by J. Daniels
Did she eat some of it? I wouldn’t be surprised.
I notice as I move further into the room the tiny flower petals made out of gum paste dropped on the floor near the tray. A few are still on it. She must’ve been trying to construct the gardenias again. Each attempt she makes leaves her more and more frustrated and doubtful of herself.
Her head isn’t in this. That’s the problem. It’s across the street.
“Hey. You need me to help with anything back here?” I ask, picking up the stool and righting it. I brush some flour off the wood and scoop it into my hand, dumping it in the nearby trash bin.
Brooke shakes her head. She lowers her hands to her lap and looks down. “How are we doing on treats? Do I need to make more?”
“Not right now. We’re good.”
“And they’re . . . people are buying them? They want what I made?”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you say that.”
She slowly looks up at me.
Sighing, I move around the worktop and stand beside her. “Everything out there is fabulous. Including me. We are selling as good as we always sell, because you are an exceptional baker. In fact, don’t tell Dylan this, but I actually think your red velvet icing tastes a little better than hers.”
I quickly glance behind me. The stairs are vacant. Good. She isn’t disobeying doctor’s orders and hearing my blasphemy.
“Yeah, right.” Brooke gazes up at me skeptically. Shadowy smudges line her eyes, which appear dull and lifeless. Her face is pale and a bit puffy.
How much has she cried today? Too much, I’m guessing. It’s all she’s been doing. Here. At the condo. In her bed. In mine.
She isn’t the only one running on minimal sleep. Three people to a queen bed isn’t the most comfortable arrangement.
I’ve suggested a king to Billy. He seems to think Brooke won’t be spooning with us for much longer.
I’m doubtful.
“Do I look as shitty as I feel?” Brooke asks, her chin trembling and tears threatening to fall, her hair a mess all around her, some of it tied back haphazardly while chunks tangle together along her back.
Does she look a hot mess? Yes, absolutely. But having two women as my best friends has taught me a very valuable lesson over the past decade.
Lie when you need to. And lie good. The truth is not worth the headache sometimes.
I rub her back. “You look amazing, as do I. I was actually thinking of taking a few selfies later if you want in. Capturing our first day together as a dynamic duo running this shit like we were born to do it.”
“If you put a phone in my face, I will smash it against the wall,” Brooke growls. “And then I will stab you with something for suggesting we capture this god awful moment.”
Inhaling slowly, I slide my hand off her back. “Noted. And for the record, you are definitely becoming more and more like my little cupcake upstairs.”
For fuck’s sake. How many times have I been threatened in this shop?
“Actually, I’m not. That’s the problem.” Brooke stands from her stool and picks up the sheet tray. “You see, Dylan would be able to construct these stupid fucking flowers with no problem. I can’t. I’ve tried, and I’ve tried.” She drops the tray on the wood. “And I’ve tried. None of mine are turning out right. That bride is going to be getting a cake with no flowers on it on Saturday because of me. Her cake will end up being the most boring looking wedding cake in the history of wedding cakes, because of me. And bonus, it could also taste like shit. Happy fucking wedding day.”
I walk over and grab her shoulders. “I think it’s time for a little break.”
She shrugs away from me. “A break? And where would I go on this break, Joey?” Brooke grabs a large mixing bowl off the shelf and tosses it onto the worktop. “The coffee shop? Where Mason isn’t waiting for me? Or maybe I could go to that park he took me to with the water fountain. Or the campsite. That seems like a nice break spot.” She goes about retying her apron, although I’m not sure she needs to. It seems pretty damn secure. “Or maybe I’ll just march across the street and take my break over there? See if he looks as bad as I do. See if he’s feeling anything even close to what I’m feeling, because he fucking should! He should be the one crying, and losing sleep, and,” she gives up on the trying to tie the apron and rips it off, tossing it on the floor. “And heartbroken. He should feel like he’s dying, because that’s how I feel!”
Oh shit.
She huffs out a breath and wipes at her face. “Jesus Christ. I didn’t even want this!”
I watch Brooke turn away from me, her shoulders hunched forward, her hands coming up to cradle her face as she cries and cries and cries.
Fuck! I can’t take this! I can’t take anymore more of this. It’s killing me. I love Brooke. Wild, crazy, fun to be around, Brooke. This isn’t her. This isn’t even a dulled out version of her. I have no idea who the shattered woman is in front of me, but I know who’s responsible for it.
And that asshole is about to get a little visit from yours truly.
I pick up her apron and lay it across the stool. “Take a minute to get yourself together. I’m going to turn the sign on the door and step out to get something to drink. You’re amazing. I love you. Remember that.”
Spinning around, not giving her a chance to argue or me a chance to see any more of her devastation, I move into the front of the shop and flip the sign on the door, push it open to get outside, and cross the street, sprinting to avoid traffic.
I pull on the door handle.
Locked.
“Really? No classes today, Mister Hemsworth?”
Cupping my hand on the glass, I peer inside the dark studio.
I know Mason lives upstairs. Brooke told me his set-up is similar to Dylan’s. There’s a chance he isn’t here.
There’s also a chance he is.
I dig into my back pocket and pull out my wallet, fishing through for the bobby pin I keep inside.
Billy likes to cuff me. I like to get out of them without him knowing and pounce unexpectedly like a tiger in heat.
I always get off first. Those are the rules my baby likes to forget.
Straightening the pin, I slide it inside the lock and work the mechanism. It takes less than a minute until I’m rewarded with the soft click. The swift glide of metal. I pull the door open and lock it behind me, crossing the room and bounding up the stairs. I’m ready to use the pin again when I test the knob of the next door.
Surprisingly, it turns without any resistance.
I step out into the loft. The room is darkened, courtesy of the drawn curtains, but I can make out the large figure on the bed.
Face down, breathing heavily and clutching a bottle of what looks to be tequila, Mason seems to be out cold, fully clothed and still wearing his shoes. I’m willing to bet he’s going to be waking up with the hangover of his life.
Perfect.
I flip the switch on the wall. Light bathes the room, but the man on the bed remains motionless. Stepping over dirty clothes and other shit on the floor, beer bottles, a few books, and what looks to be camping gear, I move into the kitchen and grab two saucepans from a cabinet.
And then I bang the fucking shit out of them.
Mason’s head snaps up. He blinks fast, alarm and confusion in his dimmed gaze as he attempts to focus on me. The bottle in his hand rolls off the bed and onto the floor, spilling amber liquid. He covers his one ear and buries his face into the pillow, groaning.
I toss the pans in the sink and brush off my hands.
Ah, that felt good.
“What the hell? What are you doing?” Mason grunts.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got so hungry on my walk over here I thought about making something, and then I remembered that I don’t really cook. My boo does. Thought I’d make some music instead. Did you enjoy that?”
He grumbles something I don’t make out. He slides his hand off his ear and turns his head to look at me through half-l
idded eyes.
“Afternoon,” I sing, smiling as I move closer. “I gotta say, you know, I am a bit disappointed in you, Mason. I mean, for years I have been let down by American men doing dumbass shit, but you have managed to prove to me on an international level that the majority of the male race are complete fucking idiots. Way to represent your country there. Bravo.”
“What . . . how did you get in here?” he asks, still looking just as disordered, trying to sit up and then moaning, collapsing back onto his stomach. “Fuck. My head. Can you switch that light off?”
I study my nails. “Nah. And to answer your question, I picked the lock. This building is like a billion years old. A monkey could get in here if he wanted to.”
Mason grabs a pillow and covers his head with it.
“You know I was rooting for you, right? Really rooting for you. And now I look like the shitty friend who pushed a guy who was not who we all thought he was on someone I really care about.” I kick the mattress, jarring his body a little. “Thanks for that. I doubt Brooke will ever take my advice again.”
Mason lifts his head, snatching the pillow off and glaring at me, until his sudden movement registers in pain across his face and he winces. “Could you . . . please stop talking? Please.”
I bend down. “No. I have a lot to say, and you’re going to hear every word of it.”
Groaning, he rests his head back on the pillow, his eyes open but unfocused. “Fine. Get on with it then.”
“Gladly.” I cross my arms over my chest. A large object in the corner by the window grabs my attention. “Why do you have a tent set up in your room?”
Mason pinches his eyes shut, breathing deeply.
“Never mind. That’s not important. What you did, saying those things to Brooke and making her feel the way she does right now was beyond fucked up. We all have skeletons in our closet, Mason. I’m sure you’ve been with other women. You knew Brooke wasn’t a virgin when you first met her. That wasn’t something she kept from you. Getting on her about shit that happened before she even met you is a complete dick move. Yeah, it sucks that you saw it. I’m sure anyone would’ve reacted the way you did, but it doesn’t make it right.”
“Sucks?” He blinks up at me. “It more than sucks, mate. All right?”
We stare at each other for a moment, and it’s then I see how ragged he looks.
His blonde hair is a mess. Pieces sticking straight out and the rest plastered to his skull. His beard is grown out several days worth. It’s thick and dark. He looks older. The same shadowy smudges I just saw across the street on Brooke line his tired eyes. His clothes are wrinkled. I’m guessing they’ve been worn a couple days in a row now.
Jesus. He’s as miserable as she is.
“Is this what you’ve been doing all weekend?” I ask, gesturing around the room, picking up the tequila bottle and setting it on his night stand. “Getting drunk and then passing out?”
He nods slightly, barely a jerk of his head.
“You know what she’s been doing?”
Mason flicks his weak stare to me.
“Crying.”
It darts away again.
“She’s messed up over you. Really messed up, which is only adding to her stress. This fucking wedding she’s got . . .”
“Why?” he gruffly asks, cutting me off. His gaze still lost on something in front of him. “Why is she messed up? She shouldn’t care. She doesn’t love me. She said it herself. None of this ever mattered to her. I never mattered.”
Bending down, I get close enough to his face, he has no choice but to look at me. “You believe that? ‘Cause if you do, you’re more of an idiot than I thought.”
He grits his teeth. “She said she hates me.”
“I’d hate you too if you made me feel like a whore.”
His eyes go wide, as round as saucers. “What?” he asks, his voice eerily quiet.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Of course he has no idea that’s how she would take all that. God, sometimes I wonder why I love men as much as I do.
Cock.
Yup. That’s why. That’s definitely why.
I straighten my spine. “I heard what you said. The whole ‘are there more of these tapes? Does everyone watch them?’ bullshit. How the fuck do you think she would feel after hearing that? And from you? The one person she cares about more than anything? Yeah, I’m sure she does hate you. But that isn’t all she feels.”
He swallows heavily. “I would never think that of her. I was just . . .” his voice trails off as he rubs a hand over his face. “Fuck, I was . . .”
“You were mad and upset, and you said some shit you didn’t mean.”
He releases a stiff breath, nodding, his jaw locked tight.
I squat beside the bed. He looks at me, the pain searing in his eyes. The guilt. I’m happy it’s there. He should feel really fucking sorry for this.
He made me commit a felony.
“And Brooke was upset, crushed actually, and said some shit she didn’t mean,” I tell him, watching his nostrils flare, his throat shuddering with the breath he takes. “We all have people in our past, Mason. Some of us more than others. I say, who the fuck cares? I know Billy’s been with other men. But you know what? I fucking have him. They don’t. He chose me. Brooke might’ve made that tape with someone else, but she never gave anyone what she gave you. To be honest, she never even came close. Forget about the tape and think about that. You got her. She chose you. Everyone else? Fuck em’.”
I stand to my feet, Mason’s eyes following my movement. I glance once more around the room. “You know, I always pictured you as a neat guy. This is quite a disappointment. Unless this is all the aftermath of Friday night then, okay, I can understand that. I’ve wallowed in filth when I’ve been on the outs with my man. Pretty normal reaction to heartbreak.” I look down at him. “The tent I still don’t get though. You’ve lost me there.”
He shifts on the bed, turning onto his back and immediately clutching at his head and wincing in pain, his breath seething through his teeth.
“Brooke joked once about camping in here instead of outside. That’s where I’ve slept the past two nights. Pretending she’s with me.”
My chest tightens.
Oh, my God. If I wasn’t so irritated with this man, I’d give him the kiss of his life right now.
Smiling, I move away from the bed. “Aw, that’s sweet. I appreciate your misery. I do. I am a full supporter of karma, and you deserve that bitch’s wrath right now.”
“Thanks,” he mumbles.
“Anytime. Oh, and Mason?” Halfway out the door, I turn back, waiting for him to look up at me before I speak. “She loves you. Fix it, or you will have me as your enemy. And I can get all kinds of crazy up in here. Breaking into a business is nothing. You won’t have one when I’m finished.”
He gives me a troubled look.
I wink, pulling the door shut behind me.
God, I am fucking fabulous. Someone should really write a book about me.
MASON
The door closes behind Joey.
Wincing through the pain tightening in my skull, I try and sit up, try and get out of this godforsaken bed and into the shower I desperately need, but the knife prying my head apart twists an inch deeper, lighting a fire along my scalp.
“Fucking hell,” I groan, grinding the heels of my hands into my eyelids and falling back onto the bed.
This bloody hangover. I can’t remember ever having one this awful before. Not even during the three years I spent at university.
Think you’ve outdone yourself, mate. And over the woman you love. Good on ya.
I close my eyes, hard, needing to see her, giving into this agony. I can’t fight it. I don’t want to.
Brooke touches my hand, looking up at me, smiling the way she always does with those dimples caving in her cheeks and that warm flush blooming across her face. Her big hazel eyes burning, the gold flecks dancing in the sunlight. She slides her hand along my pa
lm, moving her fingers between mine and squeezing.
Squeezing.
Taking and laying claim.
Mine, she’s saying.
My breath grows thicker, slow moving in and out of my lungs. My pulse is wild. I need to hold her.
Reaching out, lifting her chin so I can see that sweet face again, I startle at her appearance.
Big tears fall down her face, her lip trembles. She lets go of my hand and we’re suddenly feet apart. I’m at the door, my hand on the knob, my body shaking so badly the hinges rattle. I hear her voice behind me, words broken apart by sobs, telling me I never mattered and that this meant nothing. She hates me.
“I will hate you for this!”
My eyes flash open. Wetness beads on my lashes. I wipe it away and flip over, groaning into the pillow and breathing anxiously against the sheet.
She said it. I didn’t imagine that. She said it after confirming my biggest fear, that she never loved me. That it was all a lie, and I believed her.
Hell, it makes sense. Brooke was fighting me from the beginning. We wanted different things. She knew what I was after, and she figured out what she had to do to get the one thing she cared about.
Only . . .
It felt different. Pretty early on, it felt like maybe sex wasn’t the only thing she cared about.
She wasn’t pushing it. She wasn’t grabbing my hand and hurrying us, getting what she wanted and getting rid of me. She was holding on and standing still, letting me lead her, trusting me, hesitating at first but finally opening up and slowly becoming the one to reach out. Saying things to me I was feeling. Even when I limited what we did because I knew my willpower with her was and always will be shit, she kept our pace. She was with me. She was willing.
She was mine, or she was a damn good liar.
Why would she tell me I never meant anything if it wasn’t true? Because I hurt her? Because I reacted?
That disc. God, fuck, that disc. I never should’ve picked it up. Never should’ve played it, not without asking Brooke what it was first. Just knowing about it, I could’ve gotten past that and enjoyed my night with her. I could’ve pretended it didn’t exist.