I wince at the slight dig. Though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t mean for it to be an insult. The truth is, she’s right. If I had it my way, I’d push the wedding into late next year. Brian, on the other hand, would rather have it as soon as possible.
“Why are you all out of breath?”
“I’m on my way to meet Mason for lunch.”
“I’m jealous. Tell my sugar bear I said hi and give him a monumental squeeze.”
I reach the door to the bistro and pull it open, scanning the crowd for Mason’s familiar face. “I will. Wait, before I go, how’s Dominic?”
“Oh, you know,” she says, her voice unusually high, “he’s good.”
I interpret that as “You’re getting serious, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, okay, love you, bye!” She hangs up, which tells me way more than she thinks it does, and I smile, happy that she’s found someone.
Mason waves from one of the back tables, and I wave back and weave through the tight space to reach him. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I say just as he stands.
“You’re not late. You’re just on time.”
He wraps me in his arms, and somehow, the five-inch height difference feels so much larger than it normally does. Maybe it’s because I needed this hug a lot more than I thought I would.
When we sit, I notice that he cut his hair. It’s still wavy, but it’spushed to the side, showing off his face and his precisely trimmed chin strap beard. He makes twenty-six look more like thirty-two, and his thick flannel shirt buttoned over a navy T-shirt makes him look rugged and handsome.
But even with his new look, I can still see the bags under his eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not terrible.” He pushes a small plate toward me that’s filled with an assortment of various bagged teas. He waits until I’ve selected the one I want and takes the liberty of pouring some hot water into my mug.
“But not great?”
“Never great,” he tells me with an almost sad smile.
I start to say something. To ask him if it’s a good idea that he’s out, especially when he tends to get sick when it’s cold, but there’s something in his expression that causes me to hesitate.
“How’s grad school?” Just like his sister, he changes the subject off himself and on to me. And just like I do with Alex, I allow it to happen.
“It’s been amazing and challenging, and I love it. I’m also glad I’m almost finished.”
“I love how nerdy you are.”
“Says the dungeon master,” I quip.
We pause our conversation to order, and once the menus are cleared and our tea is cool enough to drink, I settle in, and Mason gives me his undivided attention. “Your birthday’s coming up. Any plans?”
That’s the thing about February birthdays. It’s usually too cold to have plans. When I was younger, I envisioned birthdays in my twenties on the beach, away from the cold and snow, and surrounded by friends and palm trees. Now I’m lucky to find the time to get away for a weekend, let alone a proper holiday. “I think Brian said something about a weekend in Chicago. But we might have to push it into early March.”
There’s only one thing worse than spending your twenty-fourth birthday in the cold, and that’s spending it somewhere that’s not just cold but freezing. Especially when I have a feeling this trip to Chicago may be equal parts about meeting with an investment firm as it is wining and dining me.
“And howisBrian?” Mason asks, peering at me over the rim of his mug before he sips his tea. “Still networking, I presume?”
“He’s good, and yes.”
“Playing a lot of pickleball?” His mischievous grin matches his sister’s.
“Not you, too,” I warn with a glare.
He laughs. “Okay, okay.”
