The butler was frantic when he called, telling him that his wife was gone. He went home and saw her side of the closet was completely empty. Only his suit hanging in the closet.
She was just using this way to force him to fire that woman who is so much like Amy. He knows she is always sensitive about things that are related to Amy, let alone a woman like Amy.
But so what? Grandma is gone, and she has no other family, and her only reliance is him.
When she was younger, she always hid away when she is upset. But now, he is not going to
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11:54
go after her. He will just wait. She will miss all
of this, and will be crawling back soon.
“No one goes looking for her, let me know
when she gets back.”
Chapter 2
Liam got all business–like when the interviewer switched gears, talking about his company. It was like, “Oh, good, finally something I’m interested in, unlike my wife.” I grabbed a glass
of ice water and started working on my resume.
This little town was nice for retirees, but there
weren’t any jobs. I needed to get back out
there.
I was writing until late afternoon, when I finally
stretched, and started to make dinner. A simple
chicken stir–fry and rice, but while I was eating,
I wondered if Ben was still in his studio. Did he,
like Liam when he was working, forget to eat? I
remembered when Grandma was still alive, Liam
would get terrible stomach aches because he
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never ate on time. So I’d pack him a lunch and
bring it to his office. At first, his secretary
would keep me waiting outside for an hour or
two. Eventually, he’d let me in so I could disrupt
him while he ate.
I sighed, grabbed a jacket, and knocked on
Ben’s door. No answer. I was about to leave
when the door swung open. He lit up when he
saw it was me.
“Sarah! I was just painting you! I can’t believe you showed up.” He was holding a brush, his
shirt smeared with paint, a little on his cheek
too. He looked kinda crazy, but his smile was so bright. It kind of made him glow.
“Hey, you haven’t eaten, have you? Want to
grab some dinner at my place?”
Ben clutched his stomach dramatically. “I’m
starving! You’re the best, Sarah! Let me just put
this brush down.”
<
After that, Ben and I fell into a weird routine. He’d eat at my place, then he’d tidy up for me. He even took over all the gardening stuff. I was like, man, if only I had a brother like that. I sent
out a few resumes and got some interview
requests.
The day I decided to leave, I went to say goodbye to Ben, early in the morning. I opened
my door to find his place surrounded by black cars, like some kind of secret service
convention.
I hesitated a minute, then walked over. A bodyguard tried to stop me, but Ben came out and stopped him. The easy–going guy I knew was gone, his face was cold. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his yard, slamming the door. “You guys stay out.” The bodyguards glanced at each other before finally agreeing.
“So, Sarah, you coming to get me for
breakfast?” Ben was back to his old self, like
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nothing happened.
“Actually, I came to say goodbye.”
His voice got loud. “What? Where are you
going?”
I told him about the job interviews. “This place
was cool, but like you said on the mountain,
every day is a new beginning, with unlimited
potential. I need a new life, no regrets.”
“So, you finally let him go?”
I was surprised by that. Ben just shrugged,
“Don’t treat me like some kid. Artists are
always observant.”
It was weird that he was the one to say it, but
he had a point. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Where are you gonna work?”
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“Back in the city.”
I’d thought about going somewhere far from
Liam, but I’d been in that city since I was a kid.
It’s where I grew up, went to school, where my
old friends are. Why move just because of him?
“Then I’m going with you! My family finally
caught up with me.”
