by Holly Jaymes
“Why?” my mother asked.
“Well, you know, Mason’s financial situation—”
What the hell was Wyatt talking about?
“It’s not my problem that boy is broke.” My father shoved a fork full of salad in his mouth.
Wyatt shook his head. “He’s not broke. He’s far from broke. It’s probably not wise to pick on a McLean these days. Between Mason and his brother…we’ll it’s not like before.”
My father perked up at that, and my heart simultaneously sunk and went cold as I realized he was thinking dollar signs. “Don’t you dare, dad.”
“What?” my father asked innocently.
“What are you thinking?” my mother asked him.
“McLean made the decisions to build the firebreak down lower. It’s his fault, really. We could sue him.”
“You promised!” I yelled it making everyone, even Wyatt, jump.
“I promised I wouldn’t sue the fire department. I never said anything about not suing Mason.”
I couldn’t breathe, I was so mad.
“If you love Mason, now would be a good time to return to him,” Wyatt said with his continued calm demeanor as he ate a bite of salad.
“Why would you say such a thing?” my mother gasped.
“Because now there’s no reason for her to stay away.”
“What about the fire department?” I asked.
“Mason has enough to help them,” Wyatt assured me.
“Not after I get through with him.”
I stared at my father. “What did Mason ever do to you—”
“He touched you!” My father roared.
Wyatt smiled at me. “Thank goodness we’re just friends.”
“He wouldn’t think that about you, Wyatt,” my mother cooed and then gave my father a death stare telling him to tone it down.
“When I’m done with him, he’ll be ruined.” My father jabbed at his salad again.
“I don’t know about that, Mr. Haynesville.” Wyatt sat back in his chair. “I don’t know how much money you have, but I’m willing to bet Mason has more.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
I gaped at my father.
“Well, you could try, but I imagine where legal action is involved, Mason would be able to outlast you. He could find a lawyer to draw out the suit for years and years until you ran out of money. Plus, if he’s able to show the lawsuit is frivolous, well, you’d have to pay it all.”
“Just how much does he have?” my mother asked.
“I don’t have the exact number. A billion maybe. Give or take a few million.”
“Bbb…billion?” I stammered.
“There are eight or ten people under the age of thirty who are billionaires. Only three or so are self-made. Mason is one of them.”
“How?” my mother’s mouth gaped open.
“After his time as a Navy SEAL, he wrote a New York Times best-selling novel about his time as a Navy SEAL. Now, he has his own streaming service as well. You know, like Netflix, only for fitness and wellness. Then there are the DVDs and the merchandise. He used to train athletes and celebrities, many of whom endorse his channel and products. He has a crew of certified trainers who use his methods throughout the world. The methods work too.” Wyatt held up his arm, showing off his bicep.
I was stunned.
“Oh, you know Jamison’s Sporting Goods? It’s in the old location Mason’s dad had his store before he was put out of business. Anyway, Mason has a deal with him to stock his merchandise and handle all the Internet sales. It’s great because if we have a bad snow season, Jamison still has income and doesn’t have to lay off staff.” Wyatt plucked a tomato off his plate and popped it into his mouth. “Mason is like that. He's always helping the community. He volunteers to fight fires. He helps vets to reacclimatize. He also has a special fitness program for injured vets. Anyway, he won’t say it, of course, so that’s why I’m here.” Wyatt stood. “The lunch was lovely, Mrs. Haynesville. I hope you and Mr. Haynesville have a safe trip home.” He turned to me. “I hope to see you around town, Willa.”
My family and I were speechless as Wyatt made his way out the door.
Finally, my father said, “It doesn’t change that he—”
“Put a sock in it, Harrison,” my mother snapped.
“Marissa!”
My mother put her hand over mine. “Is this all true?”
I looked at her. “Mason didn’t say anything. He’s not one to brag.”
“Maybe we misjudged—”
“He’s a McLean. Did you hear Wyatt, he said McLeans will ruin us.”
I frowned and then started to cry.
“Now what?” my father sighed.
“If he wasn’t a McLean, you’d have me married to him already. You’d think his achievements were reflective of his character. But because he’s a McLean, everything he does, you see through a filter of hate and bitterness. Right now, you see him through a filter of jealousy.”
“That’s not true,” my father said, but he’d lost some of his bluster.
“You know why I didn’t have friends? Because people were afraid of you. Only Mason wasn't afraid. He’d been my only friend. Back then and now.” I shook my head as I realized Wyatt was right. If I had more faith in Mason, perhaps things would have been different.
“I don’t believe you were friends—”
“Believe it or not, dad, we were. We used to dream that the feud would stop with us. We never understood it. I betrayed him ten years ago when I sided with you against his father, but now I see, if I were his father, I’d have told you to take a flying leap too.” I stood from the table.
“Willa!” my father bellowed.
“Willa, honey, where are you going?” my mother asked softly.
“I’m going to book a ticket back east, and then I’m getting away from all of this.”
“Harrison, we have to stop her,” my mother pleaded with my father.
“Why? At least she’s not going back to that boy.”
I closed the door and lay down on the bed. I’d messed up my life. For a second time, I’d had something good, and I’d let my parents influence me until it slipped through my hands.
Chapter 26: Drinking Away the Pain
Mason
I was relatively well sloshed when there was a knock on the door. I blamed the alcohol for the hope that bloomed in my heart that it was Willa.
I threw open the door, having to use both hands on the doorframe to keep from falling out it. My heart sank. “It’s only you.”
Wyatt quirked a brow. “It’s not even three in the afternoon, and you’re plastered.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” My brain blipped. “Hey, on the east coast, it's five, right? That’s where she’s going, you know, New York.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Maybe, maybe not. Can I come in?”
“Only if you drink with me.” I bumbled my way through my kitchen and out to the back deck.
“We’re lucky you haven’t fallen in and drowned in the hot tub.”
“It’s early yet.” I let out a laugh. “Old man Haynesville would be so pleased to see my obit.” I sank into the chair, nearly missing it. I righted myself, and then pushed the bottle of scotch toward Wyatt. “So, why are you here?”
“Well, it’s possible Haynesville will try to come after your billions.”
“Excellent. I can’t wait to ruin him. How much do you think he still has left?” I counted on my fingers. “Insurance payout on the house will be what?”
“I don’t know, I don’t care. Willa isn’t on their side.”
I looked to the left and then the right, then back at Wyatt. “She’s not here. She must be with them.”
“She called her parents traitors to the community.”
So what, I thought.
“I can’t decide if her father is more pissed that you let his house burn down or that you fucked his daughter.”
“Don’t!” My elbow slipp
ed when I tried to wag my finger at him, making me lurch to the side. “Don’t say that. It wasn’t like that with her.”
Wyatt sat back and smirked. In my drunken haze, I had a sense that I was going to be embarrassed by all this tomorrow.
“She thinks you’re better off without her,” Wyatt said.
“See!” I tried to pour another drink, spilled it, and gave up, pulling the bottle toward my lips as I said, “She’s wrong again.”
He reached over and took the bottle from me. “I didn’t get my sip yet.”
I held out my hands in offering to him.
“How many times have you been drunk, Mason?”
I shook my head. “Don’t know.”
“Did you ever get drunk in high school?”
“Nope. I had no friends, except Willa and she was a good girl.” I closed my eyes as I thought of Willa and me at the waterfall in high school. I thought about her lovely blonde hair sparkling in the sun.
“She was so pretty. I’m glad you didn’t notice her then.” An image of her at the reunion with Wyatt’s hand on her ass popped into my head. I pointed my finger at him, resting my elbow on the table because I wasn’t strong enough to hold my arm up. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you, Wyatt Dalton.”
He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “There’s no worry about that. For one, her parents are a nightmare.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“And two, you’re in love with her, and she’s in love with you. You’re both idiots, you know that?”
“I do love her.” I patted my hand over my heart. “Since high school. Even when she was in love with you.”
“That wasn’t love,” Wyatt said. “Maybe she had a crush. But today, she’s yours, man, if you want her.”
I closed my eyes, dropping my head forward. “I do want her, but…that fucking feud.”
“So, end it, Mason. You and Willa can end it.”
I reached for the bottle because my chest hurt again, and I was so fucking tired of hurting there. Wyatt brought it up to his lips to take another sip.
“I don’t know how.”
“I think it starts with getting sober.” He set the bottle out of my reach.
“I don’t want to. It hurts too much. It’s either drink or beat the shit out of something.”
Wyatt laughed. “How was it we weren’t friends in high school?”
“You were cool. I wasn’t.”
“I’m your friend now, Mason. Let me help you.”
I looked up at him, desperate for anything. “How can you help me?”
“Let’s get you sober first.”
I woke the next morning feeling like a demolition crew was demolishing my brain.
“Ah, fuck.” I sat up and realized I was on the couch.
“Feeling like shit?”
My head jerked up to see Wyatt sitting in the overstuffed chair, his long legs out, his head slightly to the side. Jesus, had he stayed the whole night?
I ran my hands over my face. “Yes.”
He stood. “I’ll get you water, and if you tell me where your pain reliever is. I’ll get that too.”
I told him where to look, and a few minutes later, he was back.
“Thanks, man.” I took the pills and drank half the glass of water. “How bad is it?”
“What?”
“My reputation?” I couldn’t remember much from last night, which meant who knows what I said or did.
“Your reputation is fine. All I’ve learned about you is that you’re in love with Willa. Big secret there.”
I lay my head back on the couch.
“Oh, and that you’d like to blast Harrison Haynesville with a fire hose. I’d pay to watch that. Hell, I might help.”
“It takes two people.”
“Sign me up.” He grinned. “Seriously, Mason, as soon as you get your shit together, you need to find Willa.”
“She knows where I am.” I stood, wobbled slightly, and then headed to the bathroom to relieve myself. And take a shower.
“Do you remember anything from last night?” Wyatt asked outside the bathroom door.
“What the hell, man? I’m pissing in here.”
“I’m trying to save you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”
“What do you care?” I looked in the mirror. Jesus, I looked like the grim reaper.
“It’s my job to care.”
“Since when do sheriff’s deputies make it their job to be cupid?”
“My job is to stop injustice. If you let her family ruin your chance at happiness, it's an injustice. You’re a fucking idiot.”
I pulled open the door. “Why are you here?”
He sighed and held his hands up. “Lost love is a bitch. I’m just trying to save you from it.”
“I appreciate that. Right now, I’ve got to get the old sock taste out of my mouth, the thorns out of my brain, and wake the fuck up.”
“Right. I left the pain reliever on the counter in the kitchen. Drink more water. Get your shit together and then your life Mason.”
“I’ll get right on it.” I knew I was being an asshole, and I didn’t like that about myself. “Wyatt?”
“Yeah?” He stopped midway up the hall toward the front door.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
He gave me a nod and then left.
I stepped into the shower, blasting cold water that made me gasp, but it felt good too. I pressed my palms to the tiles and dunked my head under the water.
I wondered what Wyatt’s story was that he felt he needed to be so involved in mine. Perhaps because he was so concerned, I should consider what he’d said, if only I could remember it.
When my body was clean, my teeth brushed, and my hair combed, I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I felt almost human again. I had another glass of water out on the deck. The day was sunny and a mild temperature. It was the perfect day for a walk. I wondered if Willa would want to come, but then remember she wasn’t there.
She thinks you’re better off without her. Wyatt’s words came back to me. I don’t know why she’d think that. Well, I sort of did. She probably thought her parents were too much of a hassle. But if that had been true, I’d never have befriended her in the first place. I’d never fallen for her, then or now.
I grabbed a couple of water bottles, filled them with ice and water, and put them in my backpack along with trail mix and a towel. Wyatt was right. I needed to get my head together, and the best way to do that was with a long hike and being out in nature.
I drove south, parked in the pullout, and headed up toward the waterfall. When I got there, I pulled the towel out, chastising myself for bringing it. I only ever brought it when Willa was with me. I didn’t care if I got dirt on me. But it was here, so I unfurled it and set it on the ground.
I sat down, looked out over the view of the waterfall. I closed my eyes, listening to the water as it trickled. I heard birds singing, and the rustle of the trees as the breeze blew.
I inhaled, taking in the scent of pine and something sweet.
My eyes flew open, and I turned to my left.
Willa stood looking so beautiful with her long hair blowing behind her, and her hazel eyes watching me. She was like a dream come true. I blinked because it was entirely possible, I was dreaming. Or maybe I was still drunk and hallucinating.
She started toward me.
“Can I join you?”
My mouth was dry. My brain was blank. “I don’t have my suit on.”
Chapter 27: Where I Should Be
Willa
Mason looked terrible, and I knew it was all my fault. I spent all night grappling with what to do. One minute, I was on the verge of buying a plane ticket east, and the next minute, I was getting ready to drive to Mason’s.
This morning, I got a text from Wyatt. “Seize the day, Willa.”
I wasn’t sure why he cared so much about Mason or me. Maybe he just wanted to see my parents lose for once.
Whatever the reason, this morning, I realized he was right. I’d forever regret if I didn’t tell Mason how I felt. Maybe he’d reject me, but at least I’d have told him that I loved him.
I showered and dressed, using the time to prepare a speech for my parents.
Ultimately, I simply said, “I love Mason. I’m going to him.”
“He’ll only hurt you,” my father said, right on cue.
“Probably not as bad as I’ve hurt him.”
My mother looked worried but didn’t say anything.
“The feud ends now,” I said. “I hope that doesn’t mean I lose you too, but he’s a good man that I’ve loved for a long time—”
“You don’t think we’re good?” my father blustered.
“I love you. I love you both, but sometimes, you’re not good.”
My mother cried, and my father started to yell at me for upsetting my mother. This wasn’t what I wanted, but it was how it was going to be, I guess.
I loaded my bags into my car and drove to Mason’s. When he wasn’t there, I worried. Had he left town? Had he found a shoulder to cry on?
I sat on his porch, thinking maybe he was just out running an errand. I was too antsy to sit long, and I thought I’d perhaps take a walk around the block.
Walk?
Maybe he’d taken a hike. I went to my car to drive up to the waterfall. There were a million hiking trails in the area, so it was silly to think he’d be there. In fact, considering how we’d left things, it was probably impossible that he’d be there. But I was going to go. If he wasn’t there, at least I’d be close to him in spirit, and I could think of my next move.
When I reached the pullout and saw his SUV, my heart started thundering a million miles a minute. What would I say to him? Would he listen? Would he forgive me?
I made my way along the path and then went off the trail toward our special spot. As I got closer, I could see him through the trees. He sat with his knees bent, his arms around them, one hand holding his wrist. He was looking out over the view. I crept closer. He closed his eyes, tilting his head like he was listening or maybe taking in the fresh air. Then his head whipped around, his gaze pinning me in place. He looked so tired and sad. I wanted to rush to him, wrap him in my arms, and tell him I loved him and that I’d always love him.
