I clear my throat uncomfortably and look down at my plate, which contains the remains of Jackson’s delicious lasagna and Caesar salad. “Well… I… I haven’t given him an answer yet,” I say, speaking into my plate. It’s easier than looking at Grace. “But it’s a really great opportunity.”
“You’re considering this? For real?” Grace asks, her tone rising. She looks at Mason, a weird combination of anger and amusement on her face.
“Well, assholes, are you going to tell him or what?” she says bluntly. Mason barks out a laugh, while Derek, Jackson, and Reed all look like cats who ate a bunch of canaries.
“Tell me what, exactly?” I ask.
Mason gives me a sheepish look and trades glances with Dylan. “We really should have told you this a while ago, Sam. I’m so sorry we didn’t—especially since you’ve been feeling weird about the dynamics around here for a while. I feel like an asshole. But we need to tell you something.”
“What?” I have literally no idea what they’re talking about.
Dylan takes over the conversation. “Sam, we’ve been working on a few things, and we definitely should have told you sooner what we’re thinking about. But we want to expand the business into Oregon, and we were thinking you could take over that branch. You could buy in, and we’d all be equal partners.”
“Wait, what?” It’s my turn to be stunned. “You want me to buy in, now? How… How long has this been going on?” I stammer, feeling like my world has just tipped on its axis. I’m seeing everything differently than I was only a few minutes ago.
Dylan gets the same sheepish look on his face that Mason has, which means he really must feel terrible because he doesn’t usually wear his emotions on his sleeve.
“We started talking about it a few months ago. We’ve already talked to the bank and everything.”
“Wait, this has been in the works for months and you didn’t think to tell me?” I ask, feeling equally annoyed and thrilled.
“I’m so sorry we didn’t. It’s mostly my fault,” Mason interjects. “I got distracted with personal stuff in the last few weeks, and this got put onto the back burner. The stupid thing is that after I talked to you yesterday, we talked and decided to tell you tonight. We even told Gracie and Derek so they could stop and get one of those amazing cream puff cakes from that bakery you love to celebrate. I mean, if you want to accept our offer. You don’t have to. I mean, if the California thing is what you really want to do…” His voice trails off.
“We owe you a huge apology,” Dylan says calmly. “We should have known the imbalance in the power structure might be weird, and we should have dealt with it sooner. I’m really sorry.”
“Fuck, I got my head stuck up my own ass, and I’m so fucking sorry about it, man. I really hope we haven’t fucked this whole thing up and lost you to another job because we were being idiots and took you for granted,” Mason says. His voice sounds a little wobbly, like he’s really emotional.
“Holy shit,” I say softly. “Well, that’s great. I mean, thanks, guys. I just… I’m not sure exactly how to handle all this right now. I mean, I always planned to stay in this part of the world, you all know that, it’s just… there’s a lot of other shit to think about now too.” My head is still spinning from everything I’ve learned in the last five minutes.
“Sam, I don’t want you to stress about it,” Mason says. “We obviously want you to stay, but more than anything, we want you to be happy. If that means going to California, we’ll all be sad, but we’ll deal with it.”
I nod, and the uncertainty in Mason’s voice is surprising, but there’s a little part of me that likes it. I’m glad he knows now that he really can’t take me for granted.
“We also want you to be sure of whatever you decide,” Dylan says, and I look at him. He usually doesn’t speak much at these gatherings unless he’s asked directly about something. But he’s clearly feeling strongly. “But we’ll support you with whatever you decide to do,” he says.
“Okay, why don’t we change the topic for now and let Sam digest all that for a bit,” Mason says, directing a smile at me.
“Yeah. Right now, we need to know what’s happening between you and that sweet little thang named Tyler…” Grace giggles.
I roll my eyes, and strangely, the stuff with Tyler doesn’t seem quite as hard to talk about. I didn’t realize keeping my job offer a secret was weighing on me so heavily. I feel so much lighter.
“So, yeah… Well. Tyler and I are kind of a thing. At least, I think we are…”
I look at Grace, who’s busy making the “speed it up” signal with her hand.
“Yeah, yeah, we know you’re a thing. You two have only been making eyes at each other for about three years now.” She smiles. “What’s happening now that you’re out there on the coast together, hidden away at a romantic beach resort, snuggled up inside as the storms rage outside?” Grace gets a dreamy look on her face.
I look over at Mason. “Did you happen to tell them about our accommodations?”
Jax snorts into his beer.
“Ah, no, I haven’t gotten to that. You should definitely tell us all about your ocean-side love shack out there.”
Grace lifts an eyebrow, and I proceed to fill them in on what’s been going on between Tyler and me for the past few weeks.
I must gush on about him for waaaay too long because when I finally stop talking, there are several bemused expressions staring back at me.
“What?” I ask, a little defensive. Everyone laughs, but Jax is the one who holds up a glass in a mock toast. “Mate… you luuuuurrrve him…”
