Page 52 of Resisting the Fall

As eager to move on as he seemed to be, my gaze followed his to assess the damage. Not only were Ben and I both drenched, along with Finn, but the floor was puddled, and no surface in the kitchen seemed to have made it through untouched. “Yeah. Good luck cleaning it up.”

“You’re bailing on me?”

“I did tell you not to turn on the faucet.” I took a backward step. There was a definite correlation between my brain’s ability to function properly and my proximity to Ben. And a wet Ben, whose shirt clung to every fiber of muscle on his torso, was even more dangerous. “Besides, my mom will be here soon to grab me, and I now need to change.” I ran my fingers through my wet, tangled hair, holding out a section. “And do something about this.”

“Where are you two headed tonight?”

“The three of us—my mom, Penny, and I—are having a girls’ night out. We’ll catch a movie in Burlington, then get a treat after.” I paused, uncertain I wanted to know the answer to the question circling in my mind. “How about you? Do you have plans?”

Ben didn’t respond but checked a few of the cabinets before he found the stack of dish towels he’d apparently been searching for. He was going to need a lot more than that.

“See, that’s not how this works,” I said. “What’s supposed to happen is that I share something with you, then you share something with me. It’s called a conversation.”

“Interesting.” He tossed me a dish towel, gesturing to my face and hair, then started wiping the water from the counters.

“So…” Wiping the towel across my face, I then began to dry my hair with it. “Back to those plans. Do you know how late you’ll be out?”

That annoying smile of his started to curve the corners of his lips upward. “Does it matter?”

“Yes. Because if you’re planning to come stomping in here in the middle of the night again and waking me up, I’m going to find somewhere quieter to sleep.”

He sent me a hopeful look. “Like your mom’s?”

“No. Like your bed.”

“Go ahead.” His grin was out in full force. “I don’t mind sharing.”

That cocky, overly confident⁠—

“Hey there, you two.” My mom’s voice was so unexpected at this moment, I placed a hand over my heart to keep it in my chest. She was standing at the screen door with Penny at her side. “Sorry we’re a little early.”

Ben and I shared an uncertain glance before Ben nodded, and I hurried to the door. “That’s totally fine. Come on in.”

Mom’s gaze moved from my damp hair to my saturated clothes.

“Why are you all wet?” Penny asked, beating my mom to the punch.

I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “We had a little situation with the sink.”

Mom glanced behind me to where Ben was standing, wiping off the ceiling.

“Hey, Sharon. Hey, Penny.”

“Could you use a hand?” Mom asked. “We’ve got four.”

I was already shaking my head. “You don’t have to⁠—”

“That’s so kind of you.” Ben sent me a pointed sideways glance when he stepped up beside me. “I would love some help, but only if you have time.”

“We have plenty of time.” Mom gestured Penny inside first, then climbed up behind her. “Especially since Maven will need to change.”

“Perfect. I’ll go grab a few more towels.”

“Look at all the water,” Penny said, her eyes wide as she appraised the damage. “Did the sink explode?”

I tugged lightly on her braid, glad the air was no longer hazy with smoke. “Something like that.”

Mom’s gaze remained on me, but I didn’t meet it.