His brows shoot up. “Let me get this straight. With a stalker on the loose, you thought I’d let you just go back to your life the way it was?”
“It ismy life, Ben.” And I’m completely and totally broke, so I have no choice. “And I have to get back to it.”
He shakes his head. “You’re not going back. It’s not safe.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“I can and I will, but I’m asking you not to put me in that position.”
“I have to go get my security deposit back, Ben.” My eyes well with tears, and I turn away, embarrassed. “I need the money.”
He sighs, then I feel his hand on my face, gentle as he maneuvers us so I’m looking into his eyes. “I know you do, sweetheart. We looked into your financials as part of the case.”
Oh my God! That ishumiliating. “So everyone knows I’m poor? That’s just great.” I try to pull away, but he won’t let me. “Get your hands off me. I’m going home.”
“Listen to me.”
“Let me go.”
“I don’t want to.” He raises his voice. “I don’t want to let you go, not again. I want to keep you safe, and I want to help you get back on your feet again, and I want you here when you do that.”
I shove his hands off me and storm away a whole five feet, staring out the window at the street below.
I’d love the chance to wander around this town, check out the stores, and eat at the local restaurants.
In an ideal world, I’d have friends to go out with on the weekends and grab a drink after work. But that’s not my life. It’s never really been, so I don’t know why it still hurts so much.
I look into the loft across the street above the coffee shop and wonder if I’ll ever be able to afford a place like that, like Ben’s. It’s so cool, old brick on the walls and character in the wood. I can just picture sitting on my purple couch, watching the stars in the sky and—wait. I squint and press my face against the glass. That is my purple couch. And my cat tree, and my bookshelf.
When I whip around, Ben is right there, and he starts talking before I can ask him what the hell is going on. “You might want to kill me for doing this, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah, because at least I know you’ll be safe while you’re plotting my murder.”
“What did you do?”
He holds my fingers in his hands, and I see the sincerity on his stupid, handsome face, so I know I’m going to hear it in his voice, too. “I have a friend whose mom works at Sunny Hill. It’s a senior living facility just like yours. A CNA is going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks, and the temp they found for hertested positive for cannabis on her drug test. Beth said they still need someone, and she could get you that job.”
Yep. Totally sincere and so, so Ben. “Even if I wanted to, I’d need to transfer my license, and that can take months.”
“She said she has some connections and can get it done in a few days.” He rubs his thumbs back and forth, effectively grounding me. “If I’d have known you were struggling all these years, I’d have done this sooner. You’re not going back, Annie. You’re staying here. I’d like for it to be your decision, even though I already made it for you.”
I wish it were as easy as just staying because I honestly have nothing to return to. I live in solitude and am surrounded by reminders of losing the only family I had.
The thought of starting over sounds amazing, and Ben makes it seem like it’s that easy.
“You’re thinking too hard about this, Blue.”
“You haven’t thought hard enough about this, Ben.”
He runs his fingers through his hair and takes a step back. “I care about you, I always have. Let me do this for you.”
“Like you haven’t done enough already?” I cross my arms, then uncross them and point at the window. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t afford that place. I could barely afford mine, and it was a four-hundred-square-foot studio.”
“You don’t have to worry about that right now.”
Hot humiliation warms my cheeks. “I’m not a charity case.”
