Company Ink (11 page)

• • •

When they arrived at Ben’s house, his mood had changed entirely. His expression had hardened and his eyes had darkened, though Violet could tell he was trying to keep it together to salvage what was left of the night. She was tempted to leave immediately, not really in the mood for the extra drama; after all, if tonight could be considered anything, it would only be their first date. She was definitely worried that this situation with Ben, whatever it was turning into, was already becoming too much. Still, a tiny part of her wanted to see if the night could be saved, and she couldn’t decide if it was because she was genuinely interested in Ben or if she was just a glutton for punishment.

Violet took slow steps into the condo, taking in its simple and comfortable vibe as Ben locked the door behind them. Ecru-painted walls with navy blue borders in the hallway and living room set a warm feeling in the apartment that, until a night ago, she had thought to be uncharacteristic of Ben. She took a step into the living room, enjoying his modern decorative taste as his couch practically beckoned her to give its overstuffed cushions a try.

“Nice place,” she said as she glanced at the black-framed prints on the wall. “It’s huge.”

Ben just tossed his keys onto the table, a now hopeless expression on his face. His voice flat, he simply said, “Thanks.”

“Should I just go?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. She appreciated his honesty … sort of. “I don’t want to let her ruin the evening, but … ”

“Well, then don’t let her ruin the evening. Problem solved.”

Finally, Ben smiled. “I owe you a talk, don’t I?”

“You don’t
owe
me anything.”

“You know what I mean,” he said. “I just feel like I should at least tell you as much as I can so that you have the option to run screaming if you want.”

She kind of already wanted to run screaming. After one night, she believed she could tell where their connection was gravitating, and it bothered her. Ben wasn’t some guy she’d met randomly—he was a co-worker, a manager, a boss. She knew last night hadn’t happened for any reason other than the fact that their initial attraction was given a chance to heat up, but no one else knew that. Staying involved with him had the potential to destroy her chances with Wynne’s Kitchen if anyone found out. But, against her better judgment, a tiny voice inside urged her to move forward.

“Why don’t you show me around?” she suggested, wanting to break the tension that had begun to rebuild between them. “Maybe we can have coffee—assuming your ex-wife didn’t take that, too?”

Ben laughed and grabbed her hand. “Ah, so you
were
paying attention when I mentioned that last night. Come on, I’ll walk you through.”

He led her down a long hallway decorated sparsely with photos of his family that varied in size. Violet was charmed by the love with which he spoke.

“That’s my sister and mother,” he explained, his long fingers caressing the edges of the frames as he passed. “My dad and I when I graduated … There’s our last family get-together … ”

They came to a cluster of doors at the end of the hallway, and he tapped on the first one to his left, muttering the word “office” before opening another door on their immediate right—“bathroom”—and finally pointing at a final door on the left.

“That’s my bedroom, and here’s the kitchen.”

He flipped a light switch and led her into the kitchen that sat at the end of the hall. Now it was time to be jealous. In a city where countertops and cabinet space were about as rare and precious as jade, Ben had apparently hit the jackpot. The spacious kitchen boasted the marble countertops and solid wood cabinets that Violet dreamed of having in her house whenever she perused home improvement catalogs; the appliances were top-of-the-line, and her palms itched at the thought of using them. She would kill for a kitchen like this, especially on nights when she moonlighted as a caterer and found herself elbows-deep in cookie favors or cheesecake pops.

“Amazing,” was all she could say.

From behind her, Ben placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m glad you like it. How about I make coffee and you have a seat at the table?”

She wasn’t going to miss this prime opportunity to get her bake on. “In the mood for a treat?”

“What, like cake?”

“Well, if you’ve got the supplies, I make a killer lemon muffin—then again, you’ve probably heard that.”

She winked at him, and he smiled. “That sounds awesome, actually. Go for it.”

Violet began opening cabinet drawers, finding her way around the kitchen as Ben pointed out where he kept his utensils, bowls, and other kitchen staples like flour, sugar, and baking powder.
Yes
, she celebrated internally,
lemon muffins!
Any moment where she could bake was a moment in which she felt right. And she was a little surprised to find that she was excited to share it with him.

She felt Ben’s eyes on her as she measured dry ingredients and put them aside. “You bake like this at home?”

“What, like a human? Yeah.”
How else am I supposed to bake?

They laughed, and Ben continued, “I mean, you’re setting up
mise en place
like the bakers would at the bakery.”

“It’d be a mess if I did it any other way, silly.”

“No, you’re right,” Ben agreed. “I would have already spilled flour on my pants by now.”

She snickered. “And if your icing skills are any indication, you probably would have mixed all this together wrong, baked it at the wrong temperature, and somehow would have pulled wallpaper out of the oven.”

He dipped his fingers into the flour canister next to her and flicked a little bit at her with a smile. “Duly noted, smartass.”

Violet enjoyed the carefree air that had sprung up between them. “You wanna hand me a mixing bowl, you flour waster?”

Ben reached into the cabinet above his head and grabbed a large silver mixing bowl before pulling open a drawer to his right and producing a whisk. He handed both to her, a charming grin on his face and a playful glint in his deep-set blue eyes. His boyish expression set off fireworks in her tummy, and she felt her cheeks heat up as she took the bowl and whisk from him.

Violet turned away, dumping all the dry ingredients into the large bowl before combining the liquid ingredients. She avoided his gaze as she relished the flirty energy that had sparked with that single moment. “Boy, all these late-night treats. I’m gonna end up rolling myself home.”

As she set up the muffin tin by pressing liners into them, she could hear a cabinet open and two mugs clink together. “Oh, you’re assuming I’m letting you go home tonight?”

She licked her lips and poured the liquid ingredients into the dry as her tummy jumped. Whisking briskly, she replied, “You know, I normally have an answer for everything. But right now, I just … I don’t.”

Ben began to laugh when a noise at the end of the hallway stopped him short. Violet looked in the direction of the door; Ben was already stepping toward the kitchen entrance.

“You’re kidding me,” he grumbled.

“What is it?”

“Shh,” he urged, stepping into the hallway. “Stay here.”

Ben disappeared, and she continued to stare into the hallway as she mixed her muffin batter. She first heard footsteps, then the lock of his door as it tumbled open.

“Damn it, I thought you were Elena,” he cursed. “I really have to change these locks.”

To Violet’s surprise, she heard a woman respond. “If you called more, I wouldn’t have had to come down here. What’s wrong with you, anyway? Wait, did I interrupt something?”

Violet’s heart pounded as two pairs of footsteps headed toward the kitchen. She waited with bated breath as Ben re-entered, followed by a slender, darkly dressed girl about her own age.

He pursed his lips, looking slightly embarrassed. “Vi, this is my sister, Lisa.”

Ben’s gaze moved from Violet to Lisa a number of times, hoping that his sister hadn’t inadvertently made things uncomfortable by showing up unannounced. So far, thankfully, Violet seemed at ease as she leaned against the doorjamb in the living room entrance. Tall and crimson-haired, Lisa stood in front of their television, arms crossed over her chest, looking like the cat that ate the canary. And if his little sister didn’t wipe that look off her face, he might very well send her back to Bloomfield in a cab.

“Oh, Ben,” she cooed. “This is
too
delicious.”

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Could you not make a big deal about this? And when did you dye your hair red?”

“Last week,” she answered. “And don’t change the subject. When did
this
happen, you two?”

“Yesterday, actually,” Violet replied.

On a laugh, Lisa said, “Oh, wow, so I’m really intruding here! I’m sorry. Mom wanted me to come check on you, and I only got out of class an hour ago.”

Ben sighed. “You should have called.”

He looked to Violet, who seemed as amused by all of this as Lisa. She was being a real champ about this so far—he made a mental note to make it up to her later.

“It’s actually fine,” Violet said. “We were just making some late-night coffee and muffins.”

“Muffins? Did my brother actually have anything to do with the baking?”

Ben gestured toward Violet, who raised her hand. “Nope, just me. He’s on coffee duty; I’m making the good stuff.”

“How sweet is that? Oh my God, I feel bad for intruding.”

“Don’t be silly,” Violet said with a smile. “Excuse me a minute, I actually have to get them in the oven if we’re going to have any.”

Violet disappeared toward the back, and Ben dropped onto the love seat, burying his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Ben! How was I supposed to know you’re seeing someone else?”

“You would have known if you’d called!”

“Maybe I can still get home—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s after midnight.”
My sister, the drama queen.

Lisa took a seat on the couch that sat perpendicular to the love seat. “So what’s going on with Violet?”

What
was
going on with Violet? It was only day two, so the safe bet would be to say “nothing, really.” But between seeing Elena in front of the movie theater and his sister’s impromptu appearance, Violet had just gotten thrown into more of his life than he was ready for her to see. He didn’t want to be secretive by any means, but he had hoped to be allowed to roll out the crazy in smaller increments.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “This wasn’t exactly something I planned.”

The sound of Violet’s voice surprised him. “That’s right. We just kind of—happened.”

“And he got to tell you about Elena?” Lisa asked.

“A little bit,” Violet answered. “We were gonna talk about it some more tonight.”

Ben folded his arms and shifted, uncomfortable with his sister and—girlfriend? mistress?—talking about him as if he weren’t even in the room.

“She knows the basics,” he added. “And I’m guessing you have more to tell me or you wouldn’t be here.”

Lisa shook her head. “I told you, I came by for Mom. She wanted me to check on you and—come on, Violet, sit down.”

Instinctively, Ben casually patted the cushion next to his own and glanced at Violet.
Whoa, that came a little too naturally.
Violet visibly tensed at the same time he did, so she definitely noticed the “couple-y” gesture. Relief washed over him when she sat down
. Okay, good, she’s not freaking out
.

“So is Mom still convinced I’m in trouble?” Violet didn’t need to hear that his mother, as of his last conversation with Lisa, had actually used the word “suicidal.”

“I’ve been doing so much damage control with her these days,” Lisa replied. “You know how she thinks. Elena’s been around for so long. Mom is convinced no one knows you like your wife would.”

Ben tilted his head back and ran his hands down his face, wishing he could understand why Elena was going to such great lengths to make the divorce as dirty as possible. “But she’s my mother. How could anyone know me more than she would? Or more than you?”

“That’s what I tell her,” Lisa continued. “But every time I think I’m gaining ground, Elena pops up with her sob stories and her bullshit concerns, and Mom’s wringing her hands again. Mom wants you to come home.”

Ben shook his head quickly. “Not happening. I’m not letting Elena run me out of town like some B-rated Western movie. If she wants to fight the entire way through this divorce, I’ll do it. But I won’t let her win, and I won’t let her lie.”

“She’s been spending a lot of time in New Jersey,” Lisa remarked. “And if I know Elena like I think I do, she’s gonna try and subpoena Mom to inadvertently speak against you. I’m sorry, Violet—this has gotta be too much.”

Ben looked to Violet, who was chewing her bottom lip with a knitted brow. She looked thoroughly engrossed in what Lisa was saying. Suddenly, Violet blinked. “Huh? Oh, totally—it’s a lot to hear. But everyone’s got their battles, I guess. How would Elena even do that?”

“All she needs is for a lawyer to get Mom to admit she’s worried about Ben’s well-being,” Lisa replied. “Mom’s been a worrywart all our lives, and Ben’s never been an open book, so it would be easy for her to accidentally corroborate Elena’s story.”

Violet’s hand was warm against his knee as she patted it. Tingles started in his stomach, spreading throughout his body.
Not now, dummy.

“Maybe you should head out to New Jersey yourself.”

Ben nodded. She was hot
and
right. “Yeah, I know.”

“This is what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Lisa said, her voice growing stern. “I can only tell her so much before you have to start speaking for yourself. You and Elena have been together so long that Mom can’t even begin to believe that she’s a lunatic.”

Violet looked to Lisa. “But you do?”

“From day one.”

Ben jerked his head upward, giving his sister a look of disbelief. “Oh, stop it.”

“You stop it,” Lisa interrupted. “Why do you think I left the wedding early? Why do you think I never came in to visit unless she was away on business trips?”

Ben scoffed. “Business trips.”