Chapter 22
Bennett
I couldn’t stop thinking about Annalise all day.
Luckily, Lucas didn’t seem to notice since he was busy eating a giant tub of popcorn, two hot dogs, and a soda large enough to fill a sink basin. We had third-row seats, so the roar of the trucks and our earplugs also kept us from talking much. With nothing to do but sit in my seat, I couldn’t stop obsessing over Annalise’s face when I’d walked out of the bullpen earlier. She’d moved past angry and now settled in on hurt.
God, I’m such a dick.
After the show was over, Lucas and I were walking to the car in the parking lot when my phone buzzed with a text.
Cindy.
Now there’s a name I hadn’t thought about in a while. It’d been a few months since we’d had any contact. Cindy was a flight attendant I’d met on a business trip last year. She lived on the east coast, and we’d hooked up a few times—twice while I was in New York City and once while she was out here. Apparently she was in town tonight on an unexpected layover and wanted to know if I could go out. Go out meant a quick dinner and then staying in her hotel room all night.
It was probably exactly what I needed.
A sure-thing good time.
Simple. No complications.
Relief from some pent-up frustrations.
Yet I tucked my phone into my pocket and didn’t immediately text back.
I’d call her after I drove Lucas home.
But after I dropped him off, I knew I needed to take care of something before I made plans with Cindy tonight. I owed Annalise an apology, and that should come before my good time. So I drove to the office. It was nearly five o’clock, so I had no idea if she’d still be there. She’d probably come in early this morning to get a jump on the day. It was Saturday, after all. Yet I took the drive over anyway.
The area around the office was commercial and became a ghost town on the weekends, even more so at night. So the closer I drove, and the more empty parking spots I passed, the less I thought she’d still be at the office. Until I hit our street and saw a sole car in the parking lot—one that looked exactly like mine.
***
The lights were off in the reception area until the motion-activated system flickered them on. A few people had been working earlier today in various departments, but as I passed through the hallways now, the entire floor seemed to have emptied out. Every office was either dark or had the door closed.
Except for one.
Light streaked the hallway carpet from an open door at the far end. But it wasn’t until I got two doors away that I heard any sound.
I stopped in place, hearing a voice. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Annalise. She was…singing. It was a vaguely familiar country song I’d heard a few times—something about losing your dog and best friend—but, damn, her voice was good, like a sweet angel, with a little vibrato devil soul aching to come out. It made me smile.
I wanted to listen more, but I was even more curious to see what she looked like while she sang. So I walked the few steps to her doorway.
Her head was down, her nose buried in a file cabinet, and earbud wires dangled from her ears. She didn’t immediately notice me. I could only see her profile, but it gave me a brief chance to watch her. And I was awestruck by how beautiful she looked.
She had on jeans and a white button-up shirt, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Yet she’d never looked more gorgeous. The lack of a fancy business suit and blown-out hair allowed the focus to be just her. Some people needed all that window dressing. But not Annalise. Her beauty came from the flawlessness of her porcelain skin, the smooth curves of her body, and eyes I knew lit with fire. And that voice…I was completely transfixed.
As I stared, she craned her neck a little more to thumb through some files, and the movement must’ve caused her to catch a shadow in her peripheral vision.
Her head whipped up, eyes went wide, and singing cut off mid-word.
“Oh my God!” She stood and ripped an earbud from her ear. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I held my palms up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She put her hand over her chest and took a few deep breaths. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long.”
“I guess I had the music too loud, so I didn’t hear you.”
Or I didn’t say anything so I could keep looking at you. To-may-to. To-mah-to.
“What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by to talk to you.”
She shut the file cabinet drawer. The initial shock had worn off, and her voice went flat. “I’m all talked out. Just go away, Bennett.”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets and took a step into her office. “You don’t have to talk then. Just listen. I’ll get out of your way when I’m done.”
She wore a mask of indifference, but said nothing—apparently this was my opportunity.
I cleared my throat. “I didn’t lie in the hotel room. I do think you’re beautiful, and I was jealous of that guy’s hands on you.”
Her jaw dropped. “I thought you didn’t remember anything you said that night.”
I smiled sheepishly. “Okay. So that was a lie. But what I said that night—it wasn’t.”
“I don’t understand.”
I took another step toward her. “It was easier to say I didn’t remember saying those things and let you chalk up what I’d admitted to drunken ramblings.”
She looked down for a minute, and when she looked back up, she seemed hesitant to accept what I was saying.
“Why didn’t you want me to remember what you said?”
And there was the million-dollar question. I could’ve given her a perfectly acceptable answer that made sense and was probably the one that should’ve been true—because we’re competing for the same job, and it would’ve been inappropriate—but that answer would have been bullshit.
I owed her some honesty, so I swallowed my pride. “Because every word I said that night is the truth, and it scares the living fuck out of me.”
Her lips parted, and her face flushed a light shade of pink. I loved how she couldn’t lie or get embarrassed without showing it. It made me wonder if it also happened when she was turned on. I bet it did.
“Why does it scare you?” she asked quietly.
The questions just kept getting harder. I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to find the right words.
“Because I’ve never been a jealous person. Might not have had a long-term relationship like you have, but I’ve dated enough. Sometimes saw the same person every weekend for months. Yet I never asked what she did during the week. Because I didn’t care. It was always about the day, the time we spent together. Jealousy is about tomorrow.”
She mulled that over for a while, then nodded and asked a question I didn’t expect. “Who is Lucas to you?”
“He’s not my son, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“In the bullpen this afternoon he mentioned he lives with his grandma and you two spend every other Saturday together.”
I nodded. “His mother died, and his father is a deadbeat who doesn’t care if he exists. He’s my godson.”
She turned and looked out the office window. When she turned back, she said, “Anything else you need to say?”
Shit. Had I forgotten something? It sounded like she was prompting me for more. I quickly ran back through everything I’d said…I’d admitted I lied, admitted I thought she was beautiful and had been jealous. What else was there?
Seeing the lost look on my face, she tossed me a life ring. “You’ve been a jerk to me all week. Especially last night at the bar.”
Oh. Yeah. That. I smiled. “Did I mention I was sorry for acting like a dick? Because I could have sworn I led with that.”
She smiled back. “You didn’t mention it, no.”
I took a few steps closer. “I’m sorry for acting like a dick.”
“Again, you mean.”
I nodded. “Yes, again. I’m sorry for acting like a dick again.”
She searched my face. “Okay. Apology accepted. Again.”
“Thank you.” I’d pushed my luck enough with her for the day, so I figured I should take off. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I didn’t really want to leave, so I took my time turning around. She stopped me right before I made it to her doorway. “Bennett?”
I turned back.
“For the record, I find you attractive, too.”
I grinned. “I know.”
She laughed. “God, you’re such a jerk. I think that’s more the reason you’ve never had a Valentine than you not wanting candles and romance.”
“You want me to be your Valentine, don’t you? Probably because you think I’m so hot.”
“Goodnight, Bennett.”
“’Night, beautiful.”