“Fine!” I huffed. “You win. Yes, I’m trying to flirt with you.”
“Why?”
I inhaled deeply through my nose, brain searching for the right combination of words to unlock the vault surrounding this guy. “Do you have siblings?”
His expression slipped—horror, or something close to it blooming and rotting in the span of half a second. “What does that have to do with anything?”
A frustrated sound tore from me. “I don’t know how to respond to your responses. You’re not following proper conversation protocol.”
“What is happening right now?” Whether he was asking himself or the universe, I had no idea. All I knew was that I’d made an ass of myself and we were so offtrack, the chances of salvaging this interaction shriveled to nothing. I should’ve just come out with it—he might’ve respected the blunt honesty.
“I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “This turned into something so weird. I just… I need to know if you sent the letter.”
He straightened, his mouth actually falling open. Clearly, he expected another Return to Sender–stamped envelope from the USPS, or for me to plead my case about not pressing charges. Nope. I was a girl with audacity up to her eyeballs and very little self-preservation left.
“It’s none of my business,” I continued, talking fast. “I know that. But my sister, Phoebe—she was here with me last week—I love her more than anything in the world and she is so far gone right now. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been in over my head for months, and then suddenly she finds your letter and she wassmilingagain. She needs to know how it ends,” I pleaded. Benjistudied me, arms crossed, jaw set. But he was listening. “This is the first thing that has brought her a semblance of joy since our dad died, and now I’m spouting off my business to a complete stranger, so maybe we’re a little bit even. She needs this. So, please tell me if you sent the letter or if you’re going to, and you will never see me again.”
He tilted his head, studying me with those dark eyes. A last bit of self-preservation kicked up and told me to run, fast and far.
“So, your plan was to seduce me into revealing this information?”
I crossed my arms. “Well, it sounds silly when you say it like that.”
He quirked an eyebrow, as if to say,Sure, it wasmedoing the heavy lifting.
“Okay, look,” I said, letting my arms fall to my sides. Opening up, allowing myself to be semivulnerable. “It was a really beautiful letter. It deserves to be read by the person it was meant for.”
“You read it,” he pointed out flatly. “And your sister, apparently.”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“It’s a felony.”
“My intentions were honorable.”
“That argument won’t hold up in court.”
“I think it will.” I lifted my chin in defiance, meeting his dark eyes, refusing to fall victim to the intimidation tactic. I bet it worked on everyone and they left him to steep in his miserable little bubble alone. Unfortunately for him, I worked with kids, so I was well-equipped to deal with the emotionally stunted equivalent of a hissy fit. “I’m very popular. I could get a lot of character witnesses.”
The air conditioner hummed against the silence, and it was only then that my skin had the sense to feel the chill in the air.Goosebumps raised along my arms. Under Benji’s gaze, I shivered.
It was reckless, coming here. Prying into a stranger’s personal life made my skin crawl, but it would be worth it to help Phoebe.
He blinked then looked down, rearranging a few loose papers on the desk in front of him. “I haven’t sent it,” he said.
Disappointment flooded my stomach. Not just for Phoebe, but my own; I hadn’t realized how invested I’d become in this saga, until it was ending too soon.
“Why?” The word rushed out before I could give it any thought. “I mean, it’s none of my business, butwhy?”
“You said I’d never see you again if I told you the end of the story.” He wouldn’t look at me. “You never said anything about follow-up questions.”
“That’s not an ending. You’re leaving it unfinished.”
He plucked up a paper from the desk and headed toward the blue door at the opposite end of the room. Desperation clutched my heart. He said, “You can go.”
I sped after him. “Sending the letter would be brave,” I told him. “It would be brave and real and a showcase ofgrowth. That’s what you wanted Catalina to see, right? That you’ve changed? You have the opportunity to make things right, Benji. That doesn’t come around very often.”
He wheeled around, eyes fiery, and I stumbled to a halt. “Don’t call me that,” he growled. “You don’t know anything about me or Catalina. I’ve been more than amenable, but this is fucking ridiculous.”
