He jotted that down in his pad. “I’ll be sure to do that.” His gaze roamed past them to where Luis and the children were frolicking in the pool, oblivious to the company. “Who’s that?”
“My friend and roommate,” Mason said. “He and Shaun—”
“Shaun Ryan’s here with you?” The sheriff hooted like that was just the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Well, case closed then.” He snapped his notepad shut.
“What?” Julie looked from Mason to the sheriff. “That isn’t a closed case.”
“Ms. Brewer, it most certainly is. What we have here is a simple case of fuckheads united. Nothing good ever comes of a situation when Shaun Ryan and Mason Brody are in the same vicinity. This was probably their idea of a joke.”
“We had nothing to do with what happened!” Mason snarled.
Julie had to put a hand on his arm to keep him from pummeling the sheriff. The muscles beneath her fingertips rippled.
“So you say.” The sheriff seemed unconcerned by the violence raging behind Mason’s eyes. “Your rap sheet says otherwise.”
“Nowhere on my rap sheet does it say that I torture and kill helpless animals,” Mason growled. “So my rap sheet and you can go to hell!”
He spun on his heels and marched back to the lounge. He threw himself down in a chair and glowered hotly towards the pool.
Julie turned to the sheriff. “Sir, with all due respect, I’m positive Mason didn’t do it.”
“And what of Shaun?” the sheriff countered. “Was he with you the whole day?” He smirked when she said nothing. “I don’t think you understand the situation you’re in, Ms. Brewer. Mason Brody may seem like a handsome, charming young man, but take it from someone who’s been cleaning up his messes since he was seven, he’s bad news. His friend Shaun is worse. There is no one in this town that has any love for those two. If I were you, I would take those children and leave.”
But Julie couldn’t leave. At least not until she’d had the chance to talk to Maureen, except that couldn’t happen until the mess outside the door was cleaned and supper was served. It had taken a great deal of stealth to keep it all from the children. Julie couldn’t help being severely impressed with her own acting abilities. But it wasn’t until supper had been served and the dishes had been cleaned off the table by Mason and Luis that Julie finally called Maureen.
“Hello Julie,” Maureen said the moment she picked up. “I was just going to call and see how the kids were.”
Julie sat on the edge of her bed. “The kids are great. We went for a hike this morning and then spent the afternoon in the pool.”
Maureen sighed. “I miss afternoons like that.”
“Yeah,” was all Julie could think to say without falling in a fit of deranged giggles.
“How are things with you and Mason? Did you guys work things out last night?”
“Yes, we did,” she said. “Listen, Maureen, Mason’s actually the reason I wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh no, what has he done this time?”
That was in no way reassuring considering the circumstances.
“Well, he hasn’t done anything directly ... I don’t think.”
“Julie, can you hold on a minute, please? I’m getting a call on the other line.”
She was gone before Julie could respond. It was nearly twenty minutes before Maureen returned, tearful and nearly hysterical.
“I need to let you go, Julie.” She sniffled. “My lawyer’s on the other end. Dean’s filed for custody! Can you believe it? He’s never home and yet ... I’m the one who...” she broke off. “I can’t believe the nerve of him!”
Not sure what to say, Julie mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t get married, Julie. It’s the worst mistake you could ever make.” Maureen sniffled loudly. “I’m just glad the kids aren’t here to see this. They would be devastated. Thank you so much for watching them. You’re my angel. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“But, Maureen, I need to talk to you about—”
“Give him a chance,” she pleaded almost angrily. “I promise you’ll like him. Kiss the kids for me and tell them I’ll call tomorrow.”
“But—”
The line was already dead. Maureen had hung up.
Julie replaced the receiver onto its cradle and closed her eyes.
A very large part of her wanted to pack the kids up and take them back. Maureen would be upset, but once Julie explained the situation, she would understand. Another part of her worried for the kids. The battle at home seemed to have escalated and Maureen was right, it was best if the kids didn’t see that. Then there was the ten thousand dollars she was sure Maureen would want back and Julie didn’t have it.
The minute she thought it, Julie winced. Worrying about money when there was some crazy person on the loose seemed like such a silly thing and yet...
Torn, she dropped her face into her hands and willed away the dull thrum at her temples. The back of her eyes ached like she’d strained something. She wanted to curl up on the mattress and sleep. But there was a possible sicko somewhere out there and she couldn’t leave the kids alone.
Dragging her weary body upright, Julie went down to get the kids ready for bed. Shaun and Luis were watching TV in the sitting room when Julie returned from putting the kids down and securing their doors. She could hear swearing and soapbox laughter as she passed on her way to the kitchen. On the sofa adjacent to the TV, she could just make out two heads, sitting a full cushion apart. But she didn’t pause to see what was flickering on screen, her mind was too busy dreading the mountain of dishes waiting for her in the sink and the ultimate decision she needed to make.
The kitchen sat in a dim silence, save for the bar lights hanging over the island. She left it that way, not in any mood to be distracted by bright lights when her head was already threatening to explode. She moved to the sink and groaned at the sight awaiting her. It somehow seemed even higher than it had earlier. What was worse, she was certain she hadn’t made all of the mess. Several of the pots looked new, freshly used. Also, she hadn’t made Kraft dinner, yet the required items to create the dish was sitting on top of the other dishes, mocking her. She had a feeling this was Shaun’s way of getting back at her for getting the jump on him. He was probably expecting her to bitch about it. Well, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. If the worst he could do was make a few dishes for her to clean ... he had clearly lost his touch.
Reaching for the faucet, she ran the water with one hand while organizing the dishes onto the counter with the other.
“There’s a dishwasher you know.”
The voice cut through the darkness and punched her in the back. Julie jumped and released a yelp of fright. She whipped around and squinted through the wall of near black where the light didn’t quite penetrate.
Mason offered her a small wave. “Sorry.”
“Why are you sitting there in the dark?”
With a deep exhale, he unfurled himself from the chair and rose to his feet. He reached for something off the table and wandered over to the island. He set the items down and pulled himself onto a stool across from her.
“Milk and cookies?” She raised a brow at him. “Are you a comfort eater, or five years old?”
Mason shrugged and took up one of the cookies. He dunked it in the glass of milk and popped it into his mouth. “Why can’t I be both?” He asked around the morsel. “We have a dishwasher,” he said again.
Julie turned back towards the sink. “Washing dishes relaxes me.”
She heard the soft clip of his feet as he left his seat and approached her. With every step, his heat pushed like a physical force against her back.
“There are other ways to relax.”
“I like keeping my clothes on,” she muttered, snapping the faucet off and adding soap to her water.
She felt rather than saw him lean into the counter next to her.
“No one said anything about taking your clothes off.” Warm b
reath tickled her flushed cheeks. “But I like the way you think.”
She turned her head to him, slightly surprised that there was a whole foot between them, yet her side continued to burn like he was physically touching her.
“That won’t ever happen.”
His eyes narrowed as he propped an elbow on the counter and leaned into it. He continued to study her, but didn’t speak.
“I spoke to Maureen,” she said, needing to break the silence. “I think I’m going to take the kids back in the morning.”
“Is that what she said?” All humor was gone from his features now.
Julie shook her head. “I never got the chance to tell her.” She dropped the plates and bowls into the water first. “Dean’s filing for custody.” She bit her lip and looked to Mason. “I don’t know what to do.”
Divulging a weakness to him irritated her the moment it was out of her mouth. But it was too late to draw it back.
“I think you should stay,” he said simply.
“Even with what happened today?” She twisted her body so they stood face to face. “It would be irresponsible of me—”
“It won’t happen again.”
She blinked. “How do you know that?”
He looked down.
A sick jolt struck her straight in the chest, nearly rocking her back on her heels. “Did you...?”
His head shot up. “No! God no! I would never do that, but I...”
She waited for him to continue. It took several long minutes, but he seemed to be mulling something over so she didn’t interrupt him.
He scoured a hand over his hair, raking the fingers back through the thick strands to rub the back of his neck. His blue eyes lifted, settled on her face with a look of pain and pleading.
“You know how I was.” His voice urged her to understand. “I wasn’t a great kid, Jewels. It was worse when Shaun and I used to come here over the summer. We were uncontrollable. Everything was a big joke and we did a lot of really stupid things.”
“So that’s what the sheriff meant,” Julie mumbled.
Mason chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah, Deputy Reynolds, excuse me, Sheriff Reynolds, was the one that always came out to haul me and Shaun in. He’d slap us in cuffs, drag us to the cruiser, and drive straight to the holding cells until morning when my dad would come down to bail us out. It was always stupid things - stealing, breaking and entering, mischief, vandalism and the odd fight. That thing that happened this morning, that’s the kind of thing I would beat the shit out of someone else for doing. I’m not saying I was some kind of superhero, but I didn’t hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it.”
“If you know who did it, then why didn’t you tell the sheriff?”
He snorted. “Because I don’t know who did it. Exactly”
“But you said...”
He put a hand up. “It could have been anyone from town. The good people of Salmon Cove literally celebrated the end of summer every year because it meant we were leaving. Then, the next year, we’d come back to broken windows, and graffiti all over the place. One year, kids had broken in and trashed the place. That’s when dad installed the alarm. He also hired cranky Mr. Alberts. He’s the ground caretaker when we’re not around. Dad pays him to swing by once a week, mow the lawn, make any repairs that need to be made, and clean anything ... undesirable. I haven’t been back here in five years, so I don’t know if this was something recurring or if someone saw us drive into town, but it seems the welcome party has hit us and will now move on.”
Julie narrowed her eyes, half in disgust and half in indignation. “The people in town gut helpless animals to pay you back for a few childish pranks? Are you kidding me?”
“I wouldn’t say the entire town,” he corrected. “But a certain few would really like to string us up and let us rot. Mostly kids now. Those who think we owe them for whatever we did have more or less grown up, but we’re infamous.” He let his mouth turn up in a lopsided, humorless grin. “We might also have pissed off the wrong people. They’re very determined to make sure we don’t come back.”
“But that’s ridiculous!” she cried in exasperation. “There are children here. Don’t they realize ... what if Rick had opened the door, or Wendy? Also, you can’t just go around slaughtering kittens! There are people who ... there are laws! And it’s disgusting,” she finished with a hitch in her throat.
“It’s only against the law if they get caught,” he muttered. “Something that won’t happen when the sheriff refuses to look. They won’t do it again,” he went on. “They’re brave the first night, but they always stop. I think they’re worried we’ll retaliate, which we have a few times.” He offered her a wicked grin. “It wasn’t pretty.” His smile vanished. “If you want to take the kids home tomorrow, I won’t stop you, but I’ve seen the aftermath of Dean and Maureen’s blow outs. It’s nasty and it’s the last place those kids should be.”
Julie raised her head and sighed. “I just want to do the right thing, Mason.”
“Then stay,” he urged softly. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She wasn’t sure how he was going to do that, but he had a point; she couldn’t take the kids back home, not when Dean and Maureen were on the warpath. Dustin was barely keeping it together. The kid played tough, but she could see how his parent’s divorce was getting to him. If what Mason said was true and it wouldn’t happen again...
“If it does...”
“I promise to help you pack the car.”
Chapter Five
There were no dead animals the next morning. Julie checked the front porch the moment she woke up. Her hand had trembled as she had reached for the doorknob. By the time she was standing in the threshold, staring out into another beautiful day, she was nauseous. Her knees had been weak and her stomach had nearly crawled out of her mouth. The bitter tang of bile had stayed lodged in her throat even when she shut the door and leaned against it.
Shaky and jittery, Julie shuffled her way to the kitchen, in desperate need of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Focused on her destination, she nearly leaped out of her skin when a voice interrupted her journey.
“Morning.”
Mason sat at the table, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was tussled like he hadn’t bothered brushing it. There was a mug of coffee in front of him and a cream cheese bagel.
“Morning.” She moved to the coffee pot, still steaming on the counter. “You’re up early.”
Her grip was nearly steady as she tipped the pot into a mug. The warmth of it burned her palms as she cradled the liquid of life to her chest and shuffled over to take a seat at the table.
“So are you.”
Julie sipped, then sighed as the rich warmth trickled down her throat and settled comfortably in the pit of her stomach.
“I don’t think I slept a wink,” she mumbled honestly, setting her cup down. “I woke up every hour to check on the kids.” She bit her lip, watching the ripples on the surface of her drink. “I kept expecting someone to break in and...”
“Hey.” Mason reached across the distance and lightly slipped his fingers around her wrist. He pulled her hand away from her mug and held on to it. She let him. Let the warmth and comfort of his touch sooth her, even if it was temporary. “I won’t let anything happen to you, or the kids. I promise.”
Her gaze slid away from their joined hands to clash with the eyes searching her face. Her skin tingled even as her chest did that weird fluttering thing. She quickly pulled away.
“The kids will be up soon.” She pushed to her feet. “I should start on breakfast.”
Taking her mug with her, she stepped behind the security of the island, putting the chunk of marble and wood between her and the man seducing her resolution.
She didn’t know what to make of the Mason standing before her. He had, only four years earlier, made it perfectly clear that he had no interest in her whatsoever. Yet there he was now, acting like he cared, touching her, and using those
smoldering good looks on her like she were one of the girls that normally clung to him. Did he really think that, just because he made her heart palpitate a little faster and her knees a little weaker, she would just forgive him for what he did?
Turning her back on him, she yanked out pans and set them on the stove. Her mind was set on repeat, reminding her he would be leaving in four days and she could go back to pretending he never existed. What were the odds of them ever crossing paths again?
Comforted in her own thoughts, Julie broke eggs into a bowl and dropped strips of bacon into the first pan. The greasy scent of frying meat filled the air. She popped pieces of toast into the toaster while pouring the egg mixture into the second pan. She did all this without giving the figure at the table a single glance. It was simple only in theory.
Whether it was the clang of pots and pans or the smell of breakfast, it drew Dustin and Rick into the room. Rick seemed more awake than his older brother, but Dustin made up for his lack of alertness by glowering hotly at everyone. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten over his grounding the day before. Julie didn’t let it bother her.
She smiled at the two. “Morning! Where’s Wendy?”
“Sleeping,” Rick muttered around a wide yawn. “I smelled food.”
Julie waved them to the table and began filling their plates. She was just pouring orange juice when Wendy stumbled into the room, looking exhausted.
“Did I miss breakfast?”
“Nope, just started.”
Julie got Wendy a plate and urged her into a seat.
“Can I have more bacon?” Rick called.
“I want more juice,” Dustin chimed.
“I don’t like scrambled eggs,” Wendy whined.
Julie was reaching for the plate of bacon when a hand rested over hers, stopping her.
Mason met her gaze as he dragged the plate away from her. “Grab yourself a plate. I’ll deal with the savages.”
“Oh, it’s okay—”
“Sit!” he urged, nudging her towards the table.
Not accustomed to being assisted, Julie sat and watched as he dropped bacon onto Rick’s plate, told Dustin to get his own juice, and coaxed Wendy to eat her eggs. Had she not been so tired, she would have been impressed.
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