by Diana Miller
“Actually, the provision was my idea, although Grandfather claimed it was unnecessary, and I had no idea he’d done it,” Ben said. “I pointed out to him that unthinkable things sometimes happen, and he must have realized he was in no position to disagree. Look at his books.”
Max’s trust would be distributed the way he’d wanted. In addition, even though he was dead, he was finally reunited with Jessica, and Ben agreed that he’d gotten his revenge against the man who’d killed both of them. And she’d been the one who’d identified Max’s killer—and she hadn’t ended up another victim.
Lexie had felt good before, but now she felt terrific.
Until Ben ruined everything. “With that resolved, I assume this is where you say your work here is done and head back to Philadelphia.”
“I guess it is, since my work here is done.” Her words came out slowly, forced out, even though she knew this had been coming. “I’ve got a huge backlog of work waiting for me.”
“What does that mean for us?”
The hollowness that had previously filled Lexie’s chest had been replaced by a vise that was squeezing her heart. But this is the way it had to be. “We agreed this was only a vacation fling. Vacation is over.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Ben’s eyes were fixed on hers. “We could do a long-distance relationship.”
Lexie refused to let herself even consider that. “A long-distance relationship is the same as a fling when there’s no way the people will ever end up living in the same place. We won’t, since you’re happy being a Lakeview mechanic, and I’m happy being a Philadelphia attorney.”
“Are you really?” Ben asked. “You seemed to enjoy being Lexie.”
“It was fun for a little while. Being here has also made me realize I need to stand up to my mother and live life on my own terms, not according to her rules. But I can’t change who I am. It’s time for me to go back to being Catherine.” She got out of bed and pulled on her clothes, needing to get out of there before she started crying. Although she knew it was for the best, this was harder than she’d anticipated.
Which forced her to acknowledge something she’d tried hard not to. Despite her best intentions and that she knew it would never work, she’d fallen in love with Ben, fallen for his brains, his perceptiveness, his sense of humor, his basic decency. Shallow though it was, she’d fallen for the handsome, sexy GQ Ben and the equally handsome, sexy NASCAR version, had fallen for the way he made her feel when they made love. She even loved him for his damn decision to leave a high-paying career for a life that was more fulfilling in small-town Minnesota, the very thing that guaranteed they’d never have more than a fling.
Her red tank top, skirt, and underwear were scattered on the maple floor beside the bed. She didn’t look at Ben as she threw on her clothes, and then sat down on the bed to fasten her red sandals.
She got to her feet, took a deep breath, and finally faced Ben. He was lying on top of the sheet, his hair in sweaty spikes, looking so hot Lexie had the urge to hop back into bed again and put off leaving until tomorrow. But that was just more of that post-danger lust. She’d miss him, but things had to end, and there was no point in dragging it out. She’d always been a rip-off-the-Band-Aid kind of girl anyway. “I’d better go,” she said, delighted her voice was level. “If I drive to Duluth tonight, I can get a flight out first thing tomorrow morning. Good luck with expanding the garage.”
“Thanks.” Ben’s face was expressionless, probably because this wasn’t a big deal for him. He had a lot more experience ending things than she did. Like he’d said, he enjoyed variety when it came to women. He was no doubt looking forward to replacing her with a younger, sexier model. “If you ever want another vacation fling, I’ll be here,” he said.
Maybe he meant it; maybe he was just being polite, like when he’d suggested a long-distance affair, knowing full well she’d never agree. It didn’t matter. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Rule one forty-nine, you know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were done following your mother’s rules.”
“That’s one of mine.” Lexie swallowed hard. “Catherine doesn’t do flings.”
Because they hurt so damn much when they ended.
She turned and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER 32
Six weeks later
Catherine glared at her office phone. She couldn’t ignore it, even though the call had a better than fifty-fifty chance of making her headache worse. At least she knew it wasn’t her mother, since her mother currently wasn’t speaking to her.
She picked up the phone.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t get your secretary,” the receptionist said. “There’s a man in the lobby who wants to hire you. I told him you’re not taking new clients, but he’s insisting on seeing you anyway.”
The throbbing in her forehead intensified. Catherine massaged it with her free hand. She’d figured it was probably a client either wanting something yesterday or completely changing what he or she had wanted yesterday, but this was worse. A former client who wouldn’t work with anyone else, and one she’d end up handling a new project for because her firm would ask her to, even if she didn’t have time. “Who?”
“I don’t know. He won’t give his name. He says he was referred by Max Windsor, which is really weird since he’s dead.”
Catherine moved her hand from her forehead and instead pressed it to her stomach, which had begun twisting and whirling. Her heart was drumming double time against her chest. “Send him back.”
In three minutes Ben Windsor was standing in the doorway of her office. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit and a tie that matched his vivid blue eyes, the same thing he’d worn that first night at Nevermore, back when she’d realized how attractive he was.
He looked even better now. And she was so glad to see him.
He strode into her office with his usual confidence, closed the door behind him, and sat down on one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. “I need some estate-planning work done,” he said. “I’ve recently come into a little money.”
“A little money?” Catherine asked.
A corner of his mouth quirked. “Okay, enough money to support a small country, which is why I’m also thinking of using a good chunk of it to set up a charitable foundation. I know you’ll be able to help me with all of that. Max Windsor told me you’re one of the smartest people he ever met.”
“Even though I’ve got a stick up my ass.”
Ben grinned outright. “He was wrong about that part.”
“I can’t do your work myself, but I can refer you to someone else.”
His grin faded. “You won’t do it?”
“As I said, I can’t do it. I’m leaving the firm in a couple of weeks.”
He’d seemed completely at ease, but now his body tensed. “You’re leaving? Why?” His voice sounded strained, like his vocal cords were tense, too.
Catherine got up and rounded her desk. “I need a change. I considered being a cocktail waitress or maybe an exotic dancer, but my relationship with my mother is too tenuous for me to try that.” She sat down in the chair next to Ben’s. “Aunt Jessica left me money to use to follow my bliss, as she phrased it in her will. I’ve never touched it, because I didn’t think practicing law was her idea of bliss. I think she’d approve if I used it to support myself while I write.”
“You’re quitting law to write?” He sounded a little less tense.
“Don’t tell me you disapprove, too. My mother had a fit. But she’ll get over it easier than she would exotic dancing. At least I hope she will. If she doesn’t, that’s her problem. Dad thinks it’s great.”
“Actually, I agree with your dad,” Ben said. “Coincidentally I’m also going to be starting a new career. I’m selling the garage to Shawn.”
Catherine blinked. “Selling it? I thought you’d be expanding it.”
“It didn’t seem appropriate to use Grandfather’s money to do t
hat.” He shrugged. “To be honest, I’ve gotten bored with being a mechanic. Being around a smart professional woman made me realize Grandfather was right. I miss using my brain the way I did in my old career. I’m going to start a financial consulting business. Although I’ll only take clients I want to work with, since I certainly don’t need the money.”
“In Lakeview?” Catherine asked.
“Most of my clients so far are on the East Coast. I can do most of my work online and over the phone, although I will have to travel a little. That means I can live almost anywhere.”
“I thought you were going to buy Nevermore.” When the trustee had mentioned that Ben had asked about purchasing it, the news had stabbed the pieces of her already broken heart. He clearly didn’t care enough about her to ever contemplate leaving Lakeview, conclusive evidence things were over between them forever.
“I considered buying it,” Ben said. “Grandfather would have liked it kept in the family, and no one else wants it. Maybe he’ll even decide to haunt it, which could be interesting. But I can’t, because I have this problem.”
“What’s that?”
He reached out and took her hand. “I’m in love with a woman who’s got a rule against flings. Not that I’d be satisfied with a fling with her. I’d actually like a relationship, maybe even a permanent one. She puts long-distance relationships in the same category as flings, though, so we need to be in the same city. That city is Philadelphia.”
Catherine’s stomach untwisted, replaced by a bubbling warmth that filled her body. “And here I’ve realized I’m tired of Philadelphia and the lifestyle I can’t escape if I live here. I also have a feeling my mother and I will get along a lot better if we aren’t in the same city.”
“Where are you planning on going?”
She met his eyes. “I’d consider Lakeview,” she said. “I’m not crazy about the possibility of snow in June, but the nice people who live there more than make up for it. Aunt Jessica said she did some of her best writing at Nevermore, and it obviously worked for Max.”
“Who turned out to be a hell of a matchmaker, much as I hate to admit it.” Ben got out of his chair and pulled Catherine to her feet. “I love you, Catherine.” He kissed her thoroughly.
“I love you, too,” Catherine said. “So much that if you’d waited until I’d finished my job, I’d have shown up in Lakeview.” Even knowing he’d planned to buy Nevermore and there was an excellent chance he’d reject her, she’d realized she had to risk it. She owed it to herself. And she owed it to Aunt Jessica, since she had a feeling Ben might be even more her bliss than writing was. “With my fingers crossed that you hadn’t gotten back with Amber,” she added.
“No way.” He kissed her again, more thoroughly. “Would you really be willing to move to Nevermore?”
“On one condition.”
“You want me to promise I’ll never make you ride a motorcycle.” Ben held up his hand. “I swear it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you kidding? If I’m going to be living out there, I want my own motorcycle, and you’re going to teach me how to operate it.”
He chuckled. “I knew you were just pretending to hate it. What do you want? Besides a motorcycle.”
“I want you to promise that you’ll never call me Catherine again,” she said. “From now on, my name is Lexie.”
THE END
About the Author
Award-winning author Diana Miller has wanted to be Nancy Drew ever since she started looking for hidden staircases as an eight-year-old girl (though she’s never found a single cryptic clue for all her trouble). Since then, she has worked happily as a lawyer, a soda jerk, a stay-at-home mother, a hospital admitting clerk, and a conference host. Still, she itched for a way to inject some suspense into her otherwise satisfying life, until she realized fiction was the key. Her debut novel, Dangerous Affairs, won a Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writers of America, and has been nominated for a Booksellers Best Award and an Aspen Gold Readers Choice Award. She has received five Golden Heart nominations, including one for Fatal Trust. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family.
This book was originally released in Episodes as a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials launched in 2012 as a new way to experience serialized books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the author creates it, purchasing once and receiving all existing Episodes immediately, followed by future Episodes as they are published. To find out more about Kindle Serials and to see the current selection of Serials titles, visit www.amazon.com/kindleserials.
