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Chapter Thirteen
Bennett had no idea what had sent Zoey flying off the handle. He’d replayed everything he’d done. Nothing leaped out at him that’d been so... he couldn’t even think of the word to describe it. All he knew was what he saw in her sweet eyes: shock, anger, and pain, dulling the sparkle she’d had earlier. Those things he could fix, apologize for, once he understood what’d caused the issue. But there was one very important thing missing: her trust.
Gaining her trust back wasn’t going to be easy. Hell, I’m not sure why she trusted me in the first place. But when she’d looked at him prior to yesterday morning, he knew she’d trusted him totally. Unwise, but she did.
He needed to know what he’d done so wrong. There was one person who probably could explain it to him in more detail than he wanted: Doug, who was also the person who would’ve chewed his ass out. It will be a well-deserved lecture, but one I’m not in the mood for. I don’t regret what we shared. Damn. Being with her was amazing. How she came alive in my arms.
Those were all things that were no one’s business. That’s why he purposely avoided all contact with Doug after leaving Zoey.
Throughout the night he must’ve picked up his cell phone a hundred times to call or text her. He wanted, no needed, to know she was okay. This sucks. How do you respect someone’s wishes when you know they aren’t making the right choice? If I show up there, then I’m just as controlling as she says her brothers are. If I don’t, then I’m an asshole who doesn’t give a fuck.
He hated to admit this was a problem he knew nothing about, had never really tried to figure out. How to decipher what’s in a woman’s head. That left him with only one option. Picking up his phone, he made a call to the one person who might not rip him a new one. Even if she has all the facts.
“Good morning, Bennett. If you’re looking for Shaun, he already left for work.”
“Actually, Morgan, it’s you I need.”
“Me? Okay. But I don’t know how I can help you.” Before he even asked, she continued, “Unless you’re looking for a woman’s opinion on help with Zoey. Then you called the correct person.”
Nailed it. “I could use your help there,” he said in a flat tone as to not give anything away over the phone. This conversation was one he wanted to do in person. Bennett needed to see her reaction as he replayed what transpired yesterday morning.
“Okay. Tyler is at school, Shaun’s at work, and I’m looking for a good reason not to dust the house today. So how can I help?”
“I’d prefer to talk face to face.”
There was a pause, and he knew she was contemplating if she should get involved with this. She was part of the Henderson family now. Why would she want to stick her neck out for an outsider? He hoped the friendship they’d built over the last few months counted for something. He was about to find out.
“So why don’t we meet for coffee?” Morgan offered.
“Perfect. How about the coffee shop around the corner from your house? Let’s say, twenty minutes?” Bennett didn’t want to rush her, but right now he needed some intervention, and if he waited any longer, he was going to ignore his own advice and head right over to Zoey’s. Somehow his heart and brain had disconnected, and his choices weren’t his best lately. He needed to step back, regroup, and come up with a new plan of action before things became worse.
“That bad? Okay. I’ll have them put a shot of espresso in mine.” He heard Morgan laugh before she hung up the phone.
Bennett wanted to play it off as though he didn’t, but he needed her help. If she knew he was holding back, she’d shut him off as well. There were a lot of reasons why a woman would react in such a manner. None of them in my favor. Bennett once again decided to drive himself. Right now he needed to have control over something, and the gas pedal was going to have to do. The limo driver seemed to care too much about the speed limit. He needed to make it out of Boston and across town in much less time than it would normally take. Whatever fines he incurred would be well worth it.
When he arrived, Morgan was already sitting at a table off in a corner where they could talk more privately. The waitress grabbed his coffee order before he had a chance to sit down.
Morgan smiled at him. “I come here all the time. A little birdy may have given her a heads-up.”
Bennett looked back at the waitress scurrying around. When he turned toward Morgan again, he asked, “I sounded that bad on the phone?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. But let’s get real. You contact me for help, a stay-at-home mother. That speaks volumes.”
“Don’t knock that. My mother held that same position. There were many days she said my father had it easier going to work. Knowing what a pain in the ass I was as a teenager, I don’t doubt that for one minute.” He honestly never gave much thought about what it took to be a parent until recently. Maybe it was because he never thought he’d be one. Even now, he thought it would be his younger brothers who would be fathers long before he would. A child needs stability.
“Well, from your call this morning, I think you might still be a work in progress,” Morgan teased. “So are you going to tell me what you did or do you want me to guess?”
“What makes you think I did anything?”
“Simple. You didn’t go to Shaun. If you had, then I’d say Zoey had done something.” Morgan sipped her coffee looking mighty smug.
Damn, she’s good. I was worried Doug would be hard on my ass. Add it to the list of mistakes this week. I don’t make them. What the hell is Zoey doing to me? “I’m here because I don’t know what I did.” That was the truth. He knew what he was doing at the time she entered the living room, but there was no way that was the cause of all this.
“So, let’s start from the beginning.”
“I took her out, introduced her to a buddy of mine who is visiting from Texas. We dropped him off. Everything was good that night. The next morning, I was playing the piano, and she came in and screamed at me and told me to get out.” That pretty much summed it up without too much detail. He was sure she could fill in the blanks herself.
“Just playing the piano? Not singing or anything?”
