Page 78 of Every Good Thing
“That’s no excuse.” He takes a breath, his grip on me tightening. “Change is… difficult for me.”
I nod, though I’m unsure exactly which change he means. The movie people? The career switch? Something else?
“I don’t react well to it, and my history with the Rileys dredges that up.” The words emerge slowly and uneasily like he’s pushing a heavy cart up a flight of stairs one step at a time. “There’s a lot of uncertainty right now.”
“You helped me through the most uncertain time of my life,” I remind him, resting my cast on his shoulder. “It’s my turn to help you… but you have to let me.”
“It’s just—”
“Ben Wright—the man of the hour!”
A booming voice cuts through his words, leaving me hanging. Ben drops his hold on me and moves aside for a rotund man in his sixties and a petite brunette beside him—Larry and Jenny Tenor. We chat casually and easily for a suitable amount of time before Ben says, “I want to take Lena on a tour.”
Larry pulls a security badge from his shirt pocket with a magician’s flair. “I thought you might. I took the liberty of creating your access card.”
Ben nods, taking the badge. “Thank you, sir.”
Larry slaps his back proudly. “Eh, one less thing I’ll have to do later. It’ll get you anywhere you want to go. Be sure to check out your office.”
Your office, like it’s already decided. Maybe it is, and I’m the last holdout. I can’t deny that Ben seems lighter and comfortable here. Why doesn’t he feel this relaxed at Saddletree? I think about what he said the night of my accident—that he loves Saddletree but doesn’t belong there, professionally. Maybe he doesn’t feel like he belongs there at all. It’s more of a burden for him, a source of frustration and stress. Like me, it seems lately. And the movie people are a constant reminder.
Larry and Jenny leave us for dancing, and I automatically scan for Ruthie again.
Ben takes my hand. “Ruthie will be fine. Come with me?”
A familiar spark pings between us, like he’s taking me on an adventure. I’ve missed that spark. I nod automatically, and he leads me toward a glass-heavy building.
“They have their own restaurant, cafeterias, dry cleaner, and yoga studio—”
“Are you into yoga now?”
He scoffs. “No. But it’s here. You could do it if you wanted—families are welcome to use the amenities, too. There are many opportunities here.”
“There’s yoga every Thursday morning at Saddletree. I’m good.”
He swipes his badge at the door and holds it open. We enter a lobby with high ceilings, marble floors, bright chandeliers, and leather seating, very hotel-like. We lean against the back wall inside the elevator, watching the lighted numbers change over our heads.
“I like the romper.”
His eyes catch mine, and I break out laughing while he smirks. This is my Ben.
“Walmart couture… funny,” he adds as the elevator pings. He takes my hand, locking it surely in his, and leads me down the hallway.
Twenty-Two
LENA
“Wow, Ben.” I stand at the window wall in his potential office, overlooking a delicate rock, sand, and stone garden below. Flashes of orangey gold catch my eyes as koi skim through the pond. Box turtles bake on a staged log. “Ruthie’ll love the view. This office is swanky.”
“I don’t need swank, but I like the minimalism and efficiency of it.” He adjusts a light switch near the door, and the recessed lighting dims.
I move toward the room’s center and lean against the desk. “I can picture this for you. You deserve swank and dimming lights and a koi pond. What are you thinking?”
He leans beside me, folding his arms. “The decision is harder than it should be. One minute, I’ve decided. The next, I don’t know.”
“Well, what excites you about it?”
“The schedule and managing my time my way. The money. No-limits healthcare. Working with John. The minimal bullshit,” he lists off quickly.
