by Loren Bailey
“I’m Mason,” he said. Then, because he felt like he needed to, quickly added, “Everett.”
“Our parents drag us to these things all the time,” Cora explained, rolling her eyes jokingly. By the way Nathan touched her lower back, Mason guessed that they didn’t actually mind being here together.
Speaking with the same light accent as Louisa, they explained who each of their parents were, and Mason didn’t bother pretending he recognized them.
A waiter approached them and asked a question, but it was in French and Mason didn’t understand a word of it. Nathan and Cora responded in French, then turned to him. Mason felt his face flush as they slowly came to realize he didn’t speak French.
“He just wants to know if we want anything to drink. What would you like? Soda? Tea?”
“Oh, ah, I’ll just have a root beer,” Mason said, looking between Cora and the waiter. He waited for Cora to translate, but the waiter just nodded and stepped away.
“Jeez, does everyone speak three languages here?” he asked.
“So you aren’t from here,” Cora said excitedly, as Nathan elbowed her. She bit her lip and shrugged at him.
Nathan turned to Mason and tried to laugh lightheartedly. “We may have heard that Louisa Valmont’s son from America was coming to visit.”
Mason raised his eyebrows. “So do you all know the whole story already?”
“Not much,” Cora admitted. “Just the basics.” She shared a glance with Nathan again and hastily added, “We haven’t said anything—we’ve just heard some talk.”
“We didn’t recognize you, and like we said, we go to all these things, so we kind of guessed who you were,” Nathan explained.
To Mason’s relief, they didn’t press him for details. Instead, they spent the rest of the evening introducing him to Evonian soda, teaching him enough French to talk a waiter into bringing him a sandwich from the kitchen, and starting a betting pool on which of the old people would fall asleep in their seats first. He learned that Nathan played guitar for a local band and that Nathan and Cora had been dating for a little over a year now. For the first time all night, Mason was actually enjoying himself.
Nathan was telling him about his favorite Evonian bands that Mason would have to check out when Cora waved to someone.
“Oh, there’s Brianna!” she said, touching Nathan’s elbow. “I’ll bring her over to say hello.”
“Brianna is Lord Pembrooke’s daughter,” Nathan explained. He pointed to a man across the room—Lord Whatshisface, Mason realized—the guy throwing the party.
6
Mason assumed that Brianna Pembrooke would be like all the other gorgeous popular girls he went to school with—the girls who knew how attractive they were and used it to get whatever they wanted. So he fully expected to get a little smile from Brianna when Cora brought her over and then some half-baked excuse as to why she would have to walk away nearly immediately.
But instead, she gave a relieved sigh when Nathan offered her a sip of his soda.
“I haven’t been able to eat all night,” Brianna said with a groan, raising one foot out of her high heel to rub it. “My dad has been dragging me around to say hi to everyone this whole time, and all I’ve been thinking about is how much I want something smothered in cheese.”
Mason raised his eyebrows at that. “If, uh, you find anything, you should let me know.”
Brianna looked over, staring at him for a second before bursting into laughter. “Where did you guys find him?” she asked.
“He’s Louisa Valmont’s son,” Nathan explained.
Understanding dawned on Brianna’s face and she looked him up and down. “The infamous American son. We’d heard you were coming into town.”
Mason felt himself flush a bit under her gaze. “Uh, yeah. Well, here I am.”
And just like that, Brianna and Cora turned their attention from Mason to start their own conversation. For a moment, he couldn’t help but stare at Brianna. He barely knew her, but already there was something about her. Something he’d never noticed in another girl before . . .
He cut off that train of thought and glanced at Nathan. “So, what else do you guys do around here besides have fancy parties and talk about scandalous American children?”
Nathan laughed. “Well, I have two more years of school. And other than my band, I usually spend most of my time volunteering in one of our forest preserves.”
“Really?” Mason asked. “Is that, like, something your school makes you do?”
“Not exactly. I want to become a vet and work for our national wildlife program,” Nathan explained. “So I’m trying to get some more experience before I apply to universities.”
Mason took a long drink from his root beer. “Oh, right. So that’s big around here too, huh.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Having some kind of ‘master plan’ for your life.”
Nathan frowned. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I’m just saying, you have your whole life ahead of you. Why do you have to map it all out now? You still have time.”
“Maybe,” Nathan said. He gestured toward the girls. “But Cora will take over her family title someday. She’s basically had to prepare for that her entire life. And Brianna wants to start a foundation like Louisa’s. She’ll need to get a lot of experience first.”
The girls smiled as they listened to Nathan list off their plans, as if they were genuinely excited about their futures. Mason blinked at them. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Cora nodded. “I want to work around the country to get to know it better—maybe learn about our government a little more. Right now I have a part-time job working at city hall.”
“And I’ll probably study business and get several years of work experience before I even consider getting my own foundation off the ground,” Brianna added. “But for now I’ve been doing some volunteering, and I’ll probably do a few internships while I’m in school.”
“Don’t you do something besides go to school?” Nathan asked Mason.
“I, uh . . . my friends and I hang out at our skate park most of the time,” Mason said. The others just looked at him. He coughed. “And, um, sometimes I help my dad around the house. It can be a lot of work. I have to, like, mow the lawn. Take out the garbage.”
Nathan, Cora, and Brianna just gave him polite smiles.
“Sure, it’s important to help your family and take care of your home,” Nathan said.
Mason tried not to cringe in embarrassment. He reminded himself that people who planned out their whole lives in advance didn’t have much fun. They were the followers, while he was the one who would have freedom for the rest of his life. They’re just blind to the system that’s keeping them trapped in predictable lives, he reassured himself. I should feel sorry for them.
“Whatever,” Mason said then. “I’m not gonna let myself get tricked into doing something I don’t want to do just because I think I’m supposed to do it. I’d rather live my life one day at a time.”
The others looked stunned at this. They stared at him for a moment as if barely able to process what he’d said. Then they each gave him empty smiles.
“Well, good for you, Mason,” Brianna said lightly. “At least you’re happy with your decision. That’s all that matters.”
Nathan and Cora nodded quickly—too quickly. They changed the subject to something else, but Mason kept quiet for a bit. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt off. He was used to people judging him for not wanting to do anything after high school, but, for the first time, Mason couldn’t help but wonder if he was actually making the right choice for himself.
***
It wasn’t until nearly midnight that the party began to slow down. Mason couldn’t believe how late these nobles liked to party. Cora and Brianna had taken off their heels at some point during the night, and now they attempted to stuff their feet back into the shoes before their parents noticed they’d been
barefoot in front of half the Evonian nobility.
Brianna nearly tumbled over when one of her feet missed her shoe, and she burst into laughter as she suddenly grabbed Mason’s shoulder for support. His stomach jumped but he tried to hold still as she leaned on him. She had a nice laugh—carefree. It was the kind of laugh that came right from her belly, like she didn’t care about trying to hold it in for appearances.
After she stepped away, Mason cleared his throat. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he attempted a casual glance toward Nathan. “So, ah,” he started, “about Brianna . . .”
Nathan laughed, seeing right through him. “Sorry, mate, but I wouldn’t bother—Brianna doesn’t exactly go for guys like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing—just, she usually goes for guys with some . . . ambition.”
Mason grumbled to himself, but then he realized Nathan probably had a point. Brianna had been friendly to him all night—she laughed at his jokes and genuinely listened to him when he spoke—but she hadn’t shown actual interest in him. Not like that.
He sighed and decided to leave it alone for now. Louisa found him near the front door, looking exhausted. Mason said goodbye to his new friends, who all made him swear that he would keep in touch while he was still in town, before heading out to the car.
On the ride home, Mason told Louisa about meeting Nathan, Cora, and Brianna. It was surprising—Mason had thought he’d get at least some obvious stares or maybe even the cold shoulder from people at this party. But, so far, everyone had been rather relaxed about it. Maybe his backstory didn’t seem as scandalous to Evonian high society now that it was old news.
“I’m so glad you had a good time,” Louisa breathed, leaning back in her seat. She stretched her legs in front of her and pulled the earrings out of her ears. “To be honest, I actually don’t think these things are half as fun as I made them out to be. But it’s expected that I go, and I didn’t want to scare you away before you even got there.”
Mason laughed at that. He liked this relaxed side of Louisa. It was as if he was finally getting to see the real her. “I’m kinda surprised I had fun too. I’m glad I went.”
7
Two days later, Mason was attempting to beat his high score in his new favorite Evonian racing game when Louisa knocked on the door. He kept the race going but grunted that she could come in.
“I have something to show you!” she said, waving her tablet in her hand. She held it up to show him something on the screen, but Mason couldn’t tell what it said from where he was sitting. When he didn’t react, she loudly cleared her throat.
He sighed and paused the game, turning to look at her.
“The foundation is hosting another event next week—an ice cream social!”
Mason blinked at her. “Uh . . . congrats?”
Louisa huffed, clearly not happy with that response. She flipped her tablet back to her and started scrolling through it, keeping her eyes on the screen as she continued, “It was a bit of a last minute event, but we managed to pull it together. All the proceeds will help fund this year’s annual Children’s Dinner—it’s a banquet we host for a number of children from our donation program and their families.”
“That’s cool,” Mason said, hoping that if he kept up his responses he could slowly return to playing his game. He picked up his controller, keeping his eyes on Louisa as she continued to tap away at her tablet.
“And, well, I hadn’t really thought about this at first,” she went on, “but, now that you’re here, I figured it would be perfect!”
“Hmm?” His thumb was hovering over the ‘play’ button.
“Here it is!” She held up the tablet once again. The screen displayed a web page for the event. At the top of the page were the words friends and family invited! “Everyone from the foundation who is going will bring their kids. So, I just thought, if you wanted to . . .”
Ice cream social? Mason thought. ‘Friends and family?’ Yeah, the last thing I want to do is spend the day with a bunch of little kids covered in ice cream.
“Thanks, Louisa, but I don’t know. Aren’t I kind of old to go to something like that?”
“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped. “Yes, I guess so. Right. Sorry—I suppose I need to get used to being the parent of a teenager, don’t I?” She let out a forced laugh.
She started walking out of his bedroom, and Mason took that as a go ahead to start playing his game again. “Lord Pembrooke had mentioned he was going to bring his daughter to help out, so I just figured . . . Well, never mind. You’re probably right anyway. I won’t drag you to some silly children’s event.”
Lord Pembrooke . . . wait a minute—Brianna will be there? Mason paused the game again, but Louisa had already left the room. “Louisa? Hey wait—Louisa! Okay, fine, I’ll go!”
***
Balloons were tied to nearly every streetlight, bench, and fence at the park where the ice cream social was held. A kids’ band played on a small stage, and there were several costumed characters taking photos with kids. Most of the people there were adults or children, so Mason kept an eye out for Brianna—likely the only other teenager at the event.
“Oh, there’s the ice cream booth,” Louisa said. “It looks great!”
He followed her gaze across the park to where several tables were clustered together to form a giant ice cream assembly line. Families were lined up to grab a bowl, select an ice cream flavor, and choose from a variety of toppings. Standing in the center of the assembly line was Brianna, wearing a little apron and working the sprinkle station.
“Hey, um, I’m gonna get in line,” Mason said, hoping his voice sounded casual. But Louisa’s attention had already been grabbed by someone else, and she waved him off, telling him she’d meet up with him later.
As he approached, he watched Brianna smile at child after child, giving them a healthy pour of colorful sprinkles on top of their mound of ice cream. She clearly had a knack for outreach work like this.
Okay, he told himself. Think of something clever to say.
The next kid in line was struggling to choose between strawberry and chocolate ice cream, so Mason took the opportunity to slide up to Brianna’s station. She was wiping off the tabletop, so she didn’t notice him right away.
Mason leaned a hip on the table across from her, hoping he looked laid back. “Got any . . . extra sprinkles?”
GAH! What is the matter with you? he immediately thought to himself with a cringe. Even the kid ahead of him gave him a weird look.
“Um, what?” Brianna snorted, her gaze still down. When she finally looked up at him, her face shifted in recognition. “Oh, hey!” She smiled. “Sorry—I thought you were a creep or something. I’m glad it was just you. Real funny.”
Mason tried to give a casual laugh, but it turned out more like a weird something-stuck-in-your-throat noise. “Oh, yeah, I was—I was just messing with you.” He cleared his throat.
By now Chocolate-Versus-Strawberry Kid had chosen and was staring at them expectantly. Mason stepped back so Brianna could pour some sprinkles on top of the already monstrous scoop of ice cream. When the kid moved on to the next station, Mason stepped closer again.
“So you got stuck working at this thing, huh?” he asked.
Brianna glanced away. “I volunteered, actually. It’s fun to go to all these different events, and I like helping people.”
He nodded hastily. “Yeah, definitely. Cool.” Brianna’s a joiner, you idiot, he scolded himself. She’s not gonna be the type to complain about working events like this.
Before he could attempt to steer the conversation in another direction, Brianna looked up at him again. “Do you want an ice cream or something?” She subtly gestured to the build-up of expectant children that were gathering because he was blocking the way. Kids were downright glaring at him for holding up the line.
“Oh—nah, I’m good. Thanks. I’ll see you later.” He made one last attempt—giving her a c
rooked smile that he may or may not have practiced in the mirror. But Brianna had already moved on to the next child in line.
Mason huffed and stepped away from the line. He was about to wander off and find somewhere to sit for the rest of the event when he noticed someone down the line approach a volunteer and say, “Shift’s over. I’ll take over for you!”
Mason found Louisa standing off to the side with a photographer. “Hey, I was wondering if you guys needed any extra volunteers,” he said when he approached her.
Louisa beamed at that. “That is so kind of you! We had hoped for a few extra signups in the cleanup crew—”
“Actually,” Mason cut in before his whole plan went out the window and he found himself assigned to cleanup for the rest of the afternoon. “I was thinking I could help with the ice cream booth.”
Louisa looked surprised.
“Yeah, uh, I just heard a guy say he could use a break,” he added quickly, gesturing behind him.
“That’s great! Let’s get you an apron.” She excitedly led the way to a truck filled with supplies. Apparently each of the volunteers at the ice cream booth had to wear an apron and a pair of gloves. Certainly not the best outfit for him to talk to Brianna in, but it could be worse—he could be carrying a trash bag and smelling like garbage.
On one side of Brianna was the actual ice cream to be scooped, but that felt like way too much pressure. Plus he had no interest in dealing with indecisive kids who couldn’t choose between flavors. On the other side of her was a station with a variety of toppings—nuts, mini marshmallows, crumbled cookies. He stepped up to the man working that station and said, “Hey, I can take over.”
The man looked rather confused but took the opportunity for the break anyway. Mason carefully stepped up to the station and began straightening out the bins of toppings, as if he’d completely forgotten Brianna was working right next to him.
“So you’re behind the booth now,” she said, clearly seeing right through his actions. He couldn’t help but like that about her.
