by Holly Jaymes
I thought you might like a bit of wine before we go.
I smiled. Mason was the sweetest. Although, I suspected he was the one who needed the wine. I was excited about seeing people again after ten years, but I wasn't nervous.
I opened the wine and poured us each a glass.
“What do you think?” His deep voice came from behind me.
I turned, and my mouth went dry. How could he be even sexier while clothed? He wore a charcoal-colored suit with a black shirt. He chose to forego the tie and instead left the top buttons of his shirt undone.
“Yowza.” I let my eyes take him in again before looking him in the face. His gaze was taking over me, as well. I held my hands out. “I’m not sure I’m dressed up enough.”
He cleared his throat. “You’re beautiful.” He gave his head a quick shake and reached for the glass of wine I’d poured for him, downing the entire thing.
“Nervous?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not quite.”
“You know, Mason, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit. You wear it really well.”
“I never had to wear a suit. I had a uniform in the military. My brother was the one that finally made me invest in a couple of suits when I began my business.”
“Business?” I realized that I still didn’t really know what he did for a living.
“All I really need is some shorts, t-shirts, and good trainers, but on occasion, I need to make an impression.”
“Well, you’re definitely doing that.” I looked down at my dress. “Maybe I should change.”
“No.” He blurted. He cleared his throat again. “No. That dress is lovely.” He pushed a tendril of my hair from my face. “I like how it brings out the green in your eyes.”
I smiled, so pleased he noticed as I paused to look at him a little longer than usual.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Ten minutes later, we were at the Lake Eden Resort, where the reunion was being held. I slipped my arm through Mason’s as we entered the resort lobby.
“I was thinking that this is the first time we’ve ever been out together in public.”
He looked down at me. “You’re right.”
“I wonder if people will notice that we are a Haynesville and McLean out together.”
He shrugged. “I suppose a few will. They’ll probably be glad the feud is over.”
“Is it?”
“It is for me.”
“Me too.”
“Welcome to the Lake Eden High School ten-year reunion,” a perky redhead said. I had to read her name tag to see who she was. Katie Kittle. She was a perky blonde in high school. “Mason, I didn’t think you would be coming.” She smiled up at him as her eyes took an appreciative perusal of his body.
“How’s the ankle?” he asked.
“You remembered,” she said, clearly happy that he’d remembered something about her. She turned to me. “I hurt it playing tennis, and Mason here gave me tips to rehab it.” She extended her hand. “I’m Katie Kittle.”
I took her hand. “I’m Willa Haynesville.”
She frowned. “Willa?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Wow. You look great.” She looked from me to Mason and then back to me. “You two will definitely win the most changed award.”
I imagined Mason was inwardly groaning. He’d probably think such awards were dumb.
“Oh…wait…a Haynesville with a McLean.” She narrowed her eyes at us. “Do your parents know you’re here together?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” I said, finding my nametag as Katie clearly wasn’t going to get it for me.
“Hey, Tabby, look here.” Katie waved over to a woman, just exiting the large event room. “This is Willa. You remember her, don’t you?”
Tabby Conner had put lipstick on my desk chair in seventh grade, and I ended up walking around with a red mark on my ass. That day I decided I’d rather be invisible than a target for bullies.
“Willa?” she said as she approached us.
“You remember, Willa Haynesville. Her dad practically owned the whole town.”
She frowned. “Oh, yeah. You’ve changed.”
Mason put his hand on my lower back and leaned closer to me, whispering, “Had enough reminiscing, or do you want more?”
“Hi Tabby,” I said to acknowledge her, as I put my arm through Mason’s again. “Shall we go inside?” I asked him.
“I’ll follow you.”
He escorted me to the double doors. Inside, the room was decorated in the blue and white school colors. A DJ was playing ten-year-old music, and people were mingling about.
“I’m glad you’re with me,” I whispered to him. I felt safe with Mason by my side. The catty female in me liked that I was with the most handsome and generous man in town.
“Mason McLean as I live and breathe. Never in a million years did I think I’d see you here.”
“Tara, how are you?” He leaned over and gave Tara Lipton a kiss on the cheek. She looked just as pretty as she had in high school. A powerful desire to punch them both surged.
“Good. Tired. What are you doing here? Gatherings aren’t your vibe.”
“You remember Willa, don’t you?” he said.
“Willa?” She looked at me, and it took a moment for recognition to come to her eyes. “Willa, wow, you look great. Talk about a late bloomer.” She extended her arms, and for a minute, I wasn’t sure what was happening. But then she gave me a hug.
When she pulled away, she glanced at Mason and then me. “So, you two are here together?”
“Willa and I are old friends,” Mason said.
“Really?” Tara’s brows furrowed. “How is that possible? Your families despise each other.”
“It was a secret,” I said.
“That’s awesome. So are you here for the reunion or…” She again looked between us with an expression that asked if we were an item.
“I came to town to check on my family’s house.”
Tara winced. “Haynesville Ridge didn’t come out of the fire very well.”
“No. The house is gone.”
“Gosh, I’m so sorry, Willa.”
“Willa?” Another woman came to stand next to Tara. “As in Willa Haynesville?”
I nodded, studying her to see if I recognized her.
“Hi Suzy,” I said when I realized she’d been my lab partner through all my science classes. She’d always been nice to me, but I’d gotten the feeling it was because I could help her get an A in biology and chemistry.
“Willa. My goodness, you look so different. You’re gorgeous. Seriously, what potion did you and Mason here drink to transform?”
She hugged me too. It was so opposite of the experience I’d had in high school. And I suppose that was why I came. I wanted them to finally see me.
“Nature was finally kind to me,” I said.
“Do you know that you helped me get into Berkeley? I never thanked you for that,” Suzy said.
“I didn’t know.”
“I’d have never gotten such good grades in science without Willa,” Suzy explained to Tara and Mason.
“What do you do now?” I asked.
“I’m an environmental chemist.”
I laughed. “Glad I could help.”
“What about you, Willa? What do you do?” Tara asked.
“Right now, I'm a freelance writer.”
“You used to work for the L.A. paper, didn’t you?” Suzy asked.
“I did, but…layoffs.”
“Willa is applying to jobs on the east coast,” Mason said.
“Isn’t writing something you could do anywhere?” Tara asked.
“Some types, yes.”
“Willa, would you like a drink?” Mason asked, eyeing the bar. I imagined he was already twitching to leave.
“Yes, please.”
“How about you two ladies,” Mason asked.
“I’ve got mine,”
Suzy said, holding up a glass.
“I’m on the wagon again.” Tara patted her belly.
Mason smiled. “Really?” There was a familiarity between them that made me jealous.
“Number three. We really need to improve our use of birth control.”
“Is Kevin here?” Mason asked.
“He’ll be late. He ran that half-marathon earlier today over in the valley. You know these babies are your fault.”
Mason quirked a brow.
“You helped Kev discover running, which gave him a sexy body that I can’t seem to stop touching.”
Mason blushed. “Ah…well…”
“If this one is a boy, maybe we’ll name him Mason.”
“I ..ah…I’m going to get us drinks.”
I laughed. “I’ll be here.”
When Mason left, Tara stepped closer to me. “You and Mason have been friends all this time?”
“What?” Suzy asked. “I thought your families didn’t like each other.”
“They didn’t, but Mason and I were friends all through school. On the down-low.”
“Way down low. I had no idea.” Suzy watched Mason as he reached the bar. “And now? Still friends or … more…?”
“Just friends,” I said, although the way she eyed him, I wanted to tell her to keep her hands and eyes off of him.
“Willa.” I felt a hand on my lower back and turned to see Wyatt.
“Wyatt. Hi.”
“You decided to come after all.” He smiled. Ten years ago, I’d have been so happy that he was touching me and smiling at me. Now, I wished it was Mason.
“She talked Mason into coming too,” Tara said. “Did you know they’d been friends all through school?”
Wyatt looked at me. “Is that true?”
I nodded. “Yes. Best friends, really. You may not have known this, but I was a bit of a wallflower in school.”
“And now you’re one of the most beautiful women in the room,” Wyatt said. I noted that his hand was still on my lower back.
Suzy rolled her eyes over her drink.
“Hey, we’re not chopped liver,” Tara said.
“No, but you’re taken.” He turned to me. “How about a dance, Willa?”
I checked on Mason, who was busy talking to someone at the bar. A part of me thought I should say no to Wyatt, but Mason and I weren’t a thing. This wasn’t a date.
“Sure.”
Wyatt escorted me to the dance floor. Just as we reached it, the music changed from an upbeat song to a slow jam.
He smiled. “Perfect timing.” He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. Sitting in my room alone on a Saturday night instead of at a school dance, I used to dream about dancing with Wyatt. Not that I wasn’t glad about it now. The girl in me who’d felt ignored through high school liked that she was being noticed. But the only man who I wanted to look at me like he desired me or wanted to put his hands on me was Mason. I wondered if there was a way that could happen? What would Mason say if I told him how I was feeling? Was I brave enough to tell him? Not able to decide, I focused on my dance with Wyatt. I’d think about what to do about Mason later.
Chapter 8: Done
Mason
I often felt uncomfortable around women when I was a teenager. Still, I’d never been as nervous as I was tonight with Willa. While I had relationships before, I didn’t have to go through the angst of wondering if a woman liked me or not. Starting with Tara. After I got fit, women usually revealed their interest in me. If I was intrigued, I went along with it.
With Willa, I was entering new territory in that I didn't know what the hell she was thinking about us. Plus, there was so much that could go wrong. It was one thing to worry about having my pride wounded, but a whole other thing to fear losing the friendship. For ten years, we’d been estranged, and in the few days, she’d been back. It was as if we erased the last ten years. Our connection was back, stronger than ever. I was scared to death of fucking that up.
This entire day, I was a tangled mass of nerves. I was up at five in the morning working, and then off to do errands. The first was to replace the chain on the charm I’d found in the fire. I hoped she would see it as a precious memory saved, whether she decided to accept me as more than a friend or not.
My other errands included getting a haircut, buying a new tie, which in the end I decided not to wear, and getting a nice bottle of wine. Granted, that was more to steady my nerves, but I think she enjoyed it.
When I entered the living area after showering and putting my suit on, I about tripped over my tongue at the sight of her.
Since puberty, I’d always thought Willa was pretty in a natural way. She had terrific hazel eyes that changed color, often, depending on her moods. Tonight, those eyes were accentuated by the green of her dress. Her golden blonde hair was up in a loose knot that my fingers itched to undo. The dress itself brought out every delectable feature of her body. It dipped in the front, showing just enough of the swells of her breasts to make me crazy. It was all I could do to keep from pressing kisses to her there. I wanted to taste her so bad.
Once we arrived at the event, I was surprised people didn’t seem to recognize her. Sure, she wasn’t as thin or plain as before, but she was still Willa.
The few times people hadn’t recognized me, I’d been offended by their response. “Wow, Mason, you look fantastic, dude.” All that told me is that they’d thought I was ugly before. I knew that to be true because no one really noticed me until I’d started getting fit. I never understood how people could possibly think I was interesting now that I had muscles when I wasn’t worth their time before. On the inside, I was the same person. I enjoyed fitness, but I still liked math, computers, and science fiction. I was still an introvert who would rather stay home than party. Before, I’d get pissed off at injustice, and today I could kick its ass. I suppose that was different.
But Willa had a different reaction to people’s surprise at her transformation. She seemed to like being noticed for her change to a beautiful swan.
I wasn’t comfortable in large group settings, but so far, the reunion was going alright. We’d only run into people who still lived in town, and I saw fairly often anyway. That was manageable. And this night was really about making Willa happy.
Still, I wouldn’t mind a drink to settle the nerves. I left Willa with Tara and Suzy to order us drinks at the bar. On the way, I ran into a few other locals and said hi. I ordered myself a vodka and tonic and Willa a white wine.
“Holy shit. You’re Mason McLean.” I heard a man say behind me. The slight slur in his voice indicated he’d already made a few trips to the bar.
I turned to look at him. “I am. How are you, Ron?”
Ron had less hair and more gut, but his beady eyes remained the same. He was the kid that pulled wings off of flies, would yank down the pants of unsuspecting nerds like me, and caused trouble wherever he went. His father sent him off to military school in our senior year, so it was a surprise to see him here.
“Told you, man,” another man said next to him.
Now it made sense why Ron was there. His boyhood accomplice, Chris, was with him. Chris never left town and was now a mechanic.
“I can’t believe you’re Mason McLean.”
I shrugged.
“Mason here is an ex-SEAL,” Chris said. They were talking like I wasn’t there, so I turned my attention to the bartender, wondering about my drinks. Perhaps I should make mine a double.
“No shit. No wonder you’re as big as a tank. I could have done that.”
“Yeah, right,” Chris snorted. I had to agree. The only thing I think Ron could excel at was drinking.
“No, really. I could have done it, but why work that hard, and go to all those schools. You have to what, learn parachuting and swimming?”
“Jump training and underwater demolition, among other things.” Until I worked in firefighting, I’d been pretty sure the year I spent training to be a SEAL was hell.
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br /> “Right, just for the privilege of getting blown up. Why would anyone do that?”
“To protect this great country that lets men like you drink to your heart’s content,” I said.
“Hell yeah,” Ron said, holding his drink up.
I shook my head.
“Say, you think you could help me bulk up a bit?” Ron asked as he bent his arm to show off his bicep.
“You’d have to cut back on the booze,” I said.
“Fuck it then.” Ron put his arm around Chris. “There are only two things to live for in this world. Booze and women. Speaking of women, who’s that with Wyatt? She’s hot.”
“She looks familiar,” Chris said. “Do you know, Mas?”
I was shaking my head no because I had no clue who Wyatt’s new woman was. But when I looked and saw his arm around Willa, and his hand nearly on her ass, I saw red.
“Willa Haynesville.” My voice was low and lethal.
“No fucking way. Wilting Willa?”
I shot a menacing glare at Ron. “What did you say?”
Chris seemed just sober enough to realize that I was in a mood. “She’s changed a lot.”
“I’ll say. Look at that ass.” Ron made an hourglass motion with his hands.
I swallowed the rage that nearly had me taking Ron’s head off. “I can see why you’re not married.”
Ron laughed. “Been there, done that. Twice. Maybe Willa will make three.”
“I think maybe you should stay away from Willa,” Chris said, his eyes narrow in concern as he looked up at me.
“Why?”
“Because after Mason here kicks Wyatt’s ass, he’s going to kick yours.”
“What?” Ron turned to me. “She’s with you?”
“That’s right.” Okay, so the definition of “with” might be different for her. But these two douchebags didn’t need to know that.
“Ah, hell, sorry.”
I tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the bar and grabbed my drinks, and made my way back to where Tara and Suzy were talking.
As one song ended, a new one began. It appeared Willa was going to leave the dance floor, but Wyatt took her hand, said something to her, and she nodded. The song was faster, but he continued to keep his hands on her.