Chapter Thirty-One
Ben held the car door open for Annie to step out. She took the hand he offered but dropped it as soon as her feet were planted on the cement.
“You okay?” He shut the door behind her.
“I am. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel a little keyed up. I’m not walking into an inquisition about your love life here, am I?”
Ben chuckled, walked along the sidewalk beside Annie. “I’m allowed to make and have new friends, Annie.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “I’ve been in situations before where other women didn’t like me because of perceived notions.”
“You intrigue me,” Ben said, stopping on the sidewalk, just down from Cuppa. He stood close, facing her. He wore a plaid shirt over a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He looked like an ad out of Small Town USA with just the right amount of charm and sex appeal.
“Why’s that?” She stared at the sidewalk.
“You swing back and forth between confidence and uncertainty.”
Her gaze lifted. “Doesn’t everyone?”
Ben shook his head. “Not necessarily. I think you do—more right now than I’d guess normally—because you feel like everyone is watching you.”
She laughed. “I am the new girl.”
“You’ve already made a good impression on people.” Ben watched her closely.
“Maybe. But it feels dependent on the choices I make going forward. Do I keep digging, Ben?”
He didn’t seem to move, but he felt closer. Taking her hand in his, he bent his knees so they were eye level. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I think we should tell Ryan about the rock.”
Annie’s jaw tightened. “I’d feel better if I talked to Tate first.”
Ben pulled his hand back, ran it through his hair. “The kid has a history of unpredictability. I know Ryan’s spent some time with him, but he doesn’t say much. Like everything else in this place, most of what I know is based on one part truth and ten parts gossip.”
Something caught her gaze just over Ben’s shoulder. “I think we’re adding to the gossip part right this minute.”
Ben looked back over his shoulder. Chrissy and another girl were going into Cuppa. It was obvious where Chrissy’s attention lay. Ben lifted his hand, then turned back to Annie.
“How about we forget gossip, murder, and everything else unpleasant and just have fun?”
She took a deep breath. “That sounds like an excellent idea. But if Chrissy offers me food or drink, I’m not taking it.”
Ben laughed, moved to Annie’s side so they could head toward the shop. “I like a woman who knows how to watch her own back.”
As they entered the coffee shop, Annie noted the different feel. It was more crowded than she’d seen it with customers, but because the people here were all friends, it felt more relaxed. Just a night with friends. Her gaze caught Chrissy’s. Friends and a few dirty looks. She could handle that.
Ashley came over. Annie knew it was her because she grinned and greeted her right away. “I’m so glad you came. Hey, Ben. You ready to lose?”
Ben rolled his eyes, then glanced at Annie. “I’d say Ash is a poor loser, but the truth is she’s a poor winner, too.”
Ashley slapped Ben’s arm in a playful way. “Like you’re one to talk. I believe you’re still the reigning champion of rage quitting.”
Annie’s brows went all the way up. She stepped away from Ben dramatically. “Uh-oh. Something I should know?”
Ryan showed up with a tall glass of something dark with ice. “Don’t worry, Annie. I’ll keep him in line.”
She noticed how close Ryan, in jeans and a T-shirt, stood to Ashley. She also noticed the way Ashley’s gaze was drawn to him.
Tucking her smile away, Annie looked at Ben. “Why doesn’t that comfort me?”
Ben slapped Ryan on the shoulder. “Looks like she’s got your number already.”
Ashley pulled her toward the counter to get her a drink. Apparently, Long Island Iced Teas were the drink of the night. Steph made Annie one, and although it wasn’t her beverage of choice, she wasn’t driving so she said yes.
Doing her best not to glance over her shoulder, Annie wondered if Chrissy was giving her death glares. As if Ashley could read her thoughts, her new friend leaned toward her.
“Chrissy doesn’t usually show. She came with Steph’s friend. I’d bet money she heard you were coming.”
Annie sipped her drink, keeping her head down. “I’m not looking to cause drama.”
Ashley stood close enough to nudge her hip. “Come on. Where’s the fun in that? It’s time she realizes high school is over, life moved on, and she’s not the Belle of the Ball anymore.”
Annie turned toward Ashley. “Hard feelings between you two?”
Ashley frowned. “Long story.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Annie said with a smile. Not for at least a year.
“Let’s have lunch next week. We’re closed on Sundays.”
Annie smiled. Despite everything else swirling like a twister around her, this was what she was looking for. What she craved. People. Friends. Ashley seemed like a perfect start. Well, Ashley and Ben, but she didn’t have any conflicting feelings for Ashley.
“That sounds great. Come to my place. I’ll make you lunch.”
Ashley straightened, turned. “I’m in.”
“Okay,” Stephanie said, standing on a stool so she was a bit taller than her already tall stature. “Here’s how tonight works. We draw numbers, you get your number and go to the assigned table. Every game has a minimum of two players, maximum of four. The winner from each game will compete in a four-person game. There’s lots to eat, be good sports, refill your own drinks, and if anyone beats my sister, please brag loudly.”
“Hey!” Ashley wadded a napkin up, tossed it at Steph, making everyone laugh. She looked at Annie with a sheepish expression. “You lose your temper one time.”
Ben appeared at her side, pretended to cough into his hand. “Every time.” The words were mumbled around the cough but clear enough to make Annie smile.
“I’m not sure I’m cut out for this cutthroat world. Isn’t it just card and dice games?”
Ben gave her a mock glare. “There’s no just, Annie. You need to take this seriously because when I win, I’m going to need you to praise me the whole ride home.”
“I could do that without the games,” Chrissy said, coming up to Ben’s side, putting her hands on his arm.
Annie bit her lip, felt Ashley’s hand on her shoulder. “Let’s grab our numbers.”
Ben shot Annie a don’t leave look, but she just waved and smiled, leaving Ben to his own devices. And Chrissy.
“That was a little mean,” she whispered to Ashley.
“I love Ben like a brother, but the man needs a backbone. He hasn’t been interested in her since high school. It’s time he told her. And her mother.”
Since Annie wasn’t stepping on someone else’s territory—ever—she couldn’t help but agree. Right now, she and Ben were friends. If it went somewhere else, he needed to make sure he didn’t have a bunch of women pining away for him thinking they had a shot.
Luck, or maybe a bit of twin trickery, paired Annie with Ashley for the first game. It was a card game she hadn’t played before. There were two groups of two, two groups of four. The groups of four were playing board games. Ben was paired up with his friend Levi—the twins’ brother, Chrissy, and the woman she’d come with. Steph was paired with a friend of Levi’s and two other women. Ryan was at the table next to Annie and Ashley, also playing a two-person card game with a woman named Taylor. Annie wondered if the groupings changed each week.
After giving a few moments to go over the rules at each table, a timer was set and the games started. Annie had no idea what she was doing, but Ashley took pity on her and walked her through several of her mistakes. There were nine rounds of the game they were playing. Someone had clearly given serious thought to which games and activities could be played because the timing worked perfectly. Ryan and Annie lost at exactly the same time.
Ashley slapped her cards on the table. “Sorry, newbie. No beginner’s luck for you.”
“No wonder people don’t come back,” Steph said from her table. She laughed around the words.
Ashley ducked her head, glanced at Annie. “Sorry. I really am a poor winner. But I’m still fun. I promise.”
Annie could only laugh. She didn’t have much of a competitive streak, and she had fun even with the losing. There was a ten-minute break between the games once everyone’s first game was done. The final game was set up in the middle. Annie could almost see the gears turning in Chrissy’s head. She’d miscalculated in her win because now Ben was back beside Annie as they took a seat on the high back chairs set up at the back of the store. Levi introduced himself and sat across from them, a beer in hand. A few others joined them while Ashley, Chrissy, Levi’s friend, and Taylor took the center table for the playoff.
Annie sank back against her seat, lifting her cola to her lips. She’d switched after one. “This is very serious.”
Ryan nodded, grabbing a handful of chips from the table in front of them. “Ashley’s always been this way. She did track when we were in high school, and the coach had to teach her how to win graciously.”
“To be fair to my sister, she smoked every opponent. It’s hard not to get a big head when you’re that good,” Levi said.
Steph leaned in to grab a couple chips. “You say that because you’re the same. I spent my time baking, and those two spent it competing over absolutely everything.”
“You have any siblings, Annie?” Levi asked.
She shook her head.
“Lucky,” Levi and Stephanie said at the same minute before laughing. It was easy to see that these people, not just the siblings, had a great rapport and bond.
Annie was close to Vivian, but she’d only kept in touch with high school friends on Facebook, and even then, it was more because it seemed rude to deny a friend request.
She couldn’t imagine growing up in one little town and living there her whole life, although she didn’t miss the big city like she’d thought she would.
She listened to them tell stories about high school and college. They moved their way up the years, talking about what they all did now. She’d never had this—the ease of old friendships and knowing people from the time she was young. It felt like something she wanted to be part of. Especially when Ben’s hand quietly slid over hers, linking their fingers.
The moment snapped when Ryan called her name. His tone was enough to make her body tense.
“What’s up, man?” Ben said, his tone serious.
“Tate got arrested for the murder of Gill.”
Annie sucked in a sharp breath, staring up at Ryan, whose gaze burned into her own.
“I was his one phone call, but he asked me to bring you with me to the station.”
She pointed at her chest. “Me? Why?”
Ryan fixed her with a hard glare. “That’s what you’ll explain to me on the drive there.”