“Just be open to it, Rachel,” he said. “The rest of the club has found love. He’s always cut himself off from it for reasons not even I understand. Not even his sister understands. He needs someone who knows what it’s like to go through a hell unlike anything any of us have experienced. I…well, you understand.”
I did. I fully did. I just didn’t yet understand why that applied to Mason, as it wasn’t like he was some new hot guy in the circle. I’d had plenty of time to know him in my youth, and—
“We should get going,” Mason said behind Brock. I jumped a little in surprise. “We don’t want to stay in one place too long these days.”
“Hold on a minute, I forgot something,” Brock said, taking leave when he so obviously had not forgotten anything. “Watch her for a minute, will you?”
Christ, I felt put on the spot! At least Mason didn’t know about our conversation—but had Brock told him the same thing when he’d asked the question last night? Oh, Jesus. At the very least, he probably had some idea. He had to have—right?
Luckily, Ididhave feelings for Mason. And I hadn’t forgotten what had happened last night.
“You’re doing such a good job watching me,” I said with a playful smirk.
“You’re easy to watch.”
I didn’t think he meant it flirtatiously. I took it as a compliment anyway.
“You know, I still owe you coffee for the twenty that you gave me. I’d like to—”
“Oh, Christ, you don’t want that.”
He said it so…sadly, almost.
“I’m too fucked in the head, Rachel, you don’t—”
“Don’t coddle me.”
I was kind of surprised at the force with which I spoke. I guessed the decade of healing really had worked.
“I know what I want, and what I want is coffee with you. If it turns out to be as bad as you say it is, then at least we’ll have gotten even for you throwing the twenty at me.”
“I—”
“Don’t make this an argument, Mason.”
He stuffed his hands in his jeans. Any other girl, he probably would have given some sort of lecture to about how he wasn’t worth or safe being around. I didn’t intend to use who I was as leverage, but to make my point, I certainly wasn’t afraid to.
“We gotta get out of town,” Mason said after a sigh, “as it won’t be safe to do so in Santa Maria. And it needs to be a week from now. Shit’s too heavy right now.”
“Give me your number,” I said. “And I’ll contact you in a week.”
“Christ, you’re serious.”
“Yep.”
Mason didn’t crack. He wasn’t the cracking type. But he definitely looked surprised. He ended up giving me his number.
“See, that wasn’t so hard,” I said with a smile. “I’ll contact you in a week.”
I smiled, placing a hand on his arm, and walked to the checkout line. I saw Brock from the corner of my eye, but I was feeling too giddy to say or do anything.
It might have been the best sign yet for my mental health that I could do something like this and feel great about it.
Mason
The fuck just happened?
That wasn’t…no, that was Rachel Reid. It just didn’t feel at all like what I’d expected out of Rachel Reid. Apparently, I had dramatically underestimated her and where her head was these days.
