Page 44 of Sour Layer

Chapter 26

I sat with my ankle wrapped tight and propped up on Clark’s bed. He lay beside me, rubbing the spot where I’d zapped him back into the land of the living.

“You’re something else,” he said into the silence between us.

My bag was packed by the door. “Well, I am a Bennett. History suggests that I was bound to drive you crazy.”

I smiled, ignoring the ache in my heart.

He turned and shifted to a sitting position. Pain flashed momentarily in his eyes. Sweat broke out on his brow. The move cost him. I waited until his breath evened out. He laid his hand over mine. “Stay with me.”

“I wish I could,” I said, sliding my ankle off the bed. “But I’ve got a prior engagement, and you’ve got one hell of a mess to sort out.”

He touched my arm, stopping my retreat. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, and I kissed him back, knowing this might be our last.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead on his. “You should rest. It’s not every day you get hit three times with a gazillion jolts of electricity.”

“Mercy,” Honor called out from the other side of the door. “We’ve got to go if we’re going to make the flight.”

“I’m coming,” I answered back.

His gaze on mine softened. “Will I see you again?”

“You can count on it.” I winked as I slid off the bed and grabbed the crutch to hobble to the door. “I’ll be seeing you, Sheriff.”

He nodded and watched me open the door.

Honor was still waiting outside. She grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

I gave him one last look and blew him a kiss as I pulled the door closed behind me.

Walker was at the top of the landing with his arms crossed over his chest as I approached. “You need help?”

“Nope, I’ve got it.”

“Good,” he said halfheartedly. “I don’t want the other Bennetts waiting to tell you goodbye to think that you’re the weak part of our tree.”

“We can’t have that.” I chuckled, even as my heart clenched.

Dorothy, Milly, Charlotte, Dexter, and two other Bennetts were telling Honor goodbye as we entered the living room with the million-dollar view.

Honor was exchanging contact information with the others, and there were promises of phone calls and keeping in touch.

If I had to guess, Honor probably had them all agreeing to a family reunion by now. She had a way of working people and getting them to bend to her will. It was a gift, and she swore it was just her DNA.

“Thank you.” Dorothy words were a whisper as she pulled me into her arms and hugged me tight. A tear slipped down her face. “You saved my babies. All of them.”

“All right, Mom, don’t make her cry. The temperature outside is dropping, and the last thing we need is more rain to turn into snow,” Milly said, pulling me into her own hug. Her hold was tight then she leaned out to stare at me. “This is just the beginning. My Bennetts are stubborn, but I’ll help you bridge the gap.”

“Thanks, Milly,” I said.

“Okay, that’s enough. I need to get them to the airport,” Walker said, taking my bag from Honor and grabbing hers. “Let’s go.”

I said a few more goodbyes on my way to the door. Honor and Walker climbed into the truck, and I glanced up to find Clark staring down at me, his hand on the bedroom window.

I smiled up at him. My hand rested on the truck as my heart exploded wide open. The walls around my heart thawed as heat rushed through me, claiming me from the inside out.

“Well, hell,” Walker said. “You’re melting the snow. Maybe we should keep you around.”

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