CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ben woke the next morning in Lizzie’s bed. Wide awake and wondering how he’d gotten here, he rehashed the night in his mind. One minute, they were kissing like the world was ending, and the next, they were shutting the dogs out of the bedroom for some privacy.
It was hard not to laugh out loud at the notion that at thirty-six, he could still be so perplexed by a woman. Just when he’d pegged her as a dispassionate heartbreaker, she burst out a warm, amorous side.
She rolled over, and unreadable blue eyes opened and stared at him. Damn, she was pretty.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“What time is it?” she grumbled.
“A little after eight.”
“Coffee.” She closed her eyes again.
“Not a morning person?” he said with extra pep, making her chuckle. “I’ll make some.”
He dressed, went to her kitchen, and started the coffeepot. While it was brewing, he took the dogs downstairs for a quick lap around the building. When he returned, Lizzie was in the kitchen, sipping at a huge yellow mug that read, “Just a girl who loves dogs.”
“Thank goodness,” she said. “I thought you’d not only snuck out without saying goodbye, but had stolen my dog.”
“Figured they needed a potty break.” He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I do have one problem though.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “What’s that?”
He lifted her sweatshirt and put his ice-cold hands on her back. “Baby, it’s cold outside.”
She yelped and smacked at him. “You’re freezing.”
“At least give me your mug then,” he said. She handed him her cup, and he wrapped his hands around it. Laughing, she grabbed another one for herself. This one was red and said, “I’d love to, but my dog says no.”
After his hands warmed, he set the coffee on the counter and encircled her again. “How ’bout I try that again?” This time, she didn’t scream when he touched her soft skin.
Her kiss tasted like coffee and toothpaste. “Hm,” she said. “Now I know why I’ve been craving s’mores all night. You smell like a campfire.”
“Ah, yes. I am in need of a shower.”
“Hazard of being a hero, I guess,” she teased.
He wasn’t sure where things stood with them, but figured last night deserved some sort of discussion. “I’m not very good at these,” he said honestly.
“Good at what?” she asked.
“The morning after talk.”
“Well, don’t look at me,” she said. “I’m not any better.”
He shot her a dubious look, and she sighed and set her mug next to his. “I know people think I sleep around,” she said. “But that’s not the case. I date a lot, but I can count on two fingers how many guys I’ve slept with. Well, three now.” She waggled her eyebrows.
That information caught him off guard. He too, had assumed she got around the block and realized now how unfair that was. Add it to the list of things that surprised him about her. Did that mean this was more than just a fling for her? He smiled.
“How about you?” she asked.
“Oh,” he said. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I took advantage of the fire bunnies when I was young and dumb and first hired on. Once Maya was old enough to understand, I didn’t bring anyone home I wasn’t serious about. And since I never found that, it’s been mostly one-night stands and secret relationships that didn’t last long.”
She nodded. “That reminds me. The day I drove Maya to the ER, she asked me about boys and stuff.”
“By ‘stuff,’ do you mean sex?” He’d had The Talk with Maya several years ago, but supposed it was normal she’d have more questions. And that her dad was the last person she’d bring them to.
“Not explicitly,” Lizzie said. “More like how to get guys to notice her. I told her putting out is not the way to win over a boy. And that she should never let anyone pressure her into doing something she didn’t want to.”
“Thank you. That’s good advice. I also need to thank you for helping her with some cretin at that party.”
“Oh, sure. No problem. Glad I was there to help.”
“Maya said you took on a kid twice your size.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, well. I’ve taken a few self-defense classes, and he was a punk.”
“Good thing it was you and not me. I’d be rotting in jail for beating the holy hell out of him.”
“Nobody would blame you.”
“Technically, she’s almost an adult, but that doesn’t mean I won’t worry every day she’s away at school.”
“Sounds like she’s pretty worried about you too.”
“Ha. That’s true. She’s not wrong about my lack of life. Next fall, I’ll be an empty nester with no hobbies.”
“That seems easy enough to fix.”
“Yeah. I’m working on the photography thing and playing basketball. I plan to take up golf in the spring. Hopefully, that will satisfy her.”
Lizzie put some dog food in a gallon-sized bowl, and they carried their coffee to the living room and sat. Jasper sniffed at the food and ate a little, then Charlie took his turn and finished off the bowl.
“He seems to be feeling better,” Lizzie said. “Guess I should go to work tonight.”
“We gonna talk about what this means for us?” he asked.
“Honestly, I’m in uncharted territory. The two guys I slept with happened like a hundred years ago. Nowadays, going past three or four dates is rare for me. I don’t know what got into me last night.”
“Do you regret it?” he asked.
She thought for a second. “No.”
“Neither do I.”
“I’m not very good at relationships.” She looked at him, face painted with doubt.
“I haven’t been in one for almost twenty years.”
“We should be great together then,” she said, and they laughed.
“Does that mean you want to try ‘together’?” he asked.
“Seems a little early for that conversation.”
“Early in the relationship, or early in the day?”
“Both,” she said. “I don’t really wake up until after noon.”
“Let’s think about it,” he said diplomatically. “We don’t have to decide right this second.”
“Sounds good.”
“I do want to keep it from Maya until we know though. You understand?”
“Yes, and I agree. I won’t tell my family either. They’re terrible with secrets, and trust me, the last thing we need is a town full of Parkers all up in our business.”
He laughed. “Well, I better get home before Maya returns from her sleepover.”
She walked him to the door. Kissing goodbye seemed too relationshipy, but hugging or shaking hands after what they’d done all night seemed inappropriate too. Before he could overthink it, she went up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the mouth, accompanied by a sultry look and eyebrow waggle.
“Bye, Jasper,” she said, bending to pet him. “Later, Mansfield.”
“Have a good day,” he said, chuckling on his way out.
He closed the door and then paused, staring at it. What had just happened? Could the last twelve hours have irrevocably changed his life? Was it possible to fall in love in that span of time? Or, like Lizzie said, was it lust?
She was so not his type. Young and hip, she liked to drink and have fun—the polar opposite of his stay-at-home-and-read-a-book lifestyle. Why was he so drawn to her then? Sure, she was pretty, but it was more than that. She kinda felt like…home.
Jasper nudged his leg. “You’re right. Way too early to be thinking all that,” he said to the dog. “Let’s go.”
It wasn’t even nine o’clock, so he was surprised to see Maya home already.
“Didn’t expect you back so early,” he said. “I was walking Jasper and taking some pictures.” Thank goodness he had the dog and the camera with him. A perfect alibi.
“Taylor had a soccer game this morning. She invited me, but I’ve got homework and stuff.”
“No crutches? Your ankle better?”
“Much. It still hurts a little, but I’d rather limp around than use those stupid things. Doctor said it would only take a week or so to heal, and it’s been about that.”
“Too bad the season will be over by the time you’re back to one hundred percent.”
Maya nodded. “I’m surprised you haven’t made coffee.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. Normally, he put some on first thing. “Jasper was pretty anxious to get out. I forgot to set it.”
She had no reason to think he’d been anywhere but here last night, so she accepted the excuse. He felt like a hypocrite, lying to her after his big speech about how wrong it was, but then again, he was the parent. The dynamics were different.
“What were you taking pictures of?”
“Oh, the water, the boats. Just trying out the camera. Figured I’d start up photography again. I also have a date to play poker with some guys next week.”
“Good job, Dad,” she said, coming close to give him a teasing pat on the shoulder. “Why do you reek of smoke?”
Oh, geez. The fire. He’d forgotten about that. “When I took Jasper out last night, we came across a condo building on fire.”
“I drove past that coming home—saw the building roped off and one of the condos boarded up. I wondered what happened.”
“Yeah, well. We were walking by and saw the smoke. I knocked on some doors to warn people.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the complex where Lizzie Parker lives. You remember her?”
“Uh-huh.”
“She lives on the other side, but still, that’s scary.”
“Yeah. All the people got out, but there were a couple of dogs trapped in the unit on fire, and one died.”
“That’s so sad. What about the other one?”
“I helped him out.”
“You went into a burning building? Dad!”
“No. I just kicked the door in, and he came running out. It was no big deal.” Another lie? Wow, they were rolling off his tongue today. No sense in worrying her though.
“So why didn’t you shower last night?”
“I was exhausted.” Now he understood how people said one lie led to another. It was like he couldn’t stop.
She crooked her head to the side, studying him. “You’re acting weird.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” He tried to pout, and she laughed.
“Whatever. I’m making coffee. We stayed up way too late watching movies.”
From there, she started a rambling play-by-play of what she and her friend had done all night. He listened over another cup of coffee, took a shower, and did some chores around the house. Try as hard as he might, he couldn’t get Lizzie off his mind. They’d barely spent any time together, and neither he nor Lizzie had very good track records with dating, but nothing could dampen his excitement.
Maya came out of her room for lunch and asked to go to the movies and spend the night with Bella.
“Fine,” he said. “I might go out with some friends tonight anyway.” More lies. Really, he just wanted to see Lizzie again.
“Going out? Dad, that’s great,” she said. “Just remember who you are. Make good choices. Call if you need a ride home.”
“All right,” he said. “I get it.”
Later that night, after Maya left to meet Bella, he stopped by The Tipsy Twist. It was past ten o’clock when he showed up. Lizzie was behind the bar, slinging drinks, but noticed him right away.
“Hey,” she greeted. “What’ll ya have?”
“The usual?”
She smiled and reached for the Don Julio. When he offered her money, she shook her head.
“This is the one I owe you,” she said.
He gave her a thumbs up. “It’s pretty busy. That’s good.”
“It’s actually dying down a little. The twenty-something die-hards are still at it, but the folks just out for dinner and a drink went home a while ago.”
She paid him no special attention, but he hadn’t expected her to. If they were going to keep this a secret, that’s the way it had to be.
Multiple TVs played a variety of games. He sat where he could watch a college basketball game and nursed his tequila. Close to eleven o’clock, she approached him. “A pool table opened up. You wanna play?”
“I thought we were keeping this on the down low,” he said.
“I promise not to touch you,” she said with a wink.
He grabbed what was left of his second drink and followed her to the table.
“Care to make it interesting?” she said confidently, racking the balls.
“Sure. Loser buys dinner next time we go out?” He didn’t care who won, but he also didn’t mention that he was a decent pool player.
Ten minutes into the game, after he sunk three balls in a row, she crossed her arms. “Hey,” she said. “Are you hustling me? In my own bar?”
He shrugged innocently. “There used to be a pool table at the firehouse. I guess I did get pretty proficient.”
“Proficient? Pft. You should add pool shark to your internet dating profile.”
“Damn. I forgot about that. Maya hasn’t said anything about it. Hopefully, she’s too busy to give it any attention. Eight ball, corner pocket,” he said before sinking it, beating her soundly.
“Fine. You win. Next dinner’s on me.”
“Double or nothing?” he asked.
She glanced around the bar. “It’s slow enough, I think I’ll bail early. My place in ten?”
He sputtered on the last sip of his drink but collected himself quickly. She was a woman who knew what she wanted all right. And wasn’t afraid to say so.
“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Maya’s gone for the night. You wanna come to my place?”
“See you in a bit.”
On his way out, he overheard her telling the other bartender that she and Charlie were heading home.
It was all he could do not to run any red lights on the way home. He took the stairs two at a time and rushed to his door. When he tried to put his key in, he realized it was already unlocked. He was sure he’d locked it when he left. Crap. Was Maya home?
He pushed open the door and immediately felt something was off. “Maya?” he called. No answer.
A light flipped on, and the woman he hadn’t seen in almost two decades stared at him.
“You look good, Ben,” Jenna said. Dull, lifeless eyes peeked out from a sunken face that looked much older than he knew her to be.
“Wish I could say the same,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m in some trouble.” She picked nervously at her arm. “I need money.”
“Okay.” He approached cautiously. “How’d you get in here? Is Maya here?”
“No, but she’s fine. Well, she will be if you do what I say. She’s with a friend of mine.”
He tamped down the terror and spoke calmly. “What are you talking about?”
She ignored him and started dialing on a phone she’d pulled from her back pocket. “He’s here.” After listening for a second, she held the phone out to him.
“Hello?” Ben said.
“Dad?” Her voice sounded faint. And scared. No, petrified. “I’m sorry.”
“Maya? Where are you?”
“If you want Maya back,” an unfamiliar male voice growled, “you’ll get two thousand dollars in cash and bring it to the Simmons Street Motel on Trent Boulevard. Next to the freeway.”
“Who is this?”
“A friend of Jenna’s.” Ben stared at the mother of his daughter. Dirty, straggly hair covered her face as she hung her head. “Put her back on.”
He was handing the phone to Jenna when Lizzie entered. Charlie was by her side, and Ben heard the low rumble of a protective growl. She inched in slowly, glancing between him and Jenna. Ben met her eyes and could tell she’d immediately sensed the tension.
“Some woman and a huge dog walked in,” Jenna said in a panic, eyes wide in surprise and confusion. “What do I do now?”
She listened for a minute, hung up, and approached Ben and Lizzie. “Give me your phones.”
“What’s going on?” Lizzie whispered.
“They have Maya. And want money.”
Without another word, Lizzie pulled out her phone and handed it to Jenna. Ben did the same, and Jenna laid them on the kitchen counter.
“Let’s go,” she said. “You’re driving.”
“I’ll get you the money,” Ben said. “But leave Lizzie out of this.”
“Marty said she knows about us now, so she’s involved and has to come. Can’t risk her calling the cops.”
“It’s fine,” Lizzie said, laying a hand on Ben’s arm.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “She was just here when I got home. I have no idea what’s happening.”
“We’ll get her back. Don’t worry,” Lizzie said. “I have to get my dog some water before we go.” She slid past Jenna into the kitchen and searched for a bowl, moving around in a way that pushed Jenna out.
Lizzie must have known Jasper had a water bowl, but she seemed to have a purpose, so Ben didn’t say anything. Jenna moved to the door, where she waited impatiently.
Lizzie filled a bowl with water and left it on the floor. “All right. I’m ready.”
When Ben looked back, he noticed only his phone remained on the counter. Lizzie had used getting water for Charlie as a ruse to retrieve her phone. Thank God one of them was thinking straight. He made eye contact, and she gave a curt nod. Ben ushered Jenna out before she had a chance to turn around.
“I’ll have to stop at multiple ATMs. There are limits to how much cash I can withdraw at one time.”
“Fine,” Jenna said. “Let’s just hurry.”
They walked to Ben’s car. He got in the driver’s seat, Jenna took the passenger seat, and Lizzie hopped in the back.
“You sure this guy won’t hurt Maya?” Ben asked.
“I hope not,” Jenna said. “I really screwed up, Ben. I never should have told Marty about her. He’s not a nice man.”
“What kind of trouble are you in?”
“The kind I made for myself,” she said sadly. “I wanted to get out of Knoxville so badly that I left my baby. Who does that?” Tears fell into her lap.
“After we pay this guy and get Maya, maybe you could go back and get your life together.”
“Always telling me what to do,” she snapped, her mood changing instantly. “Pull over here. Go get the money.”
Ben pulled into a bank parking lot and got out to use the machine. “It would only give me two hundred,” he said, getting back in the car. “This is going to take forever.”
“Well, if you want to see Maya again, I guess you’d better get a move on.”
It took all his self-control not to explode. How dare she put their daughter in danger and then be so caviler about it?
Anger danced with fear, and both consumed him. Just get the money and save Maya, he thought, speeding off to the next ATM.