Moriah heard the shower turn on. She peeked around the kitchen door as Ben came out of the bathroom and marched down the hallway. He emerged a moment later, grim-faced, steering a wobbly Jack from the bedroom into the bathroom.
She decided to trust Ben with her friend and returned to the task of retrieving broken crockery off the floor and dropping the pieces into a trash can she had found in the adjoining laundry room. Alicia would be so upset if she came home and found her kitchen like this.
A thump and a groan came from the bathroom then a yelp. She didn't know exactly what was going on in there, but she heard steel in Ben’s voice as it penetrated into the kitchen.
“I don’t care if you don’t want to take a shower,” Ben said. “You stink, man. I’m not letting you near Moriah until you clean up.”
She decided she didn’t envy Jack one bit. He was the larger man of the two, but Ben was built like a rock. If Jack was putting up a fight about taking a shower, she would bet on Ben winning.
The last shard of pottery had been gathered when the bathroom door banged open and Jack staggered out. He was dressed in clean clothes, and his hair was combed. Ben steadied him from behind.
Ben’s longish red hair had curled in the steam of the bathroom, giving him a wild look. His jaw was set. His shirt was drenched. His eyes blazed, but his voice was under control. He spoke to her with a calm that belied those smoldering eyes.
“I think some black coffee might be a good idea, Moriah, if you don’t mind.”
“All the coffee cups are broken,” she said. “Maybe we could go down to the lodge and get some?”
Ben propped Jack against the wall with one hand, reached into his own pocket, and handed her the keys. “Good idea. You drive.”