Kate turned her head from side to side, watching the end of the braid whip around like a horse’s tail. Then she bounced on the end of the bed and ran from the bedroom and into the hall. “I’m getting a juice box.”
Now that they were alone, the tension radiated off of Ben. He started to speak, but Jenna had to stop him.
“You don’t need to say anything,” she said, rising to her feet. “But I need you to understand something. I went to six high schools in four years, and the memories all kind of blur together. Except, I always remembered that night when we ran through the creek. I know we weren’t even friends back then, but I’ve held on to that memory. Maybe I’ve been giving off some silly schoolgirl-crush vibe. I know you don’t remember me, and I never expected you to. It was a long time ago.”
A beat of heavy silence hung in the air.
Jenna glanced at the closet. “I want you to know nothing like that will ever happen again.”
She waited for Ben to respond, but he said nothing. His posture was rigid, and his expression was dark and detached as if a switch had turned off inside him, and the vibrant, laughing man who had touched her so tenderly was gone.
12
A thunderstorm rolled in minutes after Jenna left Ben standing in Kate’s room. The rain created a barrier between the carriage house and the Tudor, and she had taken solace in the separation. She needed time to sort out her thoughts. She had to forget the moment in the closet with Ben. But when her mind betrayed her with thoughts of his warm hands and blue eyes so full of want, she turned to work.
Summers were almost as busy as the school year. During the summer months, when she wasn’t working in a school, she spent her time synthesizing Gwyer reading data and consulting for several educational textbook publishers. The work was tedious and involved quite a bit of research, but she enjoyed the hours spent reading and writing.
She had spent all of Saturday and the better part of Sunday comparing the benefits of small group instruction versus large group instruction when a brisk knock on the carriage house door broke her concentration.
Jenna made it to the bottom of the stairs expecting to see Ben, Kate, or even Zoe and was surprised to see a tall man with a serious expression dressed in uniform.
A Langley Park police officer.
“I’m sorry to bother you, miss. I’m Officer Clayton Stevens. I tried knocking on the door at the main house, but nobody answered. I saw you up in the window when I was checking the perimeter.”
“The perimeter? Is everything all right?”
“Does the black SUV parked out front belong to you? The one with the Colorado plates.”
“Yes, I just got into town.”
The officer nodded. “I was patrolling, and I noticed all your tires looked flat. I’m sorry to tell you this, but when I took a closer look, I saw they’d been slashed.”
Jenna’s eyes widened.
“Why don’t you come with me, miss. We’ll write up a report for your insurance.”
The officer took a step back. He eyed her bicycle leaning against the side of the carriage house. “Looks like they got your bike, too.” He gestured to the rubber shreds littering the ground.
Who would do this?
Jenna had jogged all through the neighborhood and seen many bikes left on porches or leaning on the sides of houses. She wanted to ask Ben about using the garage, but he never used it and always parked on the street in front of the house. The one time she’d ventured to try and open it, she’d found it locked.
She figured he must have his reasons for keeping it off-limits and after their awkward moment in Kate’s closet, she wasn’t about to ask him for anything, especially not access to a garage he clearly wanted to remain unused.
Jenna went to her bike and crouched down, picking up a few rubbery strands. It looked as if someone had taken a hacksaw to the tires. She glanced up at the officer and watched as he turned away from her and called in on his radio.
She stood and started to follow the officer when she heard the squeal of tires. Within seconds, Ben was rushing toward her with Kate in his arms.
“Jenna, are you all right?”
Kate stared at the policeman, her bottom lip trembling.
Not wanting to frighten the little girl, Jenna gestured to the officer. “This nice policeman saw that the tires on my car were flat. He stopped to tell me so I could get them fixed. Wasn’t that kind of him?”
Kate nodded, but Ben didn’t look convinced that this was the only reason a Langley Park police officer had turned up on his doorstep.
Ben set his daughter down. “Kate, why don’t you head inside and get our movie started. I’ll be in right after I help Jenna with her car.”
Kate glanced at her father and then to Officer Stevens who gave her a reassuring smile. After the little girl had made it safely inside the house, Ben met the officer’s gaze and shook his hand. “I’m Ben Fisher. This is my home. What’s going on?”
The officer filled Ben in on the slashed car and bike tires.
“Did you see anyone?” Ben asked.
“No, sir, I didn’t. I was doing a patrol of the neighborhood, and the tires caught my eye.”
Ben nodded as he scanned his property.
Officer Stevens turned to Jenna. “Miss?”
“It’s Jenna, Jenna Lewis.”
“All right, Ms. Lewis. I patrolled a few blocks from the house before I came to your door. I wanted to check and see if any other vehicles in the area had been vandalized, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I called in to see if there had been any acts of vandalism reported recently, but dispatch said there’d been no reports of any destruction of property in weeks. As of right now, it looks like you may have been targeted.”
Ben looked at her, a mix of anger and concern in his eyes.
“Ms. Lewis, is there anyone you can think of who may have wanted to damage your property?”
Jenna wrapped her arms around her body. “I don’t really know anyone here. I’ve only been in town a week.”
“Aidan Hadley?” Ben asked, meeting her gaze.
He was right. She had endured two run-ins with Hadley in the short time she’d been in Langley Park.
Ben’s gaze softened. “But how would he know your name or where you were staying? Sam wouldn’t tell him.”
“He might know my name. Yesterday, when we were all at The Scoop, Ted brought my bike over and mentioned that a guy had come into the shop and asked about me. Ted may have inadvertently given him my name. I’m not sure. Plus, I’ve gone for a run almost every day since I arrived in Langley Park. Anyone could have seen me coming or going from the carriage house.”
“Who’s Hadley?” Stevens asked, taking out a small notepad.
“I thought he was just a creep. I was having dinner at Park Tavern, and I declined some drinks he tried to send over to me the first night I arrived in town. I found him waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom. He grabbed me. He tried to force himself on me, but I was able to use a self-defense move to make him let go.”
Stevens frowned. “Did you file a report?”
She shook her head. “No. Sam, the owner of Park Tavern, kicked him out. I figured he was just a nasty drunk.”
Officer Stevens nodded as he wrote. “I know Ted over at The Pedal. He’s a good guy. He helped me get through calculus back in high school. I’ll ask him about Hadley. Anything else seem out of the ordinary?”
Jenna’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. “I went for a run around Lake Boley early Friday morning. Someone threw rocks at me while I was running on one of the dirt trails off the main path.”
Ben’s eyes widened.
“Did you report this incident?” Stevens asked.
“No, I figured it was kids playing a prank or something.”
“You should report things like that, Ms. Lewis. It’s why we’re here.”
Jenna twisted her sleeve. “You’re right, officer. I didn’t want to overreact.”
“We�
��d rather you overreact. It’s better to be safe and call it in,” Officer Stevens said as chatter began streaming over his radio. “I need to head back to my cruiser and write this up. I’ll come and knock on your door when I’m ready to take your official statement, Ms. Lewis.”
“She’ll be in the house with me,” Ben said as the officer nodded and walked back to his patrol car.
Jenna turned to Ben and tried to keep her expression neutral. “I’ll be just fine on my own.”
“From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you’re doing fine.”
Jenna stood there, mouth open, not knowing whether she should slap him or be glad she didn’t have to be alone. As much as Ben’s words stung, he did have a point.
“All right. I’ll come inside until we’re finished with Officer Stevens. But not a minute longer.”
Ben gestured toward the house, and Jenna straightened her back as she walked, clasping her trembling hands in front of her body. She didn’t want him to see how shaken she was by all this. She couldn’t be weak. She had only herself to rely on, and if it meant pretending to be brave, then that’s what she would do.
Once inside the house, she looked in the den and noticed Kate cuddled up asleep on the couch.
Ben went over and picked her up, and Kate instinctively wrapped her limbs around her father, placing her little head on his shoulder, her dark hair falling in waves over her sleeping face.
“I’m going to put her to bed. Don’t leave,” he added, pinning her with his gaze.
Jenna didn’t give him an answer but walked over to the kitchen table and sat down with her arms folded.
This action seemed to appease him, and he continued up the stairs.
“Bossy,” she whispered under her breath. Anger was good. Anger kept her from thinking about his hands, his lips…
Stop it. Right now. That man cares nothing for you.
Ben returned to the kitchen and sat down across from her, pulling her from her thoughts. She watched him from the corner of her eye. He looked like he’d stepped out of a Lands’ End catalog in his button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up exposing his muscular forearms. He was so handsome with his angular features and dark hair that she had to physically turn her head away from him to avert her gaze.
She shook her head. Pining over Ben Fisher wasn’t an option. Over the weekend, she decided she had to put distance between them. She would continue to tutor Kate while she was in Langley Park, but that would be the extent of her time spent in this house.
“Is Kate feeling unwell?” she asked, telling herself she was only conversing with the parent of a student she was working with, nothing more.
“She’s just tired. We were at my mom and Neil’s house. Kate was gardening with my mom all afternoon. It always wipes her out.”
"It’s good to wait until after Mother’s Day,” Jenna said as she craned her neck to look out the window.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Gardening. My aunt always waited until after Mother’s Day to plant her flower boxes. Something about the weather, I think.”
Ben nodded, and they lapsed into silence.
“Neil’s your stepfather?” she asked, internally chastising herself for the slip. These kinds of questions didn’t help maintain distance.
“I figured you knew. Zoe didn’t tell you?”
Jenna shook her head.
“Zoe and I are half-siblings. My mom married Neil when I was four, and Zoe came along shortly after.”
“I wondered why they were all Steins, and you’re a Fisher,” Jenna replied, then gave Ben an embarrassed smile.
He chuckled, his expression softening. “My father passed away when I was two. My mother was a social worker at North Kansas City Hospital. She met Neil there, and the rest is history.”
“I’m so sorry, Ben. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay. Neil’s a good man. I couldn’t have asked for a better stepfather.”
Jenna twisted her sleeve. “I’m glad. Zoe and your mother are so kind. I can only imagine your stepfather is a pretty amazing person, too,” she added, not sure if that was an appropriate thing to say.
Ben nodded, and another pocket of silence swallowed them up. He seemed just as unsure as she did about navigating this conversation.
A sharp knock at the front door reminded her that she wasn’t sitting in Ben’s kitchen to make small talk. Someone had maliciously vandalized her car and her bike.
Officer Stevens had completed the paperwork, and Jenna spent the next few minutes answering some routine questions and providing the officer with her contact information.
As Jenna and Ben walked the officer out, Stevens turned and gestured to the carriage house. “I’d suggest parking your vehicles and bicycles in the garage from now on. You don’t want to make it easy for the bad guys.”
A beat of silence passed. Jenna glanced a Ben. His posture was rigid, and a bead of perspiration lined his top lip.
Ben released a breath and ran his hand across his mouth. “I agree, officer,” said with a slight shake to his voice. “We’ll start using the garage.”
“And, Miss Lewis, try sticking to the main Boley trail when you’re exercising outdoors. Or better yet, you could join a running group. Langley Park is a safe place to live, but you can never be too careful.”
“Of course, officer. I’ll be more careful.”
Officer Stevens gave them a nod and returned to his vehicle. Jenna watched as the patrol car disappeared down the sleepy, tree-lined street. Her mind raced with everything she needed to do.
She would need to have the car towed to a repair shop. The SUV would need new tires, and, hopefully, Ted could bring her Yeti Beti back to life. She had lived the last fourteen years of her life free of drama and chaos, and now each day seemed to bring some new catastrophe.
She rubbed her hands over her face. It felt as if she’d lived a thousand lives in just a week. Had it been only a matter of days since she’d seen Nick? Her world had been turned upside down, and fatigue washed over her body.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ben with a stern expression on his face.
“Why didn’t you say anything to me about the rocks when you were peeking in my office Friday morning?”
His harsh tone ignited something fierce in her soul. She turned on him, eyes blazing. “Peeking inside your office? I wasn’t peeking at anything. I had just finished the run from hell when I finally made it to the town center. I was in a part of town that I’d never been to before, and that’s when I saw the sign for Fisher Designs.”
Taking a breath, she took a step closer to Ben. “And you know what? I liked seeing all those before and after pictures you have posted on the glass. There’s something inside me that’s really happy to know you’ve built a successful business. All these years later, I had always hoped you were living a good life somewhere. And again, we’re back to the humiliating fact that you meant something to me, while I never meant anything to you.”
Ben couldn’t listen to her go on. He hated that she thought she meant nothing to him, but he didn’t have the words to tell her he remembered everything, her touch, her smell, and how desperately he had wanted to kiss her, taste her. He watched her, cheeks flushed and eyes flashing, and couldn’t stop himself.
He closed the distance between them, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. The kiss started off awkwardly. He was horribly out of practice, and she was midway through a rant, but as their mouths and teeth gnashed together, their lips and tongues soon found a rhythm.
Jenna’s hands rested on his chest, and she melted into his kiss. But all too soon, hot tears streaked down her cheeks. Ben pulled back and tried to meet her gaze, but Jenna pushed him away with a hard shove.
Wiping away the remaining tears, she took two shaky steps away from him, then turned and ran back to the carriage house.
Ben stood in the driveway. It was better to let her go. He was glad she’d run from him. Jenna
remembered the old Ben, the man he was before Sara crushed his heart. She didn’t know the shell of a man he was now. Jenna deserved better, but that kiss told him she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
Pull it together, Fisher. Thoughts like that don’t help anyone.
In the darkness, he saw the dim glow of a lamp from inside the carriage house. She was safe inside. He started to make his way into the house when the sound of an engine pulled him from his thoughts. He looked down the darkened street and watched as a pair of tail lights disappeared.
13
Jenna paced the length of the driveway. Monday morning had come, and her car and bike were still there waiting to be repaired.
She spent the morning having her car towed to a local mechanic’s shop. Now she found herself standing at the end of Ben’s driveway waiting for Zoe, unable to tear her gaze from the spot where Ben had kissed her last night.
She wanted to resist him. But when his lips met hers, it was like two tornadoes coming together. A wild storm of attraction, desire, and need all tangling her emotions. Jenna touched her bottom lip where he’d nipped and sucked, and she could almost feel the heat of his breath.
“Hey, daydream believer!”
Dropping her hand, Jenna looked up to see a dusty Jeep Wrangler. Zoe was leaning over the passenger seat moving her hand back and forth as if she was trying to wake her from a hypnotist’s trance.
Zoe called earlier that morning, wanting to wish her luck with her first family therapy session. Jenna told her about the events of the previous night, leaving out the kiss with Ben. And, Zoe being Zoe, she insisted on driving her to the hospital.
Jenna didn’t know what to make of her situation with Ben. Between the vandalism and her concerns regarding her mother, she tried to push the kiss out of her mind, but his taste still lingered on her tongue.
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 10
