Save My Soul

by K. S. Haigwood

  I ate, cleaned the house up a little, finished the laundry and got ready for my date with Mason. I was applying lip gloss when I heard his truck door shut outside. I hurried through the house and opened the door before he had a chance to knock. He had his raised hand in a fist and was about to put knuckles to wood. He smiled and his eyes made their way slowly down and back up my body again. I was wearing one of my favorite dresses. It was red and cut above the knee, and I knew I looked hot in it.

  He let out a low whistle, the very same one that I had let out when I'd seen Adam's car. Mason got a more appreciative reaction than what Adam gave me. I couldn't worry about Adam tonight. I was going to have one night of fun with Mason, then stick to my rule of not seeing him again until all of this blew over. I hoped it would go that smoothly.

  He held out a single, perfect red rose. I smiled as I took it and opened the door further, inviting him inside.

  Hercules ran up to him and stood on his hind legs until Mason picked the little dog up in his arms. I stared at them. "It still amazes me how you can do that." He only smiled and watched as I found a vase and added a little water. I put the rose in and grabbed my purse. "Are you ready?"

  "Yeah, we'll be a little early. I was counting on having to wait another thirty minutes for you to get ready."

  I smiled. "I'm punctual."

  He smiled back. "I noticed."

  He set Hercules down then walked out the door. I locked up and he walked me to his truck. He even opened my door for me. Not that I needed him to. I think that traditional stuff is way overrated.

  Seether was playing when he started the truck, and he lowered it to a level that we could talk over if we wanted to. It appeared he had good taste in music and he was very considerate. Why couldn't he be my soulmate? Maybe Rhyan was wrong.

  "I'm not wrong, Kendra." Rhyan's voice said in my head.

  I rolled my eyes and he laughed. I spoke back to him only in my mind. I didn't want Mason to think I was crazy. "May I have this one night, Rhyan? I'll jump back on the soul saving train tomorrow morning, I promise."

  I waited a few seconds for a response, and I finally got one. "Very well, I will not interrupt your evening again. Have a good night."

  I smiled to myself. "Thank you."

  "Uh-huh, anytime." I knew he was still watching and listening, but I was confident that he wouldn't barge in on my thoughts again unless I needed him.

  "Where are you taking me?" I said as I looked over at Mason.

  He smiled. "The Framont,"

  My eyes widened with eagerness. "Did you already have reservations that you placed, like, a month ago?"

  He laughed and shook his head. "No, the manager is one of my friends. He pulled some strings for me."

  The Framont was a very classy restaurant that I had only been to once before. That occasion had also been a first date. The restaurant was very elegant and nice, but my date had not been. Maybe I could enjoy it this time. It was a good thing that I dressed for the occasion. I looked over at Mason. He too was dressed to eat at The Framont. He looked nice in his black slacks and bright blue button up, complete with a red tie. He had a back blazer lying in the seat between us. It wasn't a "casual clothing" type of establishment.

  "I'm impressed."

  He moved his hand to mine, and we laced our fingers together. His smile broadened. "That's what I was hoping for."

  When we got to the restaurant, the parking lot was full. Mason drove around back and pulled his big truck up beside a black Tahoe that was just as chromed out and jacked up as Mason's was.

  "Are we eating in the kitchen, too?"

  He laughed. "No, but parking out here is better than driving around waiting for someone to leave or walking a half mile." He pointed to the Tahoe. "That's Nathan's vehicle. He would expect me to park back here."

  Good, so there was no chance of Mason's Truck getting towed for parking where he shouldn't.

  He came around to my side and opened the door for me. He held out his hand to help me down. I wasn't going to refuse it. A truck this tall and high heels was not a good combination. I stumbled when my feet hit the ground and fell into him. He caught and steadied me, then breathed in the smell of my hair and perfume along my neckline.

  I was getting distracted again, but I didn't care. I had this night, this one night when I didn't have to care.

  He found my hand with his and tugged. "C'mon, if we don't go in, I'm afraid I'll have to kiss you."

  The idea didn't sound so bad to me, but whatever. He led me to the front of the building, then to the back of the line. It wasn't a long line and the weather was nice, so I was fine.

  "I may be able to swing a table for two, but going straight to the front of the line well," he squinted his eyes and sucked air in through his teeth. "Nathan isn't that good of a friend. I would have to be tall, tan, blonde and have different plumbing equipment in order to get right in."

  I laughed. "I didn't expect another miracle this week. This is fine, Mason. I'm still impressed."

  He bent and kissed me on the cheek, then whispered in my ear. "Good, when I start disappointing you, let me know."

  I smiled. "Believe me, you will know."

  Back to contents

  Chapter Sixteen

  The line started moving and he pulled away from me. The way he affected me made me feel light headed, and I was beginning to enjoy the feeling. I only had to stay alive until Saturday, and then I could be with him again.

  "Mason Carter, party of two." Mason told the host.

  "Right this way, Sir." he said, and we followed him to our table.

  I was following Mason while looking around the beautiful restaurant when he suddenly stopped in front of me. I heard him talking before I came up beside him to see who he had stopped to talk to.

  "Sherri, you are a vision as always." I saw Mason kiss the hand of the nurse I had met at the hospital, then my eyes moved to her date. I felt my face flush all of a sudden, and had to look away quickly.

  "Adam." Mason said as he shook hands with my doctor and the guy I had a date with tomorrow. Adam may have been shaking hands with Mason, but his eyes were looking at me. I didn't want to be rude so I looked back at him. For some reason, his eyes looked more brown than black. It may have been the lighting, but they were beautiful.

  I forced myself to look away from him to his date. I smiled and extended my hand to her.

  "Kendra, I can't believe it was only yesterday that we were bringing you back to life. You look stunning in that dress."

  "Thank you, Sherri…" I started to compliment her on her earrings, but Adam interrupted, and I turned back to him.

  "Mason was telling me earlier this evening about what a talented photographer you are. I'd like to see some of your work sometime. The hospital could use some new landscape portraits. I thought maybe black and white photos would look good on some of the walls."

  "I'd be glad to show you what I have whenever you get spare time, Dr. Chamberlain." Better to keep it formal. "I know you're very busy. I have some photos featured on my website. You are free to look at it anytime."

  I thought Adam was about to speak again, but Mason beat him to it. "We should let the two of you get back to your meal." He looked at me. "We're holding up the host, Kendra." I nodded, and then we said our goodbyes.

  The host was waiting for us four tables away. He was standing behind the chair I would be sitting in. It would put Adam directly in my line of sight, and I would be directly in his. Great. I thought about asking Mason to switch with me, but I was a big girl; I could handle it.

  I sat down and placed the napkin in my lap. Mason thanked the host and then sat down across from me.

  "So, it looks as though Dr. Chamberlain has done a one-eighty. Now I'm the one who is impressed. I didn't think he would hurt you today, but I had no idea how good of a job you would do on him." He was smiling but his voice wasn't. There was something there in his tone that let me know that he wasn't very happy about the job I had done on Adam
.

  "Actually, he was a jerk today, but he called and left an apology on my machine. I'm meeting him tomorrow for lunch to accept his apology."

  Mason stiffened. "You have a date with Adam tomorrow?"

  "I'm meeting him for lunch." Just then, the waiter walked up with a bottle of wine, so I didn't have to go into further detail. Not that there was any more to tell, but Mason was looking at me like I'd done something wrong. "Yes please," I said to the waiter who was holding a bottle of Chardonnay, and I held my glass out to him.

  Mason looked up at him. "Leave the bottle and give us a minute." he said shortly.

  Had I done something wrong? The waiter left, and Mason cleared his throat. I looked up at him and gave him the straightest face I could manage.

  "Kendra, I like you. I like you a lot."

  "I like you, too." I said, and left it at that. At that moment, I wasn't sure I liked him "a lot." I didn't handle jealousy well.

  He cleared his throat again. "Do you think it's a good idea to date my best friend while you're dating me?"

  Okay, so he was upset. A new problem to add to my list. Just great. "First of all, Mason, it isn't a date, it's only lunch. Second, I think I'm a big girl, and I can choose to date whomever I like. I have less than six days to make Adam a better person, and I can't do that if I'm not around him, now can I? To answer your question, yes, I think it is a very good idea to date your best friend, given my current situation. If you want to take yourself out of the equation, that's completely up to you."

  He filled my glass then his own. He didn't say anything right away, so I picked up my menu. I glanced around the side of it and looked four tables over. Adam was looking right at me, so I quickly looked back at the menu. "What's good here?" I asked, but my mind wasn't on food. I was wondering if Adam had just witnessed Mason and I having an argument about him.

  "I've only tried the salmon and the grilled shrimp. They were both excellent."

  The waiter came back to our table and recited a list of specials that weren't on the menu. I told him I'd like a salad with house dressing, and the six-ounce filet cooked medium rare with steamed veggies as my entrée. Mason placed his order and we were again alone, and I no longer had a menu to hide behind.

  He cleared his throat again. Was he coming down with something, or was it just a nasty habit? "You're right, Kendra. I've just never been as interested in someone as I am in you, and the thought of sharing you with anyone else…it just caught me off guard, that's all. I wasn't prepared to hear that, and I'm sorry." he smiled, causing me to smile back. Smiles are contagious.

  Our salads showed up, and I felt someone staring at me. You ever get that feeling? I knew who it was before I even looked up. I didn't for a minute; I waited until Mason was distracted with his own food before glancing up. As soon as I got the chance I took it. He was looking at me again, and this time I didn't look away. He was alone at his table, but I saw Sherri coming back from the ladies' room. He saw her too, but kept his eyes locked with mine.

  Mason was staring at me when I looked back, so I tried to play it off. I was supposed to be focusing on Adam this week anyway, and Mason knew that. He had even offered to help me come up with solutions for my problem with Adam. "I think he's trying to figure out if I'm crazy or not. He keeps staring at me."

  "You're a very beautiful woman. Why wouldn't he stare?" Mason said.

  "He isn't looking at any of the other women in here, including his date."

  "Maybe he isn't interested in any of the other women in here, including his date." Mason said shortly.

  "It's very uncomfortable talking about someone while they are looking at me. Can we talk about something else?"

  "I would be more than happy to not talk about another man on our date. What would you like to talk about?"

  Great, he was still angry. "Maybe we can talk about the photos I took of you yesterday. I tried to develop them, but they weren't on the film that was in the camera I used. The other shots I'd taken last week were on it, but yours weren't."

  Mason shrugged. "You have that happen a lot?"

  I shook my head. "Never."

  "I'm not a photographer, Kendra. I don't know anything about developing."

  Oh well. I hadn't gotten answers to any of my questions, but I'd managed to change the subject. "How long have you been a nurse?" I asked after the waiter sat our entrée's in front of us. Mine looked really good, and I realized that I was more interested in eating, than talking to my date. I glanced up again at Adam, but he hadn't been looking at me until the moment I glanced at him. I looked away. I didn't want to get back on the subject of Adam again.

  "Twelve years."

  My fork stopped half way to my mouth. There was no possible way he could have been a nurse for twelve years. "How old are you?"

  He laughed. "Thirty-five. Why?"

  My jaw dropped. He looked younger than me. I recovered and shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured that you were younger than I was, that's all."

  "And how old are you?" he asked, still clearly amused. He had to already know; he had my medical records.

  "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a lady's age?" I said with an eyebrow raised.

  "I figured I'd ask. If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to."

  He was clever. "I'm twenty-nine."

  "See, and I thought you were older than me."

  My jaw dropped again and he burst out laughing. "God, the look on your face, I was only joking. You look younger than your age. I was guessing twenty-seven, which would make you the youngest woman I've ever dated. I usually date women a little older than me."

  "Cougars?" I said.

  He laughed. "No, I prefer women my age or a couple years older. A lot of women under thirty-five are still too immature."

  I lowered my eyes to my plate and cut a piece of steak with my knife. "Yeah, well, most men under fifty are too immature for me."

  "Where do I rate?"

  I shrugged as I put the food in my mouth. "I don't know yet."

  I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up. Adam was walking up to our table with Sherri behind him. Mason and I both stood up.

  "We just wanted to wish the two of you a good night." I shook Sherri's hand again, but when Adam took mine, our eyes locked, and he gave my hand a little squeeze before raising it and kissing my knuckles. "Will I see you tomorrow for lunch?" Sherri shot him a questioning look. He didn't seem to notice, but I did.

  I didn't know if he really wanted an answer, or if he was trying to piss off his date, or mine. I didn't want to be in the middle of a fight, but if there was going to be one, it would be his fight. I would gladly back out of the way. What if I hadn't checked my answering machine? Would he have gone into detail like he had over the machine, or would he have just asked me to check my machine when I got home? "I'll be there at noon."

  He nodded then turned back to Mason. "See you in the morning, Mase." They walked off, and we sat back down. All of a sudden, I wasn't hungry anymore, and I wanted to go home. I figured Mason would be in a bad mood the rest of the night because of how Adam had acted toward me.

  I took another bite then focused mainly on my Chardonnay.

  "Would anyone care for dessert?" the waiter asked. I shook my head.

  "No, but you can bring me the check." Mason said.

  The waiter hesitated. "Was everything good, Sir?"

  "Everything was great. Check please." Mason said.

  The waiter glanced at me nervously then scurried off.

  "Why are you being such a jerk?"

  The waiter came back with the check and laid it on the table by Mason, then he started to walk off. "Wait." Mason said calmly, then put a hundred and fifty dollars in the ticket book without even looking at the bill. He handed it back to the waiter. "Have a good night."

  "You too, Sir," he looked at me and nodded. "Ma'am," I nodded back and stood when Mason did.

  Back to contents

  Chapter Seventeen

/>   We rode back to my house in silence, making it the second time that it happened to me in one day. He'd even turned the radio off. I thought about calling him a jerk, but I really didn't feel like walking. We were about two miles from my house and I couldn't stand it any longer. "You knew I was meeting Adam tomorrow for lunch. Why are you so upset?" I said as I looked out the window.

  He didn't answer for a while. He'd already pulled up my drive and shut off the engine before he did respond. He took in a deep breath through his nose, then let it out through puffed out cheeks. "I'm not upset with you. I'm pissed off at Adam. He was on a date with Sherri, and you and I were on a date. If I had of suggested that her and I go somewhere and leave the two of you alone, he would have been delighted with the idea. He hardly took his eyes off of you the whole time we were there."

  I didn't want to tell him what Rhyan had said about Adam being my soulmate. I thought I would try asking him for advice first. "What do you think I'm supposed to do about it? Stay away from him and just wait for the inevitable to happen on Friday?"

  "What do you plan on doing with him?" Mason asked, meeting my gaze.

  "Whatever I have to do to stay alive."

  "And what exactly would that be?"

  I looked away from him. Dammit, I didn't want to tell him. "Tell him, Kendra," Rhyan said in my mind.

  "You tell him, Rhyan. Show your ass and tell him yourself," I said a little angrily.

  "You know I cannot do that. I'm sorry, but you have to end this with him. He is only a distraction, and not a good one." Fine. I knew that he was right. How the hell did my life get so damn complicated?

  "Coen made your life complicated." he said.