"Borderline" had Kate Reed headed in a direction that a year ago would have made me very happy. But fast forward to the present and that same decision left me cold.

When Kate told Justin she was looking for a casual fling between them with no complications you could tell by the look on his face that he wanted more. He's wanted more from the very beginning of the show but being back in Kate's bed made agreeing to her terms worth it. Still, I knew that wouldn't last long.

Kate & Ben Take A Road Trip

I've always liked Justin and rooted for him and Kate to find their way back. But for a man with such an innate sense of right and wrong, the revelation that he cheated on her definitely put a damper on those hopes. With that in the back of my mind and even though I knew he was joking with Lauren, his response to her walking in on him and Kate in this Fairly Legal quote made me cringe.

Lauren: As your legal council?
Justin: You should be happy you found me with Kate and not a hooker. | permalink

I know he didn't cheat on Kate with a hooker but that line still made me squirm.

Justin was on such a high after winning his case that I knew what was coming. He wanted Kate back, for real and permanently. 

Justin: We can win if we both refuse to lose. | permalink

I really thought that when he pushed, Kate would have gone running in the opposite direction. A year ago she would have. Heck, that's exactly what she did but something has changed.

That something was Ben Grogan. I used to think Kate and Justin had great chemistry but that was before Ben came along. Ben challenges Kate but at the same time seems to accept who she is in a way that Justin never has. There's something about the way Ben looks at Kate that grabs me every time.

And just when I wondered if he was going to crawl back into his arrogant playboy shell and protect himself he came out with a line like this.

Ben: Love is never easy. You don't have to be seventeen you just have to be brave. | permalink

But unfortunately Kate Reed wasn't brave. At least not when it came to her heart. She froze like a deer in the headlights in that hot tub and as much as I hated it, Ben was right to walk away. 

Did anyone else notice the cell phone backgrounds Kate had for Ben and Leo. Leo's was a tropical oasis but Ben's was a brick wall. Ben frustrates Kate and she doesn't know what to do with him.

Kate Reed's scared and that's OK. She's not ready to take the plunge with Ben and that's OK too. What makes her a coward is that she's diving back in with Justin because he's a safe place to hide and I have no doubt that disaster is looming for both of them.