“May I offer you some advice? And you can take it from someone who’s twice your age.”
“Of course.”
“Mason is like quicksilver and just as hard to pin down. If I were lucky enough to earn his love, I’d find any way to hold on to him. Don’t let what might’ve happened years before you reconnected keep you from the best thing that might ever happen to you.”
“Thank you.”
Jude ended the conversation and spent the next several minutes scrolling through his phone, looking at pictures of Mason and him from the past weeks together as well as the wedding. Did he care if Mason had slept with his former boss? Was it any different than having Mason in his bed at night and sitting across from him during the day?
Am I being a hypocrite?
Jude had always prided himself on not allowing his dick to drive his business decisions, and he’d had plenty of opportunities over the years to indulge. Pryce and Russell had both given him signals he’d squashed immediately as being inappropriate, and several times at client meetings he’d received subtle hints that a more personal level of interaction would be welcome, but he’d never acted on it.
I need to get out of here.He picked up the phone. “Miriam, can you handle my calls for the rest of the day? Anything pressing, funnel to Tasha.”
“Sure, Jude.”
The next call he made was to Tasha. “Hey, I need to leave. I have a call with Never Too Sweet, but I can’t take it. Please handle it for me, and if they need immediate answers, give them the best you can and text me.”
“Sure. Is everything okay with Doug?”
“Uh, yeah.”Goddamn it. He had to clear his head of this mess he’d gotten himself tangled into because his concentration was shot to absolute shit. And that was how Jude knew his life had changed forever, because where he’d used to put the business first, now all he could think about was Mason and how unnecessarily cruel Pryce and Hollister had been to him.
He left the office and made another phone call as he walked. “Can I come over? I need to talk to you. Thanks.”
Less than ten minutes later, he let himself into Edith’s apartment and found her sitting at the dining-room table. Foxy barked and ran circles around his legs.
“Quiet, monster.” He picked her up and let her lick his face, then set her down. As she scampered away, he spied the whiskey at the bar and decided to hell with it and made himself a drink. “How are you feeling, Edith?”
She blinked behind her large, purple-rimmed glasses. “A hell of a lot better than you, from what I’m seeing. Sit and talk to me, but first make me one as well.”
He did as she asked and set the glass in front of her with an admonition. “Don’t think this is going to be a regular occurrence, me coming here in the afternoon and drinking.” He pulled out a chair and sat, staring at the lacy tablecloth pattern. “I found out something this afternoon, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
She grabbed his hand. “It’s not Doug, is it? He’s okay? Ilana?”
He’d let Edith know about the accident, since she’d been asking to see pictures from the honeymoon. And as entwined as she’d become in their lives, next to Silvia, Jude considered her as close to a maternal figure as he had in his life. Talking with Colchester was one thing, but Edith knew him better than anyone aside from Ilana.
And Mason.
“Doug’s the same—Silvia said she’d let us know when and if anything changed. Ilana has been by his side every minute, even though she needs to rest herself.”
Edith’s hand covered his. “I’m so sorry about the baby. She’s a strong woman. I know she’ll come through it. How are you dealing with being over here and not with her?”
He appreciated her directness. “Not well, for so many reasons.” He took a hefty slug of his drink. “Doug being hurt is the worst, and Ilana alone and dealing not only with Doug, but her miscarriage, makes me feel more helpless than I ever have. I promised my mother I’d always take care of her, and now when she needs me the most, I’m not there for her.”
“You can’t think of it that way. Having you there in person or by the phone to talk to is of no consequence. Ilana knows you’re always there for her, but at some point, she has to live her life. She’s always going to be your sister, but you have to let her be Doug’s wife.” Her eyes twinkled. “Now on to the good stuff. You and Mason…”
His shoulders slumped. “That’s another thing I don’t know anymore.”
As expected, Edith’s brows shot up. “What? What’re you talking about? What don’t you know? You love him, and he loves you.”
“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”
“That’s nonsense. What happened? Did you have a fight?”
“No. Nothing like that.” Even now he yearned to go to Mason. “Some disturbing news about him came to me today.”
“Disturbing? What do you mean? Spit it out already.”
