Carefully, I straightened up, worried he'd snap shut like a clam if I moved too quickly. “She okay?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Heart attack. She's in the ICU right now.”
“Oh, no.”
He turned to face me then, his mask a face of glass. I'd seen this Benjamin before, but it had been so lost in the recent warmth and amusement and affection that I'd forgotten just how distant he could be. The fact that he'd actually spoken about his mother today, and it hadn't been overly warm, clued me in that a disaster of a mess existed below that veneer. After losing his father, I imagined the prospect of being orphaned and going through all that again must be utterly terrifying.
“How can I help?” I asked.
He blinked several times, as if he'd just been dunked in cold water and couldn't reorient. I knew the feeling. The silence lasted for several beats before he said, “I need to go out there and see her. Need to call Mav. Bethany might be able to take Ava. If not, I could take her with me I guess . . .” He grimaced. “No, Ava's terrified of Mallory and Mom wasn't ever very . . . grandmotherly.”
He trailed away, pacing now, but I doubted he realized it. I cleared my throat.
“I can stay with her.”
He paused, looked at me, and shook his head. “I can't ask that of you.”
“Why not?”
“It's too much.”
“Are you mansplaining that to me?” I quipped, but there was an edge in it he seemed to respond to. He stared at me, eyes narrowed, as if sussing out whether I was lying. The thought of a few days with Ava wasn't that daunting. The only difference would be a few hours in the morning. I could work with Dagny to switch the hours before school around, then make it up to her later.
“No,” he said. “I just . . . that's a lot to ask.”
“It's not that much more than I do now,” I pointed out. “Plus, it would be easier on Ava if I stay here with her. She'd be at home in her usual routine.”
The first of his resistance seemed to crumble, so I pressed my point.
“And you can pay me for it, if that makes you feel better, but I don't need it. I'll happily do it for a friend. We're friends, Ben.”
His expression tightened at the word friend. I feared for him and his family. Wanted him to jerk me back against his hard body and kiss me until both of us couldn't breathe. But the moment had broken, and I couldn't fight the feeling that he internally flailed around now.
His phone rang with a far gentler tune. The name Maverick flashed across the screen before he looked back to me with a vulnerable, frazzled uncertainty.
“You're sure?”
“Positive,” I said easily. “Ava and I got this.”
16
Serafina
The next day, Ava looked at me over a glass of milk and rolled her eyes. My phone vibrated for the third time in thirty seconds.
With a sigh, I picked it back up.
Benjamin: Final thing, I swear! I forgot she has a dentist appointment Wednesday after school.
“Is that my dad again?” she asked with teenager-like exasperation. I grinned and popped the last of a cookie in my mouth.
“You know it, sister.”
My phone gave another little buzz.
Benjamin: The insurance cards are in the top drawer.
* * *
Serafina: We've got this. I already knew about the dentist and I was the one that put the cards there. Take care of yourself and your family. Ava and I are enjoying cookies before we launch into homework and laundry, then a walk at the river.
* * *
Benjamin: Thank you, Sera. Seriously.
I sent him a heart emoji. While Ava had a huge gulp of milk, I followed a whim and sent a quick text to my brother. My parents had only been gone a full day, but I'd want to engage with him eventually. Text seemed like the first step, and he hadn't replied yesterday.
Serafina: Hey bro, just checking in. Mom made her killer pot roast and I have leftovers with your name on them. Stop by the Diner tomorrow and I'll have them for you.
Once that was sent, I shoved the phone into my back pocket with the thought that maybe Talmage didn't want to talk with me.
Ava gave me an expectant stare as she chewed through the last of her second cookie. A sleepless night separated me from