Page 44 of Standing Still

She shrugs. “Okay. So we’ll just sit in a side street following him while he has breakfast and I’m starving. Costhatis normal.”

After a few minutes of silence, and thinking, I let myself grin. I take the keys out of the ignition and detach the Mustang key. “Meet you at the diner in ten,” I hop out of the truck to the sound of her laughter.

Chapter Seventeen

I watch the Mustang pass and disappear down a side street as I sit in a window seat at the diner. I can’t believe he did it. I can’t believe Isuggestedit. It’s actually pretty mean. But we don’t need to leave Denny panicking for too long. I put an order in for pancakes and a side of bacon and eggs for both of us while I wait. I sip my coffee and watch people passing by.

We need to talk, we really do. Things took an unexpected turn last night and could really complicate matters, but I’m not going to lie to myself. I’m not mad it happened, and that decision is only reinforced by how damn amazing the sex was.

I don’t think I’ve had so many orgasms in one night as I did with Ben. He’s certainly learned some moves since we were horny teenagers. I’m a little jealous of all the women who’ve come before me, and that is the most irrational thought I’ve had in ages.

I’m not sure where we go from here. Everyone is working on me to take this clause of dad’s. From Ben to Dawn, to his family, even Kevin. Everyone is putting forward the pros of taking the offer to keep the company and spend time in Mystic into my head.It isn’t the whole year, and like Ben said, it doesn’t need to be a six-month stretch. I can spread it out.

Kevin even pointed out I can schedule my time in Mystic when I’m working away, on book tours or the like. That way I get around it on a technicality, by saying I’m working.

The more Kevin learns and passes on to me about Day Away, the more I start to think Ben is right. I don’t believe it would do any economic harm to the area. In fact, Kevin’s research showed that smaller areas saw an upturn in tourism and revenue because of Day Away. He’s also seen a few stories of people being ripped off by them, or even intimidated into selling. Kevin is that good at his job.

I hate the thought of anyone losing their jobs, but the idea that the asshole from the boat yesterday would be gloating over Ben really ticked me off. Still, is that enough for me to change my life, to uproot myself? And, if I am here for six months out of the year, I now have the added complication of seeing Ben more often. What we did last night could become an issue.

I may be reading too much into it, but something more than sex happened between us last night. Feelings long dormant had risen to the surface, shocking the hell out of me. As much as I told myself it was just sex, it really wasn’t. And sometimes, the way he was looking at me made me wonder if he wasn’t thinking the same thing.

I try not to let my romantic heart take over my rational brain, but what could staying here mean for us? Would there be anus? Did I want there to be? And if he met and started dating someone, how would that make me feel? Did I have a right to be jealous? No. Would I be? Without a single doubt in my mind, I’m already getting pissed just at the thought of someone flirting with him, let alone being in a relationship with him. Thinking of Evelyn flirting and staring the way she did makes my blood boil. Do I want to put myself in that position?

I dare not think there could be more to it than what happened yesterday. We can’t even bring ourselves to discuss it.

“Hey Elle, how are you?”

I look up at Claudia, she is standing by the booth holding a coffee pot. She has a tentative smile on her face again, like she is anxious about talking to me. I give her a warm smile, trying to put her at ease. It usually works with fans who are nervous. Sometimes, I’ve ended up with real introverted fans standing for over thirty minutes chatting away about all different kinds of topics, not just my books.

I’m not entirely sure it works on Claudia.

“I’m good, thank you. How are you?”

“Good, working a long shift today, but I have a couple of days off coming up,” she bites her lip, like she said too much. “Dawn didn’t think you would be in town this long. Are you staying?”

“No. I mean, not long term. I’m just still sorting some things out, for dad.”

“Oh, yes… Of course. I never really said I’m sorry about your dad.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I top up your coffee?”

“Please,” I push the mug forward. “Claudia, could I ask you something?”

Her hand wobbles a bit, but she manages not to spill the coffee. She straightens up and looks at me with a nod.

“You said you knew Darren, my brother.” Another nod. “How well did you know him?”

She glances around us and then at the floor. “We were together for about eight months,” she tells me eventually. Her eyes grow sad.

“Just before he died?” I ask, recalling what she said to me the last time we chatted. “You didn’t come to the funeral,” I say softly.

“I didn’t feel it was my place. I’d never met any of you and well. We cared deeply for one another. I mean,” she nervously movesher hair. “I loved him. And, it was tough, what happened. I didn’t know how to face you all, especially when you would have no idea who I was.”

I have no clue why my brother would hide this relationship from us. “Did you… Do you have any idea why he did… what he did?” I ask her.

She shakes her head sadly and her bottom lip wobbles. Clearly, she has never got over my brother. I believe her when she says she loved him. It’s just such an odd situation. All these years later.

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