Page 30 of Tangled in Temptation

“For future reference, I will request at least an hour. It just so happened I wasn’t actually on a job.”

“I’ll take your bags to the car. Do you need anything else?”

I frowned, not really appreciating the fact that he was so dismissive. But I was getting used to it.

“I’ll get my purse,” I said. “And my phone charger.”

I grabbed what I needed and unplugged my toaster and coffee maker for good measure. I didn’t trust the electrical in the house quite yet. I would have to call my father on the way and let him know I was skipping town for a couple of days. I locked the door and stepped outside. Bennet was leaning against the car, acting like I had been taking hours instead of minutes.

“All right, all right,” I said. “You could really use a healthy dose of patience.”

“I’m anxious to get going,” he said. “You might not realize this, but there is something called traffic.”

“Very funny,” I said.

“We should leave,” he said.

I got into the passenger seat with Bennet driving the large SUV.

“What is going on?” I asked Bennet once we were in the car.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, well, why didn’t Timothy call me?”

“He’s been handling some things.” He shrugged.

“He’s so busy he couldn’t even send me a text?”

“I typically handle most things for Timothy,” he explained. “That’s my job.”

“Fetching dates?” I retorted.

Bennet didn’t take offense. He laughed and kept his eyes on the road. “If that’s what he needs me to do, that’s what I do.”

“So I’m supposed to go shopping all weekend?” I asked. “Couldn’t I have just looked online?”

“Timothy has arranged for you to stay at a hotel in the city,” he said. “He’s gone all out for your weekend away. I think he’s hoping to pay you back just a little for agreeing to go to the gala and for the great work you did on the house.”

“He paid me,” I said. “This is supposed to be me returning a favor to him. He went with me to my ex’s wedding. And he bought me a dress for that one, too.”

“I don’t pretend to know how the man thinks,” Bennet chuckled.

“Did Timothy even think about asking me first?” I couldn’t help but blurt out my thoughts.

Bennet shot me a puzzled look. “Wait, you don’t want to go?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, no, I do want to go. It’s just... never mind.”

“Catherine, spill. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I sighed, leaning back in the seat. “It’s just that I thought Timothy would have asked me directly. You know, like, ‘Hey, Catherine, want to come to the city for the weekend?’ Sending his assistant to scoop me up is just a little heavy-handed. It makes me feel like I’m being summoned rather than asked. Should I curtsey when I see him?” The moment I said it, another thought occurred. “Wait, am I going to see him? Am I doing this on my own?”

Bennet smiled. “He’s not the best at these things. But trust me, he wants you there. Timothy wouldn’t go through all this trouble if he didn’t. It might not be the most conventional way of doing things, but it’s his way. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. Anything you need, just say it. As for seeing him, I would imagine he’ll want to see you.”

“That’s not a confirmation.”

“No, but it’s all I have,” he said. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more answers.”