I frowned. “Because she was stepping out on you. She was all over this guy while you were stuck at home.”You’ve been cheated on, I wanted to say.Yet again.All the signs were there.
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked stiffly.
I blinked at him. “Because it’s the right thing to do. And because I owe you.”
“Ah.” Abruptly, Ben stood and crumpled our taco wrappers. “There it is. You cheated on me, so Sarah must be cheating, too.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just trying to help—”
“You know what, Lee? Ireallydon’t need your help. In fact, you’re the last person in the world whose help I need.”
My mouth dropped open as Ben shoved the trash into a nearby trash can and strode to his car, yanking open the driver’s-side door. I’d expected him to be hurt and disappointed, of course, but I hadn’t expected him to shoot the messenger.
I followed him. “I was just trying to protect you, which I realize now was a misguided instinct. My bad. It will never happen again.”
Ben threw himself into the driver’s seat and turned to me, cheeks flushed, eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses. “You’re not trying to protect me. You’re trying to undermine my relationship.”
“I amnot.”
“What, are you on some mission to prove faithful relationships are impossible? Is this part of the patented Lee Stone shtick you’ve got going on? Everywhere you go, relationships turn to dust?”
The seeds of a deep hurt sprouted inside me.
“Or is it just me?” Ben turned and stared out the windshield. “Are you trying to prove I’m uniquely qualified to be cheated on? If it’s not just you who did it, you’re off the hook. Something like that?”
Anger filled me, masking the hurt underneath. “That’s not at all why I’m telling you, and it’s an asshole thing to say.”
Ben jabbed the ignition button. “Funny how the sting of you calling me an asshole lessens every time.” He jabbed the button again, but instead of firing up, the engine gave a pitiful whimper. Ben’s jaw tightened. He tried again, but the car still didn’t start.
“Shit.” I crossed my arms. “Are you happy now?”
Ben pushed his Wayfarers to his forehead and turned a truly murderous set of eyes on me. Then he stomped out of the Prius and popped the hood. He stared down, arms crossed, biceps straining under his shirt.
“Well?” I prompted, feeling extremely uncharitable.
“I don’t know how to fix it,” he gritted out. “This is my first hybrid.”
“Ha!” I said triumphantly. “I knew you were renting it.”
“I’m not renting it, you birdbrain. I own it. I just haven’t worked on it yet.”
“Ely Gunther is waiting for us at his ranch,” I pointed out. “Today’s the only day he would agree to meet us. It’s now or never. Today, or say goodbye to Senator Wayne’s vote.”
“I realize the urgency of the situation,” he snapped. “If we hadn’t stopped for your stupid tacos—”
I lowered my voice to an icy hiss.“Do not blame the tacos.”
Ben slammed the hood, laughing in a way that sounded borderline desperate. “Itoldmyself, Ben, you and Stoner can be friends, sure. But you are never,evergetting mixed up in her messy bullshit again. Remember what happened the last time.”
“Messy?” I was going to murder him and leavehisbody on the side of the road. There was no way he’d thought to plant letters implicating me in his death, so I had a solid advantage.
“Ipromisedmyself I’d stay at arm’s length. Yet here I am, stuck in the middle of nowhere with you, arguing about whether my girlfriend cheated on me and whether I own my own damn car. Which leads me to no other conclusion than I am truly an idiot who hasn’t learned his lesson.”
“At least we can agree on something.”
He blew out a breath. “Okay. How’s this, Stoner. You’re the expert at getting out of situations when you’re tired of them. So—now what?”
“We really,reallyappreciate this, Mr. Gunther,” I said over Ben’s shoulder. “Truly, it’s above and beyond. So kind.”
