Page 91 of Hound Dog
I whistled for the dogs to follow me and opened the back door to the yard. A few of the dogs hopped up and charged at the chance to go outside—Tyson included. But I had to pick up Freckles and bring her outside with me.
I tugged my phone from my back pocket, checking to see what Finn had called about. But it wasn’t his name I saw on the missed call list.
It was Ben’s.
I didn’t bother listening to the voicemail he left and just called him back as I unlocked the door to the guest house. He answered on the second ring.
“Haylee… hi. What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to see you. Less than a day!”
I left the door to the guest house open, allowing the dogs to wander in and out as they needed. Then, I set Freckles down on the bed in the corner of the room.
“Although, this birthday thing Addy and Enzo are throwing me is gettingwayout of hand. I had to force Addy not to book some live band that she knows here in town. And Enzo wanted to bake this crazy three-tiered cake. But don’t worry. I promise it won’t consume the whole weekend you’re here. We can even leave the party early.”
Ben cleared his throat. “No. No, that’s good. I’m glad your friends are taking care of you up there.”
“Really? You’re fine with this big party?”
Sure, Ben was happy to go to networking events for the firm with the partners. And back in college, he’d been a big frat party kind of guy. But lately, if he wasn’t working or at a networking event, he preferred quiet nights at home.
“I take it you didn’t listen to my message?”
A warning whispered in my mind, and I stirred, uneasy with the silence that crept in between us.
“No,” I said carefully and grabbed a rag and multipurpose cleaner from beneath the sink. “I saw that I missed your call and just called you right back.”
“I… can’t make it this weekend. I’m sorry.” He said the words tentatively, as though testing them out.
I pressed the phone harder against my ear, knowing that if I didn’t, I would drop it to the ground.
When I didn’t say anything, Ben kept talking. “One of the partners just dropped a huge case on my desk, and you know how it is, right? If I tell them I can’t take it because I have a vacation planned, they won’t give me anything else. Ever.”
I wedged the phone between my shoulder and ear and, with trembling hands, sprayed the cleaner onto the rag.
IneededBen here this weekend. I needed it to remind myself why we were so good together. To remind myself why I loved him. Why I put up with his crazy hours. Why I put up with his dislike of dogs and animals in general.
Through my wet eyes, I glanced at Freckles, sitting on the bed, tail wagging.
With my throat tight and eyes moist, I started scrubbing the already spotless counter and heard Ben’s sigh on the other end of the line.
“I canhearyou cleaning, Haylee,” he said softly. “I’m sorry. I really am. I’ll come next weekend.”
“No,” my voice cracked. “You won’t. Because we’re over, Ben. If you’re not coming this weekend for mybirthday, then we’re done.”
In some ways, it was a relief to say that out loud.
“Don’t overreact, Haylee.” I could practically hear his eye roll.
“I’m not overreacting, Ben. This is it. We’re done. I understand how important your job is. And how hard you have to work. But I’m done being the second thought in your life. It’s mybirthday, Ben. It’s my birthday, and we haven’t seen each other in weeks. And this time here in Maple Grove hasn’t been a vacation for me. It’s a family emergency.”
“Oh, please,” he scoffed. “I saw Meryl the other night on Facetime. She looks fine.”
Tears swelled, but I swallowed them down. “Sheisfine.Luckily. But it could have been a lot worse. And even though she’ll be walking again in a couple weeks, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s my only family left.”
I threw the rag into the sink as a breeze swept in through the open front door, bringing with it the citrus scent of Aunt Meryl’s tomato plants.
“She’s all I have, Ben. And you don’t seem to care all that much. You don’t seem to care that it’s been hard being back here in the same town she took me to right after my mom died.So hard. And you’re not here for me. If I can’t trust you to be here for me now, how can I trust you will be when things get really tough? I don’t want to be the mom who goes to see our kid’s soccer games alone. I’m not going to sit there and explain on opening night of the school musical that Daddy had to work late and couldn’t make it.”
