Ruin

by C. J. Scott

  His left eyebrow rose. It could have been a sign of amusement, or just his way of saying 'Don't be an idiot.'

  "You don't know if I'm any good at that sort of thing," he said.

  Fuck. I was an idiot. I couldn't tell him that he looked like he'd be good at fixing things with those arms. And why would anyone work for no money anyway? It was a dumb idea. I'd been sucked in by his amazing eyes and shoulders, and left my brain behind.

  "Forget I said anything," I said. "It was just a thought."

  "It was a good idea." His voice rumbling deep in his chest. "I'd take you up on your offer, but..." He glanced around the diner again, but this time his gaze didn't settle back on me. It was as if he was deliberately trying not to look. "I don't think I should stay after all. When's the next bus out of town?"

  My heart sank. It was completely irrational. Why did I care what he did? Jane was right, and I knew it. This guy was a total stranger. He could be anybody, have done anything. Except if Molly was right and I did have good instincts...well, my instincts were telling me that this guy was okay.

  "In which direction?" Jane asked, speaking in a full sentence for the first time since we'd met him.

  "Not toward Riverside, silly," Molly said. "He's just come from there."

  "Oh. Right." Jane blushed fiercely and tugged on the hem of her top.

  "That's okay," he said, turning those intense blue eyes on her, like she was the only person who mattered. Nobody ever looked at Jane that way. Not even her grandmother. She smiled and stopped playing with her top.

  Yep, my instincts were right. He was a good guy.

  I thrust out my hand. "Hi. My name is Kate."

  He hesitated briefly. "Ben."

  I introduced Jane and Molly. "Are you sure you won't consider staying? Winter is a nice town, despite the name."

  "I like the name," he said.

  Okay then. "So why won't you consider staying? Just for a short time?"

  "I can't. I shouldn't have got off the bus in the first place." He nodded at Molly. "Thanks again for the coffee. I have to go."

  Jane started to say something, probably tell him there were no more buses through town until the next day, but I nudged her and she shut up. "Jane, is there any work around your grandmother's place that Ben could do?"

  "Um..."

  "Thanks, but no thanks," he said. "I better go."

  "You said that already."

  "You seem to need to hear it twice."

  Was that his way of telling me I was talking too much? Well, huh. Maybe he wasn't such a good guy after all.

  "We'll let you go then." I gave him a little finger wave. "You already know where the bus stop is."

  "But—" Jane began.

  I elbowed her in the ribs, and she closed her mouth. Behind me, I could hear Molly chuckling. We all watched as Ben picked up his duffle bag and slung it over one of those impressive shoulders. He nodded once then left.

  We watched him walk up to the bus stop in front of the diner. "He won't come back here," Jane said. "Not after this."

  "She's right," Molly said. "He won't like that you tricked him, Kate. It wasn't very nice."

  "I didn't trick him." But they were right. I don't know why I didn't tell him about the bus schedule. He'd riled me a little, and I always reacted badly when people did that. I felt like a total bitch. "I'll go apologize."

  I didn't get the chance to leave the diner. To my surprise, he strolled back in. "So, Jane," he said, easy as can be, "seems I need somewhere to stay tonight after all." His gaze slid to mine then quickly away. "Does your grandmother need any work done around her place or was your friend just playing some sort of game?"

  "Um..."

  "She does," I jumped in. I had to make amends somehow. "Her place is falling apart."

  "Really?" he said, lazily. Seems he didn't believe me.

  Bad start, Kate. "Yes, really. Tell him, Jane."

  Jane nodded, but it was Molly who spoke up. "Old Mrs. M will be very happy if someone could patch up a few things. Used to be a picture, that place, but it's gone to ruin. Poor Jane hasn't got the time for it, have you, dear?"

  Jane shook her head, but looked a little panicked. "I, I..."

  Ben's lips flattened and he blinked at her. He'd picked up on her nervousness loud and clear. "Maybe there's someone else...?"

  "No!" I said. Molly and Jane stared at me, surprised by my outburst. "Mrs. Merriweather has a huge house, and it really does need some work. The roof leaks, there's mold in the bathrooms, and the hot water sometimes doesn't come on."

  "Jane, you never said it was that bad," Molly scolded. "Why didn't you say? Frank could have come up to take a look."

  "She wouldn't even let me tell Dad," I said. "You know how proud Mrs. M can be."

  "You mean stubborn," Jane said.

  Molly clicked her tongue. "You must have been freezing up there in winter."

  Jane shrugged. "It's not so bad. It works sometimes."

  "Sounds like you need a new water heater," I said. "What do you think, Ben?"

  "Um..." he said in such a perfect imitation of Jane that I thought he was making fun of her.

  But one look told me different. He'd gone pale, his lips bloodless. Maybe he was going to faint. I was about to ask him if he needed to sit down when Molly interrupted.

  "I'll get Frank onto it right away, as soon as we close for the evening."

  "No!" Ben blurted out. "I'll do it. If Jane doesn't mind having a strange man around the house."

  It was as if he'd seen right into her heart to her fears. She swallowed hard, clearly not sure what to say at this show of psychic powers. As for Ben, he no longer looked like he needed a good lie down, thank goodness. Whatever was wrong must have passed. He looked...hard.

  Determined. The change was odd and piqued my curiosity.

  "I'll stay too," I said. "Safety in numbers and all that." It felt weird talking about Ben being an ax murderer when he was right in front of us, but in a way it was good that he knew we weren't blindly trusting him. If he was thinking about doing away with us in the night, he might think twice now.

  "You don't have to," Jane said without much conviction.

  "I want to."

  "I know who you are, young man," Molly said, wagging her finger at him. "Everyone here can describe you to the police if necessary."

  I snorted. The other four patrons were old Mr. and Mrs. Trotter, both nearly blind, and the Carmichael sisters who couldn't hear. They were completely oblivious to our conversation.

  "I know you don't know me," Ben said. "But I give you my word I won't hurt anyone. Inform the local police if you like."

  "Kate'll do that."

  "I pass right by the police station on my way home," I added quickly. No way did I want Ben to know my dad was a cop. People had a strange way of reacting when they found out I was a cop's daughter. I had stopped telling everyone within weeks of starting at UMD. Before that, I might as well have walked around with a sign on my head that said Loser.

  It's all settled then, Molly said.

  "Yes," I echoed. "All settled." Now all I had to do was work out a way to tell Mom and Dad that I was staying in the same house as a complete stranger.

  Chapter 2

  Ben held the diner door open for Jane and me, then followed us out. It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon although you wouldn't know it. Main Street was almost deserted. A couple wandered into the drug store, and Mr. Stoppard waved at us from where he sat in his rocking chair outside his tire and auto parts store. No one else was out.

  "I'm sorry about the bus thing," I said, as much to break the awkward silence as anything else. "I was just..." I shrugged, not really sure how to explain my moment of immaturity without sounding like a mean girl.

  "You made up for it," he said with half a smile. "All is forgiven."

  "Thanks."

  He looked in every store window as we walked, while I tried to catch Jane's attention. I didn't want to carry the conversation by myself, but she
ignored me. I don't think she wanted to talk to him at all.

  "So where are you from?" I asked.

  A few beats passed before he answered. "Minneapolis."

  "I have friends there. Which suburb?"

  "I've lived in a few different ones."

  Oh-kay. "Any in particular?"

  "No."

  "So you moved a lot?"

  "Something like that."

  It was like having a conversation with a brick wall, but I wasn't giving up. No matter how flippant I'd been in the diner, the cold reality was that he could be dangerous. I needed to find out more before I'd be comfortable staying with him.

  "What's your full name?"

  "Ben Parker."

  "How old are you?"

  "Twenty-four."

  All good so far, so I tried the question that really bugged me. "Why did you get off the bus in Winter?"

  He shrugged and stopped to peer into Barrett's hardware store window. "It looked like a great little place."

  I forked my eyebrow at Jane behind his back. Nobody with any amount of sanity could think Winter looked 'great.'

  "So you just got off the bus," I said to his reflection in the glass. "Even though you'd just come from Riverside. That's a short ride."

  He straightened and looked down at me through long, thick black lashes. "Yeah. I like history. This place seems to have a lot of it. I thought I might work here and just hang out for a while, but with no jobs going around..." He shrugged again and started walking.

  Jane and I scurried to keep up with his long strides. "So what do you do when you're at home in Minneapolis?" I asked.

  "Stop prying, Kate," Jane scolded. "She's nosy," she said to Ben. "It's a family trait that comes in handy maybe once in a lifetime. Otherwise it's just annoying."

  He laughed. It was the first time he'd laughed, and I felt a twang of something in my chest as the rich, deep tones spread through me. On the other hand, I was mad at Jane. I glared at her, but she was smiling too. It happened so rarely, and it made me happy just seeing it, so I stopped glaring and laughed along with them.

  Ben turned his soft gaze on me. My step faltered. There was something so gentle in those eyes, so knowing. It was riveting yet worrying at the same time. Worrying because I felt so at ease with him and calm. No one had ever made me feel like that so soon after a first meeting.

  "Thanks for offering to help Jane," I said quickly. "She could do with it up at that big old place. I know it's only for one night, but it's not every day a stranger offers to help someone for no payment."

  "A meal and a room isn't 'no payment,'" he said. "Besides, it's not like I have anything to do or any place to go right now."

  "Oh? Why not? Everybody has somewhere to go."

  Jane groaned. "Kate, shut up."

  Ben chuckled. "It's all right. I can see she's naturally inquisitive, and since I'm naturally secretive, we're going clash. It'll make for an interesting evening if nothing else."

  He said it with a twinkle in his eyes, one that brightened when he said 'evening.' Like he was looking forward to it.

  As was I.

  "This town's quiet," Ben said as we turned into the top of my street. "What happened to it?"

  "The mills closed," I said. "People just left."

  "Why didn't you and Jane?"

  "Our families stayed." I expected him to ask why, and then I'd have to tell him my dad was the local cop and still had a job. But he didn't. He asked about Jane instead.

  "Your grandmother didn't want to make a home for you somewhere else?"

  "She lived here her whole life," Jane said, tucking her hands into the pockets of her denim skirt. "It's her home, and she wants to die here."

  "She's never lived anywhere else?"

  "No. Just Winter. Her father owned one of the two mills in this area."

  "A mill owner? Interesting," he said softly.

  Jane and I exchanged glances. I didn't know what was so interesting about being a mill owner. Years ago, the Merriweathers had been the wealthiest and most influential family in town, but their influence had faded when the money ran out, and the money ran out about the time Jane's parents died in a car crash ten years ago. Her grandmother had brought her up since then, although old Mrs. M had struggled financially. The grand old dame of Winter who'd once ruled over the town with her biting wit and strong sense of social order was now just the mad old lady living in the crumbling ruin by the river. It was sad really, but life moved on. Well, it moved on for everyone except Jane.

  We neared my house. Jane's little red car was parked out front, and she popped the trunk for Ben to put his bag in.

  "I'll be right back," I said, opening the gate. "Give me two minutes to throw some things in a backpack." I ran inside before Jane could protest. My last vision was of Ben leaning against Jane's car, his arms and ankles crossed, a small smile of amusement on his lips. Ever since he'd decided to stay the night, he'd been smiling a lot compared to when he'd first arrived. It made him less mysterious, but way more likeable.

  "Mom!" I called out. "Are you home?"

  "In the kitchen!"

  Of course she was. My mother was always in the kitchen, baking or preparing dinner. She loved to cook and she was good at it, but with only Dad to cook for most of the time, she saw my homecoming as an opportunity to go crazy. I'd over-indulged in cookies and cakes all week.

  "Hey," I said, pecking her on one pink cheek. Mom's cheeks were always pink, especially in summer. She had pale skin like me. It freckled easily, and we both blushed at the worst possible moments. That's where the similarity ended, however. Her hair was dark brown where mine was naturally light, and her eyes were dark too. Mine were pale blue like Dad's. She was curvaceous where I was slim, although not the skin and bone I used to be as a teenager. That never stopped her from trying to fatten me up every summer.

  "Smells good," I said, grabbing a cookie off the tray. It was still warm but not too hot to eat. I got the whole thing in my mouth without dropping a single crumb.

  "Jane not with you?"

  I pointed outside.

  "Call her in!" She made to move off, but I caught her arm and shook my head.

  I swallowed my cookie before it was fully chewed. "I'm going to stay up at her house tonight. Is that okay?"

  "Oh." Mom's face fell. "I was hoping you'd be here."

  "Why? Do you have special plans?"

  She looked at the cookies and shook her head. "You know how we like seeing you when you're back. We miss you and just want to have you all to ourselves."

  It's weird because Mom and Dad always said they wanted to spend as much time with me as possible when I return, yet Dad never took time off work, and Mom did her thing in the kitchen, baking up a storm. I used to hope that they'd stop their normal life and all three of us could go on a vacation somewhere together. I gave up on that idea after the first summer vacation from college. For some reason, all they wanted to do when I came back to Winter was pretend that I'd never left.

  "It'll just be for tonight," I said.

  "Of course. You go. It'll be nice for you to have a sleepover with your friend."

  "Thanks, Mom." I kissed her cheek again and she hugged me back. It was like slipping beneath a warm blanket, one that smelled of butter and Mom. "There's ages before I go back to college. We'll have plenty of time to spend together."

  "I know."

  "I better pack."

  I pulled my backpack out of my wardrobe and threw some clothes and toiletries into it then rejoined my mother in the kitchen. She handed me a container filled with cookies and some steaks wrapped in butcher's paper.

  "What's all this for?"

  "Jane and Mrs. M could do with a decent meal. I worry about them, but neither will accept help. This way I can claim to be feeding you, and they can't mind."

  "Good thinking." But it disturbed me to think that Jane and her grandmother weren't eating properly. Were things really that bad for them? I didn't know and that made me feel like t
he crappiest friend around. "There's a lot here," I said.

  "That young man looks like he would take a lot of feeding."

  "Ah. Yeah. I was going to tell you about him."

  "Were you now?" She folded her arms and gave me a Mom look, the one that was meant to make me feel guilty without actually scolding me.

  "He's going to do some work for Mrs. M around the house in exchange for lodging and dinner tonight." I hefted the wrapped steaks. "He'll do a lot for these." I laughed, but she kept frowning. "Don't worry, Mom. He's nice."

  "What's his name?"

  "Ben Parker."

  "Where's he from?"

  "Look, Mom, I have to go. We'll be fine. Don't worry."

  She cocked her head to the side and gave me a glare I hadn't seen since I'd lied to her about skipping a day of school in tenth grade. "I'm your mother. I'm allowed to worry."

  "You're not going to tell me to stay, are you?" I gave her a hug, not waiting for her answer.

  "I stopped having that much influence over you the minute you accepted that place at UMD." She sighed. I felt like the most ungrateful daughter ever. "Won't you wait for your father to return from work? He can drive you to Mrs. M's place."

  "Get him to call me later." I pulled away and headed out of the kitchen. She followed me.

  "Not visit, mind, just call. I don't want him embarrassing me."

  "Why not? Is this boy someone special?"

  "We've just met him. And he's not a boy, he's twenty-four."

  She humphed. "I don't think I like this. He could be anybody."

  "How is it any different than a Bed and Breakfast taking in strangers? Except that they're paying."

  "A B&B would have some sort of security in place." Her face brightened. "Ask him for identification. A social security number or something like that. Something that can trace him if he leaves."

  "Sure, Mom." If it made her feel better, then I'd agree to anything.

  She waved at Jane from the front door. Jane waved back. Ben walked right past me and up to Mom, held out his hand and introduced himself.

  When Mom got over her shock, she shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Ben. Take care out there now. The old Merriweather place has got some loose tiles and floorboards. Wouldn't want anyone twisting their ankle."