"There you are,"Kelly’s mother said, lips pursed in a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd make it."
"Traffic," Kelly replied, the lie slipping out automatically.
In truth, they'd spent those seven minutes sitting in the parked car while she gathered her courage. Ben had waited patiently, not rushing her, not questioning why a grown woman needed a moment before facing her own family.
It should have been a pleasant evening, but she knew better. It didn’t matter that this restaurant made excellent food and had great service. Somehow, some way, her parents were going to make her miserable. It was only a question of when and how it would happen.
Her mother's gaze slid to Ben, taking in his tailored suit and confident posture. He was easily the most handsome in the room, but she might be biased.
"Well, at least you're here now. Everyone's getting drinks. Your father has already ordered wine for the table."
The private room downstairs in the restaurant had been set up strategically for the event. Bar in the back of the room, tables in the middle, and a long table on the left laden with appetizers.
“How many drinks is too many? Ten? Twenty?” she queried, mostly kidding. “I’m asking for a friend.”
Ben's quiet laugh steadied her, and she felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders.
“I think I’m going to stay sober,” he replied. “But I’ll carry you out of here later, if need be.”
They moved through the crowd, accepting congratulations on her sister's behalf, and fielding the inevitable questions about her life in New York.
No, she wasn't married. Yes, she was still working on that podcast thing. No, she hadn't considered moving back to Bergen. The same questions, the same answers, the same barely concealed disappointment.
"I need that drink," she announced after the fifth conversation that felt like an interrogation.
"I'll get you something," Ben offered. "White wine?"
"Something stronger. Whiskey, neat."
Ben raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I'll be right back."
She watched him make his way to the bar, stopping to exchange pleasantries with Trevor's mother. He fit in here, comfortable in this world of social niceties and small talk. It should have annoyed her how easily he moved through a room full of strangers, but instead, she found it oddly comforting.
Casting her gaze across the room, she could see several heads turning as he walked by. He had that easy self-assurance and charisma that drew people to him.
Like me,
Her momentary peace was shattered when she spotted Rob intercepting Ben at the appetizer table. Her brother's voice, loud and annoying, reached her even from across the room.
"Tax law is incredibly complex," Rob was saying, gesturing with a stuffed mushroom. "The intricacies of corporate accounting would probably go over your head."
He worked on Wall Street, you idiot.
To be fair, she didn’t know exactly what he’d done, but he’d been damn successful at it.
Kelly edged closer, maneuvering around a cluster of her mother's friends to get a better view.
"I doubt you'd understand the implications of depreciation schedules on capital assets," Rob continued, his voice carrying that familiar patronizing edge. "It's rather advanced stuff."
Ben nodded politely, selecting a few items from the display.
"Sounds fascinating."
"It is, actually," Rob plowed on, oblivious to Ben's lack of engagement. "For instance, the difference between straight-line and accelerated depreciation can mean thousands in tax savings. But I suppose in your line of work, you don't deal with those kinds of sophisticated financial structures."
Kelly's hands tightened around her clutch. This was classic Rob, establishing dominance through jargon and condescension. She'd seen him do it countless times at family gatherings, talking down to boyfriends, colleagues, even her father's friends. Usually, men either matched his pomposity or fell silent in confusion.
Ben did neither. He simply selected another canapé, his expression pleasant but neutral.
