In the dark interior of Ben's truck, I was having an internal freak out. Mostly because I couldn't remember if I'd shaved my legs that morning or not or if I was wearing deodorant.
Before I could do a discreet check of my ankle for stubble, my cell phone rang. It was Cam.
Crap.
I answered and lifted the phone to my ear. "Hey."
"Hey. While I appreciate the meal and the note that you left for me, you're not home."
I bit my lip. "Nope."
"Where are you?" She didn't sound upset. Only a little worried.
I remained silent because it was my right. All the cop shows said so.
"Sierra, where are you? Want me to come pick you up?" The worry was more intense now.
Shit, no. I sighed. "I was at The Red Boot and ran into Ben. We're hanging out and he'll bring me home later."
It was Cam's turn to be quiet. "You're with Ben? Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course I'm okay."
"I wish you'd talk to me, Sierra," she said with a sigh.
God, I hated this. If I talked to her, all it would do was remind me that I was a huge asshole.
"It's not a pretty story, Cam, and I'm not the one who was wronged."
"All the more reason to get it off your chest," she argued.
"Not right now, okay? I just...it'll be a little while before I can even think about it without cringing, much less talk about it like a normal human being."
"Okay," she relented. "But why Ben?"
I shrugged even though she couldn't see me. "He's funny and he has vodka. And he doesn't know me well enough to ask the kinds of questions you do."
Cam laughed a little. "He's also a good listener." I ignored the pointed statement when she paused. "Want me to wait up for you?" she asked.
"Nah. Ben said he'll bring me. Unless he's a serial killer and you never told me, then I should probably tell you how much I love you right now."
Cam laughed again and I laughed, too. "No, he's not a serial killer. He's not even the man ho everyone says he is. In fact, I always thought the two of you would hit it off if—"
Okay, I was out. She was making a pointed attempt at matchmaking. "Hanging up now, Cam."
I disconnected to the sound of her laughter.
"Cam worried about you?" he asked.
I nodded and tucked the phone under my leg.
"Something to do with that Brian character?"
I nodded again but didn't look at him.
"Want to talk about it? I'm sure Cam said I was a good listener."
This time I did look at him, but only after I'd rolled my eyes. "If I wanted to talk about it, I'd be home with Cam right now." I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed. Shit. "I'm sorry. That was bitchy. But, no, I don't really want to talk about it. I'm the asshole in the story and I'm pretty sure it would kill the mood."
And I hoped my little outburst hadn't just killed the mood either because I wasn't sure what I would do if that was the case.
Ben may have said no pressure, but my lady bits hadn't gotten the memo. If I had to have a single drink with him and go home because I was hairy and stinky, I would probably die of blue bean.
"You just got quiet," Ben commented. "Second thoughts?"
"I'm fine." But a change of subject was in order. "Just worried you have weird stuff at your house."
He glanced at me and I could see the flash of his smile in the dim cab. "Like what?"
"Let's see...if you've got a big snake in an aquarium, I'm out. Snakes are okay but they don't belong in any room where I'm going to be."
He laughed but didn't say anything. Which made me forget about my legs and armpits and start worrying about whether or not he had a big-ass python somewhere in his house.
"Please tell me you don't own a snake or iguana or any other kind of exotic reptile that might otherwise bite, scratch, or squeeze me to death."
Ben laughed again, longer and louder this time. "The only pet I have is Betty Boop."
I waited but he didn't elucidate, so I prompted him. "Is Betty Boop a reptile or amphibian?"
He shook his head.
"Is she a mammal?"
Another head shake.
Now, I was getting really worried. If his choice of pets led me to miss out on what I hoped would be some awesome