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“You don’t know him very well,” Mary said.
Andie moved about, straightening the books and samples. Anything to avoid Mary’s eyes. “No, I don’t. As I said, we’re not serious.”
“Meaning,you’renot serious. Don’t assume on my son’s behalf. Katie, tell her I’m right.”
“Mom. Whatever happens between Mason and Andie, it’s none of our business.”
Mary tsked, waving her daughter’s comment away. “He wants to settle down, have a family. Do you want that…is it a possibility, or have you had your tubes tied?”
Katie grabbed her mom by the back of the shoulders and directed her toward the door. “Holy shit, Mom. I can’t believe I have to send you out to the car. I’ll be right back, Andie.”
Andie dropped into her desk chair. She needed a drink, a double at least. She reached for a photo of Dylan and traced her finger over his face. Her baby boy. Would she be as aggressive as Mary if he dated somebody Andie didn’t deem good enough? God, she hoped not. She replaced the picture and sighed. Probably she’d be worse.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Katie said as she re-entered the room. “She’s really great most of the time.”
“I believe you. I know what it’s like to be a lioness with a cub. Sometimes the claws come out. But honestly, I doubt Mason would appreciate his mother rushing him toward fathering my children.”
Katie settled on the chair opposite Andie. “Well,hercub is a thirty-year-old man. It’s time she retires the claws, even if she is right.”
What the huh…not Katie too. “You agree with her—you think I’m using Mason?”
“No, no, no. Anybody with eyes can see that you care about him. But she’s right about you not knowing him very well and…” Katie picked up the small snow globe from Andie’s desktop, shook it and watched the snow settle before setting it back down. “Can I ask a question?”
“Okay.”
“Has he let you sleep over at his house? Has he spent the whole night here?”
“That’s a pretty personal question.”
Katie shrugged. “I already know that you’ve stayed there, and him at your house.”
True, they’d spent every night together since Saturday, some in her bed, the others in his. They’d shared meals. Phone calls, emails, texts. Every free minute they’d had, each one incredible.
“Then I’ll answer yes, since you’re already in the loop.”
“Mason and I are more than siblings, we’re friends too. He’s very open with me.”
Andie doubted the extent of that openness. She couldn’t picture Mason in a tête-à-tête with his little sister, sharing detailed stories about his sex life.
“My brother’s not a player, but he’s had his fair share of dates and hook-ups—I hope it doesn’t bother you to hear that.”
“Of course not,” Andie said, casually rifling through papers that all looked green at the moment. If Katie bought that load of bullshit, Andie should go into politics.
“Sure. So, those women, they never spent the night, or vice-versa. Mason always called it a night before they got too comfy. He doesn’t do sleepovers.”
This was more information than Andie cared to have. “Just because Mason is changing his game doesn’t mean I’m special.” There was nothing left to fiddle with. She turned on the monitor and opened a blank Excel file. “It’s going to take me a while to work up your quote, but I think I have all the details I need. I’ll email it to you later, if that’s all right.”
“You’re kicking a customer out the door?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
“And you’re going to claim it’s because you have work to do.”
“Probably.”
“That’s not your real reason for booting me.”
“Nope.”
