“Your fries will be cold.”
She didn’t answer, just turned her head to stare out the side window. Ben didn’t want to leave their interaction like that, but he also didn’t want to hold her captive in his car.
“Okay. I’ll take you home.”
He re-wrapped his burger, then set it in the console alongside her fries. Starting the car, he put it in reverse, then backed out of the parking spot.
It didn’t take long to get to her apartment building, and when he put the car in park, she immediately opened the door. Ben hurried to gather up her food and lifted her drink from the console, then followed her.
“Amelia,” he said as he reached the front door of the building. “You forgot your food.”
“You can have it.”
“Please. Just take it.”
Her shoulders slumped, and her head bent as she turned. She took the bag and the drink from him without looking up.
Reaching out, Ben gently touched her cheek, then slid his fingers beneath her chin. “Look at me.”
It took a while, but she eventually looked up at him, giving Ben a glimpse of the shine of tears in her eyes.
“Ah, Lia,” he said. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I really am. I just don’t want you to think you’re anything less than perfectly you, despite the changes you’ve gone through.”
“I don’tfeellike me, though,” she said, her voice tight with emotion. “That’s all I want. To feel like myself again.”
“Well, I’m praying that the results of the tests will help make that happen,” he told her. “But in the meantime, don’t give up hope, and don’t think for a minute that who you are now is less important than who you were ten years ago.”
She gave a single nod, then stepped back.
“Let me open the door for you,” he said.
He wasn’t sure she would agree, but then she let him take the keys that were hanging from her fingers. After he opened the door, he held it for her, then continued up the stairs with her to her apartment.
“I hope you’re able to get some good rest tonight,” he said as they stood in front of her open door. “Do you think you’ll be at church tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. It will all depend on how I feel in the morning. I make no promises.”
“I understand.” He gazed at her for a long moment. “Take care of yourself.”
She nodded. “You too.”
He watched her turn and disappear into her apartment, the door slowly closing behind her. He waited until he heard it lock, then headed down the hallway to the stairs.
His thoughts were a mess as he drove home, but they kept circling back around to how he wanted to help her. To be with her. But he couldn’t do anything unless she let him. And after what she’d revealed earlier about their first meeting, he wasn’t sure she would.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Amelia walked into the kitchen, her steps unsteady. She put the food and drink right into the fridge, then turned to brace her hands on the counter.
She was so tired. So very tired. But it wasn’t just because of the intense previous twenty-four hours. The conversation she’d just had with Ben had totally drained her.
She couldn’t bear to think about it.
She’d humiliated herself by letting everything come pouring out. If she hadn’t been so worn out, maybe she could have kept a tighter grip on her emotions.
Tears stung her eyes as she straightened and made her way to her bedroom. It was only as she stood in her doorway that she realized her suitcase was still in Ben’s SUV.
She had her purse and phone, but nothing else she’d taken for the trip. All her skincare products were in the suitcase, but she didn’t really need anything else in the bag.
