His words seemed to hold so much meaning. He had no idea how much.
“Maybe,” I conceded, squeezing back.
We drove all the way to the sports complex as Mason told me stories about Perry, his hapless partner. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed so much.
“And I had to tell him that the self-tanner he was using had turned his skin orange. I couldn’t figure out how he hadn’t noticed when he looked in the mirror.” He chuckled, turning in to the parking lot.
“I wish I could see this guy. The fake tan and bad aftershave have me intrigued,” I said, snickering.
“Everyone has that one coworker who drives them crazy. Unfortunately for me, it’s my partner.” He parked the car and we got out. Mason took my hand, lacing our fingers together.
The earlier sadness had lifted. Now I couldn’t stop smiling.
That’s a problem.
Not right now. Not when I needed to feel good about something.
“Yeah, I have one of those. Mine’s like a puppy that won’t leave you alone and you feel bad if you kick him across the room,” I said, walking through the door that Mason held open for me.
“Oh, really? Tell me more about this puppy.” Mason raised an eyebrow and I made a face.
“His name is Kyle. He’s young. Just out of college. And he always wants me to teach him how to do silly computer hacks—”
Fuck, fuck, fuck!What was I saying?
Mason made it so easy to forget the lies. Forget the stories.
To forget to hide.
“Computer hacks? Should you be admitting that sort of thing to an FBI agent?” he teased, bumping me with his elbow.
I felt like I was going to pass out.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
For Mason it was a joke. Something he could laugh about.
He had no idea…
This was a reminder of how I couldn’t drop the act. Not for one single second.
“Nothing crazy, just how to send stupid gifs to people. Things like that. Kyle likes to mess around with our coworkers,” I remarked dismissively.
We got in line. Mason put his arm around my shoulder, holding me close. “Tell Kyle to watch out. He could get in trouble for things like that.”
Mason chuckled, not taking the conversation seriously. But I felt like I had been dunked in ice water. The chill went straight to my heart.
“Yeah, that’s what I keep telling him,” I said lightly, trying not to hyperventilate. We approached the counter and got our skates.
“So this Kyle wants to spend time with you. It sounds like he has a crush.”
I snorted. “I doubt it. I know for a fact the extent of his romantic interests involves anonymous Internet chat rooms.”
“Don’t underestimate your charms, Hannah Whelan. Any man with a pulse would be into you,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss me.
Thankfully all talk of Kyle was over.
We changed into our skates, putting our shoes and coats in a locker before hobbling across the floor to the rink. Mason gripped my arm tightly. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. I can barely stand upright on the damn carpet,” he complained.
