“How are you holding up?” Terri asked.
The joy of watching Shawn and his baby girl bond left Ben’s face as he pondered over how his marriage had failed and hopes of having a child would have to be delayed, but he still smiled, hopeful that his decision to leave Rachel would still prove to be good for his happiness. And sanity. “I am doing well.” Then he leaned in and spoke softly, “We separated a few days ago.”
“Oh Ben, I am sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he exclaimed, then nodded in affirmation. “It had to be done, and I am doing okay.”
She sighed. “Well, we will be praying for you.”
“Yes, yes, I know you will.”
Shawn walked away with Anslee in an obligatory manner, understanding that the subject matter was really between Ben and Terri. They both watched them walk away.
Terri restarted. “If there is anything we can do for you, please let me know.”
“I will, but seriously… I’ll be fine. I’m relieved more than anything.”
“I can imagine it’s a load off, with all that was going on.”
“You are correct.” They both shared a laugh.
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will. See ya.”
Ben began to walk away when he overheard someone say, “Terri!”
“Kate!” Terri replied.
“You did so great tonight.”
Ben turned his head as he gradually walked away and noticed a woman, dressed in a classy, semi-formal dress, approaching Terri. They hugged, and then restarted the conversation. Then suddenly, Terri yelled toward him. “Ben!”
He turned back and looked at her, but not for long.
The woman next to Terri was gorgeous. Stunning. His attention was naturally drawn to her.
“Ben, please come meet my friend,” Terri said.
Ben stepped back toward Terri and her friend. He had never believed in love at first sight; in fact, his experience with love had long been so dismal and disappointing that he believed it was the most ridiculous notion. But he felt something at this moment that he could not explain.
“And who is your friend?” Ben asked.
“Ben, this is Kate Gregory, she is the new assistant district attorney and her office is right here in Freeden. We went to Chapel Hill together. She just moved here from Charlotte.”
Ben shook her hand, and they made eye contact. “I see. Well, Freeden is quite a different place from Charlotte.”
“Yes, you could say, that,” she replied, smiling.
“Ben Bailey,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Gregory.”
“Wow,” she replied, “you’re quite the gentleman to be calling someone your own age Miss anything.” The two shared a laugh. “Call me Kate.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kate,” he said.
Terri jumped in. “Ben is a local attorney. He has his own firm here in Freeden.”
“What kind of law do you practice?” Kate asked.
“Criminal law.”
“Then we will likely see quite a bit of each other, I would imagine?”
“Perhaps we will. I practice more cases outside the county than here though.”
“Wait, didn’t you perform tonight too?”
“Yes, he is an extraordinary baritone,” said Terri.
“Is that right?” Kate asked.
He chuckled. “I would not say that. But thank you for the compliment, nonetheless.”
Kate noticed him, and that excited Ben. He was awed by her beauty and kindness. For once, it did not seem forced or awkward for Ben to encounter small-talk.
“He is very good, don’t let him fool you,” Terri said.
“A man of many talents,” Kate said. “I’m impressed.”
Ben smirked. “Well, when you practice criminal law in a small town, you have to do something that’ll make people like you.”
Kate and Terri both laughed at the comment.
He looked at Kate, wondering if he’d be rejected. What the hell, go for it. Then he said, “Perhaps I could show you around town sometime?” Ben thought Kate looked shy suddenly, though she had not looked this way the entire conversation.
“That would be great, Kate,” Terri spoke for her. “Ben knows so much about the area. This is his hometown, too.”
“Well,” Kate said as she smiled, still appearing a bit nervous, “I suppose that would be nice.”
Ben could not tell if she felt obligated because Terri had forced the notion on her, or if she truly wanted to, but he really did not care. She had agreed to it. There was something about Kate he instantly admired. Sure, she exemplified beauty and seemed to have a nice, approachable personality, but something about her seemed down-to-earth and genuine. It felt unlike anything he had ever felt before.
“Let’s do it soon,” Ben said.
“Yes,” Kate said, appearing less anxious now. “Let’s do that.”
Ben, who worried he would not shine in small-talk situations, figured he had better leave while he was ahead. Despite the fact that so many people thought he possessed an incredible ability to talk to anyone and comfort them from the beginning, he did not have the same confidence in himself.
“Well, I’ll let you guys go,” he said. “Terri, you did an amazing job tonight on your solo. Kate, it was nice to meet you and I’ll look forward to seeing you again soon.”
“Take care,” Terri said genuinely.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Kate followed. “Bye.”
Kate’s smile spoke to Ben. He could not put his finger on it, but there was something very special about her. He hoped to get to know her. She, like Terri, seemed to be a breath of fresh air amid the toxic environment that was Freeden.
As Ben walked away, Dwight peeled from a nearby conversation with out-of-town regulars at the concert hall.
“My good friend, Ben.” Dwight exclaimed.
“Did it again, Mr. Kerry.” Ben replied.
They hugged. Dwight did his usual kiss on the
