Mason scoffed and shook his head. “Yeah, I had a ring picked out and everything.”
Tears filled Clara’s eyes. He had loved her as much as she had loved him, and she had messed it up. How could she have been so stupid to listen to her father. “Mason, I’m so sorry.”
“Me too,” he said with a sigh and then ran his hand through his hair.
“Do you think?” The words stuck in her throat. “Do you think we can get past this and try again? I may have let you go, but I never stopped loving you.”
Mason’s jaw clenched, and his hand slid down his cheek. “I don’t know, Clara. Why did you decide to tell me this now anyway?”
A mirthless chuckle escaped Clara’s mouth. She might as well tell him everything. Go big or go home, right? “My father called me on Tuesday when you went to your appointment without me. He invited me to lunch. Only when I got there, he had invited this guy Joel I was seeing before I took the job here.” Mason’s brow furrowed and she knew he was about to ask what this had to do with anything, so she hurried on. “I didn’t care for Joel. I was dating him because my father pushed us together, but when he blindsided me like that, I realized he was never going to let me live my life if I didn’t stand up to him.”
“And did you? Stand up to him?”
Clara’s mind flashed back to the encounter. Though not her finest hour, she had definitely stood up to him. “I did. I think you would have been proud of me. He wasn’t pleased, but I told Joel I wasn’t interested in him, and then I told my father to stop running my life. When I left the restaurant, I felt like I was on cloud nine, like I could do anything. Still, this dark spot hung over me. The past between us. As much as I was afraid it might drive you away, I knew I needed to tell you the whole truth.”
“I’m glad you finally did,” Mason said, and he sounded sincere, but Clara wanted more than his forgiveness. She wanted to know if their future had a chance. “And I know you want to know if this means we can have a chance again, but this is a lot to take in. I need a little processing time.”
“Of course. I’m sorry.” It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but she could understand his feelings. She had just dropped quite the bomb on him. She grabbed her purse and stood. “I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, later.” His tone was noncommittal and cold, and it broke Clara’s heart.
She had suspected he would be angry with her, but she had hoped he would understand the position she had been placed in and forgive her. Perhaps she shouldn’t have told him. She could have taken the secret to her grave. No. She shook her head. If she wanted a chance at a real relationship with him, then she had to be honest. Otherwise her father probably would have told him at some inopportune moment and ruined everything anyway. It was better this way, even if he never forgave her.
A tear slid down her cheek as she climbed into her car. She’d been so certain he would be happy he’d been right all these years that he would take her in his arms and rekindle their relationship with a searing kiss, but she should have known better. Things never worked out that nicely for her. Now, she had pushed her father away and possibly Mason too. Could this night get any worse?
She backed out of his driveway and wiped a tear with her hand. How was she going to continue working with him if he didn’t forgive her? He would have to. She had felt such peace that telling him was the right thing that she couldn’t believe God would have steered her wrong. He just needed time like he said.
Clara sniffed back another tear as the sign for the interstate appeared. Normally, she would avoid the interstate, but at this time of night, the traffic would be light, and she would probably get home quicker. She was fairly certain a tub of half-eaten ice cream would be waiting for her in her freezer so she could drown out her sorrows with its creamy goodness.
She signaled her turn onto the interstate, and then glanced over her shoulder to make sure she was free to merge. The sound of horns registered moments before the bright lights. Clara turned just in time to see a truck going the wrong way slam into the front of her car. There was a loud pop and then the world went dark.
23
Mason
Mason checked the time again. Duke was late. He knew he was asking a lot of his brother to take him to yet another appointment, but he hoped the doctor would remove the ankle cast today and let him start physical therapy. Then maybe he could start driving himself places and stop inconveniencing his brother.
Of course he could have asked Clara, but after the bombshell she’d dropped last night, he wasn’t ready to see her yet. Though he’d expected her father had played a hand in their breakup, hearing her admit she had allowed it so he could go to college still stung. Yes, money had been tight for him then, but he would have found a way to do it without her father’s money. If only she had cared about him enough to tell him. And that was the issue he couldn’t get past. If she had cared about him as much as she said she had, why not come to him and tell him her father’s plan? How could he trust her to be honest with him in the future?
In fact, how could he trust his parents? They’d also lied to him and conspired to separate him from Clara. He would have to confront them about that soon as well.
The knock on his door came just as he was checking the time again. Finally. He hobbled to the door and opened it to an apologetic Duke on the other side.
“Sorry man, traffic was a nightmare.”
“It’s okay, but we better hurry up or we’ll be late.” Mason locked the door behind him and followed Duke to his truck. It took him a minute to get into the truck and sit comfortably, but soon Duke was tearing down the road. Mason knew he should tell him to slow down, but he enjoyed watching the scenery fly by. The jumbled images matched his mood.
“So, you want to tell me what’s got you so pensive?” Duke asked after they had been driving nearly ten minutes in silence. “And don’t tell me it’s about me being late because we’ll be there in plenty of time.”
“No, it’s not about that. Clara came over last night to tell me something, and it kind of rocked my world.” He turned from gazing out the window to regard his brother. “Did you know Mom and Dad conspired with her father to break us up?”
Duke’s eyebrow lifted, and he shook his head. “No, but what do you mean conspire?”
“Did you know my scholarship money wasn’t really a scholarship?” Mason pressed, ignoring Duke’s question.
“No, what are you talking about man? You aren’t making any sense.” Duke glanced at him, his brow furrowed in confusion, before turning his attention back to the road.
“Clara’s dad paid for my college. Mom and Dad told me it was a scholarship, but it wasn’t. How could they do that, Duke?”
“I always thought someone paying for your college was a good thing,” Duke said.
“Not if there’s a condition attached that says the only way I get it is if Clara breaks up with me.”
Duke let out a low whistle. “That’s what she told you happened?”
Mason ran a frustrated hand across his forehead. “Yeah, and now I don’t know what to do with that information. I’m mad at Clara for letting her father tear us apart and for not talking to me. I’m mad at her father for making the offer. I’m mad at Mom and Dad for taking it, and I’m mad at the six years I lost with her.”
“That’s a lot of anger,” Duke said as he pulled into a parking space. He turned off the engine and faced Mason. “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be angry because you do, but maybe it’s time you did some soul searching about what’s really important.”
“What do you mean?” Mason asked.
“Well, it appears to me that God may have brought the woman you loved back into your life, and if she finally told you what happened back in high school, then maybe she’s now in a position to make a different choice. The right choice. As for Mom and Dad, yeah you should talk to them, but they wanted to give you a chance. Should they have taken that deal? No, at least not without talking to you, but
I honestly think they had your best interests at heart.”
Mason bit his lip as he thought about Duke’s words. Maybe he was right. How many players did he know who were still dating their high school girlfriends? None. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of people he knew who married their high school sweethearts. Would he and Clara have ended up the same way if they had stayed together?
And Duke was right about her being in a new place. That was evident not only from her ability to tell him about the past but also from the extra information she gave about standing up to her father. A relationship with her while her father still hated him would be hard, but if she was able to stand up to him now, it would at least be possible.
And then there were his parents. He wasn’t a father yet, but he imagined he would be tempted to take an offer like that for his own kid if he knew it was the only way to help them succeed. Heck, it was the plot line of half the movies he watched - parents doing terrible things to save their children. It didn’t make it right, but it was believable.
Had God really arranged for all of this to happen so that he and Clara could have a second chance when they both might be ready for one? It was certainly an interesting thought to consider.
“You speak wise words, my brother,” Mason finally said.
Duke shrugged. “Eh, with age comes wisdom.”
Mason chuckled. “Hah. If you’re so wise, then how come you haven’t found a woman and settled down yet?”
“Who says I haven’t?” Duke said as he opened his door and stepped out.
“Wait, what?” Mason flung his door open and nearly lost his crutches in his hurry to catch up with his brother. “You can’t drop a bombshell like that and just walk away.”
“Actually, I can,” Duke said with a laugh. “I still have two working feet.”
Mason struggled to keep up with Duke. He wasn’t sure if his brother was being serious or just trying to lighten the mood, but he was determined to hear about this girl if she existed.
24
Clara
“Clara, can you hear me?”
Clara blinked and tried to focus on Mason’s voice. It was Mason, wasn’t it? He sounded so far off though, and her eyes felt so heavy.
“Clara, I’m here.”
She felt his hand grab hers, and she struggled to open her eyes. Where was she? A soft, beeping noise joined Mason’s voice, and there was a constant hum that she couldn’t place. Definitely not her apartment, but then where? And then the image of the bright headlights filled her mind. Her eyes flashed open as she gasped and then grimaced in pain.
“Clara? Are you okay?”
Clara took a moment to assess her pain before answering. “I think so, but my chest really hurts as does my head. What time is it?” She turned her head slowly to regard Mason. He sat in a chair at her bedside, concern covering his handsome features.
“Noon. You’ve been out for a while according to the nurse. I guess you suffered a concussion as well as bruised ribs in the accident.”
“That would explain why everything feels hazy, but what are you doing here? I thought you needed time.”
The corners of his lips pulled into a smile. “I thought I did too, but it’s amazing how that view changes when you find out someone you love has been injured.” He squeezed her hand a little tighter.
Someone you love. The words were so sweet to her ears. She had thought perhaps she had destroyed their chance last night, but something had obviously changed his mind. She was curious as to what. “I love you too though this isn’t how I pictured telling you.” She chuckled slightly and then grimaced in pain again.
“It doesn’t matter how you tell me.” His smile widened. “I’m just happy to hear it.”
She squeezed his hand with as much strength as she could muster. “I’m happy to hear it and say it too, but how did you even find out I was here?”
Mason chuckled. “That’s kind of a long story. When Duke picked me up for my appointment this morning, I was still angry at everything, but he showed me how the timing of this might have been God’s timing. I thought about that during my appointment and decided that he was right. So, I tried calling you. At first no one picked up, but finally a nurse answered and told me what had happened. I came right over.”
Clara smiled at him. “That wasn’t a very long story.”
A deep, warm laugh tumbled out of Mason’s lips, and his eyes twinkled. “Yeah, I guess not the way I told it. It felt a lot longer, but that was probably due to my inner turmoil.”
“I can see that.” She was glad to see the concern leave his face. “How did your appointment go by the way?”
“It went well. The doctor removed the cast and told me to start putting weight on it. No more crutches. Of course it means I’m even slower now.”
“You’ll probably be faster than me.” Clara tried not to chuckle to avoid the crushing pain on her chest. “At least for a little while.”
“I have no doubt you’ll rebound sooner though. I guess we’ll both be taking it easy at the championship game.”
“But at least we’ll be doing it together,” she said softly.
A knock sounded at the hospital door, and Clara glanced over to see Duke enter.
“Hope I’m not intruding, but we wanted to give you these.” He held up a beautiful vase of flowers and balloons that read “Get Well Soon.”
It had been ages since Clara had seen Duke, but she’d always liked Mason’s older brother. He’d never treated the two of them like they were annoyances even though they were two years younger. Instead, he’d driven them places before they had their licenses and continued to hang out with them often when they had movie nights at the Dixon’s house.
“Thank you, Duke. That is so thoughtful.”
“Well, it was Mason’s idea. I just did the purchasing and delivering because otherwise we still wouldn’t have made it to the gift shop yet.” He held his hand up as if whispering an aside. “In case you haven’t noticed, he’s a little slow these days.”
Mason shot his brother a glare. “You just wait until my tendon heals, and then we’ll see who the slow one is.”
Duke set the flowers down and then held his hands up in defense. “No argument from me, little brother. You’ve always been faster which is why you’re the athlete and I’m the advertiser.”
Clara smiled as she watched the two bicker the same way they used to in high school. She supposed sibling rivalries didn’t change much even over the years.
“I don’t mean to break up this family quarrel, but has a doctor been in? Do you know when I might get out of here?” Clara knew her recovery would not be immediate, but she’d certainly rather recoup in her own house where she could curl up in her warm jammies and binge watch her favorite shows.
Mason shook his head. “I haven’t seen one yet.”
“I’ll go see if I can track one down,” Duke said, before ducking out of the room.
“Thank you for coming, Mason.”
“You’re welcome, but you know we’re going to have to talk to my parents and your father, right?”
The sigh that escaped Clara seemed to hold the weight of the world. She knew he was right, but she certainly wasn’t excited about the prospect of it. Things were already rocky with her father after the botched lunch, and she didn’t look forward to upsetting his parents as well. Still, though they were adults, their relationship would be better if they could get the blessings of their families.
“I know, but maybe that can wait until I can breathe a little easier?”
“I think we can make that happen,” Mason said with a reassuring smile.
“I hear we’re awake and itching to go home,” an unfamiliar female voice said from the doorway.
Clara looked up to see a woman in a white coat enter the room. She grabbed the chart by the door and scanned it. “How is the pain, Ms. Bradford?”
“Manageable,” Clara said. “My head is pounding a little and my chest hurts, but if there�
�s nothing more serious, I’m ready to go home.”
“You have some internal bruising, but other than your concussion, your injuries are actually pretty minor. You were lucky, Ms. Bradford. It appears someone was watching out for you. I’d like to do a final check and then I’ll sign your release papers. Be back in a bit.”
“Thank you,” Clara said before smiling back at Mason. He’d suggested their reunion was due to God’s timing, and she was pretty certain her non-serious injuries were as well. It might have been a rough six years, but it looked as if God was blessing them even more because of it.
25
Mason
Mason’s heart thudded in his chest as he checked the time again. It was Friday evening, four days since Clara’s injury, and the night he and Clara had decided to tell their parents about their rekindled relationship. They’d agreed to use his house since it was bigger and so her father could see how well he was doing.
“It will be okay,” she said, coming up beside him and putting her arm through his. “The worst that will happen is that we have to kick them out.” She issued an encouraging smile, and he patted her arm.
While she was still sore, she was certainly moving around much better. They’d even gone earlier to get her a rental car while her insurance company worked to get a refund issued to her for the loss of her car due to the accident. He was moving better as well, but the two of them certainly made a humorous pair with his limping gait and her grimace of pain every time she laughed.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” he said just as the doorbell rang. He took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back before stepping away from her and to the door. “Well, here we go.”
Mason opened the door to reveal his parents on the other side.
Touchdown on Love Page 11
