Page 17 of Promise Me Never

She smiled. “Of course. Who else?”

“Bedford is going to be a big change from the city.”

“I know. But it looks like such a charming town. The perfect place for me to buckle down and get this novel finished.” She paused, hesitant to ask the next question, but then spoke. “Marion, did you know his first wife?”

“No, I never met her.” Marion tilted her head. “I still remember when he called to tell me he was getting married. I didn’t even know he was dating anyone.”

She thought of Molly’s comments at the conference. “I heard some people talking about rumors that her death wasn’t an accident. There’s even a Reddit thread about it. Of course, I don’t believe it, but did you ever hear anything about that?”

Marion took off her reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She looked at Savannah.

“People are cruel. They say things. Bennett’s been with me for ten years now. After he married Poppy, he was the happiest I’d ever seen him. There’s no way he would have ever hurt her.” Marion leaned back in her chair looking up at the ceiling. She shook her head and looked at Savannah. “I feel like I need to caution you.”

“About what?”

“Bennett’s very solitary. He works long hours, sometimes eighteen-hour days. Before Poppy, he was engaged. Twice.” She shook her head. “They both left him, I’m sure in large part because of his work habits. It can be very lonely with him cooped up all day and living in a small town where you don’t know anyone. Poppy was an artist; she was as obsessed with her work as Bennett was with his. I’d just hate to see you give everything up and then be unhappy.”

Savannah’s mind was racing. He’d been engaged before Poppy? Twice? Why had he never mentioned it?

| Seventeen |

Bennett

Bennett cranked the volume on the drive back to his house as The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” blasted through the speakers. He would have preferred waiting until May to be married, but he had panicked when Savannah wouldn’t answer his calls. Two miserable days with no contact. He didn’t understand her guilt at living together, but if that was the way she was raised, he had to respect that. Besides, he couldn’t let her slip through his fingers. Things would turn out differently this time. Savannah might look like Poppy, but she was so much more in sync with him. They were two halves of the same coin. Savannah would believe in him, would be his biggest supporter. She’d made it clear how much she admired him, how his writing had inspired her. He’d convert Poppy’s studio into an office for Savannah, giving her her own space to work on her book. Plus, Felicia would appreciate having Savannah out of the house and out of the way when she was working. Her writing needed work. It was obvious that she was a novice. But if it kept her busy while he was working, that was best for everyone.

He envisioned snowy Sundays by the fire, reading the New York Times together, sipping coffee with Finn, his Great Dane, at their feet. He drove down the long gravel driveway and up to the white country colonial, eager now to see his dog. Felicia had already opened the front door. Finn must have alerted her to Bennett’s arrival. It was uncanny how he knew when Bennett was close to home. As he parked, Finn bounded toward him. Bennett got out, laughing as the dog ran in circles in front of him, his tail wagging furiously.

“Hi, boy. It’s been way too long.”

He leaned down and hugged Finn, ruffling his head and petting him until the dog calmed down. “Promise, I won’t leave you for that long again.”

Finn padded behind him as he entered the house.

“Someone’s sure glad to see you. He’s been attached to my hip the entire time you’ve been gone.”

He smiled at Felicia. She was a godsend. In many ways she was more like a mother to him than his own mother. She was the one who had always been there to bandage a scraped knee, mediate an argument between him and his brothers, or help him with his homework when his parents were attending one of the many social events that kept their calendar packed. Now that she was back with him as his housekeeper, she took care of all the details he didn’t want to handle and looked after everything when he was in the city. It was the perfect arrangement for them both.

“I didn’t plan to be gone for so long. But I have news.”

“Let me put the kettle on, then. Give us a minute.”

Felicia had recently become obsessed with English mysteries and unconsciously mimicked some of the expressions of the characters she so loved. Bennett shook his head and grinned.

“I’ll bring my things in from the car and then we can sit down with that tea.”

When he returned, she’d set out biscuits and a steaming mug of tea in front of his empty chair. She blew on her cup and took a tentative sip.

“So, what’s this news?”

“I’m getting married.”

Her eyes widened. “Married? To whom?”

“Her name is Savannah. She works in Marion’s office. We met at the conference, and well, we spent most of the past month together.She’s the only thing that could have kept me from Finn and home that long.”

Hearing his name, Finn walked over and lay down at Bennett’s side, resting his head on Bennett’s feet.

“Well, I’ll be. A month, you say. A bit fast, no? It hasn’t been that long since—”