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Could I trust him? Or, more importantly, did I dare to?
“I’m okay for now, but thanks.”
His attention swept over the landscape, then came back to me, the weight of his gaze like a lover’s hand tracing my body. I was aware of every single move he made, every dip of his gaze down my body to the dress I wore.
I welcomed the breeze to chase away the burning fire engulfing me.
“I know what it’s like. Feeling like you’re just drifting, all on your own,” he said, his gaze dropping to his feet for a brief moment. He let out a heavy sigh, the weight of his words sinking into his shoulders. “I might’ve mentioned this before, but I didn’t really have a traditional family. I had my dad, but we were like two countries at war. My life choices didn’t quite harmonize with his dreams for me to join the family business. And guilt? I fell into depression.”
I nodded, slightly startled at how openly he shared the hurt from his past, especially since he suffered so much. At the same time, I loved that he did, and it made me feel less awful about my story. No one liked suffering alone, which sounded sad in my head.
“I can’t claim to know your exact emotions, but I get what you’re saying. The guilt, feeling like a misfit... My stepdad got saddled with me after mom died, and I wasn’t anything he’d wanted.”
“Yeah, it’s rough, isn’t it?” A wave of softness washed over his blue irises. “Wanting to be seen for who we really are but always bumping up against others’ expectations.”
I nodded, drawn in by the raw honesty in his words, his pain clearly hidden just beneath the surface. I decided that I liked Father Mason a lot. He’d experienced a lot of crap in his life, and here he was, helping others. Was there anything more inspiring?
“I’m pretty sure stepdads and fathers have a secret manual titled, ‘How to Ruin Your Child’s Life in Three Easy Steps.’” I said, forcing a playful smile.
He looked at me, and a chuckle escaped his lips. “Maybe they do,” he said, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips.
“And I swear,” I continued. “They have a whole module dedicated to ‘How to be as emotionally unavailable as possible.’”
Mason’s laugh echoed through the quiet morning, a comforting sound that seemed to fill the space around us.
“They’d top the class in that one,” he conceded.
I liked that he wasn’t giving me lessons on accepting the pain but laughing with me.
Standing so close to me that our arms brushed, he turned toward me, radiating an aura of intense curiosity in me.
“Sometimes it’s good to laugh things off.”
Something about his easy-going attitude made him feel more like he was a guy chatting me up at the bar rather than a priest.
The breeze picked up, its song whistling in the air between us, while I shared a deck with a man who studied me, similar to the way Father Logan had done in the library, both men I still knew so little about.
“How are you settling into Shadow Hill?” His attention slid over my face as if trying to read my reaction.
“Well, it’s not too bad. The cleaning duties are a bit of a drag, but I get that everyone’s got to pull their weight. It’s like the time I volunteered at my local animal shelter. Half of my day there involved cleaning up after the animals. And at home... well, my stepdad pretty much turned me into Cinderella.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You volunteered?” he echoed, surprise filling his words as if the very idea of me helping out was shocking.
“Yeah, I did.” I nodded, feeling a beat of pride. “Always been an animal lover, but never allowed to have one of my own. I figured it was a great excuse to get up close and personal with a bunch of gorgeous dogs and cats.”
For a moment, he seemed to be processing my words, something bright dawning in his gaze. He studied me, his head tilting to the side.
“And you seemed to enjoy it.”
“Yes, I loved it. The animals are just gorgeous and so loving, wanting to have a home and be safe.” Something beamed inside of me to think of giving those cute animals love and playing with them. “You should have seen these three white kittens that came in. They were so scared, never leaving each other’s sides. I wanted to take them home so desperately.” I shrugged. “But I found them a home all together.”
His grin warmed me, and it was hard not to swoon, especially when he was interested in finding out about me.
“What about you?” I asked.
“My family had me spending my weekends delivering packages to different gang members.” His voice was serious, and damn, but he was telling the truth.
“Ouch, that sounds horrible.”
