Chapter 53
Ben hadn’t enjoyed having the EMTs look over him, checking for signs of trauma. He was fine. The cut on his neck was nothing
substantial. He wouldn’t even need stitches.
Cassie and Allie were fine, too. Scared, but fine. He’d watched as Allie’s mother gave Allie a stern lecture about the cabin
being off-limits without adults while at the same time crying tears of relief and pulling the teenager into her, keeping her
there. Her parents had been out of town near Little Rock, but they’d rushed back, and Ben alternated between watching their
reunion and watching Cassie cry and apologize to Granny and Mylie. All the two older women did was wipe Cassie’s tears and
embrace each other, the relief over finding her and Allie unharmed cooling their anger over Cassie sneaking out.
It hadn’t taken much to get the members of Robbie’s fishing team to admit that they’d been stuffing their fish with weights
to ensure their win over the other teams in the tournament and that when Robbie realized Cassie and Allie had seen them from the shore, he’d set off to find them.
Ben didn’t want to think about what might have happened if they hadn’t gotten there in time. At least now Robbie was being
carted off to jail. It wasn’t likely that he’d make bail anytime soon.
Mylie hadn’t let go of his hand until he’d been pulled away by a reporter, a wiry man with black-rimmed glasses who’d been there to cover the tournament and ended up with, in his words, “something so much better.”
Ben had refused an interview and wandered off to find Mylie. She was sitting at the remnants of the stage by herself, her
face a mask of calm.
“Hi,” he said to her.
“Hi,” she replied. She looked at him, and he realized that there were tears staining her cheeks.
“Hey,” he said, reaching up to wipe them away. “Don’t do that. Everybody’s fine.”
“I know,” Mylie said. “Thanks to you.”
“Thanks to us ,” he corrected her.
“Well,” Mylie said. “I guess this was an interesting way for you to spend one of your last nights in Clay Creek.”
“I think I probably could have come up with something better,” Ben replied, nudging her shoulder with his own.
Mylie laid her head on his shoulder. “Thank you,” she said. “For today.”
Ben folded her hand into his own. “I’m sorry,” he said. “About everything.”
“I wish things were simple,” Mylie replied.
He wished they were, too. He wished he knew exactly what he wanted, wished he could make the right decision right then and
there so that nothing ever had to feel the way he felt right now, the way he knew how she felt. He always thought his life plan coming together would make him feel accomplished, happy. So, why did it feel so shitty
when Mylie removed her hand from his and sat up straight, leaving a space between them?
“We’ll be okay, right?” Ben asked. His throat felt tight.
After a long moment, Mylie replied, “I think we have to be.”
“I don’t regret this,” Ben said.
Mylie looked at him—really looked at him before she said, “I need you to know that I’m not scared of leaving. I’m not afraid of finding a life somewhere else. I’ve never been afraid. This place, all these people, are part of who I am. I like who I am, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, what you think.” Mylie pulled her hand away from his. “I love you, Ben. I’ve always loved you, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up the life I’ve built to be with you.”
Ben didn’t know what to say. Part of him wanted to tell her he hadn’t been asking that, but another part of him knew that
was exactly what he’d been asking her to do. Before he could reply or even begin to think of a response that would be enough,
the crowd began to fill back in toward the stage, and Melissa waved, rushing toward them with the tournament trophy.
Finally, he said, “I understand.”
There was nothing left to say, and she’d been trying to tell him that.
“I’ve been looking for you two,” Melissa said. “We still have to announce the winners of the tournament.”
Ben slid off the stage. He’d forgotten about the tournament. Mylie slid off the stage and away from him. She didn’t look back.
Melissa hefted herself up onto the stage and tapped the mic. “Attention!” she called to the remaining tournament-goers. “Despite
the events of the last few hours, we have to officially present the winning team with the trophy. In this case, it goes to
the team with the highest weight without lead.”
There were murmurs and a few chuckles throughout the crowd.
“That honor,” Melissa continued, “goes to Hook, Line, and Sinker!”
This time, everyone cheered, and Ben felt himself being dragged up to the stage along with Mylie, Louise, and Jessica.
Louise accepted the trophy and the award check, and after a few minutes of congratulations and claps on the back, the crowd began to thin out, at last heading for home after the long, and entirely surprising, day.
Ben returned home to darkness. It was still warm out, but the house felt chilly. It was as if it sensed what he was about
to do and rebelled against it, but he didn’t think he could stay the two more days he was scheduled to stay before leaving
for the coast. This house was better suited for a family, people to fill it up with love and happiness—not someone who couldn’t
even admit to the woman he loved that he loved her. Not someone who couldn’t take a risk for the sake of his own fucking heart.
They were friends. They’d always be friends, but it was time to go, to let go. He’d pack up tonight. He’d leave, and he wouldn’t
spend another day in Clay Creek.