“I don’t think anyone expected me to,” Mason said, scanning the documents. “Not even my great-grandfather.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Placing the file down on the desk, he frowned. “What do you mean?”
“First, I just want to go over a few things on the papers,” Richard explained. “You’re splitting ownership of the property The Mystic Magnolia stood on 50/50, correct?”
Mason nodded.
“And the café you are building in its place will have you being even partners with Tommy, even though you are the one investing the money and not him, correct?”
Mason nodded again, wondering why Richard was stating everything like this.
“And lastly, you’re paying off all the outstanding debt Tommy accrued, giving him a clean slate moving forward, correct?”
“Richard, what’s going on? We discussed all of this already and it’s all here in the paperwork, isn’t it?”
He held up a hand. “Just…humor me for another minute, okay?”
What choice did he have?
They discussed everything that was on the document and Mason signed it, then handed it back to Richard.
“When your great-grandfather came to me to write up his will and he told me his plans for all of you, most of it made sense. Jake got the construction business because he was already running it. Mallory got the décor shop because it was one of her favorite places. Your sister got the restaurant because she always wanted to own one.”
Again, Mason nodded, still unsure where all of this was going.
“Then he told me he was leaving The Mystic Magnolia to you and it just didn’t fit.” He paused. “We actually argued over it. I told him it was wrong–it made no sense. Then he explained himself.”
“I think I know what you’re going to say, Richard,” Mason interrupted. “Pops left it to me so I could sell it have some financial security of my own to break away from my folks.”
Richard looked at him oddly. “Um…no.”
“What?”
Reaching into his briefcase, Richard pulled out another envelope and handed it to Mason. “This is what Zeke was thinking.” He stood. “Give me a call tomorrow and we’ll talk some more.” He stood and was about to walk away.
“Wait!” Mason said, coming to his feet. “What is this?”
“That,” he said with a very pleased smile, “is the rest of your inheritance.” He paused. “Have a good night, Mason.”
Curiosity got the better of him and rather than ask Richard more questions, he sat back down in his chair and carefully opened the envelope.
Mason,
I sure hope you actually get to read this. It would tick me off if I spend all this time writing and this paper does nothing but sit in Richard’s office collecting dust. For argument’s sake, let’s say you’re reading it.
Actually, I’m sure you’re reading it. Why? Because I have faith in you. Your folks did a great disservice to you by trying to force you to live their way, but I always knew, deep down, that you were going to be different–that you were going to take a stand and be your own person. And if you’re reading this, then you’re well on your way.
What am I talking about? I’m talking about Tommy Flynn and The Mystic Magnolia. It had to make your mama crazy when she heard I left it to you, huh? And I’m sure you wondered why too. But if you’re reading this, you didn’t take the easy way out. You saw something in Tommy Flynn like I did. He’s a man who lost a lot in his life–and I know we all have–but…Tommy never quite got over it. I did as much as I could for him and I hate not knowing exactly how it all went down, but the fact that Richard gave you this letter tells me you wanted to help ol’ Tommy too.
Some would say in doing so, I sort of robbed you of an inheritance. And to a certain degree, it’s true. But what nobody knows–other than Richard–is that I had something else planned for you. Everyone knows I owned a lot of property in this town. I bought it when it was dirt cheap and there’s a lot I never had the opportunity to develop. I saw so much of myself in you, Mason, and I only wish we had spent more time together to really explore that.
There are two parcels of land I always wished I could do more with. There’s never enough time, you know? Anyway, there’s seven acres out on the north end of town–right on the town limits–and I want you to have it. Do with it whatever you want–do something for the town or something for yourself. I trust you. But there’s another piece of land right on the Sound. It’s beautiful. My father always said he was going to build my mother a new house–a bigger house than the one we had. He never had the chance and honestly, she was happy right where she was. It’s two acres and it’s only a half-mile away from my house. I hope you’ll keep it and build a home for yourself–something your folks have no say in. Maybe someplace you can raise a family and teach them about all those who came before them and created Magnolia Sound.
Be well, son. Be happy.
But most of all, be proud of yourself. You’re a hell of a fine man.
Love, Pops
It wasn’t until the wet spot appeared on the paper did Mason realize he was crying.
Well damn, he thought. All this time he thought Pops didn’t really know him and it turned out, he was rooting for him all along.
He was probably the only one in his family who was.
Now he knew why Richard wanted him to call tomorrow. Gathering up the letter, the folder, and a few other things, Mason headed out of the office. This was a lot of information to digest and he knew the only person he wanted to share it with was Scarlett. In his car, he quickly made his way across town and he wondered what he was going to do with everything he just received. He was already investing in a restaurant with Tommy, and now he had the opportunity to build a house of his own right on the water, and to create something with the property on the north end. If Pops only knew of the plans for that part of town, he’d be thrilled.
Pulling into the small parking area for Happy Tails’ guests, Mason spotted Scarlett’s car and smiled. They were going to celebrate tonight for sure. As he made his way through the gate toward the barn, he thought about the kind of house they could build and couldn’t wait to hear her plans for her dream house because–thanks to Pops–they could make them a reality.
“Hey!” Scarlett called out, a Golden Retriever puppy wriggling in her arms. “You’re early!”
“I was anxious to see you,” he said, walking to her and kissing her soundly. When they broke apart, he rubbed the puppy’s head. “Is this who you wanted me to see?”
“What?” she asked, laughing. “No. Not this guy, although isn’t he precious?”
It would be way too much to take on pregnancy, a marriage proposal, a new business, building a new home, and adopting a dog. He had his limits, but…if Scarlett asked, Mason knew he’d find a way to make it happen. “So, what’s going on?”
The sound of laughter floated from the barn and whoever was in there was having a great time. He couldn’t help but smile. Scarlett looked over her shoulder and motioned for him to follow her. “This is what I wanted you to see.”
He walked beside her as the puppy continued to try to get down. He was about to offer to take the dog from her arms when he caught sight of who was laughing.
“Mom?! What are you doing?”
Still laughing while sitting in a pile of hay, his mother looked up at him with pure delight. “Oh, Mason, look at all these sweet dogs!” She was surrounded by probably eight puppies who looked exactly like the one in Scarlett’s arms.
“What is happening right now?” he murmured, leaning toward Scarlett.
Placing the puppy down to go play with his siblings, Scarlett stood and pulled him a few feet away from the melee. “Okay, don’t be angry, but…I went to talk to your mother today.”
“Why?” he asked with more annoyance than he probably should have.
“Mason, she’s your mother and we’re having a baby together and all this fighting isn’t
good for anyone. Plus, I was a little miffed at the way she spoke about me.”
“Yeah, well…that’s her for you.”
“Oh, I got that. Believe me,” Scarlett said with a small laugh.
“So how did it go? I mean, obviously it must have gone well if you got her here.”
“Um…honestly? It was awful. I’ve never had my patience tested quite like that before.”
“God, Scarlett,” he said, pulling her into his embrace. “I’m sorry.” Then he cursed under his breath. “Then why is she here?”
Pulling back, she smiled up at him and told him about the rest of her visit. “We talked a lot on the way over here…”
“It’s a ten-minute drive,” he commented. “How much could you have said?”
“We didn’t jump out of the car the minute we got here,” she replied sarcastically. “And once we got her out of the car and got the stick out of her ass, she really seemed to mellow.”
The imagery alone made him laugh. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his mother still sitting on the ground playing with the dogs while talking to Christine. “This is all just a little bizarre to me. Are you sure you didn’t drug her or hit her on the head?”
“I was tempted to, believe me, but…I don’t know. I think she just forgot how to put her guard down and live like a normal person.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means she lives her life for appearances! She usually only does things to make herself look good–and by look good I mean for vanity’s sake. Coming out here, she realized how ridiculous she’d look in one of her Chanel suits or Vera Wang dresses. Sometimes it’s good to get dirty, you know?”
He hugged her close and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Personally, I enjoy getting dirty with you.”
She giggled and he loved the sound of it. “Stop it!” she hissed. “Someone will hear you.”
He doubted that, so he quickly asked, “Hey, Scarlett?”
Groaning, she rested her head on his chest and started to laugh. “Please don’t…”
“Hey baby, I must be a light switch, cuz every time I see you, you turn me on!” They were both laughing and holding each other tight and it was little things like this that made his day. When they finally stopped, he looked over at his mother again who was watching them both and smiling.
It was a little unnerving.
Turning, he figured he should talk to her. With one arm wrapped around Scarlett’s waist, he asked, “So what are you doing here, Mom? This hardly seems like something you’d be interested in.”
Scarlett pinched him and he had to stifle a curse.
Standing, Georgia wiped the hay from her shorts as she walked over to them. “I’m actually very fond of animals, Mason,” she said pleasantly. “I just never realized there was such a need so close to home.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to make a snarky comment, but he refrained.
“I’m coming back tomorrow to talk to Christine and her husband about their immediate needs and we’re going to work on a plan to raise some money and perhaps find them a larger piece of land.”
Mason thought about what he’d just been given, but he wasn’t ready to share it with his mother. He wanted to talk to Scarlett when they were alone. Which reminded him…
“Are you almost finished for the day?” he asked Scarlett. “I made dinner plans for us.”
Beside him, she blushed. “I think I’m done.” She glanced around before looking at his mother. “Ready for me to take you home?”
“Actually, I texted Beau and asked him to meet me out here. I’d like him to get a look at things as well. Plus,” she went on, smiling, “Christine invited us to stay for dinner.”
Mason knew his eyes were practically bugging out and he didn’t have to look at Scarlett to know hers were as well.
“Seriously, what is happening here?” he said quietly.
“Just smile and wave,” she whispered beside him and within minutes they were both at their cars. “Your house or mine?”
“Do you have everything you need at my place to go out tonight or do you need to stop and get stuff?” In all honesty, they could go to either, but he wanted to sleep at his place tonight and to be there when he told her about everything he found out today.
“You go and I’ll be a few minutes behind you. I need to grab a few things.” She kissed him and Mason stood back and watched her drive away.
Fourteen
The French doors were open and there was a cool breeze blowing in the room. Scarlett was exactly where she wanted to be–in Mason’s arms.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
They had gone to dinner and he told her about the inheritance he just learned of today. Then they drove around trying to figure out where the properties were but it was dark and they really couldn’t see anything.
“I’m perfect,” she replied, snuggling closer to him.
“Yeah, you are.”
“This was an amazing day. Like everything about it was just…incredible. I feel like I’ve stepped into some kind of dream and I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and it’s all going to be gone.”
“I swear I’m still in awe over hearing the baby’s heartbeat. I didn’t even know it was a possibility this early on in the pregnancy.”
She nodded. “I’m not going to lie–I was nervous.”
“How come?”
“What if they couldn’t find a heartbeat? What if the test results weren’t accurate? I mean, I’ve finally gotten used to the idea and…I’m already in love with this baby.” And she seriously was. She was still scared as hell about the thought of being a mother, but that was normal.
“Me too,” he agreed, playing with her hair. “I wish I could have been there when you went off on my mother and told her about the baby.”
“Yeah, I guess I should have run that by you first, but…I felt like it had to happen this way. I know she’s your mom and all, but I couldn’t imagine treating my child the way she treats you. And I think by doing it this way, we’re going to have a fairly solid relationship.”
“How do you figure?”
“She knows I’m on to her,” she said simply. “I’m a bit of a bull in a china shop compared to her and by laying my cards out on the table from the get-go, she knows where I stand.”
“I thought I was seeing things when I walked into the barn.”
“Your face was pretty comical.”
“Yeah, well…a little bit of heads-up would have been nice.”
“Nah, I was living for seeing that expression!”
“You are never boring, Scarlett.”
“Do you want boring?”
He shook his head. “For a long time, I thought that was what I was going to get–that it was all I deserved.”
“Well that’s just sad.”
“And then I went to grab a beer at a concert and I haven’t been bored since.”
“Such flattery,” she preened, kissing his chest. They lay there in companionable silence for several long minutes until he spoke.
“It wasn’t just today that was wild. This whole last week has been pretty crazy,” Mason said, his tone a bit more serious than it was a minute ago.
“That it has.”
“I feel like we’ve spent so much time focusing on Tommy, the bar, the campaign for the businesses in the north end…I don’t know…it’s like we’ve glossed over…us.”
Pushing up a little, Scarlett looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I mean, we’re here and we’re together and it’s exactly what I want.”
“But…”
“But…” he continued. “I guess I’m wondering if we’d be here if you hadn’t found out you were pregnant.”
Okay, wow.
Not that she hadn’t thought it herself, but it was a little scary that Mason was thinking it too.
And how they hadn’t really talked about it until now.
It had been easy to ju
st slip back into relationship mode and to fill any awkward time when they should have been talking with making love or just talking about the things going on around them. But it looked like they were finally going to have to address the elephant in the room.
“I’d like to think we would,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. His hand was stroking her arm as he went on. “I don’t want there to be any doubts, Scarlett. I know why I’m here and I’m in it for the long-haul. Forever. But…in all the times we’ve talked, I feel like…it’s been a little one-sided. I pour out my heart and you don’t. Not really. You haven’t said where you see us. We talk about the baby and about being together, but what does together look like to you? Are we living together like roommates? Are we co-parenting? I mean, these are things we really need to be talking about.”
It shamed her that he was right. “It’s hard for me, Mason,” she admitted lowly. “I didn’t grow up in a house where we did a whole lot of sharing our feelings. I mean, I knew we all loved each other, but we didn’t…talk about it. And before you, I never dated a guy who wanted to talk about his feelings.” She paused. “But I’m trying, I really am.”
In the moonlight, she saw him nod and she wasn’t sure what to do or say to put his mind at ease.
“I love you, Mason. I love the way you make me laugh. I love all of our crazy conversations. I love that you’re the one I’m going through all these changes with.” Pausing, she smiled and caressed his cheek. “I love that you’re going to be the father of this baby. But more than anything, I love you.” She almost couldn’t finish speaking because she felt overwhelmed with emotion.
“Scarlett…”
“Just like I was scared today while Dr. Jackson tried to find the baby’s heartbeat, I’m scared to let myself think too much about what the future holds for us. If you want to know where I see us–it’s together. Not co-parenting, not roommates, but partners. I look at you, Mason, and I see everything I ever wanted but didn’t know I could have, too.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, slowly wetting his shoulder.
In Case You Didn’t Know Page 20
