In Case You Didn’t Know

by Samantha Chase

  “Perfect! See ya then!”

  Pushing back from his desk, Mason leaned back in his chair and–not for the first time–wondered what he was doing. This project was going to be an amazing thing for the town–especially with how much they were going to accomplish in volunteer power alone. That wasn’t his real issue, however. By keeping The Mystic Magnolia, he was tying himself to Scarlett–even though that wasn’t part of the plan or even a reason why he was doing it. By owning the bar and maybe transforming it into a more family-friendly place, Mason would be making money in the long-term rather than in one lump sum. It had the potential to be a good investment if he got the right people on board to help him out.

  His sister Peyton was already planning on helping out with a new menu and working with Tommy on a new kitchen design and staff. He loved how this project wasn’t just going to benefit him–it was giving his sister a chance to grow in her restauranteur skills. She had inherited a local café from their great-grandfather, but she had yet to take over because she lacked the confidence. This gig working with Tommy would hopefully give her the boost she needed.

  For the first time in his entire life, he felt productive–like he was doing something that had a purpose. Bringing the community together on a project that would help so many, and would generate more revenue to the town when new businesses came in, was exactly the sort of thing his great-grandfather did. For most of his life, Mason never thought about things like that. He had simply enjoyed the benefits of being part of the founding family of Magnolia Sound. He liked living off of the name. But now…now he was the one carrying on the family tradition and values that were started so long ago. And it felt good. It felt right. He was making Magnolia Sound the kind of place that years from now, his kids would grow up in and love just like he did.

  The same way his great-grandfather had.

  As that thought sank in, he realized he no longer harbored any anger toward his inheritance. He understood it now. And even if this wasn’t exactly what anyone thought he would do with it, Mason knew it was the right thing.

  For him and the town.

  “Hey! Look who has color back in her face!” Yup, that was Courtney’s greeting today. “Although, that lovely shade of green you were sporting was starting to grow on me.”

  “Ha, ha. You’re hysterical,” Scarlett deadpanned from her perch on her sofa. Today was the first day she was back to working full-time on her social media stuff and she was feeling good about how she wasn’t too far behind. Looking up at her friend, she frowned. “Why don’t you have food with you? I thought we were doing lunch.”

  “We are. But I took an extended break and I thought we could go out someplace. You’ve been cooped up in this house for too long. Besides, the fresh air will do you good!”

  “I’m going to Happy Tails this afternoon so I’ll be getting plenty of fresh air,” she explained. “I was hoping to just…talk. I’m still kind of a mess with this whole thing and I’d like to avoid running into anyone we know.”

  Sitting beside her, Courtney let out a sigh. “You’re going to have to see Mason eventually, Scar. It’s only right.”

  “Yeah, I know, but…not yet.”

  Twisting a little so she could face her, Courtney’s expression was extremely serious. “I know we’ve talked like every day since you found out and we’ve covered how you feel about having a baby and how you’ve finally cut back to vomiting only twice a day, but…I think we need to talk about how you feel about Mason. Every time I bring it up…”

  “Court, we’ve been over this. I said some awful things to him and…”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were a super-bitch. I got that. But if we forgot about that–if we pushed your rage-filled words aside–how do you feel about him? We all know you only said those things because you were upset. But if that day never happened and you found out you were pregnant…” She let her words die off.

  Now it was Scarlet’s turn to sigh. “Okay, if that day never happened, Mason and I would–hopefully–still be dating.”

  “And?”

  “And…” Another sigh. “I’d be head over heels in love with him. I already was,” she said miserably. “I threw away a great relationship because I’m a hothead who doesn’t think before she speaks!” Tears swam in her eyes and as much as she used to hate when that happened, she was sort of getting used to it.

  Damn pregnancy hormones.

  “Scarlett, we all know that about you and we all still love you. I’m sure if you just talked to Mason, you guys could work it out!”

  “Oh, please! Would you be realistic?” she cried. “All of my stupid words aside, do you really think the Bishop family is going to like the idea of me having Mason’s baby? I mean…come on! Get real!”

  “Oh my God!” Courtney yelled with frustration. “You have got to let that shit go! You’re like some annoying extended disco version of a song! Move on the next verse, for crying out loud! Get over this obsession you have about not being good enough!”

  But before Scarlett could comment, her friend was yelling again.

  “And you know what? It doesn’t matter if the Bishops like the idea or not! The fact is, you are having Mason’s baby! So stop making excuses and looking for trouble, all right?”

  And yeah, Scarlett knew she had to do that. The problem was it was easier to use it as an excuse than to make the tough step and actually put herself in the vulnerable position of telling Mason she was pregnant.

  And risk having him say he didn’t want anything to do with her.

  “Can we please change the subject?” Scarlett asked, rubbing her temples. “And where are we going for lunch because I’m actually hungry.”

  Wordlessly, Courtney got up and walked to the front door. She opened it and reached out for something and then came back in. “This was Plan B. I had a feeling taking you out in public might be an issue so I came prepared.” She held up a cooler bag. “I stopped at the deli and grabbed a couple of sandwiches and chips.”

  It was scary how well her friend knew her. “Wow, um…that was very…”

  “I know,” Courtney interrupted. “I can be very insightful. You should totally pay more attention.” They worked together to set up the food on the coffee table and took a few minutes to dig into their lunch.

  Once Scarlett felt safe that her lunch was going to stay put, she placed her sandwich down and faced her friend. “Okay, I know we need to talk about me, but not yet. I feel like that’s all we’ve been doing. What’s going on with you?”

  With a dramatic eye roll, Courtney relaxed back against the cushions. “I’m bored, Scarlett! I’m bored and you being sick and all…you know…pregnant, isn’t helping!”

  Unable to help herself, she laughed. “Sorry to be such a drain on your social life.”

  “Yeah, well…you should be. I swear, I’m losing my mind. All I want is to be in a relationship and I can’t seem to find anyone who interests me!”

  “There’s got to be someone, Court. I find it hard to believe there’s no one out there for you.”

  “It’s just…any guy I’m interested in is either already in a relationship or…off limits,” she said. Her cautious tone instantly piqued Scarlett’s interest.

  “Aren’t those the same thing?”

  “I guess…”

  “I thought you were going to try that dating app thing.”

  “I was, but then I realized they’re just not my thing, I guess.”

  Scarlett wasn’t buying it but she didn’t want to push right now.

  “So I got an inquiry on my website from Mason,” she said quickly, feeling like this was another topic she needed to deal with.

  “What? And you’re just telling me now? What did he say? Do you think he’s making up a job just to get you to call him?”

  “Calm down,” Scarlett replied. “It seemed like a legit job. Apparently there’s some big stuff going on with the north end and he’s heading it up. I guess he’s looking for someone to help with getting the
word out.”

  “I don’t know why,” Courtney said with a small frown. “The whole town’s talking about it. It’s been in the paper and it seems like everywhere you go, there are flyers and stuff. I’m telling you, if half the stuff gets done that they’re talking about, it will make the north end the place to be.”

  “Seriously? I thought they were just doing a cleanup?”

  “That’s just the beginning! I heard there’s going to be a couple of new restaurants, a dog park, and a gym. I’m surprised you don’t know this. Your dad’s garage and Tommy’s bar are right in the middle of it. Haven’t you talked to them?”

  “I haven’t really talked to anyone since the night I got sick. I mean, they’ve all texted to make sure I was okay, but other than that, Dean’s the only one I talked to. He stops by all the damn time now to check on me.”

  “You know you’re going to have to tell your family too, Scarlett. There’s going to come a point where you can’t hide it.”

  “I know, I know. When did life get so damn complicated?”

  “Do you want an exact time or just a generalization?”

  “Not funny, Court.”

  They resumed eating while tossing around ideas about the best way for Scarlett to tell Mason she was pregnant. She’d put it off long enough. Unfortunately, in every scenario, she envisioned him turning her away because of the things she’d said to him. It didn’t matter how much Courtney tried to convince her otherwise. Scarlett refused to believe her behavior could be forgiven.

  Or that Mason could really be that great of a guy to be that understanding.

  Her luck couldn’t be that good, could it?

  After Courtney went back to work, Scarlett finished getting caught up on two accounts and then stared at Mason’s inquiry. Maybe that was how she could ease into seeing him–they could meet someplace and talk about business and then she could gauge where he stood on talking about…not business.

  “It shouldn’t be this hard,” she murmured as she clicked to compose a new email. Finding the right balance between professional and personal, she quickly typed out her message and then sat back to read it a dozen times before hitting send.

  Mason, thank you for reaching out regarding social media packages for your new endeavor. If you would like to get together and discuss your options, just let me know what your schedule looks like. Maybe we could meet for lunch one day this week?

  And before she could chicken out, she hit send and quickly closed her laptop. Knowing if she stayed home, she’d obsessively watch her inbox for his response, Scarlett decided to head over to Happy Tails a little earlier than planned.

  Sliding on a pair of sneakers, she looked around to make sure she had everything she needed–including her anti-nausea prescription just in case she started to feel iffy while playing with the dogs.

  Within minutes, she was in her car and wishing she could have taken her bike. It was a beautiful, sunny day and under other circumstances, she’d consider this perfect bike weather. As she drove through town, she smiled. Having taken the first step in reaching out to Mason, she felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. And as she hit the north end of town, she couldn’t help but wonder how much change was coming its way. She drove by her father’s garage and saw how there were more cars than they could handle parked in the side lot. Part of her felt guilty because she hadn’t been in to help out in a while–not that anyone called her on it or expected it.

  “Note to self, call Dad.”

  She slowed down as she drove by The Mystic Magnolia and then slammed on the brakes when she spotted Mason’s fancy Jeep in the parking lot. There was no way she could just drive by and pretend she didn’t see it. Her curiosity was too strong, so she had to pull in and see for herself what was going on.

  Her hands were shaking and her legs felt a little weak, but as she climbed from the car Scarlett gave herself a quick pep talk.

  “Gramps is here and won’t let anything bad happen,” she murmured. “And if everyone is speaking the truth, Mason’s being here isn’t a bad thing. Deep breaths. You can do this.” She stopped at the front door of the bar and prayed she wouldn’t throw up.

  Again.

  Pulling the door open, she stepped inside and froze.

  Music was playing. People were laughing. And she could smell something other than stale beer and greasy food.

  “Clearly I’ve stepped into some sort of alternate universe,” she said quietly as she slowly stepped farther into the room.

  Her grandfather spotted her first.

  “Hey there, little miss! You feeling better?”

  Unfortunately, her eyes instantly strayed to Mason who was looking at her with concern. “Um…yeah, Gramps. Much. Thanks.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “So weird how it was only you who got sick. I thought for sure we were all going to get it.” With a small chuckle, he added, “Last time I saw someone turn so green so fast was when your mother was pregnant with you!”

  And right then, she could actually feel herself turning green.

  He looked at her expectantly. “Well? Are you going to stand in the doorway all day or are you going to come in and greet me properly?”

  With no other choice, Scarlett walked over to the bar and smiled when her grandfather walked around and hugged her tight. But when he turned her around to face Mason, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

  “Scarlett, you know Mason Bishop, right? You two went to school together. I think you even graduated the same year,” he said conversationally, completely unaware of how her heart was about to pound its way right out of her chest.

  For a moment, she was confused. She’d told her grandfather all about her relationship with Mason, but maybe he was trying not to let on that he knew. “Um…yeah. Hey,” she said quietly, finally forcing herself to look away.

  “Did you get my email?” Mason asked, his voice so deep and smooth that it almost made her sigh at how much she missed it.

  “Email?” Gramps chimed in. “What email?”

  With a grin, Mason turned to her grandfather. “I heard Scarlett is the go-to person in town for social media marketing. I thought she might be able to help us get the word out on the revitalization of the area and maybe even help us come up with a campaign to attract new businesses.”

  She glanced over at Gramps and could tell he was impressed. “I knew you were smart, Bishop. And by hiring my Scarlett, you proved it even more.” With his arm around her, Gramps hugged her close.

  “Tommy? You got a minute?” Someone called from the kitchen and he excused himself and walked away, leaving Mason and Scarlett alone.

  Knowing she needed to say something before the silence got awkward, Scarlett looked up at him. “So, um…how’ve you been?”

  He shrugged. “Okay. Busy, actually. This whole project sort of took on a life of its own and I’ve been struggling to keep up.”

  “That’s a good thing, though, right? I mean, I hear the response from everyone has been positive.” She offered a small smile and when he smiled back at her, she went a little weak in the knees.

  “It has,” he agreed and then looked around the room and motioned to a booth in the corner. “Why don’t we sit down?” They walked across the room and sat. “You didn’t answer me before–did you get my email?”

  “Oh, yeah. I did,” she said quickly, shifting on the cracked vinyl trying to get comfortable. “Right before I left my house a little while ago, I messaged you back about setting up a time to meet up and talk about what you were looking for.”

  “Great! Any chance you have time now or were you on your way someplace?”

  Talking to him now would have been convenient, but…she really didn’t want to take the chance that their conversation would move into personal territory here in the bar. Quietly, she cleared her throat and suggested, “I’m on my way to Happy Tails right now. I haven’t been there in over a week so I’d really like to go and give them a couple of hours of my time.
But if you’re free later on, maybe we can get together and talk?”

  Mason relaxed back against his seat, one arm resting along the back of the booth, a serene smile on his face. “I’d like that. How about The Sand Bar? I know how you like their burgers.”

  Just the thought of them made her stomach lurch and she could feel herself pale. “Um…”

  “Oh, right. Tommy said you’ve been sick. Are you feeling any better?”

  She let out a mirthless laugh as she shook her head. “It changes from minute to minute.”

  He looked at her oddly but didn’t question her statement. “So…”

  “How about some takeout Chinese at my place?” Then she paused to make sure her stomach didn’t reject the idea. Finally, she gave him a lopsided grin. “Yeah, that should work if you’re okay with it.”

  Blinking at her for a long moment–as if he couldn’t believe what she was suggesting–he nodded. “Uh…sure. Seven o’clock work for you?”

  As much as she knew they needed to do this–needed to talk–there was still a part of her that wanted to flee and say never mind! Instead, she forced herself to nod in agreement.

  “Scarlett?” her grandfather called out. “You want something to eat?”

  “No thanks, Gramps!” Then she let out another low laugh.

  “What?” Mason asked. “What’s so funny?”

  Still chuckling softly, she said, “He knows I won’t eat anything from here. We joke about it all the time and yet he’s always asking me if I want anything.”

  “Well…it’s not so bad…”

  “Oh gosh, did you eat here?”

  He nodded.

  “A burger?”

  “No, a turkey club.” He shrugged. “It was…well…it was…”

  “It was awful,” she whispered, leaning across the table slightly. “It’s okay, you can say it. He knows his food isn’t particularly palatable.”

  “We’re hoping to change that,” Mason replied, sounding confident. “It’s what we were talking about when you walked in. Right now my sister Peyton is in the kitchen looking over his setup and she’s going to work on a plan to revamp the menu.”