Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths, #4)(97)

“Nothing’s going to,” I promise, though inside I know I’m not as confident as I sound. What’s going to happen when Ben sleeps with someone else? Curls up in bed with her? Makes her laugh and feel special?

The very thought of it has me clenching my teeth.

Jack makes a soft grunt, as if he can read my mind, see my doubts.

I finish my glass of milk and rinse it out. “I’m heading to bed, Jack. It’s been a long day.”

“Okay. A package arrived for you yesterday, from Annabelle. I left it in your room.”

“Great.” What could that be?

“Reese?” Jack calls out after me as I pass him.

I slow reluctantly. I can convince myself of whatever logic I want; deceiving Jack still feels wrong. “Yeah?”

“You understand why I’m worried, right?”

“Because I’m an emotional mess who may accidently repaint the interior of Warner in a fit of rage?”

A crooked smirk touches his lips as he pauses. “Ben seems like a good guy, but . . . I don’t want you ending up bitter like Annabelle.” I bite the inside of my mouth to keep quiet, recalling his own son’s similar words only days ago. “Just . . .” Jack picks up the glass of red wine he has barely touched since I arrived home. “Keep it out of the office, Reese. I don’t want anyone asking questions. It’ll look like I’m favoring you.” He takes a sip. “More than I already do.”

I offer him a tiny, imperceptible nod as I take off up the stairs and to the privacy of my room, to find the giant white box resting on my bed. Tossing my knapsack to the floor, I peel off the tape securing the top. A pile of amethyst-colored satin nestled among tissue paper stares back at me. Unfolding the note card on top, I read:

For this Saturday’s charity ball. I hope you haven’t gained weight.



I sigh. This event must be really important for her image for her to be going to all the trouble of getting her daughter there. I pick the box up and toss it into the corner without even pulling the dress out.

Because I’m not going.

It’s eleven by the time I’m crawling into bed when my cell phone rings. My stomach does a flip when I see Ben’s name appear.

Oh God, I’m so screwed.

I answer with his line. “You missed me that much already?”

“How’d it go with Jack?” he says over the rumble of his Volkswagen engine.

That’s why he called. He’s worried about his job. Of course he is. “Okay. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Really?” The doubt in his voice is unmistakable.

“Yeah. As long as you don’t tell everyone at work that you’re in love with me, you’ll be fine.”

He bursts out laughing. I bite my lip against the urge to ask why that’s so funny.

There’s a long moment of silence, where I expect him to say goodbye and secretly dread it.

And then I hear him ask, “Sing something to me.”

“What?”

“It’s a long drive and I’m fallin’ asleep. Sing me something before I crash.”

I try to keep the surge of warmth from exploding in my voice as I mutter, “Fine,” and drop into my beanbag chair. Setting my phone down and putting it on speaker, I pick up my guitar and begin picking at the strings haphazardly. “Any requests?”

“How about . . . ‘Achy Breaky Heart’? ‘Ice Ice Baby’?”

I roll my eyes. “None. Okay, then.” I settle in as I keep picking until a familiar tune surfaces and I find the words to “The Freshmen,” by The Verve Pipe, flowing out of my mouth.

It feels good to do this now. Not for show, not for revenge. Just for me.

And for Ben.

“You still awake?” I ask as the last note to that song fades.

“You bet, darlin’. Sing me another.” I feel my lips curl up in a warm smile as I pick another song.

By the time Ben pulls into the driveway at Wilma’s almost two hours later, my voice is getting raspy and my ass is numb. “It’s late. You’d better get some rest,” he says.

“Does it feel different now, being there?”

There’s a long pause. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t figured out how I feel about all this.” Much softer, I hear him add, “About a lot of things.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” I immediately bite my tongue. Was that too obvious?

“Good night, Reese.”

“Good night, Ben.” I hit the “end” button before I’m tempted to say something I’ll regret.





Chapter 30




BEN





“This feels different,” I admit to myself as I lie in bed, my head nestled within my arms, staring up at the ceiling of Elsie’s room.

And it has nothing to do with my dad being gone.

I wish Reese were lying next to me. I’m trying to tell myself that it’s because I just sat in the car for two hours listening to her sexy voice. I was grinning like an idiot the entire time.

And then, when I caught Mama in here tonight with her hands on the pillows, about to change the sheets, I hollered at her to stop. She patted my chest with a little smile and left quietly, leaving me to bury my face in Reese’s pillow to inhale the scent of strawberries and cream.