"Well, okay then," replied Bennett. Checking his watch, he said, we have about three hours before we have to head to Searcy. "Want to fool around?" He winked at her, and she could not help but laugh.
"As long as our underwear stays on. I am serious about not having sex until you are free."
Bennett said, "Okay, underwear stays on. For tonight. I reserve the right to re-negotiate in the future." With that, Poppy and Bennett spent the afternoon reacquainting themselves with each other, sharing stories, kisses, and laughing at the most surprising things.
Chapter 15
Carrington House
Searcy, Arkansas
November 28, 2023
"Sounds like the two of you just picked right back up where you left off," replied Harvey Cox.
"Yeah, you know how that is true of close friends? Well, it turns out it is even more true of soulmates," replied Poppy.
"Is that how you see Bennett? As your soulmate?"
"Oh, yeah. Definitely. But even though we were soulmates, it did not mean our love story was easy after this. We knew we wanted to be together, but we still had a lot of obstacles ahead of us. One was that when we were together, it was hard to remember he was still married. I am proud to say we never broke his marriage vows, but we did push it to the limit: stolen kisses, soft touches, and intimate moments that pushed our control.
"The night of the gala, we came so close to losing it. Bennett was supposed to pick up Taylor. Things got out of hand, and he had to call Joules to get her. I felt so guilty walking into that club with him. Everyone could tell we had spent the afternoon necking like hormonal teenagers.
"Greer was waiting just inside the door. I remember walking in, thinking, how is this my life? I was so dreading having to talk to Taylor. But, as you know, that did not happen. Taylor collapsed when she saw me. I felt so guilty; all I wanted to do was run back to the hotel. Shockingly to me, Bennett was concerned about Taylor, but he grabbed my arm, held me close, and insisted that I not run. It took all that I had not to, but I trusted him and didn't."
"What happened next?" asked Harvey.
"I decided to do as Bennett asked. I switched Ben to homeschooling and moved to Caswell Beach in North Carolina. Bennett rented the house from his buddy. It had three bedrooms, so there was plenty of room for all of us. The hardest part was that Ben had to leave his friends and quit his baseball team. I had to decide between keeping him there and giving him a chance to get to know his father. I chose the latter. Every weekend, Bennett would spend the weekend with us."
"You have said earlier that you two never broke his marriage vows. How hard was that once you were settled at the beach?" asked Harvey.
"So hard. When you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want that life to begin immediately. Our life was on hold, marking time. For a couple like Bennett and I, who have always had a very strong physical attraction, denying that for weeks on end, after years of being celibate, was difficult. Not going to lie. There were many nights I wanted to chuck my whole "I don't want to be the other woman" mantra out the window and jump his bones. But I did not. There is more than one reason I did not, but the main one was I did not want to be that person. Only I get to decide what kind of person I will be. I did not want to be a person who cheated, and so I held to that, even when it was hard. Even when it hurt. Even when it made Bennett mad as hell. Even when it made no sense to anyone except me. And, you know what, I amproud of that decision. Maybe it is because I was so embarrassed my mom did it, but I am glad I can sit here today to say I stuck to my guns. For all the things I did wrong in my life, and oh my, there are a lot of them, I never slept with another woman's husband. It isn't much, but it is something."
"I agree with you. That is something to be proud of. I must ask; you said there were other reasons you did not cheat. Can you share those?" asked Harvey.
"Well, another reason was that Bennett was killing himself, traveling around the country, campaigning twenty hours a day. He would roll in every Saturday morning around 4:00 in the morning and get about three hours of sleep. Get up, play catch, go fishing, play chess, go swim, whatever Bennett wanted to do all day Saturday and Sunday. Then, he would fly out Sunday night around 10:00 to be wherever he was needed the next day. On days he was not campaigning, he was in DC trying to catch up on his work there. The man worked fourteen-to-sixteen-hour days. He was exhausted most of the time. When he had time to rest, that was what he needed," replied Poppy.
"Changing directions for the moment. What are your favorite memories of that time?" asked Harvey.
"Easy, when Bennett came to the beach, he was all in on Ben. Of all the decisions I have made, that was one of the best. Going to that little quiet beach and giving them several months to get to know each other was the best. Even if we had never gotten together, it would have been worth it, "said Poppy.
"Okay, anything else you think I should know about your time in North Carolina?" asked Harvey.
"No, actually, I think you have covered it. I love thinking back on that time. It was magical and difficult all at the same time," said Poppy with a sad smile.
"Let's move forward to July of 2012. Tell me about the day reporters showed up at your condo in River Oaks?" said Harvey.
"How did you know about that?" asked Poppy.
"Ben told me. He said that day terrified him."
"Yes, it was a hard day. But, like the rest of the story, we survived it."
River Oaks Condo
Searcy, Arkansas
June 2012
