Ben“I’m going to keep digging and see what I can find,” David said. “In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious in the company.”“I will. The moment I find something, you’ll know about it.”David stood up, tugging his belt up higher on his hips. If he was in character, he was extremely good at it. I wouldn’t have pegged him for someone serious if I’d seen him on the streets. David extended his hand to me, and I shook it.“Thanks for coming,” I said.“Hey, you pay me,” David said and flashed me a cocky grin before he left my office.When he was gone, I sat back in my chair and let out a deep breath. This was all a very big mess. A part of me wished that I could go back to when it had only been an accident that had killed my dad. But if it was more, if someone had murdered my dad and Uncle Dean, I wanted to know what was going on. There was no going back.After I had taken care of all the calls and meetings for the day – the transition to new management was t
MilaBy the time I got off work on Friday, I was dead on my feet. I’d had a hell of a week. Sometimes it felt like the bad things that happened in threes to everyone else, piled up in infinite amounts for us at the ICU.I drove home on autopilot, barely remembering how I got there. Despite the comfortable shoes I wore because I was always on my feet, my feet were sore, and I sat on my bed and gave myself a foot massage. It hurt more to work the knots out of my feet than it was relaxing.I ran a bath instead of standing in the shower. I had to sit down. I couldn’t tolerate another minute on my feet without feeling like it was torture.When I lay back in the hot water, I closed my eyes. The bath was deep, and the water lapped up to my neck, everything else submerged. This was the break my body needed.But for my mind, there was no rest. The moment I closed my eyes, images flooded into my mind. The patients’ faces flashed before my eyes, and I groaned.Yesterday, there had been a four-ca
MilaI laughed. “What a way to plan it. I don’t have work at all this weekend. I asked for a break after the week I’ve had. The job is mentally strenuous, and they get that. They gave it to me.”“Oh, good. Wasted, then?” Skylar asked.“Not too much. I don’t think I have the energy.”We ordered drinks at the bar. Jerrod made them for us before he left to take care of his tables.“So, how are you doing?” Skylar asked.“I’m doing okay. Work is a little rough right now, but it will pass. I’m happy where I am.”“That’s good,” Skylar said. We sipped our drinks in silence for a moment.“Now that we’re done pretending, how are you really?” Skylar asked.I chuckled, and I suddenly felt like crying. “You’re great, you know that?”“I try,” Skylar said with a shrug. “What’s bothering you?”I swallowed down the lump that had swelled in my throat. I wasn’t going to cry about this. I had already wasted too many tears over Ben. After he had left, I had a good cry that he decided a life without me wa
BenHad it really only been a week since I left Portland? I had such a busy week, trying to keep the company going and working with David to figure out what was going on with the possible murders, it felt like a lifetime had passed.When I landed in Portland, the sweet relief that came with coming home washed over me, and I knew it had been a good idea to come back. Even though I had said my goodbyes to everyone as if I was never coming home. I desperately needed a break away from all the drama that was happening in New York. I needed to clear my head and see the people that meant the most to me. Now that Uncle Dean was dead, even though Penny was still there, I didn’t have anyone to lean on in New York anymore.Now that I was in Portland again, I wanted to talk to Mila. I had shattered her by shutting her down before I left. I had thought it was the right thing to do, then. When I had tried to call her from New York, she had been switched off, and I knew it was all my fault. I had re
BenI was getting too close to the investigations.“I don’t want everything they worked for to be for nothing.”My mom nodded. “I can understand that. I know why you chose to take over the company again. Just remember to put your happiness first. Always. Your dad and Dean were both serious about what they wanted, but they were happy where they were, too. I’m sure that neither of them would have wanted you to give up your happiness.”“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks, Mom.”She hugged me, wrapping her arms around me, but I couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t really as easy as she was making it sound.“Now, let me fix up a room,” my mom said.I shook my head. “You don’t have to go out of your way, mom. I’ll stay at a hotel.”“Nonsense. You’re home for a while, I want to spend time with you while I have you.”“Okay,” I said, knowing I couldn’t argue with her. I hadn’t lived at home in ten years, but it would be good to stay with my mom and Paul for a couple of days.When my mom had fussed abou
MilaSkylar and I were at The Cottage again on Saturday night. This time, I felt better. I had slept most of the day and having a break from the ICU and all the patients that were fighting for their lives had done me good. I was laughing again, and I didn’t feel like I was being dragged down by life itself anymore.I had on a mint-green summer dress and ballerina flats. Skylar wore blue that made her eyes look like ice, and we sat at the bar, laughing and talking and drinking. Jerrod was with us, and even though I hadn’t been on the best terms with him, we were getting along tonight. I couldn’t always treat him like shit because my life hadn’t worked out the way I had wanted it to.We were having a good time. Skylar was telling us about something that had happened at the offices where she worked, and Jerrod and I were in stitches. Skylar was hilarious when she was tipsy, and it was only getting worse.“Can I join you?” a familiar voice said behind me. When I turned, Ben stood there in
MilaI knew that Skylar wanted to gossip about Ben; this was nothing about safety-in-numbers the way we always did it when we went out to clubs. But I wanted to be alone. My head was spinning, both with alcohol and the confusion about Ben being here, and I needed a moment to breathe.When I pushed through the door that led to the restrooms, Ben was suddenly right behind me. We were caught between the doors that led to the ladies’ and men’s restrooms respectively, and the door that led back to the dining room.“Ben,” I said. He was catching me off guard a lot tonight. “What are you doing?”“I wanted to talk to you. Alone. It’s the reason I’m here.”I started shaking my head.“Why didn’t you call me back?” Ben asked.I narrowed my eyes at him. I was still pissed off. Why was he making this harder for me than it needed to be? We could just go our separate ways. I thought we had.“You can’t tell me you don’t know the answer to that,” I said.“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry. Okay? I was a jerk. Eve
BenI lay in the bed my mom had set up for me in the office and looked up at the ceiling I had grown up under. I had always had pictures of models and sports teams on the walls. Now, the walls were bare, save for a water painting that one Miranda Castle had given my mom.Miranda, Mila and Jerrod’s mom, was my mom’s best friend. Their friendship was one of the reasons Jerrod and I had known each other for so long. Our friendship had started with play-dates in kindergarten so that our moms could get together and talk shit. Or share parenting tips. Or whatever it was that women talked about when they got together.Who would have thought that so many years down the line, I would have fallen for my best friend’s little sister? I had practically grown up with her. I had been in the Castle’s house or restaurant so many times, Mila had felt like my own sister.But that had changed. I didn’t see her as a sister at all, now.She had been distant when I had first arrived, last night. She had bee