Bittersweet Junction Read online

  Catching Ben’s not so subtle hint, Maggie shrugged and made her way down to the other end of the bar.

  “I thought you had to help in the back?” Julia said a bit breathlessly. Ben’s eyes were hypnotic. Why had she never noticed that before?

  “The great thing about being the boss is that you can call in extra help, so you only have to work when you want to,” Ben said with a grin. He raised his own shot glass. “To Bruiser. May he rest in peace.”

  Julia was confused for a moment, and then it hit her. She laughed. “Bruiser’s Spot. You named your bar after your beagle’s unfortunate fur condition?”

  “It’s memorable,” Ben said.

  It seemed as appropriate a toast as any. Julia had loved Ben’s beagle as if it was her own. The dog passed away when they were twelve. She remembered holding Ben and letting him cry in her arms when they buried him. Mike even gave a short eulogy. It was one of those moments that still seemed so clear in the sea of fuzzy memories. “To Bruiser,” she said.

  They clinked their glasses and then she downed the shot in one quick swallow. Although it burned going down, it felt good. “He was a good dog. I was sad when he died.”

  “Part of life,” Ben said. He pulled a stool out from underneath the bar and settled on the end next to her. With so little room, his forearm touched hers and Julia’s senses heightened. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

  “What? The fact that my sister is about to marry Mike? Or why I left in the first place? That’s what everyone really wants to know, isn’t it?” Julia swirled her drink and refused to look at Ben.

  “We can talk about whatever is spinning through your mind right now. I’ve been told that I’m still a good listener,” Ben said. He leaned forward on his chair and grabbed a bottle from behind the bar. Then he refilled their shot glasses.

  “Getting wasted probably isn’t the best idea,” Julia protested.

  “We’re not getting wasted. We’re getting reacquainted,” Ben said with a wink that caused Julia’s heart to beat just a little bit faster.

  The idea seemed reasonable enough. As she knocked the second shot back, Julia’s gaze settled on the way that Ben’s navy blue t-shirt tightened across his expansive shoulders as he slammed his shot glass down. This was a totally new dynamic to her relationship with him. Ben was sweet and funny and kind, but she had always been attracted to Mike. She never realized how blind she had been to Ben’s feelings for her until that night right before graduation. Her cheeks flushed as her mind skittered over those memories.

  “What’s going on in there?” Ben asked, touching her temple with his index finger. “I can see you’re thinking something very serious in there. Tell me and get it out. You’ll feel better.”

  There was no way that Julia was going to tell him that, at that moment, she was thinking about how sexy he looked. That would send a confusing message, and would surely dredge up that night and they had already agreed there was nothing to talk about there. There were too many ghosts in Benton Hill. She planned to be on the road back to Minneapolis before the day was done. There was no sense in talking about something that happened so long ago.

  “How long have they been together?” she sputtered. “Mike and Clary.”

  Ben’s eyes darkened. She wondered if he had any idea what she had actually been thinking. “You know how Clary is. Mike was devastated when you left, and Clary was there to help him through it. Somewhere along the way a romance blossomed. It’s been official for about two or three years I guess.”

  “I just don’t understand why she didn’t tell me,” Julia said, shaking her head.

  “You didn’t even come back for the kid’s graduation, Jules.”

  Guilt spun up in her chest. It wasn’t something that she was proud of, but when Clary’s graduation rolled around it still felt to soon to come home and confront the damage that she had left behind. She made up some excuse that she couldn’t get off work and spent that weekend crying into pints of ice cream watching romance movies from the 80s. “I was on a deadline,” she said stiffly.

  “It doesn’t matter. I know you two have a lot to hash out, and it isn’t my place to butt in, but just know that she’s been agonizing over the fact that you wouldn’t be at her wedding. Whatever happened before, it doesn’t mean she loves you any less. She’s been fretting about how to tell you for weeks.”

  “She’s marrying Mike,” Julia whispered.

  “Somebody was going to marry Mike,” Ben countered. He poured her another shot. “It didn’t appear that you were raising your hand. You expect the guy to be alone pining after you for the rest of his life?”

  “No,” Julia retorted. “This isn’t about me and Mike. This is about Clary and Mike.”

  “It’s always about you, Jules,” Ben said quietly.

  Feeling as if she was about to cry again, Julia covered it by slamming the shot in front of her. She hadn’t had a shot in years, and now had downed three in less than ten minutes. She shrugged her jacket off her shoulders and settled it across her lap. She felt warm.

  “I don’t want to talk about me anymore,” she announced. “Let’s talk about you. So you’re a business owner and you work with your sister. There’s got to be somebody special out there waiting at home for you.” The idea made her stomach tighten. She had no more claim over Ben than she had over Mike, but she always felt as if she was the only person in the world who saw how special Ben really was. All the girls in school acted like they were too good for him, but Ben never seemed to care. He focused on his grades and saving money for college. He had always been the mature one of the three of them.

  She noticed that he shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of a romantic entanglement.

  “It’s a good thing Sarah is a patient woman,” Maggie said, seeming to appear out of nowhere. She leaned her arm on the bar and winked at her brother. “Don’t let him fool you, Jules. My baby brother has been the town’s most eligible bachelor for the last couple of years once Clary took Mike off the market, but I think he’s finally ready to settle down.”

  “That’s great!” Julia said, knowing that her voice was slightly louder than it needed to be. Of course, Ben would have somebody in his life. “So who’s Sarah?”

  “Sarah West. You remember her, right?” Maggie said.

  Julia choked on the liquid going down her throat. She stared at Ben. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re going out with Sarah West?”

  Of all the girls that Julia possibly paired Ben with in her mind, Sarah West would have been at the very bottom of the list. Sarah’s family moved to Benton Hill when they were in seventh grade. It was hate at first sight between Julia and Sarah. Their rivalry lasted into high school, and the one and only physical altercation she had ever had was prom night when Sarah decided to play a cheap trick on her.

  Ben’s drink seemed to disappear in seconds. “I’m not going out with anyone right now.”

  “Don’t let Sarah hear you say that,” Maggie warned. “I know you two got into a fight last weekend, but I know you’ll be right back together in no time.” Hearing her name called from the other end of the bar, Maggie waggled her fingers at them and left.

  “I can’t believe you are with Sarah West,” Julia said. The image just wouldn’t come together in her mind. “We hated her in high school.”

  Ben sighed. “I didn’t hate her. You hated her, and I was a supportive friend. High school was a long time ago. People change.”

  Julia started to shake her head, but then stopped as the movement made her stomach queasy. “People like Sarah West don’t change.”

  Tall, blond, and rich, Sarah always looked down her nose at Julia. Julia had no desire to be popular, but she had lots of friends and she thought that Sarah hated that. When Sarah’s father was elected mayor their junior year, Sarah became even more insufferable. Julia remembered watching the look of triumph on Sarah’s face when the crown for prom queen was set on her head standing next to Mike up on the stage. Watch
ing Sarah press her long, toned body against Mike’s during their king and queen dance almost sent Julia over the edge. If Ben hadn’t been there to keep her calm, she thought for sure she would have cold cocked the girl right there in front of the entire school.

  “I’m sorry, Ben. This was a bad idea,” Julia said as she stood up. She grabbed the edge of the bar for support.

  “Jules, sit down. We don’t have to talk about any of that.”

  “This is all a bit too much. I think I just want to be alone,” she said. She tried to ignore the lightheaded feeling that threatened to knock her on her ass at any moment.

  “Jules…” Ben’s plea was overshadowed by a loud voice that made Julia cringe.

  “Well, I’ll be! If it isn’t little Julia Bell.”

  She watched Sarah West push her way through the throng of people to the bar and arrive in front of them. Like all unfair things in the world, it didn’t appear as if she had aged a day since high school. It was like high school all over again, except this time it was Julia who was invading Sarah’s territory instead of the other way around.

  “Julia, it is so nice to see you again,” Sarah said. The wide smile on her face didn’t match her eyes, and Julia was immediately on edge. “Ben didn’t tell me you were here already.” Sarah put a possessive hand on Ben’s shoulder, and Julia saw that although he grimaced, he didn’t pull away from it.

  “I didn’t realize everyone was expecting me,” Julia said. Her stomach rolled, and she needed air.

  “Of course they were, what with the wedding this weekend and all,” Sarah said with wide eyes. “Clary has been beside herself waiting for you to get here.”

  “How would you know that?” Julia was distracted trying to find the best exit route that would take her to the door.

  “I’m one of the bridesmaids, silly. Didn’t she tell you?”

  The words jolted Julia out of her foggy bubble. “Excuse me? You’re in my sister’s wedding?” Julia thought for sure now that somehow she was at home in bed having a crazy nightmare. It was as if her entire life was being turned on its head. “I need to go.”

  “Jules, let me take you,” she heard Ben say.

  “No!” she snapped.

  “She obviously doesn’t want you to help her, Ben,” Sarah said.

  Now that Sarah had opened up the spectacle of her presence, Julia heard other voices adding to the throng.

  “Jules!”

  “Julia, over here!”

  “Bells, get your ass over here.”

  There was only one person who called her Bells. Julia’s eyes landed on her Uncle Pete. She threw herself at him and hugged him tight. “Uncle Pete. Can you take me home?”

  “Sure, Bells. I was headed that way anyway,” Pete said. “Your sister called and said she was planning a proper family dinner tonight.”

  Food was the last thing on Julia’s mind, but she just need to get out of there. She couldn’t stomach watching Sarah fawn all over Ben. It was too much. “Great. Thanks, Uncle Pete.”

  She let him guide her out of the bar and out into the fresh late afternoon air. She had a lot to think about, but one thing was for certain. She was getting out of Benton Hill at the first available opportunity.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Ben watched Pete Bell escort Julia out of the bar and sighed heavily. The first time he saw her in five years, and it ended in disaster. He knew that he should have told her about Sarah, but he didn’t want to overload her with information that he knew she wouldn’t like. Besides, there wasn’t really anything to tell other than the whole town believed they were an item. Ben’s relationship with Sarah was complicated.

  “Was that really necessary?” he asked the woman beside him who was now checking her make-up. Sarah’s face was flawless, and he was sure that she knew it.

  “What? I welcomed our dear friend back to town. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Sarah said innocently.

  “You and I both know that you still hate Jules’s guts.” Ben took a pull of his drink. “Plus you continue to give everyone in this town the impression that there’s something going on between the two of us.”

  Sarah snapped her mirror shut and winked at him. “Isn’t there, Ben?”

  Ben shook his head. He had no idea why Sarah West had suddenly set her sights on him, but twelve months ago she appeared next to him at a barbecue acting as if they had been friends forever. She trailed him the entire afternoon, and he was so thrown off by her attention that he let her. After that, it had proven incredibly difficult to shake her. He couldn’t get angry at her because she always behaved herself and was unfailing polite and cordial to his friends and family. He just didn’t know what to do with her.

  He supposed he should feel flattered. Sarah was beautiful and smart. Having her on his arm automatically made him the envy of every man in town. But something about the whole thing felt off, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. They weren’t together, but somehow it was as if they were. He had known the woman since seventh grade. She was playing a game of cat and mouse, and he was clearly the mouse.

  Ben kept her at arm’s length for months. Unfortunately, her constant presence meant that if he let his guard down for even a moment, she swooped in to take advantage of the situation. Which is exactly what happened a month ago one late Friday night after the bar closed. Ben still couldn’t believe what had happened, especially as the event had only strengthened Sarah’s resolve in pursuing him. From Ben’s perspective, it only proved to him that his heart wasn’t in it. He easily could have continued with the physical relationship. Sarah made it abundantly clear that she was willing to continue, but he wasn’t the type of guy to string someone along like that for something so shallow.

  “That was just a one-night thing,” he said under his breath.

  Sarah leaned onto the bar, forcing him to look her in the eye. “If that’s all it was to you, Ben, just tell me to go away.”

  “Go away,” he said immediately.

  Sarah laughed and lightly hit his arm. “You don’t mean that. You’re just being stubborn. Hey, Maggie! Can I get a drink?”

  “I have to help Beez in the back,” Ben said, finishing his drink.

  “Really?” Sarah said with a pout.

  Ben pointed at the clock. “Dinner rush is gearing up.”

  “Well I’ll see you later then,” Sarah said with a raised eyebrow.

  That meant that either she’d appear right before closing, or knock on his door in the middle of the night. Ben knew that he needed to put his foot down, but then again, the girl of his dreams had never wanted him. He had the mayor’s daughter practically falling all over him every time he turned around. He looked back at Sarah over his shoulder. As soon as he left his stool, a swarm of men surrounded her and Sarah was in her element. Every man in town wanted in her bed. Every man except Ben. He wondered if there was something seriously wrong with him.

  Leaving Sarah to her flock of admirers, Ben’s thoughts returned to Julia. He worried about her and what the evening held in store for her. She had yet to see Mike, and he wondered if she’d turn tail and run again rather than face Mike and Clary together. He pulled out his phone and saw that he had a text message from Clary.

  You need to come to dinner tonight. Mike and I need a buffer.

  Julia thinks I’m dating Sarah. I think she hates me. I’m not going to be much of a buffer.

  Aren’t you dating Sarah?

  Ben wanted to throw the phone at a wall. Were all women crazy?

  NO.

  Please come.

  I have to work.

  Beez will cover for you. PLEASE??

  Once Clary decided she wanted something, it was almost impossible to tell her no. We’ll see.

  Great! See you 6:30.

  Ben shook his head ruefully. If there was anything that Clary picked up from her older sister, it was the ability to twist him around her little finger. It was alternatively annoying and amusing. He entered the kitchen and saw in dismay that things
were once again out of control. Beez, the head cook, yelled at one of the line cooks and food tickets were everywhere.

  “Beez! What’s going on?”

  The large man turned and saw Ben standing in the doorway and scowled. “What’s going on? It’s the start of the dinner rush, and we’re short-handed. If you’re done mooning over that girl out there, I could use the help in here.”

  “Let’s not forget who the manager is here, Beez,” Ben said, grabbing his apron. “I can help out for the next hour, but then you’re on your own. I’ve got dinner plans. Call in Max if you need help.”

  “You call him. I tried calling him an hour ago, and he told me you fired him three days ago.”

  Ben ran his hands under the hot water at the sink. “Oh, shit. I forgot about that. I’ll call Rory,” he said. The wedding and everything that came with it proved to be a huge distraction. He meant to fire Max weeks ago and get some reliable help for Beez in the kitchen. His management skills of late were severely lacking.

  “Rory’s out of town for the weekend,” Beez said.

  “Fine, then I’ll call Nate.”

  “Nate couldn’t find his ass with both hands,” Beez grumbled.

  Beez was temperamental and headstrong, but he was a hard worker and customers raved about his food. It wasn’t gourmet cuisine, but the dinner crowd at Bruiser’s Spot had substantially grown since he hired Beez. As much as it pained Ben, he needed to keep Beez happy.

  “I’ll come back later and help you clean up,” Ben offered.

  “Sure you will. You’ll get distracted with your woman, and then I’ll be left here cleaning up all by myself,” Beez said.

  Ben rolled his eyes at Beez’s dramatics and then made his way to his office. He called Nate, and luckily the high schooler agreed to the extra shift. Then Ben hurried back to the kitchen and jumped in wherever Beez barked for him to help.

  He knew that Julia was astonished at his choice of profession. He was surprised himself, but after high school his dad got sick, and his mom was too frail to take care of him on her own. Ben worked at Tiki’s Pub to earn some extra cash to help out with the medical bills. When Maggie’s rotten husband up and left her and her kids, Ben felt as if he was the only thing that kept his family from falling apart. He couldn’t leave them to flounder on their own.