“I didn’t say anything about an open field. I said the Eastorchard.”
“Uh huh, yeah. Cool, cool. Go on.” He finally lets go of my hand. I open my menu to the lunch section, then sit back with my hands in my lap so he won’t be tempted to keep messing withme.
“I’d take you out to the East orchard and test if those yoga pants have gotten any real practical use—Hey man.” Silas stands suddenly. I look up as a White guy with an apron tied around his waist comes walking up to our table. He’s pretty large. Attractive too with dark hair and a thick, dark beard tinted with red. I file it away, deep away, that I think Silas is more attractive. It doesn’tmatter.
“I had to come see for myself,” he says with the thickest Scottish accent I've everheard.
“Ebie, this is my cousin,Mason.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a smile. He doesn’t smile. He just stares at me for a second, his mouth hangingopen.
“Dude,” Silassays.
“Sorry. I—I have quite a few questions. A few dozenactually.”
“Questions like what?” I ask, my tone goingicy.
“Oh no, lass.” Mason shakes his head and puts up his hands in the same stance of surrender that Silas shot me a few minutes earlier. “It’s not you. It’s thisguy.”
I relax a bit. “Oh? What’s wrong with him? What don’t Iknow?”
“Yeah. Please enlighten us,” Silassays.
“So!” Mason clasps his hands in front of his chest and looks back at me. “Would you like to hear about our specialstoday?”
“Actually I was hoping to get a simple grilled cheese,” I say, trying not to laugh at the look Silas is giving his cousin. Overdramatic faux shock isn’t usually my thing, but on him… I have to lookaway.
“I’ll do you one better. How do you feel about a nice thick-cut smoked bacon and freshtomatoes?”
“I do likebacon.”
“Then you’ve got one hell of a melt coming your way. And what can I get for you, you shiftless lying bum?” he says toSilas.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” he replies as he takes his seatagain.
“Yeah. I bet. I’ll have your melts out to you in a bit. Nice to meet you, Ebie darling,” Mason says with a little chuckle before he heads back into thekitchen.
“Mason and I are pretty close,” Silas says when his cousin is out of earshot. “He’s pissed I didn’t tell him about you when we starteddating.”
“I thought this was a good cover, but now I’m not so sure,” I sayquietly.
“Is it stupid as hell? Yes, but from what you told me Idowant to keep an eye on you, and I am completely honest when I say that there is no other reason on Earth for me to have a woman glued to my side. Fake girlfriend is a good cover. Hopefully Scott can get some answers soon and you can go back home. In the meantime, justrelax.”
“I’m not sure that I can. Or maybe I feel like Ishouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I basically ran away. I wanted to get out of the city and I definitely wasn’t feeling comfortable in my apartment, butnow…”
“Nowwhat?”
I look him straight in the eye and tell him the truth. “I feel like a coward and even though you’re kind of a dick, I do feel safe with you. And that’s making me feelguilty.”
He looks at me for a few long moments, not saying anything. I’m not looking to explore this shit any further so his silence doesn’t bother me, but the way he’s looking at me does. I feel guilty for leaving my sister and my friends behind to worry about me. I feel shitty for not being strong enough to stay and take care of my own apartment. I shouldn’t have left Scott to deal with it, even if he passed it off to some housesitter looking to make a few extra bucks. I feel terrible for sleeping as hard as I did when I have no idea if Dorrit is going to try to get to me again. Some awful, shitty part of me feels like I’m doing every part of this wrong. Especially the part where I just want to enjoy a nice lunch with SilasMcInroy.
“Can I tell you something and ask you not to be offended?” hesays.
“Uh, sure. With that caveat, give it ashot.”
