“You did what?” Sara thumped down on Rebecca’s couch and stared at her friend, mouth agape.

Rebecca sat in the chair opposite and wrapped her arms around her knees. Sara was supposed to have understood. Why didn’t she? “Someone leaked all this to the press. That’s why I got asked not to come back to the mission, why I had to go and talk to my dad, make that statement. If that hadn’t happened...”

“You’d still be trussed up in your lie, letting the best thing that ever happened to you slip through your fingers. Honestly, Rebecca. The man tells you he loves you and you accuse him of keeping secrets?”

Put that way...she hunched her shoulders. “But he knew, Sara. The whole time. So who’s to say it wasn’t him that tipped off a reporter?”

“If you believe that, even for a second, you’re an idiot.”

Jen burst through the door. “Sorry it took so long, traffic is nuts. I don’t know where everyone thinks they’re going on a Sunday afternoon, but it’s making it hard for those of us who actually do have places to be. What’d I miss?”

“Ben came for lunch. Rebecca told him the truth. Being an enterprising sort and not a moron, he’d already pieced it together. Since he didn’t get upset and storm off, Rebecca then accused him of hiding secrets until he did finally storm off. After telling her he loved her, mind you. Now she’s accusing him of being the leak that got her name back in the sidebars of obscure magazines.” Sara patted the seat next to her on the couch.

Jen sat and blew out a breath. “Please tell me that was exaggerated.”

Rebecca shook her head. “Why don’t you guys get it?”

“You can’t honestly think it’s Ben. It could just as easily have been me or Sara. Or Jerry. Didn’t you say he knew?” Jen kicked off her shoes and crossed her legs.

Jerry. He was a possibility she hadn’t considered. But she knew him well enough...and he’d been open about the fact that he’d put it together. No. It couldn’t be Jerry. Rebecca shook her head. “I’ve known Jerry long enough to trust him. Same with you two. It has to be Ben.”

Jen sighed. “Gee thanks. Didn’t Jerry tell you at the mission? Couldn’t someone completely unrelated have overheard? Or the Board? Did he tell them?”

“He said he didn’t.” Rebecca chewed on her lower lip as other possibilities presented themselves. The walls at the mission weren’t particularly sound proof. He’d closed the door...but if someone had been in the hall, they could’ve easily overheard. “Say someone did overhear, what possible benefit could there be to telling someone?”

“Money? Jealousy? Anger?” Sara ticked off the options on her fingers as she said them.

Other than money, none of them made sense. Rebecca got along well with the people at the mission. Sure, there were little things now and then when she didn’t like how things were organized. And yeah, Jerry took her suggestions seriously more often than not. Was that because of her donations? She didn’t want her ideas put into place simply because of her money. She’d have to ask Jerry about that. “I guess money’s a possibility. But I just don’t think it’s likely.”

“Even if it’s not likely, it’s possible. And, in my mind, more probable than it being Ben.” Jen looked at Sara. “Isn’t there something about innocent until proven guilty?”

“Oh, ha, ha.” Rebecca frowned. “Like either of you would have done any differently in the same situation.”

“Uh, yeah we would’ve. Have you looked at him? Plus he’s a Christian. He’s kind.”

“Gentlemanly.” Jen piped up, nudging Sara with her elbow. “And did she tell you about the kisses? Being a good kisser can make up for all kinds of other failings.”

“Mmm. It’s true.” Sara angled her head to the side. “What are you going to do?”

Other than find new best friends? “I don’t know. I’m still not convinced that I’m wrong.”

“Then that’s where I’d start.”

Rebecca looked at Jen. “What do you mean?”

“If you want to be sure it’s Ben, then you need to rule out the other options.”

It wasn’t a terrible idea. Not a great one, either. But not terrible. “And how, exactly, do you propose I do that?”

“Thanks for meeting me, Jerry.” Rebecca cradled her cup of coffee between her hands.

“Of course. What can I do for you?” Jerry sat across from her at the tiny table in the jammed coffee shop a few blocks away from the mission, just on the edge of the business area in the city.

She rubbed the back of her neck. Where was she supposed to start? “I was wondering if you’d mentioned to anyone what you found out about me.”

“No...I didn’t see any reason for people to know. And I figured if you went to such lengths to hide it, then you probably didn’t want just anyone to hear about it. Why?”

Rebecca sipped her drink. It was what she’d expected him to say. Was that because she believed him or because he obviously wouldn’t admit to having spread the word after she’d asked him not tell? The lines were blurred. Who was she supposed to trust? She’d known Ben for a summer ten years ago and a few months now. And yet...she wanted to trust him. Still, look at her dad, she’d trusted him...and wasn’t going back down that road. She’d forgiven him, she wasn’t going to hold on to the hurt. She wasn’t. So. Jerry or Ben? Or both? “Do you think there’s any way someone could have overheard you talking to me about it?”

“Yeah, I guess. What’s this about?”

“I’m trying to figure out how I got tracked down to the mission. I just don’t understand the sudden interest.”

“Ah. Ben told you about the meeting at Bread of Heaven, I take it? I’ll tell you what, you’ve got a champion in him. He nipped any negative aspersions right in the bud and made it very clear they weren’t going to fly. I think if he hadn’t been so thorough they would have tried to back out of the open house. At this point, there aren’t any objections from them about your involvement. And I’m using that to try and convince the Board that you’re a needed part of the ministry. The kids miss you.”

Ben had stood up for her? Before she’d told him the truth? In fact, he hadn’t asked any questions yesterday. She’d been prepared to argue, to have to convince him that the stories weren’t true. Why did he just accept her word? Did she dare do the same? “I miss them, too. I appreciate you talking to the Board, Jerry. But if they don’t want me, maybe it’s better if I stay away.”

The color drained from Jerry’s face. “No. Rebecca, you’re...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll still give. You don’t have to worry about the funding.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He looked down at the table. “Not entirely, at least.”

She gave a wry chuckle. “I know how tight the budget is, Jerry. I’m not going to take the support away. But maybe it’s time for me to find another way to use my free time.”

Jerry’s eyes searched her face. “I still consider you a valuable member of the team.”

“Thanks. That means a lot. Maybe down the road I can figure a way to come back. But for now, I think it’s better if I make a clean break.”

“What about the open house? I really don’t have time to be in charge of it on top of everything else. Ben’s already been flooding me with email this morning.”

Her chest constricted. Had he just assumed she wouldn’t keep working with him? “Are you sure the Board won’t mind?”

“They said to get the work done. Since I can’t handle it, it’s up to me to delegate. They don’t need to know. Plus, you’ve put in so much effort already, you should get to see it through to the end. Please?”

She sighed. “I’ll talk to Ben. If he’s still willing to work with me, then fine.”

“Why wouldn’t he be? If that boy’s not in love with you, he will be soon. And having spent a little more time with him on Friday, for what it’s worth, I think the two of you would be great together.”

His words were like a knife twisting in her heart. He wasn’t the first to say it—hadn’t her mom, Sara, and Jen all made the same comment? So why did it suddenly matter? She flicked the corner of the paper heat shield on her coffee cup. Why did trusting someone take so much effort? She managed a slight smile. “Thanks. Things are complicated.”

Jerry scoffed. “That’s life. And love is maybe more complicated than anything else. At least if it’s worth your time it is. I never pegged you as someone who was looking for the easy way out, not when you work so hard with the kids at the mission to help them succeed and give them a chance to rise above the scant opportunities they have. Don’t wuss out and think that if it’s not something you can control one hundred percent that it’s not worth your time. Why not step back and give the complicated part to God, see what He does with it?”

“I’m not...” Rebecca stopped and pressed her lips together as reality crystallized. Letting go had never been her strong suit. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Atta girl.” Jerry patted her hand as he stood. “Now, I need to get back to the mission. Let me know what last minute things you need from me for the open house, but otherwise, I’m going to be counting on you to handle it.”

She watched him leave, the coffee in her stomach turning to acid. Handle it. Which meant Ben. Which meant...humble pie. Rebecca blew out a breath. Better to get it over with than have it hang over her head.

“Knock knock. Got a minute?” Rebecca held her breath as Ben looked up from his computer monitor. His eyebrows lifted as a mix of expressions flitted across his face before finally settling into a mask of polite welcome.

“I guess. Come on in. Did we have an appointment?”

Her heart sank. He was so stiff and formal. Clearly irritated, not without a good reason, but it didn’t make apologizing any easier. Rebecca trudged in and perched on the edge of one of the chairs facing his desk. “You know we didn’t. I...came to apologize.”

“Ah. Maybe it’d be better to save that conversation for a time when I’m not at work.” Ben shifted his attention back to his monitor.

He might have meant it as a dismissal, but Rebecca wasn’t buying. She bristled then took a deep breath and reminded herself to stay calm. It wasn’t going to help anyone if she let him push her buttons. “Maybe. But I’m here now, and I’d just as soon go ahead and say it. I’m sorry, Ben, for not trusting you from the beginning. I don’t imagine you’ll believe me, but I almost told you my real name a thousand times when we were at camp. And then, when you came for physical therapy, it was like a dream. Or a nightmare. I should have told you right away. I’m sorry I didn’t. And more, I’m sorry for yesterday. All of it.”

“Don’t be sorry for the enchiladas, they were fantastic.” Did she see the barest hint of a gleam in his eye? At least his tone had thawed. A little.

The tightness in her chest loosened. She swallowed. “Can you—will you—forgive me? Please?”

He held her gaze for several long heartbeats before nodding. “Yeah. I spent most of last night and this morning trying to convince myself to move on. I didn’t make much headway. All I really managed was to spend a lot of time thinking about and praying for you. I was going to wait and call on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday.”

She laughed, the tension in her muscles easing. “I’m glad I came by today...I would’ve been a wreck by then. I love you, Ben Taylor.”

A slow smile spread over his face, morphing into a goofy grin as he stood and walked around his desk. He pushed his office door shut before tugging her into his arms. It was like being wrapped in a toasty blanket, snug, comfy. Home. He touched his forehead to hers. “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I love you, Rebecca.”

She rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss that still had her nerve endings on fire before she eased back. He kept his arms looped loosely around her waist. “So.”

He laughed. “So?”

“Since I’m here, is there anything I need to know about the fundraiser?”

Ben searched her face. “You talked to Jerry.”

She nodded.

“He told you about Friday.”

She nodded again.

“I wanted to tell you, but...”

“I hadn’t told you who I was yet. I’m not mad. I was. But I’m not anymore. He told me you stood up for me. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone did that.”

Ben shook his head and released her, moving back around his desk to sit. “You need to read your father’s interviews more carefully.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? I read them.”

“Take some time tonight and give them another look. I think you’ll find he’s your biggest champion.”

Dad? Clearly Ben was seeing something she didn’t. Never hurt to look, though she didn’t believe she’d find anything she wasn’t expecting. Still, maybe it would give her another lead to chase to figure out who told the press she was at the mission. “All right.”

“I think the open house is under control.” Ben paused and cleared his throat. “Since we’re working on openness and honesty here, I emailed a friend of Jackson’s who has some fairly impressive computer skills to ask if he could dig around, see if he might find any ideas where the press got info about you being in D.C.”

Rebecca raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“I figured if I could help you find the real culprit, then maybe you’d forgive me.”

She snickered. “Culprit seems a bit harsh, but the idea is nice. Has he gotten back to you?”

“He’s chasing a few leads, but apparently thinks he might be on to something. Does the name...hang on...” Ben grabbed his phone and swiped the screen several times. “Carl Perkins mean anything to you?”

“Maybe. There was a guy at my high school named Carl. I don’t really know his last name. He was a jock. Star quarterback. Played basketball and lacrosse, too. Dated anyone who’d go out with him. And I use the term ‘dated’ loosely. I think his reputation might even have been worse than mine. And his was real.”

“Hmm. Can you find out his last name?”

“I’ve got my yearbooks at home. But what possible reason could he have?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a trail Colin’s following. I’ll keep you posted.”

She smiled and leaned across the desk to kiss him. “Do that.”