Fall in Love

Home > Nonfiction > Fall in Love > Page 259
Fall in Love Page 259

by Anthology


  But Adrianne knew him. Knew about him, even some of his past here in Sapphire Falls. And liked him. Wanted him.

  He’d left her sleeping this morning. She was probably going to be sore when she got up this morning, he thought with a grin. He’d been unable to keep from waking her every few hours throughout the night. At least when she wasn’t wakening him.

  They’d made love repeatedly in several variations, each more incredible and better than the last. Especially after he told her he loved her. She hadn’t repeated it, but he could feel it—stronger every time.

  “You’ll see,” Mason said gently. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “This is all my fault,” Lauren said. Something clattered on her end of the phone. “I made you go to Sapphire Falls. I made you so attractive that Adrianne couldn’t resist. I told you that something had to be more important than work. But don’t listen to me, Mason. Because of Alex, I’ve been distracted and leaving work early instead of focusing on the stuff for Haiti. And now she’s gone and all of that is wasted time. But none of the time we’ve spent on Haiti is wasted. Those people need us. Those people will appreciate us. They deserve us. Hot girls who make us think about nipple clamps and bubble baths and being in love forever and ever do not deserve us.”

  Mason’s eyes were wide. He wasn’t sure what he was more stunned by—Lauren’s continued ranting, his mental picture of Alex and nipple clamps, or the fact that his best friend really believed that Adrianne was bad for him.

  Damn.

  None of that was good.

  “Lauren, calm down. Everything is going to be fine—”

  “Are you coming home?”

  “I’ll have to make a trip eventually. I’ll have to figure this DC meeting out.”

  He thought about suggesting Lauren go without him. But the truth was she couldn’t. She could explain everything, present everything, make the case. But the vice president was upset with Mason. Mason had to deliver the presentation and make nice. Not that he exactly cared if the vice president liked him or was happy with him, but it would undoubtedly make things easier in the future when he and Lauren wanted to work overseas. They could do what they wanted without the vice president’s blessing, but it would be easier with it.

  Dammit.

  “I was thinking we could do a conference call—”

  “Oh, sure. A conference call. Why didn’t I think of that?” Lauren asked with sudden brightness. “I think that’s a fantastic plan.”

  “You do?”

  “Hell no. That idea sucks.”

  “Why? They’ll get the info they need. I’ll even apologize to Vice President Forrester.”

  “You’re seriously telling me that you’re going to ask the Vice President of the United States to have a conference call with you so you can stay in Hicksville for a fling.”

  “She’s not a fling,” he said stubbornly. “She’s the one. You’ll like her. She’s—”

  “A distraction you, we, don’t need.”

  He arrived at the café. “I have a meeting. I have to go.” He could have told her the guys had invited him to coffee, but she would have thought he was making it up.

  “Mason,” Lauren said quickly. “I don’t lie to you, right?”

  “Right,” he said with some reservation.

  “Then believe me when I say that if you are not on a flight to Chicago by tomorrow morning, I will do whatever I have to do to save you from yourself.”

  That didn’t sound good at all.

  “I don’t—” he started.

  “Do not make me come to Sapphire Falls.”

  “I’ll have to call you later.”

  “Sure, you do that,” she said. “Whenever you get a minute. No big deal. I’ll go ahead and do all of our work for the DC meeting without you and—”

  He hung up.

  He’d never, ever hung up on Lauren before. But she was pushy and bossy and had been dumped and was blaming him—at least indirectly—so there wasn’t really anything good to come out of further conversation at the moment.

  A minute later, he had to silence his phone as he stepped into the diner. Lauren could leave all her thoughts and opinions about all of it on his voice mail. Which he was sure she would.

  “Mason!”

  Drew’s enthusiastic greeting made him smile in spite of himself. Maybe they were all faking it to make him feel good. But maybe they found him interesting. He was going to stay carefully away from the topic of his work and concentrate on things they cared about—the Sapphire Falls high school football team, the University of Nebraska’s football team and the Kansas City Chiefs football team.

  All things he’d spent time researching on Adrianne’s computer that morning.

  “’Morning.” He took the chair across from Tim. “I see the Huskers have a great new running back from Texas.”

  Chapter Eight

  “This is so great.”

  Adrianne dropped her head onto her hands. “No, Phoebe, this is not great.”

  “How is you falling in love with a great guy not great?”

  Adrianne’s head whipped up. “What?”

  Phoebe grinned and lifted the takeout coffee cup she’d brought with her knowing, she claimed, that Adrianne would be too tired to get up and make anything. She’d brought Adrianne tea too.

  She was tired. No doubt about it. And sore. But if she were given the chance to repeat the night, she wouldn’t change a thing. Except for Mason’s declaration of staying in town. And she wouldn’t have wasted even the time she had sleeping. He was leaving Monday—he was—and she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible until then.

  Until she had to swear him off with the carrot cake and drinking and staying up too late and her Blackberry and…all the other things that she’d loved and been addicted to.

  “You’ve never been in love before?” Phoebe asked, reaching for one of the sugar packets she’d brought along as well.

  “I’ve…” Adrianne thought about it. Besides one college boyfriend, she couldn’t honestly say she’d been in love. And that had been first love, kid stuff. Certainly, she’d never felt the way she did about Mason.

  With a groan, she dropped her head back to her hands. “This is terrible.”

  Now not only did she know he couldn’t stay, and she was going to be sad to see him go, it really was going to break her heart.

  Dammit.

  “How did this happen?”

  “He came to town, you danced with him and the rest is the story you’ll tell your grandkids.”

  “Stop it.” Adrianne lifted her head again. “Seriously. This can’t happen.”

  “It already did.”

  “Then I have to keep it from…continuing. Even if he has some feelings for me, he can’t stay.”

  Phoebe didn’t look convinced.

  Adrianne tried harder. “He’s wrapped up in everything, being a part of the crowd, the phenomenal sex, the idea that the in crowd wants him for something. It won’t last. It’s not real.”

  Phoebe added another sugar packet and stirred her coffee. “I probably shouldn’t say anything. I’ll make you mad. Again.”

  “If you’re referring to what you said about me not being willing to fight for him, then yes, please don’t say anything,” Adrianne said. Phoebe was right. That was the sucky part. She didn’t want to have to fight. She was tired of fighting. She didn’t want to have to try. She wanted easy, simple, angst-free.

  “I’m thinking that if the guy you’re in love with isn’t enough to make you want to take a risk then I don’t know what will be. I worry about you.”

  Adrianne swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I’m fine.”

  “Well, at least you’re getting laid. That’s more than I can say.”

  That simple reminder was enough to make liquid heat rush through Adrianne’s body.

  Phoebe must have seen something in her face because she whistled. “Wow, it must have been good.”

  It had been. It had
been enough to ruin her forever for other men. It had been enough to make her want to beg him to stay.

  “It was…” Her cell phone beeped, signaling a text message and she hoped it was Mason, then she hoped it wasn’t. This was complicated.

  But it didn’t matter, because it was Hailey. “S.O.S. He said no to Drew too.”

  “Frick,” she muttered.

  “What’s up?”

  “Hailey. Mason was invited to coffee with the guys this morning. He insisted he was fine to go alone, that it was social. Obviously, Hailey talked Drew into asking Mason for the money too. He turned him down.”

  Phoebe snorted. “She’s pretty dense, isn’t she?”

  “I suppose she has to try every angle.”

  “Oh, I love it,” Phoebe assured her. “The harder Hailey tries, the more fun it has to be for Mason to say no.”

  “You think he’s saying no for fun?” That didn’t feel right.

  “Hey, if he doesn’t want some revenge, he’s a better person than I am.”

  Adrianne frowned. “Revenge? Mason doesn’t really strike me as the vengeful type, Phoebe.”

  “But you don’t know what Hailey did to him. I think even the Pope would be less than forgiving.”

  “What did she do?” Adrianne didn’t think she really wanted to know.

  Before she could think of an appropriate answer to text to Hailey, her phone rang. It was Hailey. “We have to do something, Adrianne. I have to do the presentation to all the other investors in an hour. What should we do with Mason?”

  Adrianne had several ideas. None of which included a we.

  “I was thinking maybe he could hang out with me. I’m going to be making all the candy for the reception. Maybe it would be good for him to hang out with me and see some behind the scenes of one of the potential businesses.” She was making this up as she went along, but that sounded pretty good.

  Phoebe’s grin and thumbs up said she agreed.

  “Oh, that’s perfect,” Hailey said. “He’ll see up close and personal what a great idea it is.”

  Well, if her boss was going to insist she spend time with Mason, she was going to have to, wasn’t she? “Sure. Sounds great.”

  “Okay.” Hailey didn’t say anything else, but she also didn’t disconnect.

  “Hailey?” Adrianne prompted.

  “I’m sorry about the Ferris wheel and insisting on dinner with Mason,” Hailey finally said in a rush. “I didn’t know you had a real thing for Mason. I know no guy has spent the night with you since you’ve lived here, so I know he must really mean something to you. I’m sorry I didn’t…notice. I thought we were friends but…maybe I’m not a very good friend.”

  Adrianne sat in shock. Hailey Conner had just apologized to her. Was there a full moon or something?

  “Adrianne?”

  She shook herself. “Yeah?”

  “So, I, um…still have to try to get him to invest but I will back off on the…”

  “Cleavage?” Adrianne supplied.

  Hailey actually gave a soft laugh. “Yes. The cleavage. And everything.”

  “That would be great.”

  “I could help you with your cleavage a little though,” Hailey offered.

  Adrianne’s call waiting beeped and she glanced quickly at the incoming number. It was Mason.

  “I’m good, thanks. Bye.” Adrianne quickly hung up on Hailey and picked up Mason’s call. “Want to hang out today?”

  “With you, yes. With anyone else, no.”

  She grinned. “Good answer.”

  “Want to go to the farm with me? I want to check a few things out about the house.”

  “I need to make candy today. A ton of it.”

  “Do it at the farm. The kitchen is great. Huge.”

  A huge kitchen was a sure way to tempt her. As if she needed more temptation than just being with Mason. Her kitchen was great for making a meal or two a day, even a batch of candy here and there, but big batches got complicated. “The stove and stuff works?”

  “Never shut anything off,” Mason admitted. “Kept thinking I might sell it and seemed best to keep the heat and everything working.”

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll meet you there.” She disconnected, making a grocery list in her head as she grabbed her purse and started to stand. She paused when she noticed Phoebe watching her with an amused expression.

  “What?”

  “I think making candy is a great euphemism for sex,” Phoebe said.

  “We’re not going to…” Adrianne trailed off as she realized that was probably a lie. “I’m going to make candy. Too.”

  Phoebe’s laughter accompanied her out of the kitchen.

  Adrianne was properly impressed by the farm’s kitchen. It was perfect. Perfect for candy making, perfect for cooking huge family dinners, perfect for hosting barbecues with friends. Perfect.

  She sighed and knew it sounded wistful.

  She wanted a kitchen like this. She also wanted to make candy, cook huge family dinners and host barbecues for friends.

  Mason flipped on a light switch and crossed to open the fridge. “It all seems to be working. What do you think?”

  “It’s perfect,” she said, with more feeling than was really needed for the old farmhouse’s kitchen.

  “Great. I’m going to head upstairs and check on some things.”

  She got busy unpacking her groceries and pots and pans. She was making truffles for the investor reception tomorrow night along with her grandmother’s candy strawberries, on request from Matt, and her own chocolate coffee toffee. She needed to get going.

  For the next two hours, she enjoyed listening to Mason banging around upstairs and stomping over the back and front porches as he searched through bedrooms, the attic, closets, basement and out buildings. She’d catch sight of him through the window or passing by the doorway from time to time, but he didn’t stop to chat or even steal a kiss.

  Still, it was nice working knowing that he was around.

  It was something she could get used to.

  Which was crazy. She’d known him only a couple of days. Sure, she liked him. Yes, he made her hot and tingly with just a smile. But there was no way she could already know that she wanted him around for good.

  In this house.

  The thought hit her hard.

  As if someone had said it out loud to her.

  She was completely comfortable and could imagine herself in this house, with Mason, forever. Adrianne swallowed hard and tried to focus on the pot in front of her. She was making…it took her ten seconds to remember. She was making toffee. She added butter and sugar to the pot, stirred them together and then turned for the salt.

  Through the large window by the table, she caught sight of Mason coming up from the barn. He stopped and bent to toss something into a bucket by the tree, straightened and wiped his hands on his jeans. Large streaks of dirt coated the denim and stupidly, Adrianne’s heart kicked.

  He looked so sexy all dirty and sweaty and…then he grinned, tipped his cap back and wiped his arm over his forehead.

  She stared.

  He wasn’t smiling at her. She knew he couldn’t even see her from there. He was simply smiling. The contentment and happiness were so obvious that she had a hard time swallowing.

  A quiet hissing sound behind her reminded her she was in the middle of…something. Whirling toward the stove, she grabbed for the spoon. Oh, yeah, toffee. Dammit.

  She stirred the melted butter and determined she’d caught it in time. Cussing the fact Mason could distract her so easily, she checked the temperature, stubbornly focusing.

  When she had her own shop this wouldn’t be a problem. There would be no sexy farmer in faded blue jeans sweating and dirty right outside the window.

  The butter and sugar came to the right temperature and she moved to prepare the baking sheet for pouring it out.

  Maybe she wouldn’t put windows in the shop kitchen anyway. If Mason even came in for coffee or something—
she frowned. Would Mason be coming in? Really? He said he wanted to stay, but there was no way he’d give Chicago up entirely. Or even at all. She went to the table and rummaged in the grocery bags for the chocolate and coffee beans she’d ground earlier for the top of the toffee.

  He’d seemed really determined about it last night though. Mason Riley didn’t strike her as the type to say something like he was staying without having put some thought into it. Okay, it was crazy. Definitely. But not impossible.

  If he stayed, moved here, whatever, they could see each other all the time. They could date. Get to know each other. Then the ridiculous I-want-to-be-with-you-forever feelings would be okay and make sense. To everyone. Including her.

  And she could make candy in this kitchen until the shop was done. Even after that. She could make candy at Christmas for their families and…

  She froze.

  This kitchen…at Christmas…her shop…

  This kitchen was sitting on top of where they wanted to build Sapphire Hills.

  If Mason stayed in Sapphire Falls, he’d be living here. In the house they were going to tear down. On the land they were going to pave over. On top of the hill—the only real hill in Sapphire Falls.

  She ran a hand through her hair while rubbing the spot over her heart with the other.

  Frick. Damn. Crap. What were they going to do?

  This was all her fault.

  The plan had been to keep Mason away from Hailey so she wouldn’t screw up their chances of building Sapphire Hills.

  Yeah, this was going great.

  “How’s it going?”

  Adrianne swung to find Mason coming in through the back door.

  He had dirt streaking his T-shirt and right cheek now too and he was grinning like a little boy.

  Her heart thumped. God, she wanted him.

  Not just physically. She wanted all of it. She wanted him to move here, to live in this house, to farm this ground.

 

‹ Prev