48. Chapter 48
Chapter forty-eight
Three months later, Leavenworth: Benjamin
P ulling into the town of Leavenworth, Benjamin drummed nervously on the steering wheel in tune with the frantic beat of his heart. Long gone were the twinkling Christmas lights and poinsettias, and while only a dusting of snow remained in town, the jagged peaks around him were practically coated. The white tips shimmered crystalline against the backdrop of bold blue sky and glowing sun. Even in his heightened state of apprehension, he could admit the view was remarkable. A far cry from the gloomy remains of winter that still lingered on the western side of the Cascades.
He’d debated with himself about stopping by unannounced like this, but his best friend’s new wife insisted that he was welcome anytime. Lucy, with her cheerful disposition and hospitable nature, had explicitly said, No need to call, our door is always open to you. And so, here he was, following his phone’s GPS to the charming Bavarian town that held haunting memories in hopes of finding some closure.
That wasn’t completely accurate. He’d accept closure, but what he hoped for was a new beginning.
Pulling into the gravel lot outside Off the Beaten Adventures, Benjamin inhaled a series of deep breaths, intending to calm his humming anxiety.
Through casual texting and cunning conversation, he learned that Jonathan and Lucy were both at the office that morning.
Benjamin:
What’s up?
Johnny:
Not much. Heading into OtB to work on inventory with the missus.
Benjamin:
Yikes. All day?
Johnny:
Yup.
All right, perhaps Sherlock wouldn’t have been impressed, but it had done the job.
After signing a few documents and finding his Friday suspiciously open, Benjamin had acted on instinct and taken the day off. Bizarrely enough, that wouldn’t have been his first (second or third) reaction to an empty calendar three months ago before tendering his resignation to Dean McCaffery. But there he was, a duffel bag full with zero expectations for the long weekend.
The bell above the front door chimed as he entered the front lobby. The small space boasted poster-sized photos of people engaging in a variety of outdoor sports: hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, and rock climbing. But instead of the cheesy, posed postures and grins, the pieces looked authentic. Clearly, someone with an artistic eye had taken these because passion—either for the act of photography or participating in the adventures themselves—radiated off the images. He stepped closer and found signatures in the bottom corners of each: Z. S. Hartford.
Zac. Huh. He was the last person Benjamin would have expected to possess the talent to produce these. Especially since there wasn’t even a whisper of cleavage nor a single “artistic” butt shot among them.
“How can I help—oh!”
Benajmin looked up in response to the melodic voice and grinned. “Hey, Lucy.”
“Finally, someone takes my ‘the door’s always open’ comment at face value,” she said with a laugh, gliding around the front desk and wrapping the much taller man in a fierce hug.
One thing Benjamin had learned very quickly was that for such a petite package, the little brunette was way stronger than she looked. “I could sense the honesty in your voice.”
“Good. Because I meant it.” She bounced on her toes, clapping her hands, barely containing her joy. “Jonathan is going to be so excited. Hey, husband!” she barked loudly over her shoulder then turned back, giggling. “Calling him that never gets old.”
“Yes, wife ?” Johnny crooned with a laugh that carried a slightly exasperated tone, like he did, in fact, find the moniker to be losing its luster. He turned the corner and stopped dead.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” she said, gesturing to Benjamin.
Advancing toward each other, the two men embraced in a back-patting hug.
“What brings you here, Benji?” A grin split wide across his bearded face and crinkled eyes glittering.
“Can’t a guy drop everything and drive three hours east for a beer and giant pretzel? I came to see you. How much more inventory do you have?”
Johnny flinched. “Hours worth.”
“But he’s about due for a lunch break,” Lucy cut in, snatching his coat from the nearby rack and thrusting it into her husband’s arms. Shooing them out the door, she called, “Bring me the biggest bacon burger you can find, will ya?” then retreated into the back room.
A short while later, the two men sat at a bistro table in The Rooftop Tavern, beers in hand as the server, Stella, dropped off a couple BLTs.
“What really brought you all this way on such short notice?” Johnny asked, chewing thoughtfully on a thick-cut fry.
“We didn’t get a chance to catch up in December.” Benjamin shrugged. “You were understandably preoccupied.”
“Very true. But so were you.” He scowled and tossed another fry into his mouth.
Gulp. He hadn’t mentioned anything about his sister, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know something had happened between them. Still, it was probably best to play dumb.
For a little while at least.
Try for nonchalance.
“What do you mean?”
Nailed it.
“You and my sister.” Johnny’s eyes never left Benjamin’s as he took a long pull from his frosty glass.
“Yeah, about that . . .” Ok, maybe playing dumb wasn’t the best plan. He could practically feel the dirt accumulate under his nails as he dug his hole deeper.
“I don’t know how you survived being alone with her without either of you murdering the other,” he said with a chuckle. The glitter returned to his amber eyes, warm and humorously empathetic. “From the looks of your initial meeting at the welcome dinner—well, I guess it wasn’t the first time you’d met, was it, Professor Prick?”
The corner of Benjamin’s mouth ticked up, and he let out a snort. He deserved worse than that nickname.
Then and now.
“Anyway, you never did find yourself in her good graces, did you?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” the husky murmur was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
“Meaning?” The warning in Johnny’s voice was unmistakable, and Benjamin had to tread lightly if he hoped to mend things with Francesca while also keeping his friend’s head level.
“There’s a little more to it than what you’ve witnessed.”
“Again, I say: meaning?” Beer and sandwich abandoned, the man who’d been like a brother sat leaning back, arms crossed, gaze sharp and calculating.
Benjamin’s assumption had been accurate: Francesca had remained tight-lipped about their affair. Did that comfort him? Or did it worry him that she’d gone through considerable efforts to move past the encounters, perhaps even going so far as to pretend nothing happened? Regardless, she would most likely be quite upset once she learned he confided in her brother that they’d had sex. And yet it had to be done. He was done closing himself off from those he respected and cared about. Life’s too short and true friends don’t come along easily.
“Francesca and I . . .” How exactly was he supposed to explain what they’d shared together? They’d had sex, yes, but it wasn’t purely physical. She’d overwhelmed him. Seeped into his bloodstream and after making the unilateral decision to go cold turkey, he went through withdrawals. He was still going through them. So much so that he’d turned his life completely upside down and forged a new path. One that she’d hopefully be proud of. He hadn’t done it all for her, but she was absolutely in the back of his mind the entire time. Benjamin held his friend’s heavy stare, one that waited patiently while also measuring. “We were intimate.”
Johnny’s amber eyes dimmed, losing their usual friendly glimmer. “Intimate how?”
“We had sex at the cabin and then again the night of your wedding.”
A swirling storm of sand and lightning cracked in his friend’s narrowed gaze. He said nothing, only stood, pulled a hundred out of his wallet, and slid it under his barely touched plate of food. Footsteps landed heavy on the wood floor as he strode from the table.
Benjamin hung his head. He’d really made a massive mess of this whole thing. First with Frankie and now with his best friend. How could he be so careless?
“You coming?” The gruff call came from the tavern exit.
Benjamin slid off his seat and followed Johnny down the rickety stairs and into the parking lot.
“Look, Johnny, I know I messed up but that’s why I’m here—Oof!” The collision of a massive fist on his jaw caught him off guard. Stumbling, he landed on his knees. He heard birds chirping overhead and hoped he wasn’t imagining the cartoon version of them flying around his head, though after a solid blow like the one his friend just delivered, he wouldn’t be surprised. Squinting into the high noon sunlight, he shook off the haze of the hit. The large man loomed over him, stepping slightly to the right to block out the sun. Benjamin prepared for another blow—he deserved it after all—but one never came. Cracking an eye to take stock, he flinched at the open hand hovering inches from his face .
“Get up.” The growl was unnatural coming from such a gentle guy. He’d hurt his friend and his friend’s sister. He deserved what he got and he wouldn’t fight back.
“I might as well stay down here.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Johnny stalked around behind him and scooped both arms under Benjamin’s armpits, hauling him to his feet. “I’m done.”
Benjamin rubbed his jaw. The lumberjack threw one hell of a punch, there’s no way there wouldn’t be a mark. Despite his better judgment, he chuckled as Johnny shook out the hand that had done the clubbing. “What? Did you break your hand on my face?”
“No.” Cramming both hands in his pockets, Johnny shrugged sheepishly. “I thought it would make me feel better. Then I thought of what my father would have said if he knew I punched someone.”
“Way to go, slugger?”
He snorted. “More like ‘cut that alpha shit out, son, you’re a grown-ass man.’ And then he’d probably mutter all day about his man-child of a son having a tantrum. It’d be a whole thing.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t show up for his funeral.” Benjamin hung his head.
“It’s all right.”
“And then again for Cynthia’s.” God, he was a horrible friend.
The same large hand that did the hitting settled on his shoulder. “I’m sure you had your own shit going on. Plus, I know if I had asked you outright, you would have come flying over the pass in an instant.”
“It shouldn’t take you asking, though. And I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted. Now, about my sister.”
“That’s actually the main reason I came out here. ”
“You cut me deep,” Johnny groaned, pressing a palm over his heart and leaning back in mock agony. “I thought you came to see me.”
“I did, but mostly, I need to make things right with Francesca. And I need your help finding her so we can talk things out. How I left—without saying goodbye—well, I doubt it went over well with her.”
“Why not call or text her?”
“I tried, but she must have blocked me because I never heard back.”
A knowing smile played along his friend’s lips, the kind of smirk that said that the reunion wouldn’t be as easy as that.
“Is she in town?” Benjamin asked.
“Yep.”
“And you know where she is?”
“Oh-ho yeah.”
“Then let’s get going.”
“Hold on, buster. Let’s go finish our sandwiches first.” He turned and took the wooden steps two at a time.
“I’d rather get this handled—”
“You’re going to want to eat first. Trust me.” Just as Johnny turned into the door, he chuckled and said, “You’ll need the calories.”