“What was his favorite team?”
“The Yankees.” He smiled ruefully. “I know, I know, everyone is supposed to hate them, but when I was home on leave once, I took Jake to see them spring train in Tampa. He was ten. We went to the aquarium and then we went to Orlando to do the whole Disney thing. He said…he told me later that it was the best week of his life.”
Her throat felt all lumpy, like she’d tried to swallow something that was too big to go down. “I like the Yankees, too. Even though I know I’m supposed to root for the Rays.”
For a long time, he didn’t say anything. He glanced back at the jail. “I thought coming out here would be a dead end, but I admire the way you went with your gut. For what it’s worth, I think Whispering Bay is really lucky to have you, Red.”
It was the first time in thirteen years that he’d called her Red. She reached out and slipped her hand in his. It felt big and warm, and when he gently squeezed her hand back, everything around her went fuzzy.
They were having a moment. Only this felt bigger than a moment. It felt like…
Oh no. She’d fallen in love with Ben all over again.
Maybe she’d never really stopped.
“Will you come back to the house and have dinner? With Rachel and my mother? They’d both really like that. And so would I. Please.”
Logic and reason told her to say no. The more time she spent with him and Rachel, the harder it would be to say goodbye. But her heart didn’t give a fig for logic and reason. “I’d love to have dinner with your family.”
* * *
Dinner at Ben’s was lovely. They had meatloaf and mashed potatoes with all the trimmings, and Rachel entertained them with stories from her first days at preschool. Ben, who’d shed his jacket and tie the minute he’d walked into the door, seemed relaxed, adding to the conversation in a natural way.
Afterward, Jenna helped Pat with clean-up duty while Ben put Rachel to bed. She cleared the plates while Pat loaded them into the dishwasher. “That was the best meatloaf I’ve ever tasted,” Jenna said. “Secret family recipe?”
“You could say that. But if you want to know exactly what’s in it you’ll have to ask Ben. He’s the one who made dinner tonight.”
Jenna spun around to face her. “Seriously?”
“My son is a man of many talents.”
“Huh. My brother has a signature dish. Spaghetti carbonara.”
“And that’s it?”
“Pretty much. I think he perfected it to impress the girls back in his single days.”
Pat laughed. “Ben doesn’t have a signature dish. He’s just an all-around good cook. Let’s see…meatloaf, mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie. You name it and he can cook it, all under ten dollars, too.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Nowadays he doesn’t have to worry about keeping down expenses but back when he was growing up, money was real tight. Ben did all the grocery shopping and the cooking, even the cleaning, too. I don’t have to tell you how nice it was to come home after being on my feet for twelve hours to a clean house and a hot meal. I feel bad that he didn’t have a real childhood. From the day…since he was nine years old, he’s been the man of the house. I wanted him to be like other boys and play sports, have a girlfriend. But he was always focused on the big picture. I suppose that’s why he’s so successful today.”
The life Pat described was completely the opposite of Jenna’s childhood. She’d had two parents and a nice upper-middle-class home. After school there had been dance and piano lessons and swim team competitions. In the summers they’d taken family vacations to the Grand Canyon, Caribbean cruises and one time, they’d even gone to Europe. Her mother worked a job where she was always home by four-thirty and available to help with homework and to drive her and Eric to all their activities.
“Ben told me that he used to pitch to Jake.”
“He doted on his little brother. Took Jake’s death real hard. That’s why he’s so adamant that he do right by Rachel. He has it all planned out. The best schools, the best neighborhood, which to him means as far away from Hopalinka as possible.” She let out a big sigh, then closed the dishwasher door shut. “Ben says you have two nieces.”
“They’re four and seven. Complete and utter brats. And I love them to death.”
Pat smiled. “Do you get to see them much?”
“As much as I can. Eric, that’s my brother and his wife, Amy, live in Tampa about four minutes from my parents’ house.”
“Convenient.”
“I’m not sure if Amy thinks