Mason cursed behind me.
Her smile widened even more before she left.
When I heard a groan behind me, I turned. "What?"
Mason had a towel in one hand and a bowl in the other. He glared at me now. "She's going to be your new best friend, isn't she?"
I straightened at his words. Was she? Then I shrugged. "I have no idea. Would that bother you?"
He rolled his eyes. "Your friends are either scared of me, want to screw me, or think I'm an asshole. Can't you find some girl who is
just
a good friend to you? Who doesn't care that I'm your boyfriend?"
A snort came out of me. "Please. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? One, you are an asshole. Two, a lot of girls want to screw you. And three, if they don't fall into those two slots then they're going to be scared of you, like Becky was."
He grimaced as he reached for another mixing bowl to dry. "I just don't like feeling that I can't be around my girlfriend. I'm sick of having to jump through hoops and sneak around to be with you."
My voice softened. "If what you say is true and Heather and I become good friends, she might turn into that girl who doesn't care about you. She's looking at you through the same lens as everyone else right now. She hasn't seen you with me enough to know how good you treat me. And she's not my mom."
His shoulders relaxed. "Yeah, I know." Then his eyes shot back to me again. "Things aren't done with your mom, you know. We're just in the waiting stage while she regroups." He moved to put the dishes away. When he came back, I pushed another load out of the washer for him. He picked up a plate and leaned back against the wall as he dried it. "My dad's suspicious of her now so she'll focus on him and play nice for awhile. Once she's got him brain-dumb again, she'll start back on you."
I felt stabbed in the gut. I'd always be her second priority. The man was number one.
"Hey," Mason called over, his voice soft again. "You okay?"
I nodded, but I couldn't speak. The emotions were choking me again.
"I said something wrong?"
I shook my head, turning to load more dishes onto the crates. When the washer beeped another cycle, I avoided his gaze and pushed another crate through. He didn't push me, and slowly the emotions started to settle down again. We worked in silence for awhile, maybe an hour, before I noticed that the dishes had stopped piling up so much.
"What the hell, man?" Logan's voice made us both jump as he boomed through the window. "You're both back there? I want to go back there."
Mason came up behind me. I felt his heat as he pressed against me, but he didn't slide his arms around me how I expected. Disappointment flared in me. Then he spoke over my shoulder, "Where's Nate?"
Logan bristled, "Who cares? I don't know. He's with Parker, I think."
Tension replaced my disappointment. Those girls were here too? Did everyone go where Mason and Logan went?
Mason's hand splayed out on the small of my back. I knew he felt how stiff I became at the mention of those girls, but he didn't say anything. For that, I was relieved. Instead, he asked, "When's everyone heading out?"
Logan rolled his eyes and threw an irritated glance over his shoulder. "I think they're all waiting to see what we do. What are you thinking?"
His arms slid around my waist, and I was finally pulled back into him. I breathed a little easier. As he spoke, I felt the rumbling through his chest. "Tell Ethan to have the party at his place."
Logan's eyebrow arched.
Mason's voice had an edge to it. "Why do they always have to be at Nate's? That's our home too. We only had people over to the house when we wanted them."
"Nate initiated the open-door policy."
Mason bit back a growl, but his hand clamped tighter on my waist. "He only did that for us. He'll do whatever we say—"
"Whatever you say, you mean."
"Whatever!" He growled now at his brother. "What's your problem? You've been pissy all day."
My eyes went wide. I knew Logan was just waiting for an opening to start something and Mason had given it to him, but now was not the time or the place. "Okay." I turned and shoved Mason back, then gave Logan a meaningful look. "Get everybody out of here. We'll come to the party when I'm done with work, but I would enjoy a quiet house tonight."
"Yeah. Okay," he grumbled before he glowered at me. Then he sighed and left to do my bidding.
"What was that about?"
I glared at Mason. "Not now, and you know what that was about. Don't play stupid with me."
His head reared back, but a slow smile grew across his face. His eyes darkened, and he licked his lips when he took a step towards me. "I forgot how hot you can get when you're mad at me. You sure about the no sex at work?"
"Mason!"
He laughed but moved back to finish the dishes.
When everyone left and the kitchen closed, Heather assigned me two tables in the bar section. That was fine with me. The other server and Anne were released to leave for the night, leaving Heather, Lily, and me for staff alongside Brandon, who was still behind the bar. As the night drew to a close, I grinned as Mason, Brandon, and Gus watched a game on the television. A few girls remained, all whom were captivated by the guys at the bar. When they wandered over and perched on seats, I knew why Mason chose to sit near one end. The girls were on the other side of Gus, who choked on his drink when the first smiled at him. The other two craned their necks around to see Mason, but he was the good boyfriend. His gaze remained trained on the game, even when two of the girls started a conversation about the game. Brandon was the first to join. He poured their drinks and answered each giggling question they sent his way. Gus piped up too, and when my last customers left, I couldn't stop from watching the show.
"Ah." Heather jumped on the stool next to me as her last table left. "Gus loves when we close. He comes in late sometimes and hangs out with Brandon because he knows that's his best time to get a girl. They're so drunk by then, and he thinks that Brandon makes him look better for his chances. He's in heaven tonight, sitting beside the god-like Mason Kade."
I heard the cynicism and frowned. "You really don't like Mason, do you?"
She hesitated, but then shrugged. "I…I'll be honest, I can't be objective with him. He's the reason Tate isn't around and why she and I stopped being friends. But I like you and you like him and he likes you, so I'm woman enough to say that maybe there's more to him than the asshole everyone says he is."
"With a referral like that, who wouldn't want to get to know him," I teased, but sat up straighter when one of the girls took a deep breath and walked around Gus. She approached Mason, who still hadn't taken his eyes off the television. As she slid onto the one open stool beside him, he still didn't look over. He yawned, instead.
Heather choked on a laugh. She hit her chest and bent over, her shoulders shaking. "Man, if that's not a burn then I don't know what is. The girl is stupid."
Lily stopped on the other side of the counter with a washcloth in hand. "I think she's being brave." Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a timid smile. "I know he's your boyfriend, but a lot of girls don't believe it. She's being brave. She's going for it."
Heather snorted, "She's going to crash and burn. Mason has never been open to cold approaches. Logan, on the other hand, doesn't give a damn, but not that Kade. That Kade has whipped out some doozies for rejections. You know many girls I've found crying in the bathroom?"
We all grew silent when the girl touched his arm and opened her mouth. There it was. The pick-up line was coming, but then her mouth dropped in shock. Mason stood and threw some money on the counter. He tapped the counter and said something to Brandon before he looked for me. When he saw the small audience, he smirked as he came over.
The girl watched him. When he pulled me into his arms, her mouth snapped shut. I saw the glimmer of anger in her eyes, but then her other friend tugged on her arm and they hurried out of the diner. The door had just about shut when it swung back open and the girl stomped inside. Her hands were on her tiny hips and her mouth was twisted with disgust, but Heather stepped forward. She folded her arms over her chest and lowered her head. As she stood in front of Mason and me, her stance told everyone not to mess with her. It worked. The girl faltered, then wrinkled her nose at us, and glared back at Heather before she turned on her heel. She stormed out once more and slammed the door.
The diner was quiet for a moment before Brandon tipped his head back in laughter. "My sister, the bulldog! Don't mess with a Jax!"
Heather's arms fell to her side and her shoulders came back up. She shook her head, but I heard a soft chuckle escape her mouth. Then she hollered, "Brandon, get Gus out of here and finish cleaning."
"Yeah, yeah."
Lily chuckled behind us as she wiped the counter off. I picked up the other washcloth and it was a half hour later, after the money had been locked away and the last floors were mopped, when everyone filed out to the parking lot. Lily and Brandon sat down on the patio chairs, so Mason and I did the same as everyone waited for Heather. She was the last one.
When she came out, she locked the doors. "We had triple the business tonight than a regular night."
Brandon gestured to Mason. "Because of him and their friends."
I felt my hand squeezed, and Mason whispered in my ear, "I'll wait for you in the car."
I nodded. As he left, Brandon stood up. "I'm tuckered out. See you ladies tomorrow."
Lily called out goodnight to him, and I gave him a small wave as he disappeared around the side of the bar towards their house. As he went, Lily gave us a small smile and wave of her own before she went over to her car.
Heather pulled out a cigarette. When it was lit, she gestured to Mason's Escalade. "He didn't want to stick around and hear our thanks for the business?"
I shrugged. I had no idea. "Ethan Fischer is having a party tonight. We said we'd go. You want to come?"
As she took a drag, she paused for a second. "Are you kidding me?"
I frowned. "No, why would I be? You went to the one last night."
"Yeah, but we shouldn't have gone there. Channing had been opposed the whole time."
"So why did you?"
She took another drag off her cigarette. "Can I be honest?"
Her eyes found mine and fixed there. I felt her studying me in the same way Mason would when he wanted to read my mind. "Sure." But I didn't know why she wouldn't have been honest?
"I saw you last night, after we closed. I waited around because I wasn't sure if you had a ride or not. I know you told me Kade was your boyfriend, but I had my doubts. Then I saw that other guy pick you up and I don't know." She inhaled, and then exhaled. Her head fell down. "I went to the party to see if you were there and if you were okay. I figured any girlfriend of Mason Kade's would be at his party so…"
"You went there to see if I actually was his girlfriend?" Disbelief slammed into my chest. I wasn't used to that reaction. Most girls hated me when they learned the truth, but Heather's reaction was almost refreshing.
"I went there to make sure you were okay."
"Oh."
"Look," she stood from the wall and took another drag. "They haven't told you so I guess I have to. I'm good friends with Channing."
"Okay." I nodded. "Why's that such a big deal?"
She didn't answer again, not right away. But when she did, it all made sense. "He goes to school in Roussou."
Coach Grath met me at a park near my old home where David lived, if he still lived there. I didn't ask why my new coach picked that park, but it was fine with me. This was one of my normal running routes. When I got there, he pointed to the grass, "Stretch out."
He was all business.
Coach Grath had a gruff face. His square jaw gave a no-nonsense vibe and there were no wrinkles around his mouth, like he never smiled or laughed. He was dressed in a crisp-looking track suit with the Fallen Crest Public school colors, red and black. A whistle hung around his neck, and he held a clipboard in his meaty hand. As soon as I was done stretching, he grunted, checked his watch, wrote something down on his clipboard, and gestured to the walking trail. "Keep to the right, circle the park, and come back here. It's one mile. I'm recording your time." He paused before his eyes went flat. "Go."
The abrupt command startled me, but I started off. I wasn't sure what he wanted, but I wasn't going to go my fastest, not until my muscles were looser. When I came back around, he checked his watch again, wrote the time, and told me to go again. As I hauled off, he yelled after me, "Go faster this time."
So I did.
That was my training routine—each mile was timed, and with each lap, he told me to go faster. After I had been running for 90 minutes, he asked how much longer I could go.
"My longest run has been four hours." All at one time with no breaks, but I didn't share that bit with him.
He nodded, wrote something more on his clipboard and pointed at the trail again. "I want you to go your fastest now and don't stop until you're out of gas."