Page 105 of Check the Halls
At twenty-five past the hour, Ben still hasn’t arrived. I check my phone, but he hasn’t texted or called. Concern starts to prickle at the base of my neck as I hit his contact and press the phone to my ear. The call goes to voicemail immediately. I try again and once more get his voicemail.
It’s fine,I tell myself, forcing the words into somethingthat sounds like truth.He probably got delayed at practice. He’s on his way now.
But deep down, I know better. Ben would’ve texted. Called. Something. Silence isn’t like him—not when he knows how much I count on him showing up. The longer I stare at the empty entrance to the ballroom, the harder it becomes to ignore the twisting knot of worry forming in my gut.
What if something happened? What if he’s been hurt?
I swallow the thought like glass, forcing a smile onto my face as Ivan and Annika step back onto the stage, mid-conversation. “I just need to make a quick call,” I say, my voice light, even as my pulse starts to climb. They nod, and I slip out of the ballroom, the door clicking softly shut behind me.
In the quiet hallway, I scroll past Ben’s contact—still no new messages—and tap on a different name.
“Hey!” Beth’s voice is bright and cheerful, the kind of energy that grates against the nerves humming under my skin. “I was just thinking about you. Ben said you two are coming for Christmas dinner! I’m so excited. Do you like ham? We were going to do turkey, but?—”
She keeps going—rambling about stuffing and side dishes—but her voice fades into background noise. My mind is spinning through every possible scenario, none of them good.
“Maddy?” she says, her voice cutting back through. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but…have you heard from Ben?”
There’s a pause. A beat of silence that tightens my chest.
“No. Why?” The excitement in her voice vanishes.
“He was supposed to be here for the dress rehearsal thirty minutes ago. He never showed, and his phone’s going straight to voicemail.”
Beth goes quiet. I can almost hear her trying to work through it the same way I have.
“Maybe his phone died?” she finally offers. “He mentioned it’s been doing that a lot lately.”
Right. Hehasbeen complaining about his phone—how it shuts off randomly, how the battery barely holds a charge. I let the explanation settle over me, but it’s like a too-thin blanket. It doesn’t cover all the worry.
If practice ran long and his phone died, he would’ve borrowed someone else’s. Foster’s. Will’s. He wouldn’t just disappear.
“Is Foster home yet?” I ask, the edge creeping into my voice.
“Yes,” Beth replies softly. “He was already home when I got in—about an hour ago. He’s outside with Cujo. I’ll go ask if he heard anything.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, trying not to let the panic thread its way into every syllable. “Really.”
Where are you, Ben?
CHAPTER 36
BEN
I’ve just merged onto the highway, windshield wipers squeaking across a thin layer of snow, when my phone starts buzzing in the cup holder. The screen readsElliot.
Sam’s mom.
I frown. She’s never called me before. Maybe she’s just checking in. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about Sam all week—ever since Maddy and I dropped him off last Friday. I’ve sent him a couple texts, even a few of my best memes. Nothing. Left on read.
Which, frankly, is rude. I haveexcellentmeme taste.
I consider letting it ring through, calling her back once I get to the hotel, but something about it nags at me. Elliotnevercalls.
I tap the screen and switch to speaker. “Hey, Elliot. What’s?—”
“Is Sam with you?”
