Page 75 of Wild Justice

“Maybe,” Lisa conceded, her expression sad. “Maybe he’s right that I couldn’t handle it. I was willing to try, but he said it wouldn’t work. He knows himself so I think I need to believe him.”

“He doesn’t know you,” Lulu replied. “And sometimes he doesn’t know himself. He’s a lot. I can admit that. He has issues, but he’s working on them.”

Yes, Henry was working on them but… It didn’t mean that he was ready to be in a relationship. The sad reality was that it might never mean that he could do that.

“I do miss him,” Lisa said, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Is it stupid to say that I love him? It is, isn’t it? I mean, I barely know him really. But I do.”

“It’s not stupid. Henry is a lovable person. When you meet the right person, you just know.”

“I think so, too,” Lisa said. “My parents said they knew the moment they met. But that’s just luck. I don’t know.”

“Listen, don’t give up on Henry,” Lulu urged. “I’ll work on him.”

“No,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “He’s made up his mind. I have to respect that. I’d want him to do the same for me. I’ll just remember him as the funny guy I spent some time with. Always good memories.”

Lulu didn’t get a chance to reply. Lisa pressed the sweater into her hands and then quickly left the coffee shop.

“Lulu, it’s time to get on the road,” Kai said gently. “Our coffee is ready.”

They walked back out to the car and back on the road. Lulu didn’t say much as they drove, her mind busy with a swirl of thoughts. She was supposed to be unplugging from the regular life but failing miserably.

“You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Kai said after a while. “I think you need this getaway.”

“I was thinking about Henry,” she replied. “He’s talking about leaving Harper. And also, about Chase and Ben, too.”

“Whoa, slow down. It’s not even eight in the morning. You’re thinking about all of that?”

“Yes, the ‘fixer’ in me wants to make everything better in their lives, and it’s frustrating when I can’t.”

“Let’s hold off on Henry for a minute, because I know that he’s a big subject all on his own. But what about Chase and Ben? Is there something wrong?”

“No…well…maybe. I don’t know,” Lulu admitted. “It’s just weird between them. Chase is always on about Ben, and I admit that he has a point. Ben hasn’t exactly been all that present lately, but I know that he feels a great deal of pressure about his job. He works obscene hours, and he never complains. He just says that it’s part of the job, but eventually, I would imagine he’d get burnt out, you know? Anyway, I guess Chase is mad at Ben because he wasn’t here for Dad’s retirement. Or his birthday a few months ago. Or Mom’s birthday before that.”

“It sounds like Ben hasn’t been here for much,” Kai observed. “That happens as people grow up and move away. Their life is somewhere else. Home isn’t home anymore, and Harper is just a place to visit once in a while. Are you angry with Ben?”

“No, I get it. Especially when my life was sort of up in the air. I didn’t want to come back and bump into someone I knew and have them ask me about my life. I didn’t have any answers then. But Ben does have the answers. He’s so incredibly successful. He and his friends started their own business, and they make tons of money. He’s got it all figured out.”

“Maybe he doesn’t think he does.”

“Trust me,” Lulu laughed. “He does. He’s pretty smug about it, too. Not in a mean way, but he thinks he’s got the world by the tail.”

“Does he?”

“Money, friends, beautiful girlfriends. It certainly looks like he does. When he talks about it, it sounds like he does. He’s always apologetic about not getting back home. He sends flowers, and candy, and muffins and stuff. Chase is mad that he never sends himself.”

“This is between Chase and Ben,” Kai said. “If I were you, and I’m not, I wouldn’t get involved. Maybe they just need to take a swing at each other and get it all out of their systems.”

“What is it with men punching each other and then having a beer? It makes no sense.”

“I didn’t say it did, but sometimes it works.”

“It sounds stupid,” Lulu argued. “And frankly, I’m not sure Ben even realizes that Chase is pissed off.”

“Are you mad at him, too? Has he ever acknowledged your new job?”

“No,” Lulu admitted. “No, he hasn’t.”

And that wasn’t like Ben. He could be an asshole, no doubt there, but he usually wasn’t a huge one.

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