Sky had slipped out of the house before breakfast again so Mason fed Sarina and Sam, then saw them off to work and to school. Instead of waiting for Sky, Mason bravely headed over to Adele’s with a large box of Girl Scout cookies she hadordered from Nick and Luke’s older sister, Kelseigh. Sarina had planned to take them over but Mason thought it was a good and safe-ish excuse to stop by Adele’s on the way to the office.
Who gets mad at the cookie delivery guy?
Adele did. That’s who.
She scowled at Mason over her morning martini, her eyes protected by dark sunglasses and clutching the front of her red silk robe like he was about to leap onto the bed. Mason had never been in her bedroom before or had a reason to face Adele before noon and was already having serious regrets.
“Why are you here this early and why didn’t you just send them over with Sam? I don’t even eat the stupid things but the Castles are important people.”
Jeff Castle—the boys’ and Kelseigh’s father—and his brother, Ron, ran a powerful and well-connected Manhattan law firm and their older brother, Ted, was a senator.
“Right.” Mason smiled, not wanting to show any sign of fear or weakness. “I know how you don’t like to…eat things with nutritive value,” he attempted with a wince. “But the box was there and Sina’s busy this week and I was passing by…”
“So you decided to bless my morning with your scintillating presence?” she guessed, sneering as she withdrew a cigarette from a flat, gold-embossed box and lit it. “You could have given them to Irene and left me in peace.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was being rude or avoiding you.” Mason’s back was pressed against the wall and his hand was on the doorknob. “I thought I’d see how you were doing and if you needed any help with all the renovations you’ve been doing here.” That was ahugelie and Mason prayed she didn’t because he’d rather set himself on fire than work for Adele or spend a single unnecessary minute in her presence.
“I thought you had some kind of computer job. Because if it’s money?—”
“No!” Mason cut her off, shaking his head quickly. “I do not need work, and my finances are just fine, thanks.”
“Wonderful,” she said flatly before taking a long drag from her cigarette. She washed it down with a gulp from her martini. “If there isn’t anything else, I’m having lunch with Skylar and we’re dealing with Stewart’s study today. It’s full of junk that Sarina doesn’t want and it’s about time we cleared it out. I’m turning the room into a home theater, so Sam has a place to watch his little movies when he stays over.”
Mason’s brows pinched as he tried to fathom a reason why she or Sam would ever want that but he appreciated the thought.Hewould never approve of leaving Sam in her care for an extended period of time and doubted Sarina would recommend it either, unless there were no other options and it was an emergency. Nadine would still have to be there.
“Cool. I guess.” Desperate to make his escape, Mason mustered his courage and acted as nonchalant as he could. “You’ll be pleased to know that Sina and Sky are talking now and he seems to be enjoying his visit, all things considered.”
“Wonderful,” she said again, but with even less enthusiasm.
“Isn’t that why you…encouraged him to stay with us?” Mason asked carefully, gauging her reaction.
She snorted into her drink.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was doing. So, everything’s all sorted out between the three of you, then?” she asked and appeared to be studying Mason over the rim of her glass.
He frowned and nodded slowly, unsure of what she was getting at. “Yes… Everything’s great now. We’re catching up and Sky’s getting lots of quality time with Sam and Sina.”
“Yay for them!” she replied with another snort. “We’ll be one big, happy family again in no time. What was it that set Skylar off all those years ago? He never told me and Sarina plays stupid whenever I ask her about it.”
“That’s not really for me to say, but it’s all behind us now. A misunderstanding, really.” He laughed and hoped it sounded more natural to her than it did to him. “But your plan was a success if you were hoping we’d work things out.” His brows rose expectantly but she stared back at him, calling his bluff. “Nana was hoping they would. It was one of the last things she said to me.”
The martini glass landed on her bedside table with a loudthunk!and she leaned toward him. “What else did Nana say?” she asked in an accusative hiss.
Mason shook his head. “Nothing we need to discuss. Ever,” he added and held his hands up. “I really don’t want to be involved in anyone else’s business.”
“Whatever it is that you think you know, you’d better forget about it.” She jabbed a finger in his direction.
“Gotcha! I’ve done my best to forget everything about that day.”
“Good. Is there anything else? This robe isn’t coming off, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” she said, making him jump and recoil.
“Christ, Adele! Absolutely not. It has never crossed my mind, and it never will.”
“I didn’t think so,” she replied with a bored flick of her cigarette. “Go on, then.”
Mason evacuated the premises as quickly as he could and considered running home for a shower and a fresh change of clothes. His boxers were drenched, but Mason couldn’t risk being late for a video conference with the governor. He had recently purchased a second home in Roseview and had taken a special interest in the town’s plans to repave the streets and repair the sidewalks in certain neighborhoods.
There weren’t any plans to repave any of the residential streets due to budget constraints, and homeowners wereresponsible for maintaining the sidewalks abutting their property. It was probably a waste of time worrying about his damp boxers, so Mason braced himself and headed to the office. At least he had a short day planned and was making one of his favorite meals for dinner: grilled chicken, baked sweet potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts.
