Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
"I can handle dinner," Ben had told Kelly after they'd returned from meeting with Cal. "You look exhausted. Go rest for a bit."
She'd started to protest, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes. The day had been draining and emotional. First, examining the ditch where Lori had been found, then the awkward family brunch, and finally the conversation with Cal.
His theory could wait until after dinner, when she had a full stomach and at least one glass of wine, so he sent her off to lie down.
Of course, he might be overly cautious. Perhaps Kelly had already thought about this and had discarded it for some reason he didn’t know about. Since he couldn’t be sure, he’d err on the side of caution.
Chase and Lulu would have laughed at him, saying that’s how he did everything.
On the safe and cautious side.
But they wouldn’t be entirely true. He was here, wasn’t he? Coming here with Kelly, out of the blue after only knowing her for a few days, wasn’t safe or cautious. It was out of character and rather spontaneous, if he did say so himself.
So far, he didn’t have any complaints. He was glad he’d made this decision.
I need to get out of my comfort zone more often.
His brother would have said that Ben had undergone a “stickectomy” from his posterior region.
Note to self. Call Chase and tell him it’s all going fine.
Ben pulled the ingredients he needed from the condo refrigerator and pantry, lining them up in order of use on the countertop next to the stove. The space was efficient but limited, much like his cooking skills.
Spaghetti and meatballs were well within his wheelhouse, though. He'd made it dozens of times over the years, usually when he needed to impress someone without risking culinary disaster.
He could also fry chicken, make meatloaf, grill up burgers, steak, or chicken without setting the house on fire. Considering most nights he either ate out or had delivery, it wasn’t too shabby.
With Kelly tucked up in bed for a nap, Ben turned to the task at hand.
Dinner.
He’d set everything up as usual, organized and orderly. Just like his life. But this time, he wanted it to be different. It wasn’t much, and it surely wasn’t spontaneous, but he quickly rearranged the ingredients in a random order on the countertop.
As if this makes me a changed man.
He started the tomato sauce simmering on the back of the stove, the herbs and spices filling the kitchen with their delicious aroma.
Making quick work of the meatballs, he placed them in the sauce to finish cooking after he’d seared the outside.
Finally, he filled a pan with water, salting it generously, before setting it on the stove to boil.
He’d pop the garlic bread in the oven at the last minute.
"Something smells amazing."
Ben turned to find Kelly standing in the doorway, her hair slightly mussed from her nap, eyes brighter than they'd been earlier. He couldn’t stop staring and marveling at how incredibly beautiful she looked.
Right now, she was vulnerable and a bit sad, and all he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay.
His protective instincts were in high gear over this little slip of a woman, and he’d never experienced anything like this before.
It was all he could do not to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her safe from all the evil that lurked in this world, some of which he’d seen far too up close.
But as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t fix all of this for her, and frankly, she might not want him to.
She was incredibly independent, wanting to do it all on her own, even when it wasn’t reasonable.
He had the feeling she didn’t want to depend on others since she couldn’t depend on her own family for support.
I sound like a psychologist or something. What the fuck do I know?
"Just about done," he said, tossing the pasta into the now boiling pot. "I’ll pour us some wine, and we can relax a bit until it’s time to eat."
Quickly pouring two glasses, he raised his in a toast.
“To finding the truth,” he said.
“The truth,” she echoed. “I’ll drink to that.”
Was she truly ready to hear it? He wasn’t sure, and he was about to drop a big theory on her that might be unwelcome.
From what he’d seen, Kelly didn’t like anything even vaguely negative to be said about Lori.
She clearly hadn’t been happy when Cal had mentioned that Lori didn’t have much ambition and didn’t want to go to college.
The rest of the dinner preparations didn’t take long, and then they were able to sit down and eat.
"This is impressive," Kelly said, taking her first bite. Steam rose from the pasta, carrying the scent of herbs and tomatoes. The garlic bread, golden and fragrant, sat in a basket between them. “Wow, this is good.”
"It's nothing fancy," Ben replied. "Just comfort food."
“Where did you learn to cook like this?"
Ben shrugged, unexpectedly pleased by her praise. He definitely wasn’t the cook in the Reilly family.
"My mom. My grandma. But mostly, trial and error. When I first moved out on my own, I figured learning a few reliable dishes couldn't hurt."
"Well, you figured right." Kelly twirled pasta around her fork. "I'm embarrassed to admit how often I eat cereal or microwave popcorn for dinner."
"Nothing wrong with cereal," Ben said, breaking off a piece of garlic bread. "But sometimes you need something more substantial."
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only sounds were the occasional clink of silverware against plates and the soft jazz playing from the small Bluetooth speaker Ben had set up.
"So," Kelly said, munching on her toast. "Are you going to tell me what's been on your mind since we left Cal's office?"
No, he wasn’t ready. If he could avoid this topic completely, he would, but it wasn’t possible.
"After dinner," he promised. "Let's enjoy this first."
The light from the small dining area fixture cast a warm glow over the table, creating a bubble of intimacy in the borrowed condo.
For a moment, it was possible to forget why they were in Bergen.
Here, in this kitchen with the smell of garlic and tomatoes hanging in the air, there was just good food and easy conversation.
He was far too happy and comfortable in Kelly’s company. He shouldn’t be feeling things so strongly, if at all. He simply hadn’t known her that long. But he hadn’t been kidding earlier today when he asked her what she’d say if he invited her on a date.
She’d say yes.
He couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, but the simmering tension between them was something positive, not negative. He liked her; he was attracted to her. He wasn’t some inexperienced kid who didn’t know when a woman was into him.
It wasn’t arrogance, at least he didn’t think it was. It was the realization that the two of them had fun together, they could talk together, and there might be other, more sweaty and pleasurable pursuits they also enjoyed together.
Stop thinking about sex. Is she thinking about it, too?
"You were right," Kelly said, breaking into his thoughts.
"About what?"
He’d been so caught up in the images of Kelly in his bed that he’d forgotten they were having a conversation. In real life.
Pull it together, man.
"About taking a nap. I needed it." She twirled the last bit of pasta on her fork. "And about this dinner. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I’m glad that it helped.”
As they finished their meal, Ben was acutely aware that the moment of truth was approaching. Soon, they'd move to the living room with their wine, and he'd have to share his theory about Lori. The easy comfort they'd established would be tested.
Kelly insisted on doing the dishes since he’d cooked dinner, not giving in to any of his protests. He’d cleaned up as he went along, so there wasn’t much to do, and she joined him on the sofa when she was done.
Kelly settled onto the couch, tucking one leg beneath her. The subtle tension between them during dinner had morphed into something else. Her shoulders were tense, her entire body stiff as she sat next to him.
"I’m not sure why we had to wait until now, but are you finally going to tell me what you've been thinking about since we left Cal's office?"
He swirled the wine in his glass, realizing that all the words he’d practiced in his head were useless. There was no nice, sweet way to bring this up.
She either already had thought of it herself and dismissed it, or she truly didn’t think it was a possibility.
"I don’t want to upset you."
"Ben, I've been upset since I started this investigation. I've been upset for over a decade. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Just tell me what you're thinking."
This was it. No more stalling. He set his glass down and leaned forward slightly.
"Let's start with what we know. Do you remember what Cal told us about Lori in those weeks before she died? About how she changed her habits?"
"You mean how she stopped drinking, partying, and smoking? I already explained that. She had that stomach flu that wouldn't go away. She wanted to be healthier and boost her immune system.”
"Yes, but I want you to think about the specific changes she made."
"I don't know what you're getting at. She was sick. Of course, she wanted to feel better,” Kelly replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"And you said the doctor told her to rest more and eat better, right?"
"Right." Kelly shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don't want you to think all we did was party back in high school. Of course, we studied and had responsibilities. But yes, we went to parties. It was a small town. There wasn't much else to do on weekends."
He could relate. Harper wasn’t exactly a bastion of excitement for a teenager. Or anyone else, for that matter.