”

  Sam couldn’t listen to this. He got up out of his seat and distanced himself from her, but something stopped him when he got only a few feet. “Of course they did. They hate me, Min. I don’t see how we’re ever supposed to get past that.”

  Mindy rushed up to him and forced him to look her in the eye. “They don’t hate you. They don’t hate the real you because they don’t know the real you. That’s why I told them.”

  “I don’t need their sympathy. I don’t need anyone’s.”

  “I know that. But I need them to see you the way I see you. Or at least some of the way I see you. Which is why I also asked them to come to the event.”

  Sam could hardly believe what she was saying. “You did what? Is Jake coming?”

  Mindy shrugged sheepishly. “I guess? I don’t know for sure.”

  Again, Sam needed his space, and he took it, doubling back to his chair, picking up his laptop and returning it to the desk. “I can’t believe this. I shouldn’t have agreed to any of this. It was a mistake.”

  “Sam. Don’t shut me out. Listen to me. Please.” Mindy didn’t let him off the hook, storming up right behind him. She gripped his shoulders and leaned into his back, pulling him against her. “I know this is going to be hard, but I want you to do it for us.”

  Sam stood frozen, keenly aware of his breaths as they shuddered in and out of his lungs. Us. She said us. “For us?” He turned and circled his arms around her. “Is that what this is? Because it feels like I’m the one who’s going to be on trial with everyone there.”

  “Hey. I’m on trial here, too. My sisters are convinced I’ve made a bad choice. And I need to prove them wrong. Because if you’re going to be in my life, Sam, I need it to work with my family. There is no compromise that works for me. All or nothing.”

  Sam wasn’t quite sure what emotion he was supposed to be feeling right now. There were bits of hope running around in his head—Mindy had suggested she wanted him in her life. But she’d also suggested it wouldn’t work if her family didn’t approve. And it was difficult to be content with that. There was part of him that wanted her to risk it all for him, even when he knew that was foolish. It seemed like that was the only way to know it was real. It seemed like the only sure sign of love.

  “Do you want to know what happened between Jake and me?” he asked.

  Mindy’s eyes went wide with surprise. “If you want to tell me, of course I do.”

  “I did cut him out of the deal. He’s not wrong about that. But I did it so I could pay back the insurance company the claim on my father’s life insurance. I couldn’t live with myself, knowing that I’d received any reward at all for his death. And I couldn’t let Isabel live with it, either. My conscience needed a clean slate and I saw an opportunity and I took it. So when I told you that I did it to help someone, I was helping me.”

  Mindy clasped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God, Sam. You did that?”

  He nodded, willing the shame to go away. “If I would have known how much trouble it w
as going to cost down the road, I wouldn’t have done it. I guess I figured that Jake would eventually forgive me. But he put up such a wall after that happened, there was no way for me to get back in.”

  “Jake has his own issues,” Mindy said. “He grew up with a horrible home life and his mother abandoned him with his grandmother, who was not a nice woman. I’m sure he simply can’t handle betrayal.”

  Sam clamped his eyes closed, letting his mistakes tumble around in his head. “I had no idea. He never told me.”

  “That’s the problem here. People don’t tell each other stuff. And then it ends up getting one hundred times worse. Do you want me to tell Sophie and ask her to tell Jake?”

  Sam shook his head. “No. If they’re coming on Friday night, I’ll do it myself. It has to be man-to-man. Either he’ll forgive me or he won’t. I can’t focus on what other people think, even if it is your family, Mindy. Even if they might never let me have a moment’s peace.”

  “Okay. Whatever you think is right.”

  “Just so you know, I’m not the only one who’s going to fall under some scrutiny at the fundraiser. Isabel is going to be there and I’m afraid that her opinion of you isn’t much better than what your sisters think of me.”

  Mindy sucked in a deep breath, her shoulders rising up near her ears. “Oh, God. She’s going to put me on the spot, isn’t she?”

  “Probably. That’s her personality. I mean, she’s mostly harmless, but I’m not saying it won’t hurt. It might. She doesn’t have a great opinion of the Eden family in general, but most of that falls on you.”

  Mindy wrapped her arms around her midsection as if she was trying to shore up her defenses. “I’m getting a stomachache just thinking about it. Why did you have to tell me this? I might have been better off if it was a sneak attack.”

  Sam pulled her into a hug, rocking her back and forth. He didn’t want to torment her, but he didn’t mind giving her a small taste of what he lived with on an everyday basis. He’d shielded her from Isabel before. That couldn’t happen anymore. Not if they had any shot at all of a future. “If I have to worry for two days about what will happen, then you do, too. Plus, now you know how it feels to go without the unwavering support of family.”

  “This feels a little bit like payback.”

  “I’d say it’s more like the final test.” He reached up and smoothed her hair, committing the feeling of the silky strands beneath his fingers to memory. If things didn’t work out between them, he could look back on this moment and try to cling to it.

  “Now who’s the one with the bad bedside manner? That does not make me feel any better. At all.”

  He knew it was harsh, but he’d grown accustomed to dealing with some pretty damn unpleasant things lately. Now was no time to quit. “It’s our shared reality, Mindy. Either our families decide to get in line on Friday night, or they continue to get in the way. And if that’s the case, it’ll be time for you and me both to decide if we were just having fun or if we’re willing to go to battle with the people we love most.” He hated putting that spin on it, but in many ways, he was only filling in the blanks for her. He might be willing to go against Isabel in the end, but he feared Mindy would never shake the iron grip of her family. They were both better off if it was out in the open.

  “I know. You’re right.”

  If only she knew he took zero solace in that fact. “Will you stay tonight? I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t have any clothes with me. No toothbrush.”

  “No excuses tonight, remember? That’s what you told me about the speech.” When it came to excuses, he had no more when it came to the real confession he wanted to make—that he loved her. The words were right on his lips, waiting to be uttered. But this wasn’t the right time. They still had their hurdles ahead. If he went down in flames on Friday, she would likely side with her family. Which meant that all he could do was cherish tonight with Mindy. It was the only certain thing he had to hold on to.

  Twelve

  The fundraiser was being held at a midtown art museum. The event space was beautifully appointed—fifty round tables dotted the room, all topped with candles and ruby-red floral centerpieces, just waiting for the hundreds of guests to arrive at any minute. Sam’s mood did not reflect the relative calm and elegance of the room he was standing in. In fact, he was already freaking out. He paced back and forth in front of one of the bar stations while a bartender dumped ice into bins and waiters polished glassware.

  Ms. Parson, the charity’s representative, the woman Sam had given such a hard time when she’d called him at the office, approached. “Are you sure you’re okay, Mr. Blackwell?” She peered up at him from behind frameless glasses, seeming nothing short of gravely concerned.

  “Yes. Absolutely. Just going over the speech in my head. No problems at all.” He had to lie. He’d already put Ms. Parson through the wringer.

  “Okay, then. I’m going to go back and check with the caterer on a few things. I believe they have just opened the doors. Guests will be arriving any second now.”

  Great. That’s not helping. “Perfect. Thank you.”

  Isabel had apparently been one of the first people through the door. She marched up to him in a stylish white gown with silvery beads, her long black hair back in a sleek ponytail. “If it isn’t the man of the hour,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

  “Do not call me that. That’s the exact last thing I want to be.”

  “All ready to give your speech?”

  “As ready as I will ever be. Which isn’t saying a lot, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “When do you have to get up and speak?”

  “It’s the first thing, but they wait about an hour, until everyone has a few cocktails in them. After that, it’s dinner and dancing.”

  “They probably worry people will eat and take off. Gotta put on the thumbscrews as early as possible.”

  The thought of medieval torture was a nice one right now. He’d much rather have dealt with that than anything else. “I’m glad you could be here. I appreciate you coming.” Sam had to decide how to best frame what he had to say to his sister. “Mindy’s going to be here tonight and I’d like to introduce you two. I’m hoping you can find it in your heart to be nice.”

  “This is definitely a thing, isn’t it? Not just a fling? Are you sure you want to go there? What if she spins you out of her life again?”

  Sam could handle only so many questions at one time, especially questions for which he had few answers. “Yes, it’s a thing. I like her a lot. In fact, I think I love her.” Sam choked back the admission. He hadn’t said it out loud before that moment.

  Isabel grinned and elbowed him in the stomach. “You’re such a sap. It’s adorable.”

  “I thought you didn’t like Mindy.”

  “Oh, I don’t. I mean, I won’t if she does one single thing to hurt you. But if you’ve fallen in love, of course I support that.” She smoothed Sam’s lapel and patted him on the shoulder. “Just be careful. These Eden women are not to be trifled with.”

  Sam knew that very well. And he was not certain about what she would say if he finally just made his admission. Would she think he was softhearted like his sister did? She was not a woman who got wrapped up in typical romantic gestures—she was the sort of woman who swooned when you sold her a building. And as her mother had pointed out, she was also someone who viewed commitment as a trap. Although Sam was buying that line of thinking less and less. He suspected that Mindy’s mother didn’t know her like he did. The woman who was willing to stay up all night to write a speech, or was willing to push him past his comfort zone, was not a person who shied away from the more complicated things in life. And if anything was complicated, it was love.

  “Speak of the devil,” Isabel muttered under her breath. “Your lovely date and her sister are fast approaching. Along wit
h your nemesis, Jake Wheeler.”

  “He’s not my nemesis. He’s just stubborn. I don’t need everyone in the whole world to be my friend.” Except that he did need to patch things up with Jake. He was part and parcel of the Eden clan.

  Sam chose to focus on Mindy as she approached, and what a sight she was in a stunning black gown that shimmered in the candlelight. She’d worn her hair up in a twist similar to the one she wore to Sophie’s wedding. He only hoped he’d have the chance to later take it out exactly like he had the first time.

  Mindy winked at him when she was about ten feet away, then went right in for a kiss. Sam was stuck between getting what he wanted, that close physical contact with Mindy, and the audience who was witnessing it. This was more than just a kiss. She was showing her sister and his that she meant business about him. He had to wonder if she had any idea how comforting that was to him. It was like taking fifty deep breaths.

  “Hi,” she muttered against his lips. “You look very handsome tonight.”

  “You look incredible. Absolutely gorgeous. I want you to meet my sister, Isabel.”

  Isabel did her sisterly duty, but Sam could tell that her smile was an act. Behind it was Isabel the protector, the one who would not let him get hurt. He wanted to tell her to back off, but he knew it was of little use. “It’s nice to meet you, Mindy, after talking to you on the phone while you were staying with Sam.”

  Isabel glanced over at Sophie and Jake and went right ahead and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Isabel Blackwell. Sam’s sister.”

  “Sophie Eden. This is my husband, Jake Wheeler,” Sophie said, seeming confused by everything going on before them. “I’m Mindy’s sister.”

  “Oh, I know,” Isabel said.