No, Mason wouldn’t go so far as asking Livvy out on a date, but it wouldn’t hurt to flirt with her a little, would it? Give the doc a run for his money? Of course, Mason had been flirting with Livvy already—in a completely prosaic way. Both he and Livvy knew that she was a fan of his writing, and he didn’t mind some encouragement and a few compliments. Completely innocent.
Although Slade McKinney didn’t know that.
Mason found that he was smiling by the time he’d showered and dressed in the locker room. He happened to know that Livvy was working the morning shift today, so what would it hurt if he brought her breakfast? Friends did that, right? And what was wrong with him and Livvy becoming better friends?
When Mason reached the library, it was open, but only one car was in the parking lot. He assumed the red Honda Accord belonged to Livvy. He wasn’t surprised to see that her car was red. He grabbed the sack of muffins and bagels he’d bought since he didn’t know which she liked, then tucked his notebook under his arm and balanced two cups of hot coffee as he walked to the front doors.
He managed to open the heavy doors with a spare finger, then he walked through the lobby, ignoring the No Food, No Drinks Please sign.
Livvy looked up from the reference desk as he approached. She smiled as their gazes met, then lines appeared between her brows when she noticed that he was carrying food.
“Don’t kick me out before you hear what I’ve come to say,” Mason said.
She folded her arms and tilted her head. “All right.” She wore a long-sleeved, black V-neck shirt that made her hair look even darker and her eyes almost black. Her curly hair was piled on top of her head in a sort of messy bun, and she wore long, dangling silver earrings.
And she smelled... great. Like cinnamon and sugar. Or maybe that was the breakfast. He set the sack on the counter that separated him from her.
“They had a two-for-one deal at the café,” he said, “so I thought I’d bring you breakfast.”
She rested her hands on the counter and leaned forward to peer into the bag he’d opened. Yep. She smelled great.
“Oooh, I love the blueberry muffins.”
“Perfect, because that’s exactly what I got for you.” Mason pulled the muffin out of the sack and set it on a napkin.
“Sure you did.” Livvy smiled and slid the napkin toward her. “You know, this is breaking all kinds of rules.”
“I know.” He winked. “Coffee?”
“Yes, thanks,” she said. “I didn’t sleep too great last night, and I’ll start to feel it soon.”
“Up reading all night?” Mason teased.
“Not exactly,” she said, then shrugged. “I think I’m just excited for tonight?”
Mason lifted his brows and waited.
“I’m going on a date with Slade.”
“Ah.” Mason tried not to reveal the stab of disappointment he felt. “You must really like this guy to lose sleep over a date.”
She looked away and didn’t say anything.
This confused him. Shouldn’t she be gushing over her doctor-boyfriend? “Unless you’re... dreading it?”
Her gaze snapped to his, her eyes wide. “I’m not dreading it. I mean, Slade has asked me out more than usual since... since, ever.”
Mason studied her brown eyes, her pert nose, the dusty pink of her lips, that freckle. “More than usual. What does that mean?”
“Well, we used to go out every couple of weeks,” she said in a slow tone. “Because of his schedule, you know, being a doctor and all.”
He knew.
“But after that day hiking, where I ran into you, he started calling and texting every day,” she said. “He’s been really sweet, I suppose, but I’m not used to all the attention. In fact, I used to complain to my friend Felicity about not spending enough time with him.”
“And now it’s too much?” Mason surmised.
She looked down at her coffee cup. “Not too much. I mean, he’s my boyfriend, and there’s no such thing as too much.”
Mason didn’t say anything for a moment. “Maybe he finally realized what he’s got.”
Her brown eyes studied him. “I’d like to think that, but I don’t feel that.”
Mason leaned against the counter, which brought him a few inches closer to her. “Maybe... he’s making sure you’re staying busy. Did you ever think of that?”
She blinked. “You mean he’s doing more stuff with me so that I don’t do other stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“What would the other stuff be?” she said. “I’m a boring person. I work at a library all day, and I have like three friends.”
“Three?”
“Mallory, Felicity, and . . .” She stared at him innocently.
“Me?”
She laughed. “Sure, why not?”
Mason smiled. “I’m glad I’m your friend, but I’m also a bit worried about what that might entail.”
Her brows darted upward. “Why’s that?”
“I think your boyfriend is territorial, and I can’t say I blame him,” Mason said. “His buddy Dawson Harris talked to me this morning at the gym. And let’s just say it wasn’t a friendly conversation.”
“Wow.” Livvy folded her arms. “Slade’s asked a lot of questions about you, and he thinks it’s strange that you’re at the library so much when you have an entire cabin to yourself. I tried to explain how the muse works, and even though I’m not a writer, I sort of get it.”
So it was Slade who was garnering information from Livvy, and not her telling Slade all about Mason. “I think my first impression of your doctor still stands.”
Livvy sighed. “Slade is an amazing guy, but I don’t know what’s got into him. Felicity thinks he jealous, but that doesn’t make sense. I mean, there’s nothing going on between you and me, so there’s nothing for Slade to worry about.”
Mason looked down at the cup of coffee on the counter, then back up at her. “I don’t want to get in the middle of your relationship, but why does it take the attentions of another man to get your boyfriend to spend more time with you?” By the look on her face, Mason knew he’d gone too far. But it was too late to take it back now.
Livvy dropped her arms and rested her hands on the counter. “That’s what I was wondering too.”
Of course a novelist would be observant and have that added insight into the psyche of people, aka characters. So why was Livvy surprised when Mason had seen right through her relationship with Slade and voiced all her fears with a few simple questions? All right, she wasn’t surprised. Anyone, bestselling author or not, would be able to figure out what was going on.
Slade was staking his territory, and his territory was her. Slade’s comments about Mason Rowe had been derogatory, and Mason’s comments had been... critical.
But for some reason, Livvy found that she was agreeing with Mason a lot more than Slade. Which was dangerous, and which should probably tell her something.
No. No. No.
She didn’t want to think of a future without Slade. They’d been dating for months, and he was her ideal man. Successful. Handsome. Intelligent. Respected. The man she’d been dreaming of for as long as she could remember.
And he liked her, right? He’d kissed her that one time, and he’d held her hand on every date now. Still not a second kiss, but Livvy was trying not to let that bother her.
At some point, Mason had left the food on the counter, taking only one of the coffee cups. He’d gone to his seat at his usual table, and Livvy didn’t even remember telling him thank you or wishing him a good writing session.
No one else had come into the library, and the silence felt deafening with just the two of them inside the building. Of course, with irony she thought of how annoyed Slade would be with the fact that she was essentially alone with Mason and that they’d had breakfast together.
She finished the muffin and stashed the sack beneath the counter. Then she carried her coffee cup over to Mason’s table. He wasn’t actually
writing but tapping his pen against the notebook. He looked up when she sat across from him, his blue eyes connecting with hers.
“So,” she said. “I think I should explain something.”
“You don’t owe me any explanations,” he said in a low tone. “I shouldn’t be butting in.”
“Well, that’s true.” She offered a smile, but his expression remained sober. “When you asked why I couldn’t sleep last night, I think it was because I’m worried that Slade is paying more attention to me now because of you.”
Mason nodded. “He thinks I’m some sort of threat.”
“Which you’re not,” she was quick to say.
“Which I’m not,” he deadpanned.
Her pulse sped up. “Now that would make things complicated.” She laughed, and it came out a nervous sound.
“Beyond complicated,” Mason said. “I don’t even live here.”
“And you probably have a girlfriend, or two, in San Diego,” Livvy said in a more determined tone. “You’re a successful author, a dang good writer, a kind person, and a nice-looking guy too, despite the beard.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend, and especially not two.” Mason set his pen down and shifted forward on his chair. His blue eyes seemed to bore into her. “I appreciated all the compliments, but what’s wrong with the beard?”
Heat flashed through Livvy. Had she really brought up his beard? “Nothing, I mean, it’s fine. I’m not a beard person, but that doesn’t matter because—” She cut herself off.
His eyes glinted with humor. “Because... ?”
“Because there’s nothing between us anyway,” she said. “So it doesn’t matter to me whether you choose to look like a grizzly bear.”
Mason’s eyes widened, then he dropped his face into his hands and laughed.
And kept laughing. Livvy was glad no one was in the library because he was breaking the Keep Quiet Please rule. After perhaps a full minute, she said, “Are you finished yet?”
He only laughed some more, and when he lifted his head, he wiped at the tears on his face.
“All right, I guess I’m glad I could be your entertainment for the morning.” She rose to her feet. “Thanks for breakfast by the way.”
He was still laughing when she walked back to the reference counter. Eventually he stopped, and Livvy guessed he’d finally started writing again because there were no more sounds from his corner of the library.
When lunch time neared, she opted for the extra bagel in the bag instead of the wilted turkey sandwich she’d brought. She’d kept away from Mason’s corner and hadn’t even spied on him—which she’d done plenty of times in the past. So she was surprised when a group of school kids came into the library. It was that late already?
Mallory would be arriving soon as well, and still Livvy hadn’t ventured over to Mason.
She was straightening up after showing a couple of sixth graders how to use one of the computers when Mason appeared.
“I hit a record today,” he said without any preamble.
“Oh?”
He held up his notebook. “Twenty pages.”
Livvy smiled. “Wow, that’s great. Your agent will be ecstatic.” They’d talked enough about his agent that Livvy knew Mason had to check in at the end of each day and report on his progress.
“Want to celebrate?” Mason asked.
Livvy’s stomach nearly flipped over. He was asking her out? Or was it more like... coffee? “I’ve got plans tonight with Slade, remember?”
The blue of his eyes darkened a fraction—or maybe it was her imagination. Was it also her imagination that he looked disappointed?
“Right,” he said. “See you tomorrow, Livvy Harmon.”
“See you . . .” Her voice trailed off as he turned. “And Mason?” she called after him, as loud as she dared.
He paused and glanced back.
“I think that’s fantastic.”
Mason nodded, and although he didn’t smile, his blue eyes had lightened again.
She had to force herself not to call him back while she watched him walk to the library exit alone. He’d had a great writing day, and she’d turned down his offer of celebrating with him. Maybe she could cancel on Slade, and then call Mason and tell him she was free. Yet what would she tell Slade? And... she didn’t have Mason’s phone number.
She was still debating, still regretting, when Mallory arrived.
“A quiet day, huh?” Mallory said. She wore her strawberry-blonde hair in a thick braid.
Only a handful of people occupied the library. “This is the most busy it’s been,” Livvy said, anxious to be on her way. She wanted to think through everything without any distractions. So she explained to Mallory what needed to be done, then she hurried out of the library.
The snow had piled up like crazy on her car, and she took several minutes to get it cleared off enough to drive. By the time she got inside the car, her hands were numb from pushing off the snow. On the drive home, she drove like an inchworm on the slushy roads. She couldn’t get rid of the image of Mason leaving the library alone.
Maybe tomorrow she could bring him a treat or something. She could get a couple of those gourmet cupcakes. She had to admit she didn’t know what he liked to eat or what he liked for dessert. There was so much she didn’t know about him, yet they’d talked every day for the past two weeks at the library.
Somehow he’d been able to get her to reveal much more information about herself than the other way around.
As she pulled into her driveway, a text came from Slade. For a split second, Livvy hoped he was cancelling. She could track down Mason somehow, maybe even show up at his cabin with those cupcakes. But no, Slade had texted that he’d meet her at the movie theater since he was in back-to-back appointments. They’d eat at the taco place that was in the same parking lot at 6:30 p.m., then watch whatever was playing at 7:00. Your choice, Slade had texted. Whatever you want to see.
Livvy sighed and climbed out of her car. She went into the quiet house and sat down on the couch, still wearing her coat. She pulled up the theater website on her phone. There was an animated movie about ants and a western-type show. Western it would be.
Livvy suddenly felt tired, and so she set her alarm for 5:30 p.m. and lay down on the couch. When it went off, she was startled awake. Apparently she really had taken a nap, and she felt even more tired than she had before she crashed.
She checked her phone. No new texts from Slade, so apparently everything was still on for tonight. So Livvy brushed her teeth and reapplied some makeup. She added a spritz of cinnamon-vanilla body spray, then she was as ready as she wanted to be.
She thought about calling Felicity to mull over all that Mason had said to her and how Livvy was, for the first time, not too excited about seeing Slade. But she already knew what Felicity would say about Slade, and Livvy didn’t want to hear it.
The taco place was packed—it seemed everyone else in Pine Valley had the same idea. Since it had started to snow again, Livvy had hoped everyone would stay home in their cozy houses. Nope.
I’m here, she texted Slade. The taco shop is packed. Do you want to go somewhere else?
Seconds later, Slade wrote back. Wait in line. I should be leaving the office soon. If you have to order before I get there, get me the pork chimichangas and a large Vitamin Water.
He hadn’t even left the office? It was a good fifteen-minute drive in this weather. She stared at the text for a moment, feeling more annoyed with each passing second. What kind of date was this? She’d be getting the food on her own, then they’d be sitting in a theater for two hours, not talking to each other.
Plus, Livvy had decided she wasn’t that hungry for dinner. She wanted to eat hot, buttery popcorn and get a large soda. Since Slade didn’t drink soda or eat much junk food, she always felt weird about eating that stuff in front of him.
Ok, she typed back. She was already here, and well, she’d deal with the crowded taco place.
Slade didn
’t show up until the movie had already started. Livvy ended up buying the tickets, choosing the seats, and then waiting outside the theater holding a greasy fast-food bag like she was some lost soul.
“Hey, Liv,” Slade said when he finally arrived. His voice was light and cheerful as if he wasn’t forty minutes late.
“Here’s your chimichangas.” Livvy held out the bag to him.
He took the bag. “Great, thanks! I can’t wait to see this movie. I heard it was amazing.”
Livvy said nothing, but when he grasped her hand, she softened just a bit.
They found their seats and had only missed some previews. So Livvy decided that things weren’t so bad after all. Being the girlfriend of a doctor had its ups and downs. While the last of the previews played, Slade ate his chimichangas, and Livvy regretted not buying popcorn after all.
Just before the lights dimmed for the feature, Mason Rowe walked in. Alone. He carried a giant tub of popcorn and a large drink. He glanced over in Livvy’s direction, and the theater went dark seconds later. But she was almost certain he’d seen her.
She couldn’t tell how far up the aisle he went above them, but just knowing he was there somewhere in the audience, made her feel guilty all over again.
Mason Rowe had come to the theater by himself.
Or maybe not.
As the opening scene of the western started, Livvy turned to see if she could spot him. But it was too hard to make out faces in the unpredictable light. And so what if he was with someone? In fact, she hoped he was. Then she wouldn’t have to feel guilty.
Slade finished with his chimichanga, and Livvy offered to take the sack to the trash.
“Are you sure?” Slade whispered.
“Yeah,” Livvy said. “I need to get a quick drink from the water fountain anyway.” She rose and crossed the theater, taking glances where she could, scanning for Mason. But she didn’t see him.
She returned to Slade, and he linked their hands together. Livvy waited for the swoony feeling, the comfortable, safe feeling, the bonding... but her mind wasn’t on how it felt to hold hands with Slade. Her mind was on the man she couldn’t see.
Until We Kissed (Pine Valley Book 6) Page 6
