Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
M y heart races as the elevator doors close and Jenna disappears. She didn’t look up at me at all. What the fuck just happened?
I can’t go up and do PT with her as if a massive bomb didn’t explode between us. My fingers rake through my hair, and I turn away from the elevator. Outside, I consider my options—do therapy now, call a car service, or walk back to my rental. Waves crashing in the near distance make my decision for me. I start in the direction of the ocean.
My pace is hindered by the lingering pain. Thanks to Michelle. The odd sniping between her and Jenna during today’s lunch confirms I’m on Team Jenna for sure. As if there was any doubt . I rub my fingers over my lips, still warm from our shared breath.
What the fuck am I doing? She’s Darren’s girl.
He’s gone whispers through my mind.
Yet she remains his. Do Not Fuck list is forever.
The wind whips around me. At least this cold air is clearing my thoughts, until a new one appears. Of a more practical nature—I need a winter coat. I’ve mainly been inside, but this sweatshirt won’t cut it .
A couple of clothing stores beckon, so I enter the first one. A helpful woman in her mid-sixties approaches, asking what she can do for me. From another salesclerk half her age, I’d assume this line was a come-on. From her, though, I understand she’s being friendly.
“I need a winter coat,” I admit.
She smiles. “We have the perfect choices for you. You wear a long, right?”
Gotta hand it to her, she knows her stuff. “You got it.” She leads me to a rack with several choices, and I pick a navy blue long wool coat with a funnel neck, for which she praises my style. Something to brag about to Nese Dalton, UC’s new stylist . She holds up a nice scarf and matching gloves, to which I nod. Go big or go home, right?
Once outside again, I button the coat’s four buttons and ensure the new scarf covers my neck. Much better. I continue walking to the boardwalk and face the angry ocean, the frigid breeze causing me to add my new gloves to my winter ensemble.
The waves mirror what’s going on inside my mind. Why did I almost kiss Jenna? What must she think of me? Will she continue doing my PT?
“Bennett,” someone shouts my name.
Wonderful. Now I have to deal with the public. I turn in the direction of the voice and King waves at me. At least he’s not a foe.
“Hey, I thought that was you,” he says as he approaches. Today, he’s wearing a black peacoat to guard against the weather.
“Hi. What brings you out to the ocean on such a gorgeous day?”
We both chuckle at my joke. “Yeah. It’s days like these that I miss California.” He blows on his bare hands. “But it doesn’t matter, I always love communing with the waves. What drew you out here, Bennett?”
“I’m from Jersey and the ocean’s in my blood too.” A biting wind rolls in from the ocean. “Although it’s fucking freezing out here.”
“Yeah. Want to grab a cup of coffee with me?”
Why not? A little extra time between Jenna and me is for the best. “Make mine a tea, and I’m there. ”
Within minutes, we enter a coffeeshop. After placing our orders, we sit at a table by the windows. “How’s PT coming along?”
“It’s coming,” I reply. “Had a bit of a setback today, though.”
“What happened?”
King’s nice, however he’s not made it to acquaintance level yet with me. To be fair, I only have gradations of acquaintances, but I’m still not about to pour my woes out to an almost complete stranger. I opt for the lesser of all evils. “You remember Michelle, right? The woman I met with you on my first night in town.”
“Big lips, tight clothes.”
“The one and only.”
King’s name rings out over the sound system, and he excuses himself to get our drinks. I appreciate his thoughtfulness. He comes back and hands me my hot water and teabag, this time an herbal. Seemed appropriate, given I need to calm the fuck down.
He sips his steaming hot coffee. “What did Michelle do now?”
“I was out to lunch and she bumped into me. More like hip-checked me right at my muscle pull. Hurt like a bitch.”
King pulls a face. “Oh man,” he offers in sympathy.
I dunk my teabag into the cup. “To say I saw stars is an understatement. Felt like all my therapy went out the window.”
“I watched you walking here from outside. You were doing alright.” He sips his coffee. “I mean, I could tell you were going slower and were favoring one side, but you didn’t appear to be injured.”
“Because I got help right away. The server brought a makeshift ice pack and I elevated my leg.” And Jenna did a massage trick on it.
He taps his coffee cup against the table. “Makes sense. At least there was no lasting damage.”
To my groin pull . Another couple strolls in and says hello to King. He leans toward me. “They bought a house down the street from here with a sick view of the ocean.”
The way his face lights up reminds me of how Jenna describes her budding PT empire. “You must love being a real estate agent. ”
“Yeah, I do. Never thought this is where I’d end up, but I’m happy. Helping people buy and sell rocks.”
“Almost as much as your father’s concerts.” I pause. “Your brother’s too.”
He chuckles. “Let’s say real estate turns me on like performing does for them.” His amber eyes bore into mine. “And for you.”
I chuckle. “I get it.” With a squeeze, I place the teabag onto a small plate and take a sip. Warmth slides down my throat, leaving a soothing wake. “It’s great to get on stage with a bunch of guys and share our music.”
“You sound just like Dad.” He grins over the rim of his coffee mug. “As for me, I get that rush with real estate. Although, when the TV show hired me to play opposite Angie, I had no idea what I was getting into. She’s taught me a whole lot more than real estate.” His eyebrows wiggle.
“Two kids later, I’d say she sure did.”
He takes another swallow of his java. “To be honest, we both taught each other. I was a reckless playboy back then, spending all Dad’s money. I had no purpose in life. Angie made me take the real estate exam where I found my passion.”
“I can’t imagine doing anything other than making music, which I discovered when I was seventeen, so I get it. Wandering aimlessly through life can’t be too gratifying.”
“Have to say, I enjoyed myself back then. However, it’s way more meaningful now.”
I sip my tea. “Glad Angie set you on the straight and narrow.”
“You have no idea. When you meet someone who clicks with you, grab on to her. She can change your whole world, which can be scary. Although, I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. Hell, before her, I couldn’t imagine spending more than a night with any woman.”
Sounds like my life. “What you and Angie have is special.”
“It is man, it is.” He finishes his coffee and offers to drive me to my rental. Since I don’t want to face Jenna yet, I take him up on his offer.
Inside the rental, I wander through the kitchen to the living room. I even open the patio doors for a minute before the cold drives me back inside. I’m too restless to take a nap and too wired to watch a movie.
I put my new coat on again, and walk down the street to the arcade. A game of Asteroids Deluxe should help clear my brain. A couple of empty machines await, and I choose the one I played on my last trip. Might as well try to beat my score on this machine.
After a few rounds, I wipe the sweat off my brow. My alias of Benjamin Howell now shows I’m number eight on the leaderboard. I glance around and realize the arcade has filled. Guess school let out. I relinquish my machine to a kid who appears eager to play.
It’s time for me to face the music, or rather my physical therapist. Who I nearly kissed . But I didn’t.
I slip into my new warm winter coat and hike the blocks to the clinic. If the adrenaline from playing the arcade game revved me up, the cold wind keeps me in check. I arrive at the back door, unnoticed by the citizens of Aroostook. Being off-season has its perks.
I stand outside the building, trying to get the courage to go up. All I need to do is take the elevator to the second floor, go in the back room, and start doing my exercises. Jenna will see me and come out to supervise. That’s it. Easy peasy.
Then why is it as though I’m getting ready for my own execution? It was no biggie. It was so nothing she’s probably already forgotten about it.
My last thought spurs me to test the door, which is unlocked. I refuse to dwell on what this fact could mean as the elevator takes me to the second floor.
Too soon, I slip into the back exercise room and hang up my coat, then deposit my sweats next to it. On bare feet, I look for the towel I use when doing the slide-and-squat exercise, but don’t see it .
My chest expands. Time to face the music.
I approach her office door. Since I’ve never knocked before, I guess I shouldn’t start now. I fling her office door open only to see Jenna tossing some paperwork into a messenger bag.
She flinches. “Bennett. I wasn’t expecting you.”