Page 29 of Resisting the Fall
Ben stiffened beneath my touch.
“Don’t stay too long,” I said before he could question me. “You know how I get jealous when you’re out with other women.”
The woman’s eyes widened, her gaze shifting to Ben.
I looked over at Ben, then back at Ben’s girlfriend, allowing my jaw to slacken in feigned offense. “Did he not tell you who I was?”
She shook her head.
“I haven’t had the chance yet,” Ben said, a warning in his tone.
Ha! Like I cared if he was upset. This was his fault. I released him and reached out my hand toward her, leaning over Ben in the process. “Maven Walker. I’m Ben’s wife.”
She stared at my hand, then looked back at Ben. “You two are married?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s a long story.”
Realizing I wasn’t getting a handshake, I dropped my hand to my side. “It’s actually not that long. You see, we recently filed for divorce. Again.” I placed my hands on Ben’s shoulders, refusing to acknowledge their added thickness. “But this guy clearly isn’t ready to give up on us, so we are undergoing efforts for reconciliation. Aren’t we, Ben?”
Ben’s silence confirmed my story.
The woman oddly didn’t look thrilled for us. She stood. “I think I’ll head out. Thanks for the coffee, Bennett.”
I thought of giving an obnoxious farewell wave when she didn’t acknowledge me, but I’d accomplished my aim and there was no need to take it further than necessary. At least not at this point.
Ben hurried to his feet to follow, sending me a look that made it clear he wanted me to stay put. Refusing to comply completely, I moseyed my way toward the counter, hoping I might catch snippets of the conversation through the door. Unfortunately, their voices didn’t carry. “Oh, look at that,” I said to Sadie, pointing at the board of town announcements like that was the reason I was standing there. “The Ednas have a bingo game at the church?”
Sadie offered a timid smile, probably not convinced by my cover-up. “The first Thursday of every month—so today. I believe it starts at five.”
“Hmm.” Without meaning to, I glanced outside again. I was well aware Ben had dated plenty of women since he’d returned to Autumn Ridge—people loved mentioning it when I came to visit—but this was the first woman I’d actually seen him with. I was doing everything I could to fight off a massive bout of jealousy, but it was proving more difficult than I cared to admit. It didn’t help that she was absolutely stunning with her long legs, high cheekbones, and fashionably pouty lips.
“Do you know her?” I asked, pulling my gaze from the two of them to grab my box of sticky buns.
“I’ve never seen her before.”
My smile hopefully conveyed that I was unbothered by the whole situation. “Well, she doesn’t look like someone who could catch a frog.”
Sadie gave a small laugh. “My thoughts exactly.”
The door chimed, and Ben stepped back inside, his gaze fixed on me.
I met his stare. “I hope your girlfriend wasn’t too disappointed with the news I shared.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Ben tossed a thumb over his shoulder to where they’d just been standing. The woman was gone. “She is one of the top realtors in this county and is a goldmine for client referrals. At least she had been.”
“Ah! So that’s how you get referrals these days. No wonder your business is doing so well.”
He dropped his chin. “We were having a cup of coffee.”
“Sadie?” I glanced behind me for backup. “Date or networking meeting?”
She gave an apologetic smile, and her cheeks pinked slightly. I felt bad for pulling her into this, but not bad enough to back down. “I also thought it was a date,” she admitted.
I sent her a grateful look before stepping up to Ben’s side. “Don’t forget, Bennett Walker, you are still a married man.” I lifted one hand to his chest, ready to lean hard into my current course. If he was going to be stubbornly irrational, I would not only meet him there, but I’d surpass him.
His eyes narrowed.
“In fact…” My gaze flicked to the board near the door. “I have something in mind for us to do tonight for our shared activity. Pick me up at quarter to five?”
