Katie looked up, sure she wasn’t hiding the devastation she was feeling. “Yes, I did need to see this. Thank you for letting me know.”
The counselor nodded. “There are quite a few programs in New Haven that provide free counseling and I’ll be working with Hunter one on one also. We just wanted to let you know that there are services available that can help.”
Katie hoped she nodded in the right places and said the right things. By the time they were done, she was on the verge of tears. She needed to get the hell out of there before she broke down in front of this girl who looked like she still wore a training bra.
“Thank you again. Just ... thank you.”
Katie didn’t look back as she left the counselor’s office, just kept her head down and walked as fast as she could. She wasn’t even sure where she was going but she needed to be alone. That was the thing about small commun
ities. Everyone knew everyone and if she was seen crying in public, all of her friends and neighbors would know about it within an hour.
Strong arms grabbed her and Katie gasped. Then she looked up into Bennett’s worried eyes. It was a strange thing to notice in the moment but they seemed darker today, the green flecks surrounded by more brown.
“Bennett! What are you doing here?”
His gaze took in her damp eyes and the death grip she had on her handbag.
“When I heard that you had a meeting about Hunter this afternoon, I thought you might need a friend.”
Katie didn’t think twice or question her instincts. She just walked straight into his arms and hugged him.
His arms wrapped around her with no hesitation. Nothing had changed in the past few minutes but there was no question that she felt ten times better about the situation than she had before.
It took her a few moments to gain her composure before she pulled back reluctantly. Bennett seemed just as hesitant to let go. In light of how they’d left things, okay, with how she’d kicked him out on Sunday morning, Katie wasn’t even sure what to say. He certainly didn’t owe her anything and if the tables were turned, she doubted she would be so nice to someone who’d treated her like a booty call.
But that was Bennett. He didn’t hold grudges and when the chips were down, you could always count on him to come through. It was just who he was.
“Thank you for coming. You really didn’t have to.”
He smiled. “I know. I take it that you got bad news?”
Katie sighed. “Sort of. It’s kind of hard to explain.”
Bennett hummed a non-committal sound. He glanced behind her at the closed door to the guidance counselor’s office. Then he held out his arm.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Katie accepted his arm and the unspoken offer of support. “Where are we going?”
“Remember when I told you I wanted to show you some of my favorite spots on the Alexander homestead? Now is as good of a time as any.”
Katie wasn’t sure what she was going to do about Hunter or even what she was going to do about the situation between her and Bennett. However, if he was willing to put the weirdness aside for a while, then so was she.
?
When Bennett made the suggestion to Katie, he wasn’t sure exactly where he was going to take her. But as she followed his truck back to the Alexander farm, he suddenly knew exactly where they should go.
He parked and then got out of his truck. By the time she parked behind him, he was waiting next to her door to help her out of the car. She smiled at him gratefully.
“Thank you again for coming to the school. I’m sorry for getting so emotional back there.”
“I told you it’s no big deal. Come on. I know exactly what I want to show you first.”
Bennett tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and started walking. Although Katie wore a nice blouse, she had luckily worn low-heeled shoes and a pair of jeans with it. If she’d been wearing high heels or a skirt, his plan probably wouldn’t have worked.
When they reached the barn behind his, he went inside and took the key for one of the small tractors off its peg on the wall. When he emerged from the barn riding it, Katie burst into laughter.
“Seriously?”