Chapter 18: Seventeen

Confession #16: But I usually followed a smart decision

with a really stupid one.

The next day, I had to work an afternoon shift at the Country Club. Since it was Labor Day weekend, the place was pretty dead. Waterford sat less than an hour from the ocean, meaning that’s where most people went on holidays or long weekends, which was fine by me. I didn’t mind the break.

The only people who showed up at the Country Club were some regular locals who pretty much came every Saturday for the seafood lunch special or a game of golf. Oh, and Alec Worthington pulled his Maserati up just before I finished my shift. When I noticed a brunette was sitting in the passenger seat—not a blonde like his girlfriend, Eva, was—my gut knotted with instant tension.

If Worthington had moved from blonde Eva to brunette Reese, I’d… Hell, I wasn’t sure what I’d do, but it’d probably be ugly. I hadn’t been busting my balls to keep her from being hurt by Patricia only for her to go off and get mixed up with an ass like Alec.

Before I knew what I was about to do, I’d bypassed the driver’s door so I could pop around to the passenger’s side and open it, holding my breath as I looked down at who was inside.

And I immediately felt like an idiot. But seriously, what had I been ~thinking~? Reese was way too smart to fall for such an obvious player like Worthington.

When a complete stranger blinked up at me, looking slightly startled by how quickly I’d opened the door for her, I felt even more foolish. Offering her a nod and tight smile, I held the door open until she slid from the car, sending me an interested once-over before she sashayed around to meet Alec.

Patting her on the ass, he sent her inside ahead of him and smirked at me as he waited for me to close the door and make my way back to him so we could exchange keys and valet tickets. When he handed me a tip, he kept hold of it a second longer so I’d look up at him.

“A little extra there,” he said discreetly as he glanced down at the cash he hadn’t quite let me take yet, “so you won’t mention to Eva who I came here with today.”

Ah, so he was still dating Mercer, then. I held in a grimace. Cheaters always turned my stomach sour, and I never got why they openly flaunted their side pieces in public places where they brought their main girlfriends. Or was Eva supposed to be the secret side piece in this situation? I had no idea and I really didn’t care. Either way, it made Worthington a scumbag in my book.

“Of course,” I lied, although it wasn’t like Mercer and I really talked, so I doubted I’d have the occasion to tell her the truth, anyway.

Worthington finally let me have the tip. He smiled, nodding his approval. “Oh, and feel free to stop by her party tonight at her place.” He handed me a flyer with all the details on it. “Her parents are out of town, so we’ll have the works. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah? Thanks,” I said, taking the sheet, with no plans whatsoever to socialize with this creep or his pretentious girlfriend.

But then the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if Reese would be there. She and Mercer were friends, so it made sense that she might. And the more I thought about her showing up to Eva’s party, the more I worried.

The place would be packed with Worthingtons. Not like literal members of the Worthington family, but carbon copies of Alec. All rich, self-inflated pricks with pretty faces and fake smiles who’d only cheat on her like it was his God-given right to do so the moment she started dating one of them. My gut churned. I had a feeling she probably wouldn’t go for one of those douches, but they’d definitely go for her. She’d have all kinds of wealthy assholes sniffing around her all night long.

By the time my shift at the Country Club was over, I’d convinced myself I ~had~ to go to that party. I swore it had nothing to do with the fact that I ached to see Reese again; I had to go because she needed a…hmm, not a savior—as I’m sure she could take care of herself—but maybe a companion to run interference and help stave off the flood of jerks who’d want to approach with the sole purpose of getting into her pants.

So, I’d be like the opposite of a wingman. I’d be a…a cockblocker. Yes, and she’d thank me for showing up. Civil service Mason to the rescue.

But even as I showered and dressed for the party after I got off work, I knew I couldn’t just ~show up~. I totally wouldn’t fit in. Not only was this not my crowd, but I typically didn’t attend ~any~ party. I was usually working or watching Sarah. My social life in the past few years did not involve partying. I’d stick out like a sore thumb. So I grabbed Reese’s ~Harry Potter~ book as I headed out the door, since Sarah told me she’d finished it herself that afternoon while I’d been at work. It only seemed right to return it to Reese now.

And that had to be the lamest reason to attend a party in all the reasons to do anything. It ranked up there with women telling men they had to wash their hair as an excuse why they couldn’t go on a date. But I’d already come this far; I wasn’t backing out now. I had to see Reese.

The place was already packed by the time I arrived; I had to park two blocks away. My heart kicked into overdrive. What if I was too late? What if some guy had hit on her, and she actually liked him, and I walked in the door to find her making out with him in some dark, intimate corner?

I nearly restarted my Jeep and kept driving.

But a small group of guys passing in front of my ride glanced curiously through the front windshield at me, and they all looked like total assholes who would hit on Reese relentlessly, so I took a deep breath and exited the vehicle.

My gaze went straight to the corner of the room as soon as I crossed the threshold of the Mercer house. No one was making out there, so my heart rate settled a smidgeon, only to lurch again when I noticed that everyone was staring and leaning in to talk in hushed tones, probably about me. Even Alec Worthington seemed shocked that I’d just walked through the doorway. He said something to his pals as he watched me, making them laugh.

Great. I was the laughing stock. Always nice to be.

I didn’t spot Reese or even Eva so I dodged toward the first entrance I saw that led me into another room. When the same thing happened there, I just kept wandering, trying to act as if I knew what I was doing and where I was going. My hopes fell every time I didn’t find Reese anywhere. What if she hadn’t even come, and I’d attended this stupid, rich-kid party for nothing?

That’s it. As soon as I found an exit, I was out of here.

Entering a quieter back hall, I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be free of all the gawkers and whisperers. I’d just spotted a door that looked as if it led outside when I heard her voice.

“Why is he at one of your parties then?” Reese was asking as I turned to see her huddling near the other end of the corridor with Eva.

I was so glad to see her I could’ve hugged her.

But instead of hurrying forward, I slowed to a stop and lifted my eyebrows with interest. She wore a dark blue romper thing, with her waist cinched with a wide sparkly silver belt and the shorts on the bottom part extra short, making her legs look incredibly long and incredibly tan. My mouth went dry, and my heart thudded hard against the inside of my chest. Damn, she looked good.

As I approached from behind, Eva answered, “Because anyone who’s anyone comes to my parties. They are the bomb, baby.”

“Unfortunately, she’s right,” I said by way of announcing my presence. “Mercer does know how to throw a hell of a party.”

This might’ve been the first one I’d actually attended, but I’d heard the rumors after working at the Country Club. And from the sound of it, they were pretty wild.

Both ladies jumped before looking up at me, and then I was the one who got the surprise when I saw they each bore nose rings. Neither of them had worn nose rings the last time I’d seen them.

It was dangerous how sexy and sassy Reese looked with one.

“Mason,” Eva hissed, her eyes narrowing. “What a surprise. I rarely see you at these. And I don’t recall ~inviting~ you to this one, either.”

“No,” I agreed, smirking at her cheekily. “But your boyfriend did.”

“Hmm,” Eva muttered bitterly, “I’ll be having a few words with him about that. Trust me.”

“Okay, hold up,” Reese broke in, lifting a hand. “I don’t get this. Mason ~didn’t~ take advantage of you when you were drunk, and you don’t want him here. Yet that Ty guy I just met cheated on you twice, and you ~hugged~ him in welcome. That makes no sense.”

Seemingly confused by the question, Mercer shook her head slightly. “ReeRee,” she said in a placating tone, “Ty is the son of a ~judge~. This…person…”—she motioned to me with a disregarding sniff—“is nothing but a holier-than-thou male ~prostitute~.”

The insult hit home hard, so I chased it with a sneer. “A prostitute who turned ~you~ down,” I mocked. “Pride stung much?”

She glared at me. “You are such a smug—”

“Bastard,” I finished for her, my voice pleasant. “Yeah, I remember.”

“You don’t belong here.” She balled her hands into fists, damn near vibrating with fury. “How dare you crash ~my~ party? You’re a nobody from nowhere who—”

“Hey!” Reese stepped in front of me and faced off with her friend. “Back off. You invited everyone and their dog tonight. Stop being such a stuck-up snob. I want Mason to stay. He’s fun to talk to.”

My little defender.

This was one of the reasons why I always wanted to be around her, even though I knew I’d never be good enough for someone as pure, and sweet, and innocent as her.

Eva scrutinized her a moment. The two girls were such opposites with their personalities, it made me wonder why they were even friends. Taking hold of Reese’s arm, Eva leaned in and said, “Remember what I told you, ReeRee,” even as her gaze rose to me, “don’t do it.”

The challenge in her gaze told me that line was definitely in reference to me. I watched her as she pulled back and turned away, strolling down the hall in order to leave me alone with Reese.

“Don’t do what?” I had to ask.

Reese whirled to me, her eyes wide with guilt. Then she cleared her throat quietly and mellowed her expression before saying, “I think she’s worried I’ll follow in her footsteps and try to throw myself at you like she did.” She added a shrug as if it were no big deal, which made me think there was a lot more to the story than that.

Instead of letting her see how appealing the idea of her throwing herself at me sounded, I teased her, trying to convince her that she was a lot like Eva so she just might do what her friend suggested. But my teasing appalled her.

When I tapped her nose and mentioned the ring there and how I knew the two of them must’ve gotten them together, she covered the diamond stud with her hand and frowned at me. “Okay, fine. But I don’t follow her over the cliff ~every~ time.”

“No,” I finally had to agree. “But I’m glad you did this time. That ring makes you look incredibly hot.”

Which was true. She’d always been girl-next-door cute, but this put a sexier edge on her. One that made my blood quicken.

Except, holy shit, why had I admitted that ~out loud~? Why did I always reveal more than I knew I should around this girl?

I had teasingly flirted with her before, but nothing quite as overt as this.

Holding my breath for Reese’s reaction, I watched her cheeks flush before she cleared her throat and glanced away, but then a pleased grin lit her face, and I knew she liked what I’d said.

Things inside me grew warm. Anticipatory tension tightened my muscles.

Blowing out a breath, I quietly admitted, “I knew you’d be here tonight.”

Reese jerked her face up. “You… You’re here because of ~me~?”

She looked so delighted that I had to check myself to keep from reaching for her. Blowing out a bracing breath, I held in the things I really wanted to say.

Like:

~Of course, you’re the reason I’m here. I like you.~

~I can’t take on clients anymore because I like you so much.~

~I want to be with you.~

~But I can’t be with you because I’ve already put you in more danger than I can even tell you you’re probably in.~

With that mental splash of cold water on my face, I suddenly waved the book I’d forgotten I was holding.

“Here,” I mumbled. “I wanted to return this.”

She looked down at the ~Harry Potter~ book before slowly taking it back. She seemed somewhat disappointed and a bit confused before her eyes widened. “You mean, you ~finished~ it? Already?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling like a nerd. “Sarah… She kept pestering me and wanted us to read as much as we could ~together~. I think I missed a couple of homework assignments because we had to read it every free chance I had.” I breathed in a deep breath, lifting my shoulders. “So… What’s the name of the second one? ~The Secret Chamber,~ or something like that?”

She stuttered a moment before saying, “It’s ~The Chamber of Secrets~.” Then she squinted suspiciously. “Did you really, ~really~ finish this already?”

“Yes!” I lifted my hands and let out a harassed yet amused laugh. “Do you want to quiz me about it or do you want to give me the next book already?”

Her mouth popped open. “You want to read the ~next~ one?” Then, she brightened, straightening her back with a smug kind of glee. “You liked it, didn’t you?”

I shook my head, trying to deny it. “Sarah wants to know what happens next.”

“But you do too,” she insisted, stepping closer and making my breath catch when that familiar scent of hers wafted up. “Admit it. You ~liked~ it.”

I held myself stiff, afraid to like how close she’d gotten. “Don’t even think about saying I told you so.”

“Ha!” she cried, spiking up her hands in victory. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I ~so~ told you so.”

God, she was cute like this. Torn between rolling my eyes and laughing, I muttered, “I see you’re one of those gracious, humble types of winners.”

“This is so awesome,” she crowed. “I created a ~Harry Potter~ fan. You know, if this keeps up, J.K. is going to have to give me a cut of her royalties. Don’t you think?”

“I think you’re pushing it, Randall.” God, I wanted to kiss her when she was happy and vivacious and acting like a total goofball.

Not Patricia, or Monica, or anyone from their class would be caught dead acting so ridiculous and silly just for the fun of it. And that right there was one of the biggest reasons why I couldn’t get enough of Reese.

She wasn’t them.

She was so ~not~ them, in fact, that I was beginning to fear I needed her in my life if I ever truly wanted to recover from them.

Completely oblivious to the terrifying revelation I was having, Reese rolled her eyes. “Whatever. This is still awesome. I can go get you book two right now, if you really want it.”

I blinked, confused. “You carry ~Harry Potter~ books around with you to college keggers?”

With a snicker, she held up the book I’d just handed her. “What? You do too.”

Okay, she got me there. I laughed. “Wow, you really are aiming to be the top recruiter of the year.”

“You know it.” With a quirky grin, she used the corner of the book she was holding and tapped my chin dimple with it. “But seriously, my apartment is right above the garage, which is, like, twenty feet away from that back door there, so I can get it for you in two minutes tops.”

Wait. ~What~?

I glanced at the door as that little piece of information knocked me for a loop. It was one thing for her to associate with Eva Mercer, talk to her before classes, eat lunch with her, and attend one of her parties. But living above her ~garage~…?

I’d been so sure she wasn’t like Eva at all but now I was thrown. How could they be ~this~ close and some of Mercer’s pretentious, egotistical personality ~not~ rub off onto Reese, even a little? My worry grew as I turned back to her. I’d really come to like Reese; there’d been moments when the emotion had even felt stronger than “like.” I didn’t want to learn she was different than the girl I’d eaten lunch with, that she might be a lot more like ~them~ than I had realized.

“You’re staying above the Mercers’ garage?” I asked slowly.

“Yep,” she answered cheerfully, only to pause and roll her eyes. “And I know what you’re thinking, but trust me, the place is super cool. It’s honestly like a mini apartment up there with a kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom, and living room. And the privacy is awesome. Eva is so jealous. She had no idea what kind of gem was on her property until I moved into it. I swear, she’d probably kick me out and move in herself if her closet wasn’t twice the size of my entire bedroom.”

“Hmm,” I said, not really listening to her rambling explanation. “Wow. I could tell you and Eva were close, but I had no idea her parents would let you move in.”

“Oh!” Her eyes flared with surprise before she grinned and nudged my arm. “I’m sorry, I guess you didn’t realize—Eva’s my cousin. Her mom, Aunt Mads, is my mom’s little sister.”

Oh.

Wow.

Well, hell. That changed everything, reassuring me about her personality again. Their blood ties, and ~not~ the fact that they actually liked each other because they ~were~ alike, could be the reason they hung out so much. She could still be just the way she’d come across to me this past week, after all.

But on that same note, their blood ties could make her more blindly loyal to Eva, and if not blindly loyal, maybe just reluctantly loyal.

At the end of the day, she would no doubt side with Mercer over me.

Not sure why she’d ever ~need~ to pick a side between us, but the mere idea concerned me.

“Yeah,” I drew out slowly, “I didn’t know that.”

“Okay, seriously,” she said, staring me straight in the eye. “Is there more to this thing between you and E than you two are letting on?”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, I just…no. Not at all. I was only worried the contention between her and me would bother you. I mean, you’re not going to stop talking to me now in loyalty to your ~cousin~, are you?”

She arched a single eyebrow as if my concern was ridiculous. “If I haven’t stopped by now because of her, then I’m probably not going to stop later on either because of her.”

My shoulders relaxed. “Okay, good. It’s just… I know she doesn’t consider me to be from her class. It’d be a shame if you jumped over ~that~ cliff with her.”

Reese merely sighed as if tired of this line of conversation. “I may love my cousin to pieces and go all fashion crazy with her on occasion but trust me, I ~do~ know how to be my own person. If I ever become as condescending as Eva Mercer, please shoot me, okay?”

I wouldn’t shoot her; I’d probably just give up on life completely if she became like them. But I nodded. “Okay.”

She sent me an exaggerated goofy grin, probably to get me to smile, which worked. “Great. Now that we have ~that~ settled, wait right here. I’ll be back in a jiffy with your next book.”