Taming of the Two. Elizabeth Harbison

softened and he said, “I didn’t say that. We haven’t exhausted all the possibilities yet. Not by a long shot.” But he looked doubtful.

      She didn’t care, she’d take it. “I have a Swiss army knife, do you think we can do something with that?”

      “Hand it over. Let’s see.”

      She reached into her pocket, thinking what a good thing it was that she’d gotten a splinter earlier because she’d ended up pocketing the knife after using the tweezers in it.

      But when she handed it to him, he looked at it dubiously.

      “What’s wrong?” she asked.

      “Well.” He turned the knife over in his hand and opened the small blade. “I was sort of picturing something a little bigger. But this might do.”

      He went to the door and started working at the lock.

      Kate went up behind him and watched over his shoulder. “Guess those years of juvenile delinquency might just be coming in handy, huh?”

      He shot a look at her. “I’d hardly say I was a juvenile delinquent.” He worked more on the knob and said, without looking back, “But yeah, I guess you could say so.”

      There was a click and for a moment they both sucked in their breath in anticipation. But when he tried the knob, it was still unmovable.

      He closed the knife and started to hand it back to her.

      “You can’t give up,” she said.

      “I’ve got to. This place is built with security in mind. They designed it exactly so that people couldn’t do what we’re trying to do now.”

      “So that’s it? You’re just…quitting?”

      He laughed softly. “Well, it’s not like we’re going to die here. They open the shop a couple of hours before post time. Someone will be here soon.”

      Kate looked at her watch. “It’s six-thirty in the morning,” she said, her breath feeling tight. “Post time isn’t until seven o’clock tonight.”

      He looked pained. “That’s right. I was thinking 1:00 p.m.”

      “Only on Sundays.” She began to knead her hands in front of her, noticing her palms were growing damp.

      He sighed and leaned back against the counter. “Well, this bites the big one, that’s for sure.”

      To Kate, it felt as if the walls were closing in. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

      “We can’t,” he said absently. “God, you have always been such a bundle of nerves.”

      “I have not!”

      He met her eyes. “Sure you have. Always.”

      Anger rose in her, temporarily obscuring her growing claustrophobia. “How dare you say something like that to me. You, of all people, who did everything you could to make me a bundle of nerves.”

      He shook his head. “I didn’t do anything any kid my age wouldn’t have done.”

      “You did everything that no other kid your age was doing. We all watched, amazed, as you put glue on the teachers’ chairs and gum on the chalkboard and—”

      “Nothing scary about that.”

      “Well, no, not about that—”

      “So what’re you blaming me for?”

      She gave a humorless spike of a laugh. “Plenty. Believe me.”

      He waved the notion away with his hand. “That’s bull. But it’s totally consistent bull. You always made a bigger deal of things than you had to.”

      “So I was nervous and hysterical, is that what you’re saying?”

      He looked her up and down. “That’s about the size of it.”

      “Meanwhile, you were perfect.”

      “Not perfect.” He cocked his head fractionally and very obviously tried to keep from smiling. “Just normal.”

      She made a sound of disgust and threw her hands into the air. “You are amazing.” She walked back to the door to try to figure out some way to work it open. “Absolutely amazing.”

      “Thanks,” he said behind her. “I’ve heard that, but I never thought I’d hear it from you.”

      She glanced back at him. “It wasn’t a compliment.”

      This time he did smile. “I know.”

      She gave him the evil eye as best she could. “Please tell me you’re not staying long.”

      He shook his head. “Just until about seven tonight.”

      “Wha—” She frowned. “You know I mean in town, not in this shop.”

      “Ah, in town. Well, now. That depends how quickly I can get the farm back into shape.”

      “Oh, good Lord, that could take forever,” she said before she realized what she was saying. She quickly added, “You’ve been in the business long enough to know that every time you think you’ve got it figured out, fate throws you another curve ball.”

      He studied her for a moment before giving a single nod. “I’m not looking to hit the ball out of the park.”

      He didn’t offer any more information and even though Kate wanted to know more about what he’d done in the ten years he’d been away, she got the distinct impression that she shouldn’t ask for more.

      In fact, she decided her time would probably be much better spent praying vehemently that someone would come to let them out of here, so she didn’t have to spend any more time at all making awkward small talk with Ben.

      But at least he’d distracted her from her feeling of claustrophobia. There was something to be said for that, because for a moment there she’d actually thought she might totally lose it.

      Why, she couldn’t say. She’d never been claustrophobic before. Those close to her might say she was a little high-strung at times, but never irrational.

      Looking at Ben now, she almost wondered if he’d picked up on her panic and tried to help her by purposely getting her mad instead of scared.

      For the briefest moment, her heart softened toward him. But then she remembered that Ben Devere didn’t make selfless gestures for anyone, least of all for Kate Gregory.