Page 18 of Unmasked

“He'll act out again,” Mason said. “And next time we’ll be ready for it.”

Everleigh didn't know if that was a threat or a promise, but she trusted him to keep her safe either way. “Thank you. I'm sorry it's been a waste of your time so far.”

“Not at all.” He surprised her with a quick grin. “Just promise me that when all this is over, you'll tell all your friends how awesome we are.”

Everleigh let out a laugh. “I will definitely do that.”

Mason reached for the manila folder to his right, then froze and flicked his gaze to her. “I know this is a weird question, but what are you doing Saturday?”

Everything inside Everleigh stilled, and she froze like a deer caught in headlights. Mason quirked a little smile. “Not a date. We're having a cookout and I thought you might like to come.”

“Oh, I wouldn't want to impose.”

“No imposition,” he assured her. “I thought it might be nice for you to get out a little bit somewhere chill. A bunch of the guys will be bringing their wives and girlfriends.”

Ice slithered through Everleigh's veins. Would Knox be there? She kind of hoped so. He’d made himself scarce when she'd come into the office, and she was hoping to see him again. She noticed he wasn't wearing a ring, so she doubted he was married. But what if he had a girlfriend? She knew she shouldn't cast stones, but the thought made her physically ill. “I'd love to but...”

“You'll be safe with us,” Mason continued, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. “You should definitely come.”

Everleigh bit her lip. “Where is it?”

“Vivi's got a house over in Red Creek. We’re moving back in there, so it's kind of a housewarming party too.”

Everleigh thought she'd seen something spark between them. “So you and Vivi are together?”

He gave a little nod, and she smiled, remembering the diamond she'd seen flashing on her left hand. “Then I guess congratulations are in order.”

“Thank you.” He grinned. “I've gotten tokens of both congratulations and sympathy, so…”

He shrugged good-naturedly, and Everleigh couldn't help but laugh. Even when Vivi was little, she was a spitfire. She could only imagine the woman she'd grown up to be. “She’s an amazing person. You're lucky to have each other.”

“We are,” he agreed. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

He snatched a piece of paper off a notepad and scribbled down an address. “Here. Come by around one o'clock.”

Everleigh took the paper from his hands. “You're making it really hard to say no.”

“That was kind of the point,” he deadpanned. “You ever hear of Rina Sterling?”

For a moment, Everleigh was dumbfounded. Rina was a country music singer whose stardom had exploded over the last couple of years. She’d been on the cover of magazines everywhere. Everleigh wasn’t sure there was a person on earth who hadn’t heard of her. “Is she a client?”

“She was. Now she's married to one of our agents.”

Everleigh tried not to allow her surprise to show on her face, but she must have failed miserably. “That tends to happen a lot around here,” Mason said with a smirk, seeming to read her mind. “Luke was working for his girlfriend, Hannah, when they met, too.”

The idea of falling for someone you worked for or vice versa seemed a little taboo, but Everleigh was happy they’d found each other, regardless of whatever situation had brought them together. “I’m sure that was hard for them,” she murmured.

Mason tipped his head slightly to one side. “I think they resisted initially. But they’re happy together, and that’s all that matters.”

“Very true.” Everleigh nodded slowly, absorbing what he’d said. Her stomach cramped into a tight knot at the thought of Knox taking on a beautiful client and falling in love with her. She still wasn’t sure if he was dating anyone, but there was only one way to find out. She stared down at the slip of paper clenched between her fingers.

God, she really didn’t want to see him with another woman. Her heart ached already just envisioning a pretty blonde on his arm, a huge smile on her face as she stared adoringly up at him. Her stomach flipped, and she swallowed hard.

Everleigh needed to talk to him; she still wanted him so badly, and the past couple of weeks had turned that flickering flame of unrequited love to a full-fledged inferno. She wanted desperately to see if there could ever be anything between them again. He’d loved her so much once. Could they go back to that? Could they finally make it work, now that time and family weren’t working against them?

“You really should come.”

Everleigh flicked her gaze up to meet Mason’s, and he offered a little smile. “Everyone’s down to earth. Good people.”