CHAPTER 21 BEN
“The warrant has been issued,” my lawyer up in Montana, Russell, tells me over the phone. “I’d guess Craig is looking at prison time after embezzling over fifty grand from Tight Fit over the last six years, but it’s his first arrest so there’s no telling what he’ll get.”
“Any word on why he did it?” I ask.
“Nah. It might come out in court, but you two played ball in high school together, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I confirm.
“My bet is jealousy. You had the girl he wanted. You got to play at the college he wanted. You got the big pro contract he wanted. You owned the gym he wanted. Plenty to go on there.”
“You think?” I ask as I roll that idea around in my brain. Craig never seemed jealous of me, but jealousy—like desperation—can make us do things we normally wouldn’t. He sat by and pretended to be my friend while he was secretly stealing from me.
What a dick.
“I’d put money on it,” he says.
“Thanks for the update. Let me know if Tatum gets picked up next. There’s no way he was working alone, and she’s got that whole jealous ex motive going on.”
“You got it,” he says. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Text or email, please. Camp starts in a few days,” I remind him.
“You got it.”
We hang up, and I dial Ellie next.
“Is this another attempt to get more information about Kaylee out of me? Because I’m very busy since my assistant left me—which I fully blame you for, by the way—and—”
I cut her off. “That’s not what this is. In fact, I’m calling to help lighten your load, and not just because you blame me for all the extra work.”
“What do you mean by lighten my load?” she asks.
“I know someone looking for a job. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about local celebrities and events, she’s great with social media, and she’s looking for a career change.”
“Oh,” she says. “Well, who is it?”
“Her name is Amanda.”
“Amanda…”
I clear my throat. “Howard.”
“Amanda Howard? Why is that name familiar? Amanda, Amanda, Amanda…oh! Wait!” She gasps as it comes to her. “Do you mean Kitty the stripper?” she shrieks, and damn if that doesn’t sound like a country song.
I clear my throat. “My friend Amanda. Yes, occasionally she goes by Kitty.”
“Are you out of your mind?” she screeches at me.
“Look, she’s desperate, okay? I want to help her.”
“That’s your problem, Ben. Your intention is always in a nice place to help someone, but you end up hurting someone else.”
“Who am I hurting?” I ask.
“Oh, gee, let me think…uh, me?” She doesn’t bother hiding her sarcasm.
“How?”
“Look, I can’t have a stripper running around this place. It’s a business, and I’ve got kids here, and just...no. It’s a firm no. Sorry, Ben. I need to get back to—”
“Just hear me out. Please?”
She sighs. “Fine. But make it quick.”
“She wants to get out of Honeys. She loves working there, the money’s great, but she’s got a kid starting kindergarten in a few weeks and she needs a job she won’t be judged for doing. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, I swear.”
“Then why’d she lie to the press about you and say you sexually assaulted her? Ben, those aren’t minor charges. That will tarnish your reputation forever. Even if she retracted it, there are people who will never believe you didn’t do it.”
“And wouldn’t it be great if they knew I got her a job?” I ask. “That I helped her out in her darkest moment? Because that is what that was, Ellie. She was desperate. She needed money. She was scared. And she’s still there now, and I want to help.”
“So she doesn’t run to the press again?”
I blow out a breath. “She isn’t going to.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she was given evidence she could have easily used against me, and she didn’t. Instead, she drove it over to my house and gave it to me this morning. She won’t run to the press, Ellie. I promise. Just think about it. Okay?”
“I will think about it.”
I’m pretty sure she mumbles something about how she knows how those thoughts are going to go, but I let it go. She’ll make the best choice for herself.
“Thank you,” I say, mustering as much genuine gratitude as I can. “I’ll have her send her resume over later.”
“Great, thanks. Anything else?”
“How’s Kaylee?”
“I haven’t spoken to her, Ben. She’s busy with her new job.”
And her new boyfriend, I suppose. I let that one go, too. Ellie’s a busy lady, and there are only so many hours in the day.
Mine are currently being filled with cartoons, cereal, and beer when I should be working out or watching film, but that’ll all start on Monday anyway.
So for now, I’ll sit in my depression while I can.
And just as I settle back into some Spongebob with a fresh beer, there’s a knock at my door.
Buddy scampers over, barking at the top of his lungs, and when I swing the door open, I find my dad behind it.
Buddy stops barking when he sees who it is—his babysitter while I’m away at camp—and instead he whips me with his tail since he’s wagging it with such excitement.
“You ready to talk yet?” he asks.
I sigh. “Do I have a choice?”
“There’s always a choice in life, son,” he says. “But I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”
I open the door a little wider and walk away, indicating he can let himself in. He does, and he follows behind me while I collapse back onto my couch.
He walks past me and opens the curtains on my patio doors and the blinds on my window. The room is filled with light, and I squint. “Didn’t know you were a goddamn vampire,” he mutters.
I can’t help a laugh as I pause my show. “What do you want? Did you really just come over to open my blinds?”
“No.” He settles onto the chair adjacent to the couch. “I came to let you know I’m still seeing Carol despite what happened between you and her daughter. Care to fill me in on why you did what you did?”
I don’t even have to think about that one. I tell Dad, he tells Carol, she tells Kaylee. And it’s fine if she finds out the truth, but she should hear it from me.
“No. It’s between Kaylee and me.” And Tatum. And Craig, I guess. And Gramma, since she knows.
“Carol says she’s only spoken to Kaylee once since she left for California. It’s not like her.”
I raise both brows. “It can’t be my concern anymore. It’s too hard.”
“Then go get her, you little shit.”
His words nearly make me laugh, but there’s too much gravity in here. “I wish I could, but she’s better off this way.”
He shakes his head. “I thought I raised a smart kid, but maybe you’ve been hit too many times in the head.”
“Why does everybody keep saying that to me?” I wonder aloud.
“Don’t you see it? You two belong together.”
“Then why’s she already with somebody new?” I challenge.
He looks taken aback. “How do you know that?”
“Photographic evidence.”
“You know as well as anybody that photos can be manipulated,” he points out.
I nod. “Yeah. But just because they can be doesn’t mean they are.”
I hit play again. I guess I’m just not up for a chat, least of all when I have to keep reliving the images that keep plaguing my sad mind.