Page 62 of Resisting the Fall

“You sure?”

It was like a scene from Where’s Waldo: dozens of people scattered around the large yard, containers of food filling the picnic table, and kids sopping wet from having played in the stream. Except I didn’t know what I was trying to find. It just looked like a typical Walker family BBQ. “Give me a hint.”

“It was the day of the barn… situation.”

Instantly, my cheeks burned red, and I couldn’t look at Ben. Payback was a beast. Which is exactly what this was. “The Fourth of July,” I said, refusing to give him any more of a victory by not answering. “The summer after you graduated.”

Ben and I had snuck away from the festivities for a fairly innocent moment alone. Unfortunately, not long after, Ben’s dad brought a group of men into the barn to see the Walkers’ new tractor. At their sudden arrival, we bounded to our feet and tried to right ourselves, which only made the situation appear worse than it was. The hay clinging to us and stuck in my hair hadn’t helped either.

The subsequent talk I got from my mom after that, despite assuring her it was unnecessary, made the whole experience worse. Being a nurse, she didn’t shy away from the details of intimacy or the consequences of it. For a girl who could hardly hear the anatomical names of body parts without giggling or blushing, the whole conversation was torture. “I will never unhear the things my mom said to me that night.”

Ben laughed. “I told you that sneaking away was a bad idea.”

I gawked at him. “You’re blaming me?”

He leaned a shoulder against the fridge, folding his arms across his chest. “We both know you could never keep your hands off me.”

My cheeks grew so hot, I had likely invented a new shade of red. It didn’t matter that it was true, but that didn’t mean that sneaking away to the barn had been my idea. Or, at least, not entirely my idea. Plus, considering our current situation, his mentioning it seemed to cross some sort of unspoken boundary that needed to remain intact. Especially with how my fingers were already itching to reach out and touch him, thanks to how aggravatingly close he stood.

My gaze met his. Stupidly. And his eyes dropped to my lips. “Or your lips off mine, for that matter.”

The air in the room grew thin, and I couldn’t seem to pull a breath in. What was Ben doing? Was this still payback for my breaking into his phone? It had to be.

“Speaking of, have you decided what you want for that phone password?” Ben asked, confirming my suspicions. His gaze flicked to my lips again.

Objection! Leading the witness.

And yet, despite all rationality, my gaze followed suit and dropped to his mouth. His lips were one slight movement away from mine. And the irrational thought of closing that distance was growing harder to resist.

A knock at the door had me whirling toward the sound.

Ben, however, didn’t move immediately. “I’d better get that.”

I nodded my agreement with way too much enthusiasm, suddenly desperate for a little space.

He pushed himself off the fridge. “If you’re hungry, help yourself to whatever you can find. There should be fresh sourdough in the bread cabinet and homemade jam in the fridge door.” He paused. “But you know that.”

Again, I nodded, worried if I spoke, it would sound weirdly breathy.

“I’ll be back as soon as the meeting is over.”

The minute Ben left the kitchen, I shook my hands in an excessive motion to rid them of their traitorous desires. “Do not touch him!” I whispered like some sort of crazy person. “And do not even think about kissing him!” What was the matter with me? I was supposed to be cracking Ben, not allowing him to crack me.

I needed to rally. To come back from that encounter. But how?

The front door opened.

“Juliet!” Ben’s voice easily carried to the kitchen from the front room. “What are you doing here?”

Juliet Monroe? It had to be. What other Juliet would Ben be so excited to see?

The woman answered, but her voice wasn’t on the same decibel level as Ben’s, so I missed what she said.

If it was Juliet Monroe, maybe I could put a little pressure on Ben. She was Mayor Monroe’s daughter and a good friend of the Walker family. If there was someone he wouldn’t want me currently interacting with, she would likely be pretty high on the list. And if it was another woman named Juliet who he was that thrilled to see? Well, she was about to meet Ben’s wife. Either way, I intended to fully lean into the opportunity. I might falter when I was alone with Ben, but when we were around other people, he was the one who became guarded.

“So it’s just me today,” Ben said as I made it into the front room.

“And me.” I poked my head around the corner of the door. “He’s always forgetting about me.”