Bennett chuckles. “Not very subtle, are they?”
We all turn to watch as Mike leads a giggling Angel by the hand into the adjacent gardens.
Jordan sits up, moving me with him since he’s got his arms around me.
“I told him she was off limits.”
Harper reaches over to stop Jordan from going after them. Bennett is able to rescue her plate of food before it slides off her lap.
“They’re both adults, Jorey. Chill.”
“She’s your employee.”
“Who is off the clock and can do whatever she wants in her personal time.”
Mason scrapes the legs of a deck chair over. “Looks like everybody is getting lucky tonight.”
I bug my eyes out at him. “Stop it,” I mouth, but he just grins innocently.
Bennett chucks a balled-up napkin at Mason’s head. “Did you tell Dee the good news?”
“Tell me what?” I ask at the same time Harper says, “Tell her what?” I guess she doesn’t know either.
Mason sits down and kicks his feet up onto the end of my lounger.
“No, asshole. I haven’t. Thanks for putting me on the spot.”
I tap his shoe with my foot.
“Danni, what are you doing way over there?” Jordan gestures for her to join us.
She’s been sitting by herself at one of the small deck tables. I know she and Harper are friends, or at least friendly acquaintances. I’ll ask Harper tomorrow what she thinks I should do about Daniella’s instant disliking of me.
“I’m good,” she replies.
Jordan mumbles under his breath and carefully extricates himself from behind me.
“Something is up with her.”
He walks over to where she is, and they have a hushed conversation I can’t hear over the movie playing.
“You’re moving back to Dearborne?”
I must have missed Mason’s answer. Tearing my eyes away from Jordan and Daniella as they head inside the house, I ask, “When?”
Dearborne is where Harper, Mason, and Bennett grew up. It’s a sleepy little mountain town in the western part of North Carolina that was thrust onto the world stage after a horrific tragedy that happened during their senior year of high school.
“Beginning of August, right before school starts. You’re looking at the new head coach for the Dearborne High baseball team.”
“Mason, that’s such great news!” I exclaim, so happy for him.
I know how much he misses playing and am thrilled that he’ll be able to work in the sport he loves. When he moved to Florida after graduation, I could tell he wasn’t happy.
Harper’s excitement for Mason abruptly stops. “Wait a minute. When did you decide to do this?”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Bennett, Carter, and I have kept in touch with Coach over the years. When I called him two weeks ago to ask if there was a possibility of me getting hired as an assistant coach at the school, he mentioned that he was ready to retire. He must have put in a good word for me because last week, I was offered the job.”
“Mason, that’s wonderful,” I say, but Harper’s gaze turns suspicious.
