He looked at her frank expression and answered with a question of his own. “Why are the details of my personal and private life seen as matters of public record?”
“You’ve been on the news multiple times. That makes you a celebrity or at least a public figure,” she replied.
“I was never given a choice to be in these stories. I was forced into each and every situation and no matter how hard I’ve tried to avoid the attention of the press they won’t leave me alone. I never asked to be a celebrity. I don’t want to be a public figure. I’m a private person. I find it offensive to be asked such personal questions by strangers. If someone approached you in a mall and asked you about your sex life or some other intimate detail how would you feel? Wouldn’t you at the very least feel uncomfortable?”
He could see their expressions were closing up. He’d offended them and made them feel defensive for their curiosity. “I’m sorry if you feel like you’ve been cheated from hearing the ending of a book you’ve been given titillating samples of but the ones you should be angry with are the ones who wrote about me without my permission.”
“Wait! What about the statue! If you didn’t want public exposure why pose for the statue and put it on international TV?” a third woman insisted rather belligerently.
The first woman who spoke to him looked curiously at the third as she obviously had no knowledge of the statue in question. The belligerent woman pulled up the image on her cell phone, quicker than she could have browsed for it. She must have saved a picture of it on her phone. She gave Ben an embarrassed glance. The woman seeing the statue for the first time gasped and looked at Ben with wide eyes.
Ben once more cursed the damned statue.
“I only agreed to pose for the statue because the artist was the cousin of a very good friend of mine. She’d recently undergone a traumatic experience and had lost her interest in art. She did abstract sculptures and she’s blind so it seemed safe enough at the time. I had no idea the sculpture was going to turn out to be so… accurate. I had no idea they were going to have a press conference and expose the damn thing to the world.”
“Hold on, the artist was a woman and she’s blind?” the angry one asked.
“Yes.”
“How?” The confusion on the faces of the group was clear.
“She mapped me in her mind by touch.” The moment Ben said it he regretted it as he could see the mental wheels turning as the women imagined the process. “It wasn’t sexual. It was art,” he growled.
“Mrs. Thompson? You can go in now. Examination room two,” one of the ladies behind the counter called out.
Mrs. Thompson turned out to be the angry one. She looked frustrated to be called away from their interrogation of Ben. She was slow to get her stuff and Ben sighed in relief when he spotted Tina moving towards him on her crutches. Her doctor was following with a smile on her face as she looked excitedly at Ben.
Ben wondered why the doctor was so excited. Did she have news about the baby?
The woman who’d asked for a source for the truth about him didn’t see Tina coming and leaned forward. “So all of the stuff we’ve seen about you on the news and read in that Peeps article was lies?”
Ben looked back to the woman with a frustrated look. “No, I’m not saying that. Much of what you saw on the news happened as they said. I have no idea what was said in that magazine.”
“It was lies!” Tina barked as she bristled at the woman. “I do not know why she said such mean things about Ben but they were lies to hide the truth about how she abandoned a man deeply in love with her.”
“Tina,” Ben said firmly and she clamped her lips closed but her eyes panned across the other eyes in the waiting room in challenge. Ben smiled at her fierceness.
“How did you break your leg?” the angry woman asked.
Tina’s doctor answered as she’d read the report. “A reporter pushed her over a store display when he accosted her in a grocery store and she wouldn’t answer his questions about Ben. Any other offhand accusations you’d like to make?” The accuser had the good sense to keep her mouth closed as Tina glared at her.
Another doctor, an older man, walked out into the waiting area looking for his patient. “Mrs. Thompson, please come along- Mr. Shepherd?!?” The doctor smiled in surprise. He stepped up as Ben stood up. He held out his hand and Ben just automatically shook it. “It’s truly an honor to shake your hand Mr. Shepherd. What you did for those girls in France! Really inspirational!”
“As I said to the police, it was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the right time,” he said modestly.
“But you acted and five girls are free today because of you. I understand you were instrumental in breaking the slavery ring!” the man gushed.
“What? No, that was an exaggeration. I played a small part. The police did the real work,” Ben deflected then looked over at Tina’s doctor who was still smiling at him. “How is Tina?”
The male doctor suddenly realized he’d been gushing and grinned at Ben as he turned away to gather up his annoyed patient.
“Tina is in optimal health. Everything is progressing normally,” she replied.
“That’s good to hear. I thought you had some other information as your expression when you came out seemed kind of expectant.”
“Oh! Sorry, I was just looking forward to meeting you in person. I’m also a fan of yours,” she said with a smile.
Ben heard a snort and looked to the other women in the waiting room and they gave him a look.
“Aren’t you going to chastise the doctors for treating you like a celebrity?” the truth seeker asked.
“Neither of them asked me personal or embarrassing questions and this woman is taking excellent care of Tina so she’s earned my gratitude.” The doctor smiled at that. “Listen, I’m not asking for anything outrageous. I’d just like to keep my private life, private. Something everyone deserves. You do, so why don’t I? Come on Tina, let’s go. Thank you doctor.” He shook the woman’s hand and she smiled back at him.
Ben led Tina to the elevator bank and got them out into the parking garage. He helped her up onto the seat and carefully got her crutches in beside her. As he got them on the road he frowned as the conversation went round and round in his head.
“Ben?”
“Hmm?”
“I am sorry those women treated you badly,” she said sadly.
Ben glanced over at her. “It’s fine. No one likes to have a failing pointed out to them. I must have touched a sore spot when I said they were all reading gossip.”
“I would like to punch their sore spots.”
Ben barked out a surprised laugh at Tina’s tough words. He stopped for a red light and looked at the beautiful and petite woman next to him in delight. She smiled impishly back at him. She always knew how to lighten his mood. His heart swelled with love for the woman.
That made him think about the club he’d attended the night before. He really wanted to take Tina and Lucy there. He’d said as much to them at breakfast this morning.
As the twins needed to get home early they woke early and he got them back to their house in time to have breakfast with their mom. On the way he’d asked them point blank if they wanted to move in with him. They looked a little worried so he said he was fine with whatever they decided. Feeling a little better they said that they needed to stay with Daphne as their mother needed them. They hoped to be able to continue to have the occasional night out with him, overnights especially and he assured them that he was good with that. They really wanted to attend another social get together with Pepin’s group when Tina and Lucy could join them. They got giggly thinking about it.
Ben tried but couldn’t imagine the reaction of the group if he showed up with four subs.
When he asked them if they’d removed the… gifts he’d given them the previous night they got giggly about that too but finally said they had. They were only for special get togethers.
He drove them home and got Tina set up in the kitchen. He pulled the ingredients out and started to make cookies for tonight’s group therapy session.
“When will you be able to go back to see Dr. Granger?” Tina asked.
Ben nodded as he mixed the cookie batter. “I’ll talk with Hannah about it tonight. If Dr. Granger is available I may be able to talk with her before I head to Milan this weekend. I won’t begin any of the hypnotherapy until I get back from Australia as you know how it affected me last time. I don’t want to be travelling with some of my noodles loosened.”
Tina smiled at him but he could see the concern in her eyes.
He put the cookie dough on the tray and slid it into the oven. He enjoyed these domestic moments with Tina. It brought him such a warm feeling of security.
“Where will Rain be staying until the house is ready?” Tina asked.
“Trish said that she could stay with her until the place was ready. Speaking of which according to Dominic the house is going to be move in ready not this Saturday but the next. We need to pick out furniture. I’ll be picking up Rain from the airport tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we can all go out for dinner then go choose furniture for the house.”
“That sounds like fun! I’m sure the girls will be very excited about that! Could you bring me my tablet so I can text them?” Tina smiled. Ben nodded.
He put the cookie pan into the oven and set the timer. He collected Tina’s tablet for her then tidied up the kitchen while he waited for the cookies.
“They are both excited about going shopping for furniture,” Tina said.
“They’re going to need groceries, cookware, utensils, glasses, flatware, sheets, and towels.” Ben looked at Tina feeling just a little overwhelmed.
“Ben, please let me take care of this for you.”
He looked at her gratefully and walked over to give her a kiss. “Tomorrow morning I’ll go to the bank to get you a cash card with access to an account to cover the expenses.” She nodded happily. She had something she could do for Ben. She opened a spreadsheet on her tablet and began making a list of all of the items the new house would need. It felt so good to be helping!
Ben walked over to the front window and saw Dominic’s truck was still in front of the house. He heard the timer ring. He walked back to the kitchen and took the cookies out to cool on the counter. The smell of warm peanut butter filled the room.
“I’m going to go speak with Dominic for a second about the renovations on your old place as well as Hernandez’ kitchen. Tina just nodded as her mind was occupied with her the shopping list. He kissed her cheek and headed out.
He found Dominic in the living room standing next to a table he set up with plans rolled out on it.
“Hey Ben! What’s up?” the big man boomed out.
“I understand it’s end of season for your team but I was wondering if you’ll have any people available to do a few kitchen and bathroom renos when you are done with this place?”
“A few? Did you buy more homes?”