Mason knew better than to flatter himself that Livvy was looking for him. He’d watched her turn around several times as if she was trying to find someone behind her. His seat was near the top of the theater on the far right.
Yet . . .
He leaned back and tried to stretch out his legs, but his height made it impossible to get comfortable in a theater chair. At least the movie should be good. The trailer had been interesting, but fifteen minutes into the movie Mason found that he wasn’t following the plotline at all. He was watching Livvy and Slade more than he was the screen.
At one point, Slade got up and left, then came back about five minutes later. He didn’t sit again though—instead he leaned down and said something to Livvy, then left again.
The hollowness in Mason’s gut told him that Slade had just ditched his date.
Mason watched Livvy. She hadn’t gone after Slade but seemed to be watching the movie. When she wiped at her eyes, Mason bit back a curse. She was crying.
He didn’t know what possessed him to stand, but before he could reason with himself, he was heading down the aisle. He slid into the seat next to Livvy, and he felt her surprised gaze on him. He didn’t look at her though, didn’t speak, only handed over the wad of napkins he’d gotten for the popcorn.
She hesitated, then took the napkins. She dabbed at her tears, then whispered, “Thank you.”
Mason nodded and set the popcorn between the two of them.
This time, Livvy didn’t hesitate. She scooped out a handful of popcorn and started to eat. Mason held back a satisfied smile as he took his own handful.
When he offered over his soda a couple of minutes later, she shook her head no.
“I don’t have cooties,” he whispered, finally turning to look at her. “And I promise I’m not sick.”
The edges of her mouth curved, and she leaned forward and took a sip of the drink while he still held it. Then she sat back in her chair. They continued to watch the movie and eat the popcorn, and Livvy even drank more of the soda.
About halfway through the movie, Livvy leaned over, her shoulder brushing his, and said, “I think I’m lost. What’s going on?”
“I’m lost too,” Mason said. “I haven’t been paying attention.”
Livvy laughed, then covered up her mouth.
“Keep it down,” Mason whispered in mock seriousness. “I’m trying to watch a movie.”
Livvy only laughed more. She leaned forward, stifling her laughter with both hands. Thankfully the musical score of the movie reached a crescendo so her laughter was drowned out. By the time the movie quieted, Livvy was breathing normally and sitting back in her chair.
Mason had to work hard to keep a straight face. He tried to focus on the dialog and action, but he was way too far behind in the plot to appreciate anything that was going on. He glanced at Livvy to find she was watching the movie intently.
Well, he could keep eating. He reached for more popcorn only to discover they’d eaten the whole tub. “Do you want more popcorn?” he whispered.
She moved her hand to her stomach. “No. I can’t eat anymore, or at least I shouldn’t.”
He set the empty tub on the floor by their feet. When he leaned back again, his arm brushed with hers. She didn’t move her arm away, so neither did he.
They watched the rest of the movie that way. Barely touching—yet Mason was aware of every movement, each tiny sound, each breath she took.
When the credits finally rolled, Mason was glad the movie was over, but he also didn’t want to say goodbye to Livvy.
Around them, people got to their feet and shuffled out. Livvy didn’t make any move to leave, so neither did Mason. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever stayed to watch every last scrolling credit before, but it was interesting how many hundreds of names were listed with their particular jobs.
By the time the film shut off, the theater was completely empty.
“So what did you think?” Mason asked.
“Best movie ever?” Livvy quipped.
Mason chuckled. “Agreed. Although I’m not too picky.”
Livvy shifted in her seat and faced him. “Thanks for the popcorn and the drink.”
“If I knew you were going to eat so much of it, I would have gotten you your own tub,” Mason said.
Livvy scoffed and shoved his shoulder. “It was more than half gone when I got my first handful.”
“Hold still,” he said. Livvy had a tiny crumb of popcorn on her chin, and he brushed it off with his thumb.
She seemed to freeze at his touch.
“Sorry, did you want it left there?” he asked.
Her expression relaxed. “No.” Suddenly she rose to her feet. “Thanks for sitting next to me, Mason.” Her voice was higher-pitched, faster.
Why was she nervous all of a sudden?
He grabbed the popcorn tub and empty drink cup and stood. “I’m glad you saved a seat for me.”
Livvy smirked, but her eyes were too bright. “Yeah, um, Slade was called to the hospital. Sometimes his patients specifically request him. Small town and all.”
Mason rocked back on his heels. “I get it. Stuff happens. How are you getting home?”
“Oh, we drove separately.”
Mason tried not to look surprised, but he probably failed.
“It was easier for Slade to meet me here,” she rushed to say, as if she had to explain. “His schedule’s crazy, you know, and well, I didn’t mind.”
The flush of her face told Mason that she did mind. Besides, she’d used his napkins to dry her tears.
“It’s below freezing out there, so the roads are terrible,” Mason said. “I can take you home in my Jeep—four-wheel drive and all.”
“No, that’s okay.” Livvy stepped away from him. “My Honda’s great in the snow. Not deep snow, but icy roads are fine. I’ll take it slow.”
Mason exhaled. “I’ll follow you then. Make sure you get home okay.”
Livvy drew her brows together.
Mason moved past her and tossed his trash into the bin against the wall.
When he turned back to face her, she said, “You don’t have to follow me. I’m sure you have other things to do.”
“Not really.” He shrugged. “The plan of popcorn and a movie was as far as I got.”
“Your celebration for writing twenty pages today?” Livvy gave him a knowing smile.
“Yeah, kind of pathetic, huh?”
“Not pathetic.” Livvy walked toward him. “I mean, I’m the one who got ditched at a movie. So it’s me who’s pathetic since I keep thinking that my dates with Slade will have a different outcome.”
Mason slipped his hands into his pockets because it reminded him not to touch her. They walked toward the parking lot exit together. Either everyone had already gone to their cars or it was between movies, because the hallway was deserted.
“Do you know what the definition of insanity is?” Mason asked.
Livvy looked up at him, her gaze confused. “Um... no . . .”
“It’s doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.” He popped open the exit door, and the chilly wind gusted into the building. He shivered. “How long is winter in Pine Valley?”
“Ha. We’re just getting started,” she said. “Wait until the middle of January—if you stay that long—then you’ll know misery.” She pushed the blowing hair from her eyes as they walked to her car. When they reached it, she stopped. “I must be insane.”
“To live here?” Mason asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I must be insane to expect Slade to ever make more time for me.”
Mason really had no reply to that. Or if he did, it wouldn’t be nice. “Get in and warm the car up. I’ll clear it off.”
He knew she was going to protest, so when she opened her mouth, he said, “Help a guy out who’s trying to keep chivalry alive.”
Livvy smiled despite the freezing wind, and Mason smiled back.
“All right.�
�� She unlocked her car with hands trembling from cold, then started the engine.
Mason set to work, clearing off the snow from the windows and hood of her car with the sleeve of his coat. Then he did a pass over the headlights. He cracked her door open. “Give me a minute to get my Jeep so I can follow. And no speeding, ma’am.”
Livvy laughed. “Right.”
Mason shut her door, then he jogged to where he’d parked. A couple of minutes later, he pulled his Jeep to where Livvy was waiting to drive away.
The drive to her place took only about twenty minutes, and she pulled up to an older house in a quaint neighborhood. She must have pushed the garage door opener, because the garage started to lift and a light came on. There was another small car parked on the right side of the double garage, and it made Mason feel better to see that her roommate must be home.
He didn’t really like the thought of Livvy going home to an empty house after getting ditched by her boyfriend.
He was about to pull away when Livvy came toward him, walking through all the snow in her unshoveled driveway. He rolled the passenger window down. “Are you locked out or something?”
“No,” she said as she reached his Jeep. She rested her forearms on the edge of the door. “Thanks, Mason. I had fun eating your popcorn and watching the movie with you—although I still don’t know what happened.”
Mason gave her a half-smile. “Any time.”
“Tomorrow I’m buying you breakfast,” she said.
Mason pictured her showing up at the library with a sack of bagels or muffins, so she completely surprised him when she said, “Do you want to meet at the Main Street Café at 8:00 a.m.? I have the morning shift again, so I have to open the library.”
Mason thought of a bunch of questions to ask her—mostly about what would her boyfriend think, and did she really want to be seen with him at her small-town bakery? But he asked none of them. Instead he said, “I’ll be there. Now get into your house before you freeze.”
Livvy laughed and stepped away from the Jeep. Her laughter was the best thing he’d heard all night. She waved him off, and he pressed on the gas. It was turning out to be a better day than he’d expected. Maybe tomorrow he’d write another twenty pages.
Livvy slept like a rock, and so when her alarm went off, it took her a moment to orient herself. She grappled for her cell phone and pushed STOP on the alarm. She wondered why she’d set her alarm so early, then she remembered. She’d invited Mason to breakfast.
Last night it had seemed like the right thing to do—the best thing—and it was what she wanted to do. This morning... she knew she’d gotten herself into hot water. Could she cancel? Come up with some kind of excuse?
No, she didn’t have his phone number. Besides, she wasn’t Slade. She wasn’t going to cancel on Mason.
They were officially friends now; well, they had been for weeks. And she could meet him for breakfast without any other motive or agenda. If Slade found out, then he found out. Or maybe she’d outright tell him just in case some busybody spotted them at the café and decided to report back to Slade. Well, she’d just own it. Sarah Lynne was probably working there, and she was someone whom Livvy didn’t have to worry about gossiping.
Livvy climbed out of bed and took a quick shower, then she dressed in her black jeans and white-and-black sweater. She pulled on her boots, which had dried overnight. Then she twisted her hair into a clip.
A snowplow rumbled past the house, and Livvy went into the living room to look out the window. Apparently it had stopped snowing, but the sky seemed to promise more. And it was seven forty-five, time for Livvy to start driving. She hoped that Mallory wouldn’t be too mad at her for leaving and not shoveling.
The drive to the café took twenty minutes. Everyone was driving slow, which was good, but Livvy hated to think of Mason at the café wondering if she was really going to show up.
When she walked in, the heat of the café was warm and cozy, and the scent of baking muffins, cinnamon rolls, and coffee was divine. A man sat in the corner, but she didn’t see Mason.
“Hi, Sarah,” she said to the woman at the counter.
“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Sarah Lynne said. Her blonde hair was pulled into its usual smooth ponytail.
“Yeah, the library has been keeping me busy,” Livvy said. “We put in a new inventory system last month, and we’re still catching up.”
“Sounds fun,” Sarah teased as she opened the display case. “Want to try some samples?”
“Uh, I’m... meeting someone.” Livvy turned to look toward the entrance, then she did a double take when she focused on the man in the corner. The man was Mason, and he’d... shaved his beard.
He unfolded himself from his chair. “Glad you made the drive okay.”
She stared at him, saying nothing. Livvy could admit she’d grown used to his beard, and that he was a good-looking man with it. Besides, it sort of went with his whole lumberjack persona. His thick plaid shirts, jeans, and heavy boots. But now... “What happened to you?”
His brows shot up, and his baby blues twinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“You know.” She waved her hand as she walked toward him. “Your beard. It’s gone.”
Mason ran his hand over his chin. “Now you miss it?”
Her face heated, and she glanced over at Sarah. Sarah kept her gaze averted, solely focusing on stirring something on the back counter. “I—I don’t miss it,” Livvy said in a low voice. “I mean... did you shave it because of what I said?”
His mouth quirked. “I thought it was time for a new look.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “I didn’t expect you to shave,” she said. “I mean, you looked fine with it.”
“Now you tell me.”
Livvy’s mouth fell open. “You did shave for me.”
He didn’t reply, just kept those blue eyes focused on hers. She stepped forward, and against her better judgement, she reached up and ran her fingers over his smooth jaw. “Did it take a long time?”
“Not that long,” he said.
She felt the vibrations of his voice against her fingertips, and she suddenly became very aware that she was touching his face in a public café, even though Sarah was the only other one in the shop.
Livvy dropped her hand and ignored the butterflies that had erupted inside of her.
“If it’s any consolation, I didn’t recognize him at first either,” Sarah said from behind the counter.
So she had been listening in. Livvy knew her face was red. “You know each other?” she said in a friendly tone, turning to face Sarah.
Sarah’s smile was casual. “Well, he has been coming here for breakfast every morning for the past several weeks.”
Livvy hated that she felt jealous. It was ridiculous to feel that way. Sarah was a pretty woman, divorced with a two-year-old son. She was probably in the dating scene again. And it wasn’t like Livvy owned Mason or anything. She had a boyfriend, for heaven’s sake.
She looked back to Mason and found that his gaze was on her, not Sarah. The tightening in Livvy’s stomach eased a touch. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
Again. Butterflies. “Great.” Livvy walked to the counter, Mason beside her. “I’ll get the egg croissant and the hot cocoa with extra whipped cream. And then whatever he wants. I’m paying.”
She could hear a smile in Mason’s voice when he said, “I’ll get the same thing.”
Sarah nodded. “Two egg croissants and hot cocoas coming up.” She turned away to start preparing the food.
Livvy and Mason walked back to the table in the corner, closest to the window that overlooked Main Street. The traffic was starting to build up, and Livvy noticed that most of the shops had already decorated for Christmas although it wasn’t even Thanksgiving.
Livvy folded her hands on top of the table to keep from fidgeting. Her gaze strayed to the window, mostly so that she wouldn’t keep staring at Mason’s clean-shaven face.
<
br /> She was sure there would be plenty of customers who’d come into the café and see her with Mason. So she wanted to mentally prepare herself to tell Slade before he heard it from someone else. As if on cue, the door jangled, and two people walked in. It was an older couple that Livvy had seen about town over the past year. She didn’t recall their names, so she just nodded.
“So what do you usually order here?” Livvy asked, glancing at Mason.
He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Coffee and bagels. Sometimes a muffin. Haven’t tried the egg croissant before.”
“Then you’re in for a treat,” she said.
He nodded. “I cook eggs for dinner—some sort of omelet. I don’t have very refined cooking skills.”
“I’m not much of a cook either,” she said. “My roommate, Mallory, will make main dishes, and I’ve become pretty adept at the side dishes.”
Sarah appeared then, bringing their food and drinks.
Livvy tamped down the unreasonable envy she felt when Sarah smiled at Mason as he thanked her. Livvy had Mr. Dreamy Doc. Why should she be critical of Sarah or Mason, or the fact that Mason saw Sarah every morning? He had to eat somewhere.
While Livvy was wrapped up in her swirling thoughts, Mason started eating the egg croissant. “Mm. This is good.”
Focus, Livvy. “Glad you like it.” She took her own bite, then sipped the hot cocoa. It was a little too hot still, and she reached for the water glass that Sarah had also thoughtfully delivered.
“I haven’t had cocoa in a long time,” Mason said. “My mom used to make it when I was a kid.”
Livvy liked that Mason was talking about himself without being prompted. She wondered if he took after his dad or his mom. “Are your parents still in Colorado?”
“Sort of,” he said. He used a napkin to wipe his mouth, and Livvy looked away from his lips. “They’ve both passed away, but they’re buried in my hometown.”
Oh. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Livvy said. She was at loss for what else to say.
Mason didn’t seem to mind the intrusion though. “My mom got breast cancer when I was a teenager. She had a phobia of doctors and hospitals, so she didn’t get diagnosed until she was stage four.”
Until We Kissed (Pine Valley Book 6) Page 7
