Just One Thing (The Alexanders 6)

But he was a grown man and secure in who he was. This was an entirely different scenario than his failed past relationships. He trusted that Katie really liked him as he was and wasn’t going to try to change him. Actually Katie had been resistant to the idea of changing him even when he’d asked her to do it.

As he got dressed, Bennett smiled at himself in the mirror. He should have trusted in her from the beginning. When it came down to it, he had very good taste in women.

He stopped by the grocery store and purchased breakfast sandwiches, croissants, fruit and a sad looking bouquet of flowers. Bennett wrinkled his nose at the faded blooms. He could only hope that it was the thought that counted since it was too early for the florist to be open. When he finally parked in Katie’s driveway, his brow furrowed when he noted the unfamiliar vehicle park

ed in the driveway.

The babysitter. Of course.

Katie had mentioned that she had a babysitter staying with the boys while she was hanging out with her friends. He was glad he’d purchased additional food so there would be enough for everyone. He got out of the car and decided to come back for the food. It would ruin the effect if she opened the door to Bennett laden down with packages and couldn’t even see his face.

He grabbed the flowers off the passenger seat and walked up to the door. Before he could knock, it opened and a man stepped out onto the porch.

When the guy finally noticed him, he stopped. “Oh hello. It’s a little early for deliveries, isn’t it?”

Bennett was so shocked at the sight of a man leaving Katie’s house in the early morning that he didn’t bother to correct him. Who was this? Katie had clearly said that her babysitter was an older woman with a grandson. The man before him was probably only a few years older than he was, so mid-thirties, but he wasn’t carrying it well. His hair was liberally threaded with gray and the large bags under his eyes made him look bloated and tired.

It should have been consolation that the guy leaving her house wasn’t some young stud but Bennett couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding. Especially since he had a pretty decent idea who this guy was.

“I’m here for Katie.”

The guy reached out for the flowers. “Yeah, I’ll give them to her for you. Like I said, it’s a little early for deliveries.”

“I’m not a delivery man. I’m a friend of Katie’s.”

His words made the other man take a closer look at him. His beady dark eyes narrowed as he took in Bennett’s tailored shirt and slacks. “Well, she’s not awake yet. She’s a little tired after last night. I’m just going to get breakfast for us now. We worked up an appetite last night, ya know? I’m Donald Mason. Her husband.”

Bennett gritted his teeth at the implication. “Aren’t you her ex-husband? Katie said you’re divorced.”

Don drew himself up to his full height, which was still half a foot shorter than Bennett.

“That was a mistake. Katie wants to keep our family together as much as I do.”

Bennett’s fingers tightened around the stem of the flowers. “Interesting how so many men discover they care about family after they’ve destroyed theirs.”

Don looked annoyed and then suddenly chuckled. “You must be the guy Katie is working for. The weirdo. Yeah she told me about you.”

Ice flashed through Bennett’s veins at the word. One he hadn’t heard in so long. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, she told me she was working for some guy who was really strange. Anything for a paycheck, she said. But she won’t be doing that much longer. I’m back now so she can focus on taking care of the kids. That’s what she’s always wanted, you know?”

Bennett was squeezing the flowers so hard that the stems cut into his skin. Had Katie talked about him with her ex? He thought about all the time they’d spent together and how much fun they’d had over the past few weeks. Could that really have all been just to get paid? He didn’t believe it. Or at least he didn’t want to. But then he thought about everything that had happened between them and how utterly unlikely it was that a woman like Katie would truly enjoy spending time with someone like him. What was more likely, that Katie was the one woman in the world who could appreciate him or that she was just smiling to keep her job?

He flexed his fingers.

“Yeah, I know. I hope she gets everything she’s always wanted.”

Bennett left, wondering how it was possible that he was walking upright when it felt like he’d been shattered from the inside out.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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One week later …

Bennett laughed at something the man sitting on his left said. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was talking about. He was sitting at a large circular table filled with strangers, their only connection that they all volunteered their time mentoring youth in their field.

As usual, Olivia could tell when he needed a rescue. She placed a hand over his arm in a comforting gesture before turning to the man. “Congratulations on your tenure, Dr. Marks. That’s quite an accomplishment. And so young!”