“I am sorry. About before. You’ve been so nice since it happened. I feel bad. I know you have to be hurting, but you don’t act like it.”
Ben tucked his hands in his pockets to keep from pushing her hair back from her face. The urge to touch the strands, to find out for himself how soft they were, was tough to control, and he didn’t want to press his luck by making her uncomfortable with the move.
To distract himself, he tried to put her at ease about his injury. “When I was fifteen, I was playing football with my brothers. Two of them were on the varsity team at our high school, and they were trying to show our other brother and me some of the team’s plays. I went running across the yard to catch a pass and misjudged the distance. The football slammed into my face, and I hit the ground. I had to have surgery to repair it. Compared to that, this is minor. I’ll be fine, and you have nothing to feel bad about.”
Her voice was light, warming him from the inside. “Sounds like your brothers are rough.”
“Yep. Rough and tough, as our dad always said. They’re older and pains in my ass, but I wouldn’t take anything for them. They’re the best. Just don’t tell them I said so.”
She chuckled. “You must miss them.”
“I do sometimes, but we’re accustomed to spending time apart. What about you? Do you see your family a lot?”
She sighed, the forlorn sound making him want to wrap her in his arms. “It’s just me.”
Her car beeped as she used her key fob to disengage the locks. “Goodnight, Ben.”
He reached for the door handle before her and pulled it open. “Goodnight, Charlotte. Even with the broken nose, it’s been nice meeting you.”
He waited until she climbed inside before gently closing her door. Once she was driving down the road, he walked to his truck. He considered following her, but he managed to resist the impulse. Turning his Tahoe toward the Skyline Motel, he tried to push thoughts of Charlotte away. Though she was more pleasant to think of, he wouldn’t be distracted from the case.
A little boy’s welfare depended on him keeping his focus and doing his job to the best of his ability. Then when it was done, maybe he could turn his attention to the pretty blond housekeeper who was hiding a secret.
Chapter Six
Charlotte’s head bobbed along with the beat of the music streaming from her ear buds. Spritzing the blue cleaner on the lobby window, she swiped the liquid, dust, and fingerprints from the pane using a microfiber cloth. The sun shone high in the sky, dissipating the last remnants of dusk and promising a warmer day for the winter season.
The task complete, she exchanged the window cleaner for wood polish. Lifting a lamp from a side table, she dusted the dark finish until it shined. The song reached its rock crescendo as she moved a vase of flowers from a coffee table and polished that surface as well. Placing the vase back in the center, she bumped the glass when she pulled back her hand.
“Oh, no!”
The vase tipped to its side, water and flowers spilling on the floor. She reached for the vase but was too late to stop its roll to the hardwood, the impact shattering the glass. A frustrated groan escaped her throat. Retrieving a garbage bag from her cart, she knelt beside the mess and started collecting the shards of glass.
“Ow!”
A sharp piece sliced her finger and lodged in the gash. She gingerly pulled the glass out and gaped as blood poured from thewound. She quickly reached for a rag and wound the absorbent cloth around her finger, trying to breathe through the pain of the injury. She jerked her earbuds from her ears and dropped them in her pocket. Tears welled in her eyes until she could no longer see the blood staining the cloth.
“Charlotte?”
Her head whipped up, and Ben’s image swam in her sight before she wiped away the tears with her uninjured hand.
“What’s wrong? I heard you shout.”
He started toward her, and she panicked at the idea of him seeing her hurt and upset. Looking away, she pushed to her feet, struggling with one hand to brace herself. Ben was instantly at her side, his hands on her elbows to help her stand.
“I’m fine. It’s no big deal. I’ll put a bandage on it and get this mess cleaned up,” she told him.
She tried to back away from him, but he held her firmly without hurting her. Ben lowered his head until they were eye-to-eye. With the way he studied her, she was sure he’d see the pain she was in. She dropped her eyes to focus on a button of his work shirt.
“You should go. I’ll be fine, and I’m sure you have to get to work. I mean why else would you be up this early in the morning?” She sputtered a nervous laugh which sounded strangled to her ears.
“Work can wait. Can I have a look at your hand? I have experience in first aid.”
She shook her head gently. “It’s fine. I told you. I just need a bandage, and I’ll be good to go.”
She tried to step away again, but he wouldn’t release his hold.
“Please. Let me have a look.”
