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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Vera missed Ben terribly, but she was making it through okay. She didn’t allow her sadness to get out of control, and she didn’t watch the news because anything negative made her sad and worried.

To keep her mind off Ben being gone, she focused on work. On Tuesday evening, she received a request for her to travel for work. It would take her to Austin. She thought about telling her boss she couldn’t but what was the likelihood of her running into Logan? He wouldn’t know that she’d gone back to Texas.

She thought about calling Ellis and telling her, but she decided against it. She could do this without any problems.

Her flight was set for Wednesday morning. She was visiting a customer site, providing some technical expertise during a sales visit. They could have arranged a video visit, but the customer wanted to meet with her. She was known for being good at her job. Many customers praised her ability to make them feel good about the product and services they were buying. She knew word got around, and she was proud of her ability to make customers feel better, but sometimes she wished they didn’t want her in person.

When she landed in Austin, she called Frizz to see if she wanted to meet up for dinner. To say Frizz was shocked would be an understatement.

“What in the hell are you doing back in Texas?” Frizz exclaimed.

“Work.”

“Shit. You should have told them you couldn’t travel. What does Ben say?”

“He’s away at the moment.”

“You mean my brother doesn’t know you’re out here? What about another SEAL? Do they know where you are?”

Guilt filled her. These guys had done a lot to get her out of Texas. “Frizz, I have to work. I know you don’t agree with me?—”

“No, it’s not that. I just care about your safety.”

“He won’t even know I’m here. I’m staying at a hotel close to the meeting, going to the meeting tomorrow, then flying home in the evening. I won’t even be here long enough to go visit my old haunts.”

Frizz blew out a breath. “Let me figure out what Justin is up to. I’d like to meet you for dinner.”

“I’ll text you the hotel information. It’s not far from where you two are.”

“Okay, but I’m angry you’re here. I do want to see you, but I’m mad.”

“I understand. Logan won’t even know I’m here. He’s an idiot.”

“Sure, but he’s an idiot who has tried to kill you more than once.”

“I’ll text you the address now. My ride just showed up.”

“God, girl. You’re standing outside at the airport. You need to be more careful.”

“Love you, Frizz. I’ll see you later.”

She sent the address for her hotel once she was in the back of the car. The ride to the hotel wasn’t too long, and she checked in, glad to be in her room and safe.

Frizz sent back a text, telling her they would be there close to six. She was looking forward to seeing her friend. Vera spent the next few hours checking her email and catching up on work she’d missed while flying. When Frizz texted that she and Justin had just pulled into the lot, Vera let out a yelp of excitement and headed down to the lobby.

They picked one of the restaurants they could walk to. The weather wasn’t too hot since it wasn’t the middle of summer, and Vera welcomed the exercise after sitting on a plane.

“Your brother looks nothing like you,” Vera said as they sat down.

Frizz rolled her eyes. “We have the same nose, but no, he doesn’t look like me.”

“How have you been?” Justin asked.

She shrugged. “I honestly like living there. It’s not bad.”

Justin chuckled. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with Hop being close. I mean, that guy makes me think about switching teams.”

Frizz gasped. “It’s my brother.”

Heat ran up Vera’s neck to her face. Frizz had no idea she was sleeping in Ben’s bed. What would she think? Would she be mad about them getting together? They weren’t hooking up. The relationship was serious. It wasn’t just something she was playing at.

Frizz’s laughter died, and she grew serious. “Wait. Why is your face red, and why won’t you look me in the eye?”

Vera shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Frizz’s mouth hung open as she stared. Justin laughed more.

Justin held out a flat palm. “I called it.”

Vera pointed between them as Frizz pulled money from her purse. “What’s this about?”

Frizz’s lips pressed together. “He bet me you’d hook up with Ben, and I said that Ben wasn’t your type.”

Vera bit her lower lip, not sure how much she wanted to tell her friend what had gone on between them. Justin seemed to be enjoying himself, though. Frizz didn’t seem mad about her being with Ben.

Frizz rolled her eyes again. “Let me guess. You two aren’t just hooking up.”

Vera shook her head. “Not hooking up.”

“Jesus. I’m going to kill you both if you break each other’s hearts.”

Now, it was Vera’s turn to laugh. “You are too much. You know I won’t break his heart.”

“I need a drink.”

The waiter came over just then, and they placed their orders for food and drink before turning back to their discussion. They talked about California and the differences from living in Texas. Frizz and Justin were looking forward to their visit, and Vera was glad they were coming.

Living with Frizz in college had made them lifelong friends. She was sad that life had gotten in the way, and they hadn’t dined together as much as they should have. Now that she was living in California, she would need to spend more time nurturing their friendship. Frizz was too good of a person to stay on the periphery.