Not Your Match (20 page)

“Can you teach us how to do that?” a girl asked.

“Of course,” Andi said. She glanced at the clock and saw they were almost out of time. “But that’ll have to wait for next week.”

Andi lead the group in a quick cool down and then dismissed them. The kids laughed and talked as they gathered their things and left. Within a few minutes, the classroom was empty except for her, Ben, and the music.

Andi slowly turned, lifting her eyes to meet Ben’s. She folded her arms across her chest to hold back a shiver, feeling suddenly shy in his presence.

Ben took a step toward her, and her heart rate spiked. “You did good today,” he said. “You’re an excellent teacher.”

“You weren’t so bad yourself,” Andi said. She’d meant the words to be teasing, but they came out breathy, almost a whisper.

Ben opened his mouth to say something, but footsteps on the laminate had them whirling.

“Great job,” Elle said. “I stopped by about twenty minutes ago and peered in. Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun. They seem to be picking up the waltz quickly.”

Andi ran a hand through her damp hair, trying to clear her head. “Yeah, they did great. I had a lot of fun, Elle. Thanks for asking me to do this.”

“You belong on a dance floor, Andi.” Elle looked back and forth between the two of them. “I caught the end of one of your demonstrations. I can see why he’s your favorite dance partner. You two have great chemistry on the floor.”

Ben gave Andi a meaningful look. “Andi makes it easy.”

“Well, you two put on a good show. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a couple.” Elle pulled out her phone and flicked it on, showing it to Andi.

Andi gasped, grabbing the phone and pulling it toward her. It was a photo of her and Luke from last night. They were on the rink holding hands, both laughing. Their heads were close and they looked genuinely happy to be together. The camera had caught a perfect shot. Andi scrolled up and read the headline:
Has Luke Ryder Found His Match?

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Luke Ryder?” Elle said.

Andi handed the phone back, afraid to look at Ben. “We went on our first date last night. I didn’t think it would already be online.”

“Honey, you’re trending on Facebook,” Elle said. “I haven’t been online all day, but I took a dinner break and this is the first thing I saw.” Elle gave Andi a quick hug. “Congratulations. I’d say he’s definitely going to want a second date. Looks like you’ve managed to accomplish what no one else has. See you next week.” She gave a little wave and left.

“The date went well, huh?”

Andi slowly turned. Ben leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. Hurt flashed in his eyes, and Andi wanted to run.

“Luke’s a nice guy,” Andi said.

“I’m sure he is.” Ben grabbed his gym bag. “We should probably go. I’m sure you’ll be up early for work.”

Andi grabbed her own bag and followed Ben out of the studio. “I told him I wasn’t interested in anything other than convincing Rachel I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

They pushed their way into the front lobby. Andi gave another wave to Elle and chased after Ben, practically jogging to keep up with his long legs.

“Luke’s in love with someone,” Andi said. “He’s trying to win her back.”

Ben grunted. Andi unlocked the door and they both climbed into the car.

“He’s nice and everything, but I only see him as a friend,” Andi continued. Her words tripped over each other, tumbling around in her mouth until she didn’t know which ones to spit out.

Ben gave Andi a fleeting smile, but it felt fake, forced. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Andi. I’m glad you’ve found someone that fits in with your plans.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She saw his frustration in the set of his jaw, the pain in the lines around his eyes.

She shoved the gear into reverse and backed out of the parking stall.

Sure, dancing together had felt amazing. They’d definitely shared a few moments together tonight.

But his ex-fiancée was begging him to come back. Ben was far from available, and he had zero right to judge her dating decisions.

Andi hadn’t wanted to get tangled up in the complicated world of relationships. It was too stressful, introduced too many variables. She didn’t want someone else to dictate her choices, and that’s ultimately what love did. She’d been right to lock up her heart and push love aside. Tonight had reminded her why.

For the next few days, Ben avoided Andi. He spent his days at school and his evenings working on the condo remodel. He knew he had no right to be hurt by the fact she’d gone out with Luke. But New Year’s Eve—and their shared dances—had meant something to him. He’d thought they meant something to her as well.

He tried to be logical. Maybe Andi really did just want to make Rachel feel better. Maybe Luke really did love someone else.

But Luke Ryder was a billionaire, with more houses than Ben had pairs of shoes. And Luke had been voted one of this year’s sexiest men alive in a popular magazine. And Andi was perfect. Ben seriously doubted if Andi and Luke dated, they’d remain “just friends.”

When he woke up the next morning, he had a text from Whitney. It was like she’d sensed weakness and pounced.

Whitney:
Let me make you dinner tonight and we can talk.

He stared at the text, debating whether to respond or ignore it. He had no idea where she expected to cook, since she was staying at a hotel, but she was trying. Was he making a mistake by not letting her back in?

He set the phone down on his bedside table and got up to take a shower without responding. Whitney didn’t text him again.

By Friday, Ben was ready for the weekend. Luke had taken Andi on another date, and social media was exploding with how Luke had finally taken a Toujour match out for a second time. Andi and Luke certainly didn’t look like “just friends” in the photos, and there were plenty of them.

At lunch, Ben checked his phone and found a text from Rachel.
Something’s wrong with the water heater again and Adam can’t figure out the problem. Can you come over tonight and fix it? Might take a few hours.

Ben sighed and texted her back,
Sure. Be there after school.
With any luck, he wouldn’t have to deal with Whitney

At the end of the day, he packed up homework assignments to grade over the weekend and headed straight to Rachel’s. He breathed a sigh of relief. Whitney’s car was nowhere in sight.

“Hey,” Rachel said, motioning him inside. “Thanks so much for looking at it again. Adam can’t figure out what’s wrong, and I don’t want to call a repairman if it’s a simple fix.”

“I don’t mind.” Ben gave Rachel a quick kiss on the cheek. “I came straight here from work. Thought I’d see what the problem is and then go grab the tools I’ll need to fix it. What seems to be the problem?”

“Um, the water is just cold and stuff.”

Ben nodded and strode into the kitchen, Rachel trailing behind him. He flipped the water to hot and stuck his hand under it. “It’s not freezing,” he said, keeping his hand under the spray. Slowly it warmed until he had to jerk his hand away. “Ouch. That’s hot.”

Rachel bit her lip. “Are you sure? It was ice cold this morning.”

“Were you in the shower for an hour or what?”

“Of course not.”

Ben grunted and headed to the half bath. Growing up, he’d had more than a few cold showers because Rachel emptied the hot water tank. He flipped on the faucet and turned it to warm. The water heated to a steamy temperature in only seconds this time. “Water’s fine in here too.”

Rachel motioned to the door leading downstairs. “Can’t you go check the pilot light or something?”

“The water’s fine.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Sure it is, now. But do you want me calling you again tomorrow?”

She had a point. Ben sighed and flipped on the stair lights, heading into the unfinished basement. He stepped around stacked boxes of recently taken down Christmas decorations and made his way to the utility room. He grabbed a flashlight from the shelf he’d put up before Christmas and started poking around the water heater.

He heard a door open upstairs, and then voices. Adam must be home. Ben gave the water heater one last glance, then clicked off the flashlight and sighed. He’d tell Adam to limit Rachel’s shower time and their water problem would be solved.

Wait. Both those voices were feminine. Whitney was back.

Ben stared at the water heater, suspicion prickling in his mind. Rachel wouldn’t. Would she?

He walked up the stairs, keeping his steps quiet and movements slow. He pushed the door open, wincing when it squeaked on its hinges.

The voices stopped talking. Ben sighed and shut the door behind him, no longer attempting to be quiet. “Your water heater’s fine,” he said, walking into the kitchen.

Whitney stood near the counter, looking beautiful in jeans and a fitted blouse. She gave him a winning smile. “Hi, Ben.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “I suspect nothing ever was wrong with your water heater,” he said to Rachel.

“The water was cold this morning,” Rachel said quickly. “Right, Whitney?”

“Freezing cold,” Whitney said.

Dread built up inside Ben. What did the two of them have planned? “Sure it was.”

They both ignored him. Whitney set a shopping bag on the counter and pulled a vase out of it. “I found this at a cute little boutique today. It’s hand painted. I wanted to get you a thank you for letting me stay here.”

Rachel gasped, picking up the vase. “I love it.”

Whitney pulled artificial flowers out of the bag and started arranging them. “I thought it would look great on that shelf in your living room.”

“Yeah, these flowers match the colors in there perfectly. I think I have a clock in the basement that would match well, too. I’m going to see if I can find it.”

Ben glared at Rachel as she scampered down the stairs. The little rat had planned the whole thing to get him alone with Whitney. He wondered who had been the instigator of their scheme and who had been the sidekick. He’d bet money that Whitney had come up with the idea.

Well, he’d better get it over with. He gave the empty stairway one last longing glance and turned around. Whitney had disappeared. His brow furrowed, and he quickly scanned the kitchen before moving on to the living room.

He gasped. Whitney had balanced a step stool on top of an end table, six books underneath each leg to hoist it higher. She stood precariously on tiptoes, the vase in both her hands as she struggle to reach the shelves.

“What are you doing?” Ben yelled.

Whitney looked back, a coquettish smile on her lips. “Putting the vase on the shelf.”

“You’re going to hurt yourself.”

She laughed. “I’m not going to get hurt. I figured Adam probably doesn’t have a ladder high enough to do the job.” She turned back to the shelf, stretching so that her shirt rose, exposing a stripe of her back. Ben’s mind flashed back to a similar scene almost two years old, from when they’d moved into their last apartment together. They had laughed and joked and rearranged furniture all day, and he’d thought life couldn’t be more perfect.

One of the books slipped, jostling the step stool. Whitney wobbled, the vase clutched close to her body with one arm while the other pinwheeled as she tried to regain her balance. Ben lunged forward, grabbing onto Whitney’s waist to steady her. She stopped swaying, her laughter tinkling around the room.

“Whoops,” she said.

“You’re going to break your neck.” His voice came out harsher than he’d intended, rough with fear.

Whitney scoffed. “I’m not that fragile.” She reached up, ready for another attempt.

“Please get down from there.” Ben clutched at her hips, desperation sweeping through him. Definitely mania. It made her reckless, convinced her she was invincible. This was low on the list of dangerous situations she’d put herself in, but his mind replayed the more terrifying episodes back to him—picking up a frying pan without hot pads, taking a sharp curve on a freeway off-ramp at nearly seventy miles an hour, and so many other instances.