“Simone,” Mason sighed as he stood up and walked around the desk. He sat on the edge of his desk in front of Simone, making it clear he was not intimidated by her. “I do not, nor will I ever, answer to the likes of you. Your son’s case will be taken on by one of the other partners, though if I had my way, I would lock the little thug up and throw away the key, because that’s exactly what he deserves.”
“How dare you…” Simone began to protest, but Mason stopped her mid-sentence.
“HOW DARE YOU!” He shouted back at her, stunning her into silence. “That girl did nothing wrong except be unfortunate enough to meet you and your family. Slapping her around the first time wasn’t enough. He had to go and pay her another visit on Friday, despite the fact I told him to stay away from her. Now she has lost her baby, and will probably never have another child, because of your darling son.”
Simone stared at him, completely stunned by what he said.
“He said he loved her,” Mason said, as he leaned down so he was face to face with her. “He loved her, but you couldn’t stand it. You pushed him and pushed him until he snapped. Then he went and kicked the child out of that girl. Your grandchild. You must be so proud.”
“I don’t care what you think, James,” Simone said as she finally began to regroup. “I pay you to do a job, not give your opinion and you will do what you’re told. Do I make myself clear?”
“Let me make myself clear,” Mason replied. “You pay the company and I am no longer part of this company, therefore I no longer answer to you and there is nothing you can do about that.”
“You have no idea who you are messing with,” Simone hissed into Mason’s face, but still he didn’t blink.
“You are so wrong,” Mason replied with a laugh. “I know exactly who I am dealing with.”
He stepped forward so he was almost nose to nose with Simone.
“Scum,” he said calmly, looking her directly in the eyes. “Bottom dwellers. The worse version of humanity I have ever seen. But you don’t scare me. Now, get the hell out of my office.”
“I hope you don’t regret this decision,” she smirked at Mason but he could see she was seething with anger.
“Oh I’m sure I won’t,” Mason said staring her down.
“Let’s hope not,” she said with a knowing smile.
Simone picked up her handbag from Mason’s desk, then turned towards the office door. Mason watched her as she walked across the office, praying this was last he would ever see of this woman, but something told him, he wouldn’t be that lucky.
“Oh, Mason,” Simone said as she reached the door. She stopped, turned back to Mason and gave him an evil smirk. “I hear you have finally settled down.”
Mason looked at Simone, not really sure where she was going with this, but a sickening knot quickly formed in his stomach.
“A pretty, bookish type,” Simone continued. “Or so I’m told.”
“She has nothing to do with this, Simone,” Mason said, as his blood boiled. He took a step closer to her and clenched his fists at his side. “So you leave her out of it. I am warning you.”
“Relax, Mason,” she laughed coldly. “I am simply making an observation. Nothing more.”
She flicked her hair and turned back to the door but stopped as she reached for the handle.
“Still,” Simone said without turning back to face Mason. “It would be a shame if anything were happened to the little book worm. New York City is such a dangerous, scary place. Don’t you think?”
Mason closed the distance between him and Simone in seconds. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him.
“You so much as look sideways at her,” Mason growled as he pinned Simone against the door. “And so help me God, I will kill you myself.”
“Temper, temper, Mason,” she laughed into his face. “As I said, I am merely making an observation and maybe giving you a friendly warning. Be careful who you cross, because you might not like the price it could cost you.”
She pushed Mason back then turned and opened the door. He stood and watched as she rushed out, big blonde curls flying everywhere.
God, I hate that creature, he thought to himself angrily. He needed to talk to Amelia and the sooner the better. He hoped Simone was just grandstanding, but Mason wasn’t prepared to take any chances. He needed help and he knew exactly who he should turn to.
He returned to his desk, picked up his phone and punched in Andrew’s number.
“Hey,” Andrew said when he answered his phone. Mason could tell from his voice that Andrew was still buzzing from the arrival of his son. Mason hated to be the one to bring him back down to earth but he needed his friend. “I was just going to call you. We finally have a name for your godson.”
“Oh,” Mason replied giving Andrew his moment of happiness. “Do tell.”
“Riley Mason Pope,” Andrew said, his voice full of pride.
“Are you serious?” Mason asked, stunned by what his friend had said. “I don’t know what to say, Drew. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Andrew replied. “I couldn’t think of anyone better to name my boy after.
“Well it means a lot to me,” Mason replied honestly.
“So, what were you calling me for?” Andrew asked, remembering that it was Mason that had called him.
Mason explained to him about his visit from Simone. He couldn’t go into the finer details of her son’s case because of attorney /client confidentiality and though Mason was no longer his attorney, he was when the boy had confided in him. Still, he told him everything else he needed to know.
“I will go have a word with her, let her know we are keeping an eye on this,” Andrew said once Mason had told him everything. “Unfortunately, until she actually does something, there isn’t much else I can do. I will make sure patrol know to keep an eye on the bookstore. I am sorry it’s not more.”
“I appreciate it, Andrew,” Mason replied, but he felt disappointed that there wasn’t more that could be done, even though he already knew this before making the call.
“Mace,” Andrew said in a serious tone of voice. “I need you to promise me that you will not do anything stupid. Simone isn’t a stupid woman. She was most likely trying to rattle you, see if you would back down. Still I want you to look after Amelia. You need to talk to her. Don’t scare her, but tell her enough to keep her safe.”
“I will talk to her tonight,” Mason promised him.
“I know you’re not going to like this,” Andrew continued knowing Mason would not be happy with what he was about to suggest. “But maybe Amelia should consider going home to her folks, just till things calm down a little.”
“That’s not an option,” Mason answered without missing a beat. “I am not letting Simone Anderson come between Amelia and me. That is not happening.”
“Okay, okay,” Andrew sighed, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind. “Just promise me Mace, you will be careful.”
“I promise,” Mason assured his friend.
Chapter 26
“Penny for your thoughts,” Annie said to Amelia, as she sat behind the cash register staring blankly into space, lost in her thoughts. “Are you okay, Sweetie? You seem so distracted lately.”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Amelia lied with a smile. She knew Annie cared for her and that she was genuinely interested in what was bothering her, but she really didn’t want to talk about everything that was going through her mind. Truth was, she didn’t know where to begin. Everything seemed such a mess in her life.
It had been three weeks since she had walked out of her parent’s house but her father still hadn’t spoken to her, and it was breaking her heart. Her mother just kept saying to give him time, but Amelia felt the longer it was going on, the further they seemed to be drifting apart and that it would never be the same again.
She had hoped that when she told her mother that Mason had walked away from his firm, to start a new, better life for them, that her dad would see how se
rious they were about each other and he would have come around, but still he refused to talk to her.
When Mason had told her what he had done, Amelia was completely stunned. She knew he was serious about them, but it was still so early in their relationship that she was surprised he would make such a big change, just to make her happy. It worried her that Mason was moving so quickly with everything.
Mason had insisted that the change in direction was a long time coming, and that meeting her had just given him the push he needed. Still, Amelia felt responsible and also a little guilty that he was turning his life upside down for her, just to try and please her.
Part of her was worried too that since the day he came home and told her that he had handed in his resignation, he seemed distracted, worried almost, and Amelia couldn’t help but think it was all her fault. She felt liked she had just become more of a burden.
He had also told her that she needed to be careful, that one of his clients was unhappy with his decision to leave and that she should try be more observant, and to inform him if she noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary, just until the dust settled on everything.
That was two weeks ago now, but so far nothing had happened, so Amelia thought maybe Mason was just being overly protective and was worrying for nothing.
She sighed deeply and wished that things could just be as they were before, with both Mason and her father. She just wanted everything back to normal, whatever normal was.
“Okay, spill,” Annie said, pulling Amelia back from her thoughts. “You have me worried. You look so unhappy and I know you have no one else to talk to, so I want you to talk to me.”
“It’s nothing really…” Amelia shrugged. “It’s just…next weekend is my dad’s birthday. I normally go back to Hartford for it, but something tells me this year, I won’t be so welcome.”
“Oh Amelia,” Annie said, as she reached out and took her hand. “You know you father loves you. I have never seen a man to be prouder, or love his child as much as your dad loves you.”
“Then why won’t he speak to me?” Amelia asked with a deep sigh. “I can’t make it right if he won’t talk to me.”
“Because he is a stubborn man, Amelia,” Annie replied with a smile. “Just like all men.”
“So what am I to do?” Amelia asked, giving her a pleading look.
“Have you talked to Mason about this?” Annie asked. She had met Mason a few times when he called to the store to collect Amelia from work and she liked him straight away.
“I don’t want to bother him,” Amelia replied sadly. “He is so distracted lately with setting up the new firm, I don’t want to bother him with my problems. He already works all hours; I don’t want to give him more to worry about.”
Amelia hesitated. She had already said enough, but Annie knew there was something more that was bothering her.
“What is it Amelia?” Annie said. “What is really bothering you?”
“I think Mason is having second thoughts,” Amelia said as suddenly hot tears stung her eyes. “He is so distracted and stressed out that sometimes I feel I am just in his way.”
“Have you had any luck finding an apartment of your own?” Annie asked, as she handed her a tissue.
“No,” Amelia replied miserably as she wiped her eyes. “Not since I missed out on the one the other day. That is three now I have been beaten to. Everything else is too expensive or just too far away.”
“Oh, Sweetie,” Annie replied. “I am sure it will all work out in the end. Just have a little faith.”
“I hope so,” Amelia said as she blew her nose and forced a bright smile. Before Annie could respond, the bell on the shop door chimed and Amelia looked up to see a customer walking into the shop. She needed to push Mason and everything else out of her mind for now and concentrate on her job.
“Hi there,” Amelia said brightly as the woman made her way to the counter. “How can I help you today?”
“I am looking for a book,” the woman said, giving Amelia a strange look but then forced a smile. She looked Amelia up and down and made her feel a little self-conscious.
“Well you have come to the right place,” Amelia replied as she turned to the shop computer and brought up their stock lists then looked back at the woman. “What is it you’re looking for?”
“I want a copy of The Client, by John Grisham,” the woman replied with a smirk then added. “First edition of course.”
“Good choice,” Amelia replied brightly, as she tried to ignore the fact the woman made her feel a little uncomfortable. She typed the name into the search engine, and hit send. She glanced up at the woman and gave her a nervous smile but the woman just stared back at her without any real expression on her face. Finally, the search results popped up on the screen and Amelia returned her attention to the screen. “You are in luck, well, kind of.”
“Oh?” The woman replied still glaring at Amelia.
“We don’t have it here in stock,” Amelia explained. “But one of our suppliers in Boston has a copy. We can order it and have if here for you in a couple of days.”
“Perfect,” the woman said, finally cracking a smile on her overly made up face, but still she made Amelia feel uncomfortable.
“I will just need your details,” Amelia said as she began to fill out the order form for the woman. “Can I have your name please?”
“Of course,” the woman smirked. “It’s Simone Anderson.”
She paused and looked at Amelia as if she was expecting her to react to her name, but Amelia had no idea why.
“Okay, Ms Anderson,” Amelia replied as she tried to ignore the woman’s strange behaviour. “If you could just give me your phone number, we can contact you once we have that book in stock.”
Simone told Amelia her number but seemed to be a little annoyed about something. Still, Amelia remained professional and didn’t react to the woman at all.
“Great,” Amelia said brightly when she had all her details. “As soon as that book is in, we will give you a call so you can come in and collect it.”
“Fine,” Simone replied, as she gave Amelia a tight smile. She stared at her for a moment, as if she was considering what to say next but she didn’t say anything. Instead she just turned and hurried towards the door of the shop.
“What the hell was that about?” Annie said from her chair where she had been watching Amelia’s interaction with the strange customer.
“I have no idea,” Amelia said looking at Annie. “But I think when her book comes in, I will leave you to deal with it.”
It was a little after five when Amelia stepped off the elevator and walked across the hallway to the door of Mason’s apartment. Annie had let her leave an hour early so she knew Mason wasn’t expecting her for at least another hour. She paused before she slipped her key into the lock and took a deep breath.
She wasn’t sure if Mason would be home, or what kind of mood he would be in. As she quietly opened the door, she could hear voices coming from the living room. She stopped for a moment, unsure if she should go in or not. She didn’t want to disturb Mason.
Then she heard a woman laugh and to her surprise, Amelia felt a pang of jealously course through her but she had no idea why. She wasn’t sure what she would find if she continued on into the living room, and if she was honest, she really couldn’t face whatever it was.
Amelia thought for a moment, then decided she was going to just leave. She would go for a walk, then return back a bit later. She reached for the keys on the hall table and picked up her bag from the floor then turn back towards the door. She was just about to open it, when her bag clipped one of the vases on the hall table, and sent it crashing to the floor.
“SHIT!” Amelia exclaimed as she dropped to her knees and began to pick up the pieces.
“Amelia, is that you?” Mason called from the living room before he appeared at the door way.
“Mason, I am so sorry…” Amelia began to apologise quickly without looking up at Ma
son. To her horror, she could feel the hot tears pool in her eyes once more.
“Hey,” Mason said, hurrying towards her. “It’s okay, it was an accident.”
“I…w…will replace it,” she said with a sob.
“Amelia,” Mason said, realising she was upset about more than just the vase. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” she shook her head as she refused to look at him and continued to pick up the broken pieces despite the fact her vision was blurred. Suddenly she yelped as one of the shards sliced across her hand. “OUCH!”
“Jesus, Amelia,” Mason said grabbing her hand. “Just leave the damn vase, you have hurt yourself.”
He pulled her to her feet and led her into the kitchen, where he turned on the tap and held her hand beneath the running water. Amelia stared at the blood that ran from her hand into the sink, mixed with water, but she could sense Mason staring at her.
“Mason, what’s happened?” Sadie said from the doorway of the kitchen, then she spotted the blood and hurried towards them. “Oh dear, what happened?”
She grabbed the paper towel from the kitchen counter and quickly pressed it against Amelia’s hand.
“She cut it on a broken vase in the hall,” Mason explained without taking his eyes from Amelia.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” Sadie asked Mason but he didn’t respond. “Mason!”
“I…um…yeah,” he said, finally looking up at Sadie. “I will get it.
“It looks worse than it is,” she assured Amelia, when Mason had left them alone. Amelia didn’t reply, she just looked up at Sadie and gave her a tearful smile.
Mason returned with the kit and opened it on the island in the middle of the kitchen, as Sadie led Amelia to one of the kitchen stools.
“Now, let’s have a look, shall we?” Sadie said as she lifted the paper towel from Amelia’s hand. “Well, you have certainly given yourself a nasty cut, but with a couple of paper stitches and a bit of dressing, you will be as right as rain in no time.”
All Time Love Page 18