Page 28 of The Scenic Route
“I’m not leaving you.” The utter conviction in his tone warmed her from the inside out.
***
Her car hadn’t been touched, thankfully, so they moved both vehicles to the coffee shop parking lot. It was still closed, but Felicity figured it’d be the first place in town to open its doors. After parking, she returned to the warm passenger seat of Bennett’s SUV.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
She pulled down the sun visor to look in the mirror, made a face at her mussed hair, and then flipped it back up again. “Showers. Then you need a new windshield. I saw a mechanic a few doors down from Levi’s, so let’s see if they can fit your car in. If possible, I’d like to grab the bugs out of the gym. They’re expensive, so Moo yells at me when I lose them.”
“Moo?”
“Molly.”
“Your sister,” he said rather than asked, and she raised her eyebrows at him.
“That’s not the first time you knew details about me. What’d my background check show?”
Ignoring the heavy sarcasm in her voice, he rattled off her basic info. “Felicity Florence Pax, twenty-two years old, five feet two inches tall, one hundred twenty-six pounds. Mother is Jane Pax, father is Lono Hale, sister is Molly, half sisters are Cara,Charlotte, and Norah. Lives in Langston, Colorado, and works for Pax Bond Recovery as a bounty hunter. Never been married, not currently dating anyone, no known close friends—”
“Okay!” She cut him off, the bare bones of her life too depressing to hear out loud, especially after just a few hours of sleep. “And it’s five feet two and ahalfinches tall. Just for the record.”
He nodded solemnly like he was committing that correction to memory.
Feeling a bit flustered, she decided to change the subject. “You know all my details, but I never did a background check on you.” She was kicking herself for that now. “So tell me about yourself.”
“Bennett Xavier Green, twenty-eight years old, six feet four inches tall, two hundred fifty-two pounds. Mother was Deborah Dover Green, now deceased. Father is unknown. Foster parents from age sixteen to eighteen were Dean and Zena Roman. No known siblings or half siblings. Originally from Fort Collins, Colorado. Now lives in Denver, Colorado, and works as a private investigator. Never been married, not currently dating anyone, no close friends.”
Felicity was torn between fascination and wishing she’d never asked. Somehow, the way he laid out the raw details of his life so starkly made her want to hug him forever. She sat on her hands in order to resist the urge.
When he took a breath as if to continue listing the brutal facts of what sounded like a painfully lonely existence, she was relieved to see the headlights of a pickup cut through thelingering dimness of dawn.
“Oh, that must be Lou,” she said, again divided between disappointment that their revealing talk was over and relief that her confusing emotions could once again be stuffed in a dark corner to be dealt with later. “Unless she’s not working this morning.”
Bennett pulled something up on his phone as the pickup turned into the alley behind the coffee shop and parked in a small lot there. “That’s her. That truck is registered to Louise Sparks.”
Felicity eyed his phone, thinking of all the times she could’ve used instant vehicle registration information. “You’re very handy to have around, do you know that?”
With his gaze still focused on his phone screen, he smiled, looking so sweetly pleased that Felicity felt a squirmy warmth she definitely shouldn’t be feeling.
Her emotion-induced panic was interrupted by Lou, who’d opened the shop door and was waving them inside. Grabbing her computer bag, Felicity hopped out of the SUV.
“We’re not open for another half hour, but come inside and tell me all about your adventures last night,” Lou said.
“Sorry if we stink,” Felicity said, stepping into the coffee shop with Bennett close behind. “The motel owner kicked us out.”
Lou’s mouth fell open. “Whaaat? Marian did that? Why? Were you rowdy? I can’t imagine you two acting all eighties rock star, but sometimes people surprise you.”
“Is Marian a little old lady who looks super sweet until she chucks you out at midnight because her grandnephew is a pieceof trash meth dealer who won’t accept the consequences of his actions?” Felicity made a beeline to the bathroom.
“Well, yes to the first part, but I was today years old when I learned about the other bit.”
Lou’s voice faded as Felicity closed the door. The bathroom was tiny, but it didn’t matter—Felicity was just relieved to have indoor plumbing after their night in the car.
Once she was out and Bennett took her place in the bathroom, Felicity collapsed in one of the chairs as Lou bustled around, performing all the opening tasks automatically as she shot questions and demands at Felicity.
“Tell me everything. Did you go to the militia’s compound last night? What’d you find out? Why are you limping? What’d Marian say? Where’d you sleep? You’re staying at my house tonight. We have a guest room and everything, so we won’t have to sleep four to the bed.”
Bennett emerged from the bathroom just in time to hear the “four to the bed” part, and he gave Felicity such a wide-eyed look that she had to laugh.
