It would be a shitty way to live.
Closing the French doors behind him, Mason shut off the lights and made sure the front door was locked before he went into his bedroom and stripped down to his boxers. He went through the motions of brushing his teeth, tossing his laundry in the hamper, and basically puttering around hoping to pass the time. Ultimately, he knew his only option was to go to sleep. Once he was in bed, however, he knew he wasn’t tired but he also knew he couldn’t stand sitting alone obsessing about what a mess his life was at the moment.
It was too late to call anyone, too late to text anyone, his only option was to watch a little TV and hope he could clear his mind enough to go to sleep. With a weary sigh, he reached for the remote and did his best to get comfortable against the stack of pillows. He positioned himself in the middle of the bed because…well…he really hated sleeping alone now. It was crazy how a few short weeks had done this to him, but…there it was.
Netflix was already queued up and he knew instantly he was going to go to Stranger Things. It certainly wouldn’t help him not to think about Scarlett, but maybe he was looking at it all wrong. Maybe it wasn’t about not thinking about her. Maybe it was about finding a way to feel closer to her.
And that was what finally helped him fall asleep.
“Something smells good. What’s the occasion?”
Scarlett smiled as her father leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “No occasion. It’s just been too long since we had a nice family dinner together.”
It wasn’t a total lie…
“Don’t we usually do this sort of thing on a Sunday?” Dominic Jones asked. He was covered in engine grease and a little stinky, but his big blue eyes showed how much he loved and appreciated what she was doing.
“It’s not as easy getting everyone together as it used to be,” she explained. “I figured a Monday night wouldn’t be too much of a hardship on anyone. Now go wash up so I can get this lasagna in the oven.”
He was about to walk out of the kitchen when he turned back to his only daughter and smiled. “Your mom always made a lasagna when everyone came over for dinner.”
Scarlett heard the emotion in his voice and although she didn’t personally remember this was her mother’s thing, her father and brothers talked about it enough that she knew it. “I thought everyone would like it,” she said softly. “Now go wash up. The guys will be here any minute.”
Once he was out of the room, she quickly finished assembling the lasagna–two pans worth–and placed them in the oven. She had just finished wiping down the counter when her brother Dean came through the front door. He was six years older than Scarlett–the oldest of her brothers–and he was the most levelheaded out of the bunch. Most of the time she considered him to be like her second father because he was always looking out for everyone.
“Hey, squirt,” he said, walking into the kitchen and giving her a bear hug. He stopped and sniffed the air. “Lasagna?”
Pulling back, she smiled. “Yup. Used mom’s recipe and everything.”
He leaned against the counter once she moved away. Crossing his arms, he narrowed his gaze at her. “What’s going on?”
She busied herself setting the table. “What do you mean?”
“Why the sudden need for a family dinner? And why go through all the trouble with lasagna? We usually just grill some burgers.”
Shrugging, she placed the last plate on the table. “I thought this would be nice. We haven’t had Gramps over in a while and I thought he’d like this.”
At first, all Dean did was nod but Scarlett wasn’t fooled. He always knew when she was lying or when something was afoot. It was just a matter of time before he put it all together.
“This is about the bar,” he stated. It wasn’t a question.
Okay, maybe it was better to talk to him alone before everyone got there. “Kind of,” she admitted.
“Scarlett, don’t do this. It’s a sensitive subject.”
“We have to find a way to help him, Dean!” she cried. “We can’t let some greedy little rich kid put Gramps out of business!”
And yeah, that was still how she felt about Mason. A week later and just the thought of him had her feeling full of rage. It was awful. But if she held on to her anger, it was easier. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for him and couldn’t allow herself to think that he had been telling her the truth.
Or think about how much she missed him.
“Okay, dramatic much?” he teased, pushing away from the cabinets and helping himself to a bottle of water from the fridge. “Gramps isn’t talking too much about it. I don’t know what you think he’s going to say tonight, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
In general, her grandfather was a man of few words but she was hoping to sweet-talk him into sharing with her what exactly was going on and how they all could help.
“I just think we can all pull together and help him pay off this loan,” she explained. “I know I’ve got some money saved and I’m sure you and the guys do. We could make it a family business.”
Dean choked on the water and began to cough furiously. When he finally calmed down, he looked at her as if she were crazy. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“Well…”
“Scarlett, the last thing I want to do is invest in a bar. I’ve got a job already and if I’m going to invest, it’s going to be in the garage with Dad.”
“I get it, but…”
“And you know Dad puts every extra dime he has either in the shop for improvements or into his retirement fund. You can’t ask him to take away from that.”
“Okay, but…”
“And don’t even get me started on Hunter and Kyle,” Dean went on. “They both have enough on their plates. Hunter’s salary with the fire department isn’t much. And even though he and Melissa broke up, he’s still got a baby to take care of and support!”
Right. Her brother and his ex had a nine-month old baby. No one in the family ever got along with Melissa and they all thought it was mistake for them to be having a baby from the get-go, but…here they were. So it would be really inappropriate for her to approach him about helping Gramps with the bar right now.
Oblivious to her inner dialogue, Dean continued. “Kyle’s finally settled on a career in construction working with Jake Summerford over at Coleman Construction.”
“What?” she cried. “So he’s working for the enemy? For the family who is essentially stealing the bar away from Gramps?”
Chuckling, Dean shook his head. “I thought it was the greedy rich kid doing that.” He reached over and ruffled her hair the way he used to when she was a little girl. “Face it, Scar, there isn’t a whole lot we can do. Gramps got himself into this and he must know what he’s doing.”
“But that’s just it!” she countered. “I don’t think he does! I think whatever deal he made with Ezekiel Coleman wasn’t on the up and up! We need to see whatever contract there was because I’m telling you, it can’t be right! There’s no way Gramps would have accepted the kind of terms where he would lose the business! It’s just not possible!”
The smile he gave her was filled with pity and she hated it. At times like this she had to fight the urge to punch him and run to her room. But she was an adult now and that wasn’t an option.
She took a few minutes to get her emotions under control. “There has to be something we can do,” she said dejectedly. “I can’t bear the thought of him losing his livelihood.”
Before her brother could respond, the man in question walked in followed by her other two brothers. Dean gave her a reassuring smile and a shrug before walking over to greet everyone. Within minutes, the house was filled with loud voices and laughter and Scarlett did her best to go with the flow and not get anyone riled up before dinner.
Her father was sitting in the living room listening to Hunter talk about some big fire in the next town over when her grandfather came strolling into the kitchen. He took a whiff of the air and sm
iled. “Pretty as an angel and you cook like a dream. You’re going to make some lucky man very happy one day,” he said in a way only a grandfather could get away with. He came in close and hugged her. “How are you doing, little miss?”
It was a nickname he’d given her years ago and it always made her smile. “I’m doing okay,” she said and realized a little too late just how sad she sounded when she said it.
He leveled her with a look. “Want to try that again?”
She waved him off and turned to check on dinner. “I’m fine, Gramps. How about you? I hope you brought your appetite!” Everything was cooking as it should and when she turned around to face him again, he was still staring at her. “What?”
Most people were intimidated by Tommy Flynn–especially when he stared them down–but he never tried that tactic with his grandkids. The only way she could describe his look was mildly concerned. “I think something’s going on. You call this family dinner, make the one dish you know has the most sentimental meaning to us all, and you look sad and like you haven’t slept in a few nights. So tell me again, how are you doing?”
And for some reason, everything came tumbling out.
Well, almost everything.
“I was dating a guy I really liked and saw maybe having a future with,” she said, hating the tremble in her voice. “But it turns out he wasn’t who I thought he was. Actually, he was exactly who I thought he was before we started dating. I just thought he had changed or that I was wrong about him.” With a groan, she sat down at the kitchen table and shook her head. “I can’t believe I was so wrong. Or…so right. Depending how you look at it.”
Pulling up a chair beside her, he took one of her hands in his. “So what did this boy do, huh?”
Ugh…her and her big mouth.
“Let’s just say he comes from a privileged family and it turns out he’s just like them.”
“That’s not really an answer, little miss.”
“Gramps…”
“Did he hurt you?” he asked gently.
“Physically? No. But…I’m hurt because of what he’s doing. He’s trying to hurt someone who means a lot to me.” Pausing, she groaned. “And the thing is, I knew from the get-go we were all wrong for each other. I mean, he’s from this big-time prominent family here in town and totally out of my league. I should have just kept my distance.”
“That’s how it works sometimes. Just because…”
“I’ve known him almost my entire life! It’s not like we were friends or even ran in the same circles, but we knew each other enough so it wasn’t weird when we started hanging out together,” she went on, talking more to herself than anything. “And here’s the thing–I really liked him! Trusted him! I opened up to him more than I ever have with anyone else and I thought he’d done the same with me.” She paused and shook her head again. “But it was all a lie. This is how the big shots in this town stay on top, I guess. I just hate how I was so wrong about him. I know it’s business and I don’t know all the particulars, but I didn’t think Mason would ever…” She gasped and quickly pulled her hand from his as she jumped to her feet. “Um…why don’t you tell the boys dinner’s just about ready? I’m going to pull the lasagna from the oven.”
“Scarlett,” he began and she could hear him walking over to her. “I think we should talk.”
It’s what she wanted more than anything. Tossing the oven mitt aside, she was about to speak when Kyle walked into the kitchen.
“For the love of it, Scarlett, when is this dinner going to be ready? I’ve been on the go all afternoon and skipped lunch!”
Giving her grandfather a small smile, he nodded in understanding. Turning to Kyle, she said, “I was just telling Gramps everything is ready. I’m pulling the pans out now.”
“Yes!” Kyle cried out happily. “Guys! C’mon! Dinner’s ready!”
There was no time for any one-on-one talks because there were easily three different conversations going on at any given time. It was loud and boisterous and honestly, it was exactly what she loved most about occasions like this. She could have cursed herself for revealing too much to her grandfather, but maybe it wasn’t going to be a bad thing. If it opened the door to the conversation she wanted to have, then that was a good thing, right?
Still, she wished her father and brothers were as concerned as she was.
By the time dinner was done, Scarlett was feeling more than a little dejected. No one brought up the situation and now she felt foolish about bringing it up. So where did that leave her? Where did it leave Gramps?
“I think you boys should clean up since Scarlett cooked for us,” Gramps said as he stood and stretched.
“Good plan,” Dominic said. “You boys haven’t been on dish duty in a long time.”
“Nuh-uh,” Gramps said. “I meant all of you. I’m taking my best girl here out to sit on the porch swing for a little visit. You call us when coffee’s ready and you have dessert out.”
Four pairs of wide eyes stared at him and Scarlett had to stifle a chuckle. Luckily, no one argued and a minute later, she was stepping out onto the porch with her grandfather right behind her. They sat down on the old porch swing and her nerves started to kick in. She had a feeling their conversation wasn’t so much going to be about what he was going to do about the bar as it was going to be about her and Mason.
Damn her and her big mouth.
“Do you remember how many afternoons we spent out here on this swing?” he asked once they were seated.
“Too many to count,” Scarlett replied, resting her head on his shoulder.
“The summer your mom died, we sat out here every afternoon,” he said solemnly. “I would hold your hand and tell you about heaven. We would talk about all the beautiful flowers your mom was planting with the angels and how she would be surrounded by butterflies. Do you remember?”
Tears stung her eyes because she remembered it like it was yesterday. Unable to speak, she simply nodded.
“As you got older, the conversations would change. We talked about school, how your brothers annoyed you,” he added with amusement. “You would tell me about your friends or about all the dogs you were going to adopt when you were older.”
Another nod.
“We never talked about boys.” It was the truth. “At the time, I was happy about it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about this relationship you’re in with Mason Bishop.”
To her credit, she didn’t move, gasp, or try to deny it.
“I’m gonna say something,” he went on. “And I’m only going to say this once.” He paused. “I’m disappointed in you.”
Straightening, Scarlett looked at him in disbelief. “What?”
He nodded. “You heard me.” His expression was mild–like he didn’t just nearly break her heart.
“How can you say that?”
Without looking at her, Tommy gave the swing a little push with his leg. “I don’t believe you were raised to be someone who should feel inferior to anyone,” he said. “The fact that you feel this way about Mason and his family really disappoints me.”
“But…you know as well as I do that everyone in this town looks up to them!” she argued. “They’re like…in a class all their own and no one can compete with them!”
Shaking his head, he looked over at her. “That’s where you’re wrong. There are lots of hard-working people in this town with just as much money as the Bishops. And for the most part, they’re all nice people too. Now, I will admit his mother is a little too uppity for my taste, but she’s basically harmless. On the flip side, she’s done a lot for this town.” He shrugged. “Same with old Zeke.”
Okay, here was her opening…
Twisting in the seat to face him, she asked, “Gramps, how can you say that? Isn’t it because of Zeke that you’re losing the bar?”
His expression hardened in the blink of an eye. “That’s none of your business, Scarlett, and I’m not going to discuss it with you.”
; “But…”
“It has nothing to do with you!” he snapped and his tone surprised her. She was about to mention how it had a little something to do with her–especially because it was the main reason she ended things with Mason–but decided to keep that to herself. “You don’t know anything about my deal with Zeke.”
“I would if you would explain it to me!” she cried, shocked at her own need to talk back to him. She was so nervous at her own outburst that she felt sick to her stomach and started to shake.
And she willed her dinner to stay put.
“Scarlett…”
“From where we’re all standing, it seems like you got screwed! How do you expect us to just stand back and let that happen?”
“The way I see it, it has nothing to do with any of you. I made the deal and I’ll handle the consequences,” he said, seeming to relax a little. “I don’t need anyone fighting my battles for me, little miss. And you shouldn’t let what’s going on with me interfere with your life.”
“Gramps…”
“Coffee’s ready,” Kyle said, sticking his head out the door. Scarlett wanted to scream at him to go away but her grandfather was already up and heading for the front door.
When they joined the rest of the family back in the kitchen, she smelled the coffee and the apple pie one of her brothers had heated up and her stomach seemed to roll. Neither smell ever bothered her but lately, everything seemed to make her queasy. Most of the time she could breathe through it, but as soon as she sat down and had a mug of coffee in her hands, she said, “Nope” and ran for the bathroom.
By the time she rejoined her family, she could safely say there wasn’t one bit of her lunch or dinner left inside her. She cautiously moved through the kitchen and was relieved when her father placed a cup of tea in her hands.
“You okay?” he asked.
In Case You Didn’t Know Page 12
