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“Yes, you definitely were pushing the boundaries of flirting with me,” I corrected him. “It…makes me very uncomfortable. It needs to stop,” I said firmly.
“May I ask you something?” I nodded and he continued. “What exactly do you believe I said that was…inappropriate?”
“When you said I threw myself at you and when you talked about our kiss. It was a long time ago. I was only seventeen. If I’d have known that you were a priest, I never would’ve kissed you. But you knew and yet you kissed me like that. I mean, you…you…” My breathing was labored as I tried to get the words out. “You were…” The best kisser. The one I can’t forget. The one I can’t ever have.
“I need to stop you.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. I might respect him as a priest, but I didn’t have any respect for him as a man. My high-pitched tone should be enough to tell him I wasn’t buying it. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to take all the blame.
“How dare you talk to me like that? I might have made the mistake of walking up and kissing you, but you could’ve stopped it. You didn’t need to grope me like you did and you sure as hell didn’t need to put your tongue halfway down my throat. And I had to live with this…shame all these years. Do you have any remorse at all? Because you sure didn’t act like you did last night,” I snarled.
“Miss Clarkson,” Father Bennett said calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I do not recall kissing you, groping you, or saying anything inappropriate to you.”
“Are you telling me that you weren’t at the Woods Fair thirty-two years ago?” I asked.
“I was most likely there. I go each year with my family. My parents ran the Woods Fair.”
“So you’re not denying that we were there together?” I asked.
“I was there. Not with you. The first time I met you was at the wedding rehearsal. And as far as seeing you again last night at the actual wedding, I only saw you from a distance. The wedding was over and you were speaking with Katherine. She had called me because she wasn’t feeling well and asked if I could come and pick her up. You dashed off before I even approached,” he stated “I’m talking about before that. When I was helping your sister because she almost passed out, you were too busy ogling me to even ask how she was doing,” I snapped.
“Katherine almost passed out?” He truly looked shocked by this announcement. “She didn’t tell me anything about that. What happened?” he demanded. It was the first time his expression had changed. His eyes filled with concern.
“Really? Are you going to continue to play this game? You know damn well what happened,” I stated, my hands on my hips. This had gone on way too long, and I never expected him to be so…resistant to just admitting the truth.
“Please, Miss Clarkson. Just tell me what happened at the wedding,” he begged.
“She got lightheaded and dizzy. Not uncommon in her situation. I told her to go home and rest. Pregnancy takes a lot out of a woman, not that you’d know,” I said.
“She’s pregnant?” he asked, looking surprised.
Shit! He didn’t know.
I felt horrible spreading her secret. Why would she have told me and not her own brother?
Maybe because you might pass judgement?
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t realize she’d told me in confidence. I’m sure she was planning to tell you when the time was right,” I stated.
“I am sure you are correct on that, however, you are not right in regard to anything else. Miss Clarkson, I don’t know what I can say to make you believe this, but I never spoke to you before that rehearsal dinner. I am not who you think I am.”
“I know exactly who you are. You’re Father Robert Bennett.”
He cocked a brow. “I’m Father Richard Bennett. Robert is my brother. My twin brother,” he said.
I blinked stupidly and felt the heat of embarrassment creeping up my face. “Twin brother?” I repeated, not believing that I’d heard correctly.
He nodded. “Identical twins. In looks anyway.”
“You’re not the man I kissed, are you?” Even as I asked, I knew the answer. It also explained why I didn’t have the connection to him like I did when I was near Robert. I was also relieved that there was no chemistry between me and Richard too, because that would be an entirely new set of issues for me to deal with. Richard shook his head. I let out a long sigh. “Thank God. I’ve thought I kissed a priest all these years. You have no idea what it’s been like for me thinking that I had.”
“I cannot speak for anyone else, but you did not kiss me,” he said.
“I’m glad this is all over,” I let out a long exhale.
“I believe you might want to have this conversation with Robert,” he suggested.
I’d rather not.“I think it would be best if I just pretended as though this never happened.”
