"Thanks, Amy. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Probably something stupid," Amy replied cheerfully. "Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes. Both with Ben and with the wedding."
"I will," Kelly promised.
After they hung up, Kelly stared at her phone, her thumb hovering over Ben's contact. Her heart hammered in her chest, but the panic and confusion that had driven her earlier had been replaced by a steady resolve.
She had made a mistake, letting her complicated feelings about her family and Lori spill over onto Ben. But mistakes could be fixed, right? Apologies could be made. Bridges that seemed burned could be rebuilt.
Whatever happened next, at least she was facing it head-on instead of running away. That was progress, of a sort.
Ben had taken a chance on her, on this trip, on their connection. Now she needed to show him he hadn’t made a mistake.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Ben tossedhis suitcase onto the bed in the roadside hotel room with more force than necessary, the mattress bouncing a few times before settling. He stood in the doorway for a moment, scanning the space that would be his home for the night. Beige walls. Scratchy polyester bedspread. Flickering bedside lamp. Everything was just as uninviting as his mood.
He shut the door behind him and locked it, though he wasn't sure why. What was there to steal in this generic box ten miles outside Bergen? His dignity was already gone, left behind at Kelly's condo.
You kept it from me.
Had he kept anything from her? His father was Seth Reilly, sheriff of Harper. That wasn't a secret. It wasn't something he deliberately concealed. It simply hadn't come up in their conversations, which had rightfully been focused on Lori Powell's case. He’d meant to tell her a few times, but then something in the investigation would intervene.
Wearily, he sat on the edge of the bed, fingers rubbing at his throbbing temples. His phone weighed heavily in his pocket.Pulling it out, he checked for messages. Nothing from Kelly. Not that he expected anything. She'd made her feelings clear enough.
I don't want you here right now.
Ben scrolled through his contacts, his thumb hovering over Kelly's name before sliding past. There was no point in calling her tonight. She needed space, and honestly, so did he. Instead, he found another name and hesitated only briefly before pressing it.
Brianna would still be up. Seattle was three hours behind New York, and his cousin had always been a night owl anyway.
The phone rang twice before she answered.
"Ben? Is everything okay?"
Her voice was clear and alert, no sign that he'd disturbed her. In the background, he could hear music playing softly.
"Yeah," he replied automatically, then reconsidered. "Actually, no. Not really."
"What's wrong?"
Ben didn't know why he'd called her specifically. Chase would have cracked jokes to cheer him up. Lulu would have offered fierce, if somewhat impractical, advice. But Brianna would understand this particular situation better than most.
"I don't know why I called," he admitted.
"Sure you do," Brianna replied. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have dialed. So tell me what happened."
Ben sighed and leaned back against the headboard, kicking off his shoes as he swung his legs up onto the mattress.
"It's complicated."
"It always is," Brianna said. "Try me anyway."
Not wanting to drag it out, he gave her the short version of the last few weeks. Meeting Kelly in their apartment building. Her invitation to come to Bergen. The investigation into her friend's murder. Their growing connection. The rehearsal dinnertonight, and Kelly's father dropping the bomb about Seth Reilly's past cases.
Which were the same as her father, Logan Wright. She’d been up close and personal with one of them.
