A Neat Mess

45 Miles to Go

Running to catch a flight in her work clothes to find Ben's ex-mother-in-law wasn't how Pip imagined spending her first day alone with her crush—especially after he had cunningly violated his wife's privacy. The fact that Ben had taken revenge so quickly gave Pip the impression of someone revengeful and impulsive, which, to her, was strangely attractive.

The only available flight that afternoon left them just enough time to rush to the airport. There was no opportunity for a shower or a change of clothes. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a mint and offered it to Ben, who was lost in thought. His life had turned upside down three times in the last few months—twice that day—and it was about to happen again.

Once Pip and Ben settled into their seats, they discovered they could access the Internet during the flight, which was a huge relief. With a few-hour window and Adele's help, they managed to locate Sam's mother and the address where she had lived fifteen years ago.

"Let's hope she still lives there," Ben said.

"It's a suburban neighborhood," Pip replied. "Even if she's moved, the new owners might have some information."

"You know, I've had so much information thrown at me over the past few hours that I can't figure out why Sam did all this to me...to us. She kept me from seeing Jenna and told me her doctors believed my presence was hindering Jenna's improvement. Is that even true?" Ben sighed.

Pip's heart broke for him. He didn't deserve this treatment. Though she was one of the decision-makers in the matter, her judgment had been based on Sam's input. To them, Ben was a raging alcoholic who became more violent after the death of his young nanny, with whom he'd had an affair—according to Sam. Blake had been right; they had misjudged the entire situation and could be in a world of trouble. Pip didn't have the heart to tell Ben the whole truth.

"I reckon Jenna got worse after you left," she said softly. "I have a feeling we'll be able to put an end to this soon." She caressed the back of Ben's hand.

He hadn't noticed before, but Pip had a tattoo snaking from under her sleeve down her forearm.

"What does it mean?" Ben asked, gesturing to the tattoo.

"Blake doesn't want me to show it in the clinic, so I always have to cover it up," Pip replied, lifting her sleeve to reveal the rest of the design. It depicted a polymer chemical formula represented by three interconnected hexagons. A fourth hexagon connected at a different angle, with O, N, and H at the ends of those lines. Beneath it, it read, "C20H25N3O."

"That is the nerdiest tattoo I've ever seen in my life," Ben chuckled. "Why doesn't Blake have any issues with tramp stamps?"

Pip laughed out loud. "Are you talking about Naz?"

"Hard to miss. She bends over a lot," Ben replied, unable to suppress his laughter.

"No, his issue is only with mine. We have anti-drug abuse programs in our clinic, and he's worried that having a tattoo of LSD might be a little...hypocritical."

Ben pulled Pip's arm closer to examine the tattoo. "That makes sense. But I have to say, you are one eccentric woman. I always sensed there was so much mystery behind that calm face of yours." He had a way of complimenting women that felt genuine rather than creepy.

"I'm guessing you're probably over mysterious women by now," Pip smirked. "I'm actually very open about my messed-up past. You can ask anyone who knows me. But professionally, I can't share anything personal with you until our case is completely over."

"Fair enough," Ben said, grinning. "I can't wait until it's over; I bet you were a wild one."

Their conversation was cut short by the chime that signaled the seatbelt sign had been activated. The cabin crew swiftly informed passengers to return to their seats as the airplane began its descent.