by Holly Jaymes
“We are important in our own right,” my mother said in that clipped tone that suggested my father was right, and I was about to take us into a quarrel.
“Did you meet anyone else?” I asked.
“No, but I did call the mayor’s office. Did you know Jerry Pickler was mayor?”
“No.”
“I was a little worried how’d he’d receive my call as he was always on the McLean side of things.”
Oh, good lord.
“But he did take my call and said he thought it would be an honor to have me speak at the fireman’s picnic.”
I wondered if the mayor really said that. If he did say it, did he mean it? Apparently, he was a diplomat or politician if he was going to humor my father.
“What will you say?” I asked, curious to how my father saw this all playing out.
“Did you know that the picnic is on the same date that Henry discovered gold here? The gold that started it all.”
Yeah, including this stupid feud. Because I didn’t want trouble with my parents anymore, I decided not to remind them that it was Henry’s friend, Jeb McLean, who had been in on the discovery too.
“Every time I see it, it just breaks my heart.” My mother sat in the car for a moment, looking at all the ruin before finally getting out.
The insurance adjuster introduced himself and explained why he would be taking pictures of certain things.
“I brought a list of what was in the house,” my father said, handing him a file of papers. “A copy of our policy, title and deed, and mortgage information are there as well.”
“Is it different than what you sent before?” the man asked. “I have what you emailed.”
“It’s the same. I wanted to be sure you had everything you needed. We’d like to get this settled quickly, and insurance companies are notoriously bad at paying out claims. Funny, considering how easily they cash my insurance payment checks.”
It didn’t seem like a good idea to anger the adjuster, so I held my tongue.
“Did you bring the pictures?” he asked, and I guessed he’d probably heard the same complaints before.
“Oh yes,” my mother said, reaching into her purse. “There are some from when the house was under construction, and some others from after it was complete.”
“Excellent, thank you.” He took the packet and photographs. “I’ve walked through a bit already, but we’ll walk through together. When I get back, I’ll work up a payoff amount.”
“We were going to sell the place,” my father said. “The home was worth at least two point five million.”
Really? I gaped at them. They weren’t poor, but if they had sold the home sooner, they certainly could have lived more affluently as they did in Sedona. Why had they held onto the house? The only thing I could think of was that they hoped to return at some point, which made this whole scene sadder.
“I’ll have to read the policy and do my research before I can give you the payout amount.” The adjuster said it with minimal emotion as if he’d had practice dealing with people like my parents before.
My father toured the remains of the property with the adjuster. My mom and I waited by the car.
“How come those houses came away unscathed?” she asked the adjuster as she pointed up to the two homes just above ours that appeared untouched by flames.
“I don’t know of those homes specifically. Often it’s a change of wind—”
“The wind would push the fire around those homes and over to ours?” my mother asked incredulously.
“Or the homes didn’t have a lot of consumables on the outside for an ember to ignite.”
“What does that mean? Are you saying our home was a firetrap?” My mother’s voice pitched up like she was offended by the idea.
“Well, in the case of a forest fire, maybe.” He looked up toward the surviving homes. “Keeping the home clear of brush and debris and using non-combustible building materials can help.”
“Like what?” my father asked.
“Well, that home looks like it has a clay roof.”
“So, it is our fault,” my mother’s lip quivered.
The insurance adjuster shook his head. “Sometimes, it’s just dumb luck, sort of like how tornadoes can wipe out a neighborhood and yet leave a house untouched in the middle of it all.”
“It’s not fair.” My mother wiped a tear from her cheek.
I hugged her. “I’m sorry mom.”
“I used to wish we could come back to Eden Lake and have the wonderful life we’d had before. That dream went up in flames the minute this house burned to the ground.”
I patted her back. “You have a wonderful life in Sedona now, mom.”
“Oh, I know, but still, Eden Lake is special.”
After the meeting with the insurance adjuster, I drove them back to the condo and left them there to rest. I headed back to Mason’s house, thinking I could continue my job search back east and finish up some client work. Maybe he’d be available for lunch or dessert. I stopped by a deli and picked up sandwiches, fruit salad, and cookies.
When I got back to his home, he wasn’t there. I let myself in and set up my laptop on the kitchen table. When I got too hungry to wait any longer, I took one of the sandwiches from the fridge. Just as I was scooping fruit salad on a plate, the front door opened.
“Willa?”
I walked out to greet him, feeling very much like a suburban housewife. I was an independent woman, but I couldn’t deny that I liked the homey familiarity we had.
“Hey, I was just serving myself a sandwich and fruit. I got some for you too. Do you want some?”
“That would be great.” He pulled me hard into his arms and planted a firm kiss on me.
“Whew! What’s that for?”
“I ran into your parents downtown.”
I stopped short, and everything inside me went still. “What?”
He continued to the kitchen. He stole a strawberry off my plate and then proceeded to prepare his dish.
“I saw your parents.” He opened the sandwich wrapper. “Roast beef?”
“Yes. Is that still your favorite?”
He grinned. “You remembered.”
I frowned. “You’re mighty cheery for seeing my parents. Is the feud over?”
He laughed. “I doubt it.”
“Oh God, Mason, what did you do?”
Most of the humor left him. “Why would you think I’d did something?”
“There’s a glee in your voice.”
He shrugged. “I introduced myself. That’s it.”
I picked up my plate and brought it to the table. “Sit and tell me what happened. When was this? They’re supposed to be at the condo resting.”
He sat next to me. “First, I saw them at Paradise Java this morning, giving poor Emma a complex for not immediately knowing that they’re Eden Lake royalty.”
I didn’t like Mason’s condescending tone about my parents, and yet, he was describing the very behavior I was afraid that they would have when they came back here.
“I ignored them then. But after my meeting, I went downtown to meet with a business owner, and I ran into the mayor.” He tore into his sandwich.
I nodded, remembering my father saying he called the mayor. Had they really not relaxed and instead gone downtown to see him? “He told me he called the mayor.”
“Perhaps he didn’t think Jerry was accommodating enough, although when your parents approached us, he was asking me if I was okay with your father speaking.” He popped a grape into his mouth.
Right now, I couldn’t touch my food until I knew what to expect when I saw my parents again. “And were you okay with his speaking?”
“I don’t give a shit what your parents do, Willa, as long as they keep my family and me out of it.”
“So, what did you do when they approached you?”
“They had no clue who I was. Your father held out his hand and introduced himself.” Mason held up his right hand li
ke he was swearing an oath. “Honest to God, Willa, I planned to keep my identity to myself, so I just said I was Mason.”
“And…” I was in knots waiting for the punch line of this bad joke.
“And he said, ‘are you Mr. Mason’ or something. I was standing there shaking Harrison Haynesville’s hand, and it occurred to me that he had no clue he was acting polite and cordial to a McLean.”
I swallowed as I anticipated his next step.
“I couldn’t help it. I had to tell him. To his credit, he didn’t jerk back his hand like I gave him cooties. But his friendly demeanor dropped as did his hand.”
“What did he say?” I felt sick thinking about all the awful things either of them could have said.
“I don’t know. I welcomed them home and then left.” He grinned at me.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
I sank back in my chair as I picked up a grape. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Mason laughed. “You’re an optimist, aren’t you? My mom is one too.”
“You think it’s bad?”
“I suspect if they tell you they saw me; they’ll suggest I had bad manners or was plotting with Jerry against them.”
“Why?”
“Jerry Pickler is a friend of my father’s and mine. He's definitely Team-McLean.” He took another bite of the sandwich.
“Why are you so calm?”
“Because I don’t give a shit, remember?” He reached out and took my hand. “I don’t like that it might cause you grief, but I swear to God, Willa, I wasn’t rude.”
I turned my hand over to clasp mine with his. “I believe you.” I started eating when another concern popped into my head. “Did the mayor okay my father speaking at the fireman’s picnic?”
“I told him I didn’t care what he decided.” Then he took a deep breath and shook his head. “I may have suggested to the mayor that there could be a problem if your father used his pulpit to disparage my family.”
“What would you do?” I looked at Mason, a man as big as a tank and as lethal, I suspected.
“Depends on what he did. But if he’s planning on moving back and becoming the big man in town, I’ll leave.”
“That doesn’t seem like you,” I said.
“It’s exactly like me. Will I defend my family? Absolutely. I’ll fight if I need to. But I prefer love, not war, Willa. Even if I won a fight against your family, if they stayed in town, it would never be over. It’s been a hundred and fifty years, and the fight still isn’t over. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be the generation to end it.”
I could see his point. How many times had my ancestors triumphed over his, and they continued to engage in battles to put them down even more?
“It’s not like you’re going to be around anyway. Maybe I’ll go east too.”
My heart did a hard thunk in my chest at the idea of his coming away with me.
“Although I’m not sure I’ll like the humidity. Tahoe is nice.”
And like that, my little bubble burst again.
Chapter 20: Blood is Thicker than Water
Mason
The truth be told, I’d anticipated I’d see less of Willa with her folks in town, but over the next few days, we settled into a comfortable routine. During the day I worked while she dealt with her family, and at night, she was with me. It was like when we were children. We hid our relationship by not going out, and not being seen together in public. While growing up, there had been something fun and special about hiding, but this time I found it frustrating. There was nothing wrong with my loving Willa, and so I shouldn't have to hide it.
I stopped in the middle of my morning run around the lake at that thought. Loving Willa. I stood overlooking the quiet calm of the water as the feeling settled through my body. I did love her. I’m not sure I ever stopped. Every day that I woke with her next to me, the need to ensure that she stayed with me grew.
However, I was sure she didn’t feel the same. I know that she cared for me, and enjoyed our time together. But she didn’t love me. She still saw her future as being in New York or somewhere back east. To her, Eden Lake was her past, and she wanted to put it in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible.
I rubbed my hand over my heart as it ached from having to let her go again. Then I finished my run, returning to an empty home. Willa had left to meet her parents. I’d see her that afternoon at the picnic although I couldn’t talk to her.
“It’s bullshit,” I told her earlier when we talked about having to pretend that we weren’t seeing each other. “Maybe it’s time that they see that a Hayneville, and McLean can be friends.”
She flinched a little and then shook her head. “If you don’t want my family to say or do anything crazy in public that involves disparaging your family, it’s better if we steer clear of each other.”
She was right, of course, but I still didn’t like it.
Home from my run, I showered and dressed, wearing my red Eden Lake Volunteer Fire Fighter polo shirt, and jeans. I combed my dark hair back and groomed my stubble.
“You’re a fucking ex-SEAL,” I said to my reflection. “Don’t let those assholes get you down.” I meant it when I said I didn’t care what Willa’s parents did, but since my response could impact her, it meant I had to care what I did, and so I was nervous. I could be patient, but I’d spent most of my life with her family, keeping mine down. A lifetime seemed like enough patience.
“Keep it cool, McLean,” I said.
I left the house and headed to the city park along the lake, where the town was holding the picnic. When I arrived, there were large and small signs everywhere, all with thank you messages to the firefighters of Eden Lake. I had to admit that it was nice to be appreciated.
“Hey, Mason.” Wyatt came up to me with a handshake. “Did you hear who’s in town?”
“If you mean the Haynesville's, yes.” Wyatt and a few others in town knew Willa and I had gone to the reunion together and had been secret friends growing up. That could be a problem. Then again, we left separately, and we weren’t flaunting our relationship, so that should protect us.
“I hear he’s making a speech.” Wyatt shook his head. “Never could avoid taking credit or the spotlight, could he?”
“No.”
“Well, I hope he doesn’t ruin the day.” He nodded at someone he saw behind me. “I’ll see you around.”
“Will do.” I walked over to where beer was being served, buying a bottle, and then walking over to the water. It was a perfect day for a picnic. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The smoke from the fires had cleared. The water was calm, making a perfect day for waterskiing. Kids played in the sectioned-off swimming area. I caught Josh and Allie sneaking a kiss over by another tree. I was happy for them, even as I was envious. Allie had chosen love, her family’s attitudes be damned. I wasn’t sure Willa would do the same.
“You look like you’d rather be anywhere else than here.”
I turned to see Tara with a bottle of water. “Where I’m standing isn’t bad.”
She smiled. “I bet you’d rather not be paraded across a stage during this picnic.”
I shrugged and took a swig of my beer. “I’ll survive.”
“What about the Haynesvilles? Do they know about you and Willa?”
“There’s nothing to Willa and me.”
She quirked a brow. “She’s staying at your house. You admitted to being friends growing up.”
I stiffened. “I’m sure Willa would appreciate it if you didn’t mention any of that.”
“Why do you let them dictate your life, still?” she asked, cocking her head to study me.
“Just trying to avoid drama.”
She shook her head. “But think about what you are missing out on by playing it safe?”
My jaw tightened. “What are you saying, Tara?”
“I’m saying if you love Willa—”
“It’s not like that.”
She let
out an exasperated sigh. “If you did, you should go for it.”
“It’s not like that,” I repeated. “Willa will be moving on as soon as they settle everything with her family home that burnt down."
“Just know that people in town know you, Mason McLean. I don’t know what the Haynesville's have planned. You might be willing to put up with Mr. Haynesville's crap, but we won’t.”
I smiled. “Thank you for having my back.”
She patted my shoulder. “Thank you for having ours. Now, I need to find my husband and child.”
She walked off in search of her family. I made my way back to the crowd, choosing to assemble with my fellow firefighters.
I knew it the minute Willa arrived. I swore that pretty floral scent of hers must have made a b-line right to me. I watched as she and her parents walked through the crowd, stopping to chat with some folks, and then moving on.
At one point, her gaze turned toward me. I lifted my beer in her direction. She gave me a sweet smile and then turned her attention back to her parents and the people they were meeting.
Kirk came up to our group. “The mayor is ready to get started. He’s going to welcome the community and then pay tribute to you. Then Mr. Haynesville is going to make a speech.”
“Who?” Evan, a firefighter in training, asked.
There was a snicker from the other men.
“You tell him, Mason,” Trapper, one of the veteran firefighters, said, patting me on the back and smirking.
I shook my head. “Who?”
The group laughed.
“You know about the founding of Eden Lake, right?” Kirk said to Evan.
“Sure. Everyone knows that.”
“And the feud?” Trapper asked.
Evan shrugged. “Sure.”
“Well, Mr. Haynesville was the last of the Haynesvilles. He left about ten years ago. Now he’s back.”
“Okay?” Evan still didn’t get it.
“I’m with you, Evan,” I said. “The whole feud is bullshit.”
Evan’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you’re a McLean. Is the feud still a thing?”
“Not for me.” Not wanting to talk about it more, I moved away from the group.