Still did, somehow.
She slid into the seat next to Nate just as the judge brought the court to order.Casually, Nate rested his arm on the back of her chair.Like he wasphysicallyincluding her in their little group.
Even if that hadn’t unnecessarily choked her up a little, the progress of the day would have.
The lawyers finished their opening statements and then the prosecution began to lay out its case.The witnesses today were all people who’d dealt with Marie Bennet’s dead body.Fire.Police.Coroner.
They painted a gruesome picture of what they’d found of Marie Bennet’s body and tomorrow would be worse.Getting into the medical examiner’s report and the early days of the investigation.Or maybe it just felt worse because every step was a bad memory for the Bennets, and worse, a day closer to the Bennets having to take the stand.
And her.Having to go over whyshe’dfocused on Benjamin Bennet as a teenager determined to set her father free.Maybe if Sam had been able to do that back then, before his prison time had caused him to… lose his grip on humanity, or whatever it was, she would be happy to get up there and have beenrightall along.
But it felt like a moot point now.Tragedy compounding tragedy.
When court was adjourned for the day, Sam filed out of the courtroom with the Bennets.Into another freezing cold night.There was supposedly a storm front coming that would dump a foot of snow on them overnight.Sam wasn’t sure if she hoped it wouldn’t delay court or would.
“Well, see you tomorrow,” she offered, spotting Nate’s truck parked in the opposite direction of hers.
“Actually, I’m going to follow you back.I want to talk to you about something.”
He sounded so casual.Sonormal.She didn’t know whyshefelt weird.Maybe this morning wasn’t that big of a deal.Maybe he’d come to see her way of things.He wanted to have a conversation about Bo—good or bad.They could do that.
“Okay,” she agreed.She gave a little nod then walked over to her car.She glanced back at him.
He was watching her.The weirdness intensified.But she got in her car and drove back to Honor’s Edge.She parked around back like she always did, Nate pulling his truck in next to hers.
Sam got out of her car the same time he got out of his truck.God, it was cold, but she found herself hesitating.What was this about?Was it a conversation best suited to a cold so frigid she’d be too frozen to cry?
Had henotcome around to seeing her way?Had he, in fact, done the opposite and this was going to be some kind of… break.A refusal to deal with Bo.With… her?Yeah, she really didn’t know if she wanted to go inside for that.Still, she was already shivering.
“Um, so, did you want to go inside or—”
“I bought the house.”He stood at the back of his truck, leaning against the tailgate.Likehewasn’t cold.Like he was as comfortable as could be.
And he’d bought the house.
Sam blinked.Of all the things she’d considered, she hadn’t really expected… good news.“Already?”
“I put in an offer this morning on the way to court.Had a message from the Realtor at lunch that the buyer accepted—they were motivated, like she said.Hoops to jump through yet and I won’t close until next month, but hopefully the trial is over by then and it can be like… a fresh start.”
A fresh start.God, what would that feel like?Well, if anyone deserved one, it was Nate Bennet.
“That would be great, Nate.I’m glad.You’ll have to let me know how my aunt takes finding out her easy mark isn’t staying put any longer.”She smiled and mostly felt it.
He didn’t laugh at the joke.He just kept standing there, leaning against his truck, studying her in a way she didn’t know how to parse.She wasn’t sure he’d ever looked at her with such… determined intent.
Determined to do what, though?Intent forwhat?She didn’t have a clue, and it made her weirdly nervous when she was almost never actuallynervousaround him.It almost reminded her of that first time she’d seen him as an adult, when she’d tracked him down to his loner cabin in Tennessee.
Like whatever portent had skittered across her then was coming to call.
“We should celebrate,” Nate said, pushing off the truck and walking over to her.“You’re a big reason I bit the bullet.You asked some great questions when we walked through.Let’s celebrate.”
She had been hoping to just go upstairs andsleepafter last night’s break-in attempt had kept her up most of the night.Was that what this was?He needed a drinking buddy after that whole thing with Cal yesterday?He just was looking after her because he was worried about the break-in?And he knew she’d balk at that, so he came up with some kind of… ruse?
Probably.That made sense.
But he was using his buying a house as an excuse, and she thought thatwassomething to celebrate, so she didn’t call him out on it.Not when they were in this weird truce space where his anger this morning just didn’t… exist anymore.
“Sure.Did you want to go to the Graff or—”
