Chapter Fourteen
Ben
TRYING TO WORK WAS pointless for Ben. He had reread the same email at least three times and still couldn’t remember a word of what it said. His brain refused to focus on anything other than Katherine. It had been five days. Five days since she’d run away like a thief in the night, without so much as a goodbye call or even a measly note. It was hard not to be angry. She should have trusted him. She should have given him the chance to help. Instead, she’d packed up and left as if he didn’t matter. As if what they had shared the last couple of months hadn’t mattered. It was a hard pill to swallow.
A soft knock at the office door was a thankful distraction. He looked up to see Rachel standing there. Normally, she would walk right in. She was trying to be considerate and respect his need for space.
“What’s up?” he asked, trying his best to sound cheerful.
She grimaced. “It’s time to go,” she said, in a voice that revealed her hesitation in telling him the news.
He let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
“I would say I had your attorney on standby, but considering Meredith will be with you, that won’t be necessary. Should I clear your schedule for the rest of the day?”
He looked at the clock and quickly mulled it over. “Probably for the best. I’m sure to be in a shit mood after I’m done with this, assuming my ass isn’t back in jail,” he grumbled.
“Okay. You’re going to be fine. Don’t let him get under your skin. He’s going to try and poke and prod at you. He wants you to hit him,” she lectured.
“I want to hit him. I know he did something. I know Katherine took off because he either threatened her or told her what he was going to do. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be in the same room with him without wanting to kill him,” he seethed.
“I know. It’s going to be tough. Let Meredith do the talking. Tim Marshall knows how to play people. He uses intimidation as a weapon.”
“He isn’t going to intimidate me,” he shot back.
Rachel smiled. “No, I know he won’t. But he is probably going to say things about Katherine to try and piss you off. Keep your cool,” she ordered.
Ben inhaled through his nose, nodding his head. “I will.”
“You know,” she started the sentence and let it hang there.
He raised one dark eyebrow. “I know?”
She shrugged a shoulder, a coy smile on her lips. “He could be easily antagonized as well.”
Ben grinned. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll let him hit me.”
“Not in the face, pretty boy. We don’t want you all scarred.”
He laughed, feeling better about the upcoming meeting with Tim Marshall and the lawyers. It was supposed to be a settlement meeting. Ben was not interested in settling, but Meredith insisted this was the first step. They were prepared for a ridiculous demand; which Meredith would reject. The meeting was supposedly about saving Ben the embarrassment of having the story about his affair with Katherine coming out along with details about his violent side.
It was all a load of bullshit. Ben had nothing to hide. Tim was the one who should have been scared. He was the one who had a mean streak a mile wide and beat up women. If Katherine would tell her side of the story, they could shut Tim down in a hurry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. They had to find another way to beat the manipulative jerk.
“I better get going. Meredith wants to meet before the meeting. I’m sure it’s to give me the same lecture you just did,” he said, standing and grabbing his phone and keys.
He’d been checking his phone religiously every five minutes, hoping to get a message from Katherine, letting him know she was alright. It had yet to come.
“Be good and kick his ass—with words,” Rachel said, giving him a quick friendly hug before he strode down the hall, ready to meet the man who was putting a serious wrench in his happiness.
He arrived at Meredith’s office where the meeting was slated to be held. She gave him the quick lecture, basically telling him to keep his mouth shut. She was to do all the talking. He promised to try. In the back of his mind, he knew that would be far easier said than done.
“Are you ready for this?” Meredith asked, her bobbed haircut in perfect shape, without a single hair out of place.
He nodded. “As ready as I can be.”
She buttoned the jacket she was wearing with the fitted black slacks that gave her a look that said she was there to kick ass and take names. He buttoned his own jacket and followed her as they passed rows of offices before they were at the conference room with lots of windows. He saw what he had come to think of as his nemesis, sitting at the table, a smug look on his face. Tim thought he was going to get the last laugh. Ben had other plans.
“Good afternoon,” Meredith greeted the two lawyers flanking Tim.