Page 16 of Hate It with You

7

BETH

I’m relieved when I don’t cross paths with Alex over the weekend. He’s kept his distance, and I’m grateful for the uninterrupted time it’s given me with Benny. We’ve spent all weekend catching up, Ben sharing his unbelievable military stories as he always does, but time has gone by faster than I’d have liked, and he’s headed back to California tonight.

I’m also happy we’ve successfully gone all weekend without another note showing up. Not that there has been more than the initial one. My worries are finally dying down as I come to terms with the fact that it was just a sick prank.

Though I was surprised to find another bouquet of lilies sitting at my doorstep this morning, with a pink note set on top of them.

I saw the other ones looked a bit wilted. These are their replacement. – A

Alex sure does know how to get under a woman’s skin.

I’m standing behind the bookstore counter with Ben as I’m staring at the bouquet of lilies blooming from the vase next to the register. I didn’t want to accept them, but I couldn’t possibly throw perfectly fresh flowers like this away.

“What’s this?” Ben asks, picking up a flyer left on the counter.

“Oh, just some group wanting to host their book club here. They came by when you were taking a nap yesterday. You can toss it.” I motion my hand to the trash can under the counter.

Having closed up for the day an hour early, due to minimal foot traffic, the parking lot is painted in an orange hue as the sun descends. The sunset glow filters in through the windows, kissing each book as the light hits it. This is my favorite time of day in the bookstore.

“You aren’t going to take them up on their offer?” Ben looks at me, eyebrows pinched together, and I lose count of the till.

Looking at him, I abandon the till, knowing he won’t drop the subject. “No, I’m not.” When I don’t continue, he raises his eyebrows at me. “I don’t need some group of people I don’t know loitering around in my bookstore. It’s a store, not a place to hang out.”

“Ellie, you had two people come through today, which is one less than you had yesterday. A book club like this could help you get your feet off the ground.” I roll my eyes as he continues, “Plus, you might make some friends out of it.”

“Friends? I already have those.” I wave him off and finish closing out the till.

“You have one. Sienna.” When I go to respond, he holds his finger up to stop me from speaking. “And I don’t count because I’m your brother. I’m forced to be your friend.” He smiles, both of us laughing when I lightly smack him on the shoulder.

When our laughter fades, I continue, “I don’t need more friends. You and Sienna are enough. Always have been, always will be.”

“Well, that’s sweet, but it’s not enough. Eventually, you’re going to have to learn how to let more people in. I don’t want to be taking care of you when you’re too old to do it yourself.”

“I know how to take care of myself. You know that.” I point at him, emphasizing my words. Hopefully changing the subject, I hand him a fifty-dollar bill.

“What’s this for?”

“Gas, food, water, whatever you need once you're back on base.” I shrug. I can’t afford to spare the money right now, but I’ve been taking care of him so long it feels wrong not to give him something.

Shaking his head, a laugh escapes his throat when he asks, “How much money did you make today?”

“Don’t worry about it. Take it.” I all but shove the money in his face, and he accepts, putting the bill in his pocket.

After cleaning up the register and locking the cash box in the back room safe, I’m working on turning off all the lights when I ask Ben, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, but let’s sit for a second.” He motions toward the two mismatched armchairs placed near the front window. “I was hoping to talk to you about something.” I follow him, hesitantly taking a seat in one of the chairs. His serious tone does nothing to tamp down my increasing worries over him.

By the time he takes a deep breath, my heart is pounding in my chest, making it impossible to be as patient as I’d like to be at this moment.

“What is it?” I ask, unable to wait any longer. “Did you get a woman pregnant? Benny, we’ve talked about thi⁠—”

“He’s out, Ellie.” Ben’s tone is soft, his breath ragged.

My heart drops, floating around in my stomach as bile tickles the back of my throat, my breathing becoming harder to control.

“He–He’s what? How?” It takes all my effort to get the words out.