Whisper's Edge (30 page)

He just felt so damned tired, and had tumbled right back into his old grumpy self. Ben didn’t like it. And yet he just couldn’t sleep. He was hungry and couldn’t eat. His body was running on caffeine and anger. In other words, he was one big-ass mess.

“Thanks,” Ben said when Sunny brought him the Coke. He took a sip and let the cold liquid slide down his throat and splash into his empty stomach. He knew he had to eat something and so he popped a hot, crispy French fry into his mouth, but chewing and swallowing took an effort. To give himself something to do, he lifted the lid of his bun, put the fresh bib lettuce and thick slice of tomato onto the melted cheddar cheese, and then squirted some brown mustard in a circle on top of the burger. He sliced the sandwich in half and noticed that the meat was cooked medium just like he requested. Ben had never gotten a bad meal at Wine and Diner, and all he wanted to do was enjoy the pleasure of eating something really tasty. His last few attempts at preparing a meal at home had been pitiful at best.

Ben didn’t indulge in a big burger and salty fries often, and he got annoyed with himself for not being able to enjoy something as simple as lunch. He glanced at the round clock mounted on the wall. Okay, a very late lunch. Hours and then days had started to blend together in a meaningless lump of unhappiness. He took a bite of the pickle spear and winced.
Wow
, that was a bad idea! The tart taste shocked his system, and he had to take a bite of the burger to try to settle his stomach down. This wasn’t going nearly as well as he had hoped. He couldn’t even touch the hot sauce.

And then it hit him.

Ben sat up straighter and nearly knocked his drink over. This was stupid! He loved Kate, damn it! All of this feeling-sorry-for-himself stuff was a crock. He couldn’t control what happened to Anna, but he could fight to keep Kate in his life. As soon as he finished lunch he was going to march into her
office and…kiss some sense into the stubborn woman! Despite his lack of sleep, he suddenly felt energized. Alive! Ben thought about leaving right then and there but his stomach suddenly growled. He was hungry! He picked up a French fry, popped it into his mouth and delighted in the salty goodness. Next, he took a giant bite of the burger. God, it was delicious! With a grin, he shook some hot sauce onto his plate and dipped the next bite into the spicy sauce.

Ben smiled at Sunny when she paused at his booth to refill his glass. He wasn’t one to eavesdrop but when he heard the man in the booth behind him talking on his cell phone, he listened absently while swirling a few fries in the puddle of ketchup. When Ben heard him say the name Nicolina, he realized the man was Mitch Monroe, the bigwig who’d moved here from Chicago and played a big part in revitalizing Cricket Creek. As they chatted about business at the jewelry store, Ben zoned out since it made him think of the unopened gift he bought there for Kate. But as Ben took another tentative bite of the burger, his ears suddenly perked up when Whisper’s Edge was mentioned.

“Nicolina, I made Tristan McMillan an offer for Whisper’s Edge,” Mitch said to her. “He wanted to propose another joint venture to me but I decided that I’d like to have the land to myself. The riverfront property will only go up in value if we sit on it.” Mitch paused as if listening, and then said, “Yes, I already discussed a marina and restaurant and maybe even a microbrewery with him, but Nicolina, I don’t know. With the Wedding Row shops still not fully rented out I want to move a little bit slowly.” He paused again. “Yes, the bakery will be opening in a couple of weeks and I’m hoping to have a photography studio and wedding boutique in place soon. I know it will help your business thrive too but you’re already stretched to the limit. Sweetie, you truly need a personal assistant.” He sighed. “I know…I know, but Bella is away at Logan’s baseball games too much. We’ll chat over a bottle of red tonight.” After another pause he said, “No, Tristan is going to mull the offer over
and give me an answer in a day or two.” Silence, and then, “I love you too.”

For a moment Ben just sat there while the realization that Tristan wasn’t remotely who he represented himself to be slowly sank in. Ben ground his teeth together. Kate was going to be pissed.

And Savannah was going to be devastated.

Ben absently munched on the pickle while he decided what to do with the information. After a few minutes he knew he was going to have to break the news to Kate. And he’d better not cross paths with Tristan McMillan, or the hot-shot lawyer pretending to be a hero to a bunch of trusting senior citizens would get a much-deserved roundhouse to the jaw.

After polishing off what little he could of his meal, Ben paid his tab and left Sunny a hefty tip after she worried once more that he was unhappy with his meal or service.

But he drove back to Whisper’s Edge with a heavy heart for so many reasons. After parking his truck in his driveway he started slowing strolling toward the office. This wasn’t going to be easy. As he passed through the neighborhood, smiles and waves came his way. Little did they know that their community was at risk, and Ben felt another shot of anger toward Tristan McMillan.

“Hey there, Ben!”

Ben looked over to see Clovis Camden motion for him to cross the street. “Hi, Clovis.” Ben forced a smile.

“Where you been keepin’ yourself?”

“Ah, been busy.”

Clovis leaned on his rake. “How about coming over tonight for some brats and beer and baseball? Clyde is making some of his killer tater salad. I’ll be doing the grillin’. I don’t do any of that girly kitchen stuff.”

“Ah, sounds good but I have to pass,” Ben said, but he truly appreciated the offer. “I’ve got some paperwork to do.”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” Clovis said. “The invitation will remain open.”

“Thanks.”

“We’ve been missing ya playin’ horseshoes.”

“I’ve been really busy,” Ben lied. “I’ll try to make it this week.”

“Okay,” Clovis said and swiped a hand across his forehead. “Whew,” he said and, to Ben’s horror, swayed just a bit.

“Clovis, are you feeling okay?”

“Aw, just this danged heat.” He swiped at his forehead again. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”

Ben wasn’t having it. “Let’s get you inside where it’s cooler.” He was truly worried.

“I need to finish this yard work,” he said with a stubborn lift of his chin.

“The weeds can wait, Clovis.”

“Once I start a job, I like to finish.”

Luckily, Willie and Miss Patty came walking by and overheard the exchange. “Hey there, is everything all right?” Miss Patty hurried across the lawn, followed closely by Willie.

“Clovis had a dizzy spell,” Ben explained.

“I’m fine, I tell ya!” Clovis puffed out his chest with male pride that would have had Ben grinning if he hadn’t been so concerned.

Miss Patty shushed him. “Don’t be so danged stubborn, Clovis Camden. Have you hydrated? And I don’t mean beer.”

“Do you always have to be so bossy?” Clovis grumbled, but if Ben wasn’t mistaken there just might be a bit of a spark between those two.

Miss Patty pressed her lips together. “I’ll take that as a big fat no!” She grabbed him by the elbow. “Let’s get you inside. Where’s Clyde?”

“Grocery shoppin’. He’s making some tater salad later. It’s surprisingly tasty.”

“Do you have this handled?” Ben asked hopefully and got a nod from Miss Patty.

“I’ll take care of the stubborn old coot.”

“I’m not an old coot. And that dog isn’t coming in my house,” he grumbled.

“You’re as stubborn as the day is long,” Miss Patty shot back as they entered the neat little house. Willie followed them.

Ben made a mental note to check on Clovis later and then felt another flash of anger at Tristan McMillan. The residents might gripe at one another from time to time but they were a community and cared about one another as friends and neighbors. Some of them had kids or grandkids that came over to check in on them from time to time, but many of them were on their own. They depended upon one another. Where would they go if Whisper’s Edge was shut down?

Ben was thinking so hard on the subject that he forgot to be nervous about swooping in and kissing Kate until he found himself on the front steps to the office. The door was usually unlocked during the day for residents to come and go if they needed assistance for any reason. Ben normally entered without knocking, but when he got to the doorway of Kate’s office and was about to make his presence known, his pulse kicked into high gear and he stopped in his tracks.

Intent on whatever she was doing, Kate failed to look up and notice him standing there like a lovesick fool. She swiveled in her seat in order to peck on the keyboard while peering intently at the monitor, giving Ben a view of her profile. Even wearing her crazy polka-dotted reading glasses, she looked gorgeous to Ben. Just last week, before everything had gone to hell in a handbasket, he’d bought a half dozen of the glasses for her since she was forever looking for them, most often finding them perched on top of her head.

Kate typed for a minute and then made a growling sound. “Whew!” She sighed, picked up a magazine, and started fanning her flushed face, even though the room was, as always, as cold as a meat locker.

As she fanned her face he noticed a bracelet dangling from her wrist. Ben narrowed his eyes.

Wait a minute.

Was it the coral and turquoise bracelet that he’d bought her? The sun caught the silver heart-shaped charm. Well damn…He must have made some kind of noise, because she suddenly stopped fanning and looked over in his direction. When her eyes widened in surprise, he said, “You’re wearing the bracelet.”

“Isn’t that why you gave it to me?” she asked with false innocence.

“So…do you like it?”

“No.” She rubbed the charm with her thumb and fingertip. “I love it,” she admitted softly.

Ben took a step into the room. “Why didn’t you call and tell me?”

She pushed her glasses up on top of her head. “I was waiting for you to show up.”

“So that’s all I had to do? Show up?”

She nodded.

Ben shoved his fingers through his hair. “So, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep and all I had to do was walk through the door and everything would be just peachy?”

She nodded again. “I had a change of heart after I finally opened the gift. I realized that I was wrong. I want to be serious. Committed…”

“My emotions are warring with being really relieved and super pissed. I’m leaning toward super pissed.”

This time she pressed her lips together as if warding off her own emotions.

“Kate, for the love of God, why didn’t you call me or come over and put me out of my misery? Why did you choose to put me through hell?”

“I wanted you to come back after me, Ben.”

His anger rose. “So this was a game to you?”

She tossed the magazine down. “I don’t play games,” she replied hotly.

“It sure feels like it.”

“Look, in my lifetime I’ve been disappointed by those I
loved and trusted the most. I needed to be sure. I figured that if you gave up that easily then your words were…
hollow
. I wanted for you to
show
how much you wanted me in your life.”

“Great. So this wasn’t a game but a
test
?” He voice sounded tight and strained but he couldn’t help it. Ben was on the verge of shouting, something he almost never did.

“It wasn’t easy for me not to call you.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Ben took a step closer. When he saw the dark circles beneath her eyes some of his hot anger cooled. “In other words you were scared.”

“No, petrified.” She fingered the charm as if gathering strength from the silver heart. “But right now my plan seems shallow and mean.” She blinked as if warding off tears.

“Ah, Kate.” Ben softened. “You are neither of those things. But what if I hadn’t shown up?”

“I had a backup plan.” She grinned slightly.

“And what was that?”

“I was going to fake a leaky faucet or some such nonsense. Come up with a reason to call you.”

Ben felt the tension leave his body. “I’m trying to stay pissed, especially since your devious plan, test, whatever it was worked like a charm.”

“And?”

He sighed. “It isn’t working. All I want to do is kiss you.”

Kate pushed back her chair and walked over to him. She put her arms around his neck and said, “Then do it.”

“After what you put me through, I shouldn’t make it so damned easy on you,” he growled but he dipped his head and captured her lips with his. Ben felt her tremble and held her tightly. After pulling his mouth from hers he said, “I love you, Kate. I missed you and I’m miserable without you in my life. You lifted me out of a deep depression and gave me back the will to live…to laugh.” He reached down and touched the silver charm. “Strength,” he read softly. “We’re both strong individuals but even stronger together.”

“I agree.” She looked into his eyes. “And I do love you, Ben. With all my heart.” She pressed her palms to his cheeks. “I’m so sorry for the way I reacted. I want to explain…”

“You don’t have to be sorry. We both have some pain in our past. I understand.” He kissed her again and hugged her like he was never letting her go…because he wasn’t. “But you are my future.”

“Oh, Ben!” When her smile trembled with emotion Ben dipped his head and captured her lips with his and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. But there was a tomorrow. Lots of them and Ben wasn’t going to waste one more minute without her in his life. But when he finally pulled back he frowned. “Unfortunately, I have some disturbing news to tell you.”

Her eyes widened at his solemn expression. “Should I sit down?”

“Yeah, I think you should,” he admitted. They took a seat on the sofa against the far wall. “I’m not one to listen in on other people’s business, but I overheard Mitch Monroe talking on the phone. From what I gathered, Tristan McMillan is selling Whisper’s Edge to him for future development.” Ben relayed the conversation he’d overheard.

Kate put a hand to her mouth. “Why, that little weasel!”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ben said darkly. “Now, mind you, I don’t know if it’s a done deal and I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but Tristan certainly had other intentions for this property other than to make improvements.”