- Conversation between Mase, age 25 and Roman, age 25, after the big bad thing
I turnmy beer around in my hand, condensation making the bottle damp.
A low-level buzz is picking up around us in the Lagoon. A local indie musician is setting up on the low stage area at the other end of the room and the retro lanterns cast the tables in a warm amber light. Jarred’s best mate Cooper has the weekend off practice, so he invited me to join them and a few of Cooper’s teammates for a drink.
Despite not going to school with them, I know Jarred and Cooper pretty well. At the end of every season the town hosts the Heart Home baseball game to raise money for the Heart HomeFoundation. The whole event is huge, taking over the school’s field as town locals play against professional MLB players. Vendors set up stalls and I can already picture Lola there, selling her apple fries.
Mase and I still play for the rookie’s team with Jarred each year. Cooper, on the other hand, became one of the few Black players scouted for the big leagues and is now pitcher for the Colorado Cascades. The MLB season means he’s gone a lot this time of year and normally I like catching up with him when he’s around, but it feels wrong without Mase here.
He turned up at my house again earlier this afternoon, only this time he was already six drinks in. I got some aspirin down him and left him sleeping it off on my couch.
I almost called Jarred to cancel but all I was doing at home was either worrying about Mase or thinking about Lola. The Ford siblings are making a habit of messing with my head these days.
I should have called Lola already, but I wanted to talk to Mase about it before I did. A plan which is great on paper but too damn drunk and depressed in real life.
Cooper takes a swig of his beer and leans back into the cushions stacked against the wooden crates turned sofa seats. “So, how’s operation ‘my villas bring all the celebs to the yard’ going?” he asks Jarred.
Jarred grunts. “Well, we’re still not calling it that.”
I snort. “Happen to take any fly balls to the head recently, Coop?”
“Sadly, he’s always been like this.”
Cooper holds his palms out wide. “You got a better name?”
“We don’t need a name,” Jarred insists, putting his glass down on the low crate table in the middle of our little circle. “The whole point is to keep it low key. I said you could share my name witha fewof your friends so I can keep the revenue coming outof season. The last thing I want is a load of celebrities dragging their drama here.”
Cooper’s hand flies to his heart, his mouth agape. “Uh, offended.”
Jarred rolls his eyes. “Don’t be. You’re barely a celebrity.”
I run a hand over my short beard to hide my smile as Cooper melodramas the hell out of it. A year ago, Jarred might have been right, but the Colorado Cascades hired a new social media manager and Cooper’s become somewhat of a TikTok sensation.
“New business venture?” I ask Jarred, my interest piqued despite myself. I guess one thing my dad managed to instill in me is an eye for business and Jarred has one of the best entrepreneurial minds I’ve ever met.
Jarred’s dad and best friend built a series of beach houses down by Surfer’s Bay years ago now and when his dad died Jarred stepped up at only eighteen. No college. Nothing.
Jarred runs a hand through his scruffy blond locks. He’s normally more together but nowadays he just looks tired. “Not exactly. After what happened with Evie, I acquired a bunch of town flats for Heart Home to use as supported living accommodations for care leavers. The beach cabins cover the costs over the summer season but we’re not getting enough out-of-season tourists to keep them going over the winter.”
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask.
Cooper grins. “It was totally my idea.”
Jarred shakes his head. “Sure, Coop.”
Cooper presses a palm to his chest. “I’m your muse.” He spreads himself out across the sofa seat, resting his elbow on Ben, his teammate’s, lap and laying his legs over Jarred’s. “Paint me like one of your French ladies.”
Jarred and Ben shove Cooper off but Jarred sticks his tongue in his cheek to stop from laughing.
Cooper falls to the floor grinning and dusts himself off. The man’s always been a goof, but I have a feeling he’s playing it up more to try and get Jarred out of his own head. I don’t know the full details of what went down with Evie and Jarred’s brother Felix, but the man’s been fighting demons and the court system ever since.
Jarred picks up his NA beer and hides the smile Cooper dragged out of him. “He’s not entirely wrong. A few years back, Cooper’s team started renting one of our villas once the baseball season was over. The players like it because Pine Rock is quiet. They’re just looking for a place to escape so they don’t care that it’s not beach weather every day. Cooper figured there might be other celebrities out there looking for the same thing.” He shrugs. “It’s worth a shot but I’m going to have to vet clients beforehand. I don’t want to bring a shit load of paparazzi down on us. The Heart Home kids have had enough drama.”
“It’s a good idea,” I say, clinking my bottle against Jarred’s. We both take a swig. The cold beer washes down, and a thought occurs to me. “You know, if any of your VIP renters ever need security, might be worth giving Mase a call.”
Jarred looks at me over his beer but doesn’t ask for an explanation, just dips his head. “Noted.”
Mase may not have a plan B, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find him one.
