His knee was throbbing. Was it a good throbbing that indicated healing or a “wow, you really overdid it today” kind of throbbing? Probably the latter. But being back in the office for a full day had been nice. And driving. Gosh he’d missed driving. Paige might try to convince Jackson to cut back on his driving and bike to the Metro, but Ben didn’t see that ever working for himself. Thankfully, Rebecca didn’t have those same sustainability-focused tendencies that Paige had. Not that Rebecca was a going concern in his life anymore.

The reminder was a fresh knife through his heart. But she’d been pretty clear that whatever her complications were, keeping them secret was more important to her than letting him help her unravel them. And there wasn’t a future with someone who didn’t trust you. There just wasn’t. Couldn’t be. Maybe if he kept reminding himself, he’d start to believe it.

Jackson tapped on Ben’s window. “You coming in, or planning to sit in your car the rest of the night?”

Ben pushed the door open. “I was getting there. The thought of walking was making me cringe though.”

“Come on, I’ll get your bag of peas out of the freezer and you can prop your leg up. Wanna split the pizza I ordered?”

His stomach gurgled. “Yeah. I could go for that`. Any chance you put mushrooms on half?”

“I do mushrooms now, but I draw the line at olives.” Jackson held out his hand. “Give me your laptop bag. No sense in you hauling more than you need to.”

“Thanks, man.” Ben eased out of the car. At least there weren’t shooting pains when he put weight on his knee. But it wasn’t comfortable, that was for sure. After locking the car, he hobbled after Jackson.

“So other than overdoing it, how was it being back at the office?” Jackson set Ben’s laptop bag down at the edge of the couch and tossed Ben the bag of frozen peas he’d snagged on their way through the kitchen from the car port.

Ben sat and arranged the make-shift ice pack, sighing as the cold seeped through his pants to his aching knee. “It was good. They’re a great bunch of people, and email and video chat isn’t quite the same. What about you? Anything earth shattering in the world of political lobbying these days?”

“Not really. Still kind of feel like I’m in the newbie phase, even though I’ve got plenty of projects that are solely my responsibility. They believe in chucking you into the deep end and seeing how well you do. Did you see Senator Carson may be resigning?”

Ben winced. “I honestly haven’t paid attention since you quit working for her. Frankly, I didn’t pay a ton of attention when you did. But I’m sorry to hear it.”

Jackson nodded.

The garage door slammed shut and Zach strode into the living room. “Please tell me someone will go in on pizza with me.”

“Already on the way.” Jackson grinned.

“Finally, something goes right. It’s been an insane day.” Zach’s gaze landed on Ben’s knee. “Overdid it?”

Ben laughed. “Yes, Mom. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Whatever. You’re the one with peas on your leg.” Zach pulled a chair from the dining room table closer to the couch and stretched out, resting his feet on the coffee table.

“Why was your day insane?” Ben shifted the peas to a different angle on his knee.

“Just the joy of working in an underfunded school system, probably. But they’re trying to ‘encourage’ staff to volunteer for extracurriculars. Like I have nothing better to do. I love my students, don’t get me wrong, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help them succeed. But I’m a math teacher. I don’t need to be coaching a sport or doing theater or whatever madness they’re dreaming up for me to do. By the time I teach, plan, and grade, I’ve already put in twice the hours they pay me for.” Zach stood and paced to the kitchen, then back. “And yet when I say something along those lines—more tactfully, mind you—people treat me like I’m evil and trying to take advantage of the school by not pitching in.”

“By people, you mean Amy?” Jackson arched a brow.

Zach sighed. “Yeah. Primarily.”

“That’s a tough place to be.” Jackson stood when the doorbell rang.

Ben snorted. “Like he has any idea, Mr. Perfect Relationship over there. You can join me on the ‘why bother’ side of the couch.”

“Right. Do you not remember my summer?” Jackson set the pizza down on the coffee table and flipped open the lid. An amazing aroma, a mix of spicy sausage, mushrooms, and oregano, filled the air.

Zach offered Ben and Jackson plates before sliding a slice onto his own, tendrils of cheese stretching nearly a foot before he managed to break and scoop them on top of a piece. “I’m not moving to bitter and jaded land just yet. But save me a spot, just in case.”

“I’m not bitter and jaded.” Ben dragged pizza onto his plate and leaned back. “I just don’t understand women. I think that part’s incredibly clear. I mean, seriously, if you have a complicated problem, wouldn’t you talk about it and try to get it figured out instead of just yammering on about it?”

“You really don’t get women, do you?” Jackson sucked in air around his bite of pizza. “They don’t want solutions, they just want to vent. You’re supposed to say ‘there, there’ and pat them on the back. Then, if they ask, you can suggest how to fix it. But you never offer. Ever.”

“Women ought to come with instruction manuals.” Ben crammed a wedge of pizza, dripping with cheese, in his mouth. Was there anything more frustrating than women? How was he supposed to know that all he was supposed to do was sympathize with her? When you mention how complicated something is that many times, it sounds like you’re looking for a solution. It just did.

Zach snickered. “I imagine they think the same about us. Nothing new on the Rebecca front since yesterday then, I take it?”

“Nope. She sent a few caustic emails about my catering suggestions for the open house at the mission downtown. Otherwise, she hasn’t said anything. Speaking of that, though...do you think Paige would have any interest in putting together a proposal?”

Jackson shrugged. “Ask her. Things seem pretty stable at the restaurant now, so she might have time to pick up catering again.”

“Should I call the restaurant?” Ben eyed the pizza. The slices were huge, but awfully tasty. One more wouldn’t hurt. He slid a second slice onto his plate.

“Nah. I’ll shoot you her email.” Jackson wiped his fingers on his jeans and reached for his phone. “When the pizza’s done, who’s up for a game?”

“Read my mind.” Ben caught a drip of sauce with his tongue. “You in, Zach?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Thanks for meeting me. I really hate doing this kind of consult over the phone if I can help it.” Paige spread papers out in front of her on the table. Two chefs worked in the kitchen, their banter barely audible over the music playing. “Do you mind sitting in here? I want to be close in case there’re any issues with prep.”

“This is fine.” Ben shifted in the booth, trying to find an angle that didn’t make his knee throb. He was going to have to talk to the doctor about that sooner than later. Or maybe his physical therapist on Thursday. Would he see Rebecca? He steeled himself, pushing away the dull ache in his chest. If he did, he did. He and Rebecca were still working together, after all. He’d have to see her again at some point. “I really appreciate you doing this.”

Paige grinned. “Hey, business is business. And since the transition seems to be pretty well under control, catering is back on the menu, so to speak. Not that we’ve had a ton of potential clients banging down our door, mind you, but I did turn a few people away right at the start. Needed to be sure I could handle it. Or that I had enough staff who could.”

“Makes sense.” Ben flipped open the folder he’d brought along and offered Paige the top sheet. “This is what I’ve been giving the other companies I’ve asked for bids, but I’m open to suggestions. I know you probably have your own take on things, and since you have such a unique twist on food, I get that you’ll need to make adjustments. But it should be a general guideline, I hope.”

Paige scanned the page and nodded. “Yeah, this is great. You’re better prepared than I expected.” She glanced up and met his eyes. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand what you’re saying. But, unlike my roommate, fundraisers are part of my bread and butter. And, in the interest of friendliness, I’ll let you know that what’s come in so far has seemed incredibly overpriced. So I’m hopeful that your bid will be more in the realm of sanity.”

Paige let out a short laugh. “All right, I’ll do what I can. I did bring a few sample menus for you to look at—that might help get me pointed in the right direction.”

Ben took the pages and skimmed them, his mouth watering as he read the descriptions.

“While you read, can I ask if Rebecca said anything about Sunday? I really enjoyed getting to know her and...well, Jackson can tell you, I don’t make friends all that easily. I was thinking I might see if she wanted to hang out again.”

What should he say? It was a good idea. The two of them—honestly, all three ladies—had appeared to have a great time. But with things the way they were, could he give out Rebecca’s number without her getting annoyed? Still, a new friend was always a good thing. Right?

“I think you should definitely get in touch with her. Did she give you her number?”

Paige nodded. “She gave me her card and put her email on the back. You think she’d be open to it?”

At least he wouldn’t be on the hook for giving out her info. She’d said she had fun. Ben nodded. “I do.”

“Cool. What about those menus? See anything that whets your appetite?”

Ben flipped the papers down on the table and tapped the one that was most interesting. “I like this one. And it seems...upscale but not pretentious?”

She laughed. “That’s a good description. I might have to start referring to it that way in-house. All right, that gives me everything I need. I’ll email something today—though it might be later tonight, after we close. So don’t look for it ‘til tomorrow.”

“Great. Thanks, Paige.” Ben stood, his knee practically singing with relief as it moved out from under the table.

“My pleasure. Say hi to Rebecca for me. And let her know I’ll be getting in touch?”

Ben offered a tight smile. Hopefully she’d take that as assent. And if Rebecca was open to getting together, then maybe neither of them would key in to the fact that he hadn’t said anything in advance.