Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty-Three
Mason was woken up on his day off by his cellphone blaring at him.
He winced, rolling over in bed to lift the damn thing off his nightstand and to his face.
He groaned again when he saw who was calling.
He wanted to simply hurl his phone across the room, but he knew he couldn’t avoid his mother forever so he answered on the sixth ring.
“Good morning, Mother.” He said with a pointedly weary sigh.
“Oh, sorry, darling, did I wake you?” His mother said in a dry tone and Mason squinted at the clock to see that it was only seven in the morning. Curse his mother. And it wasn’t like they were in different time zones if she was at her place in the Hamptons getting ready for the party.
“No.” He lied. “Just getting out of the shower. What can I do for you, Mother?”
“Well.” Claudia scoffed. “I just wanted to make sure you had in fact RSVP’ed to this weekend’s little fundraiser, and if so whether or not I should mark you down for a plus one.”
Mason scrubbed his hand over his face and stifled a yawn. “Yes, actually, you may.”
“Oh really?” She somehow managed to sound both elated and skeptical. His mother had mastered the fine art of duplicity a long time ago.
“Yes, her name’s Annie and you’re going to adore her, Mother. But I’m not going to tell you anything more until we get there, then you can just get to know her for yourself.”
“Oh, how wonderful, darling! So glad to hear it, I hope this one’s a keeper, you know, everyone deserves someone special in their life! Now, do you think it’s too early to say if I should include her in our holiday plans?”
Mason amused himself by pretending to blow his brains out with a finger-gun. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mother.” He said. As much as he was tempted to tell her ‘Yes’, or Hell, even show up to the stupid party fake engaged, he knew that he had to play it cool.
Claudia liked to play the southern belle, but she could be as sly as any first rate criminal. And she could smell a con a mile away in a hurricane.
So Mason played it cool. Pretending that Annie didn’t mean much to him was the fastest way to make Claudia think that he was actually interested in her.
The more he downplayed it, the more suspicious she would be that he had finally found someone who had captured his heart.
If Claudia thought that Mason was capable of being tamed, domesticated even, and therefore transformed into the proper gentleman in her eyes, then she would finally relinquish her keys to his kingdom, he knew it to be so.
She wanted him to be made out of the same stuff as his father had been; she wanted him to be a great man, could he really fault her that?
“Alright, well, I expect you at brunch on Saturday morning then. Don’t be late.”
“Of course, Mother. We’ll be flying in tonight.”
“Wonderful. Travel safe, darling. Give...Annie, my best.” Claudia said the simple name with clear notes of disdain and overtones of reserved judgment.
“Thank you, we will.” He hung up and groaned as he tossed his phone aside.
Since he was already awake he decided to get up and go for a run, listen to some classic rock music; try to clear his head.
Try to stop thinking about Annie Caldwell and how maybe he didn’t have to pretend that she was capturing his heart, maybe it was starting to happen for real.
###
That morning I had some extra time after my run because Penelope was opening and running the shop for me today. With Zoe’s help she should be fine.
I decided now was a good as time as any to call my good friend Lucky.
Taking my coffee out onto my minuscule balcony, I gave her a ring. I wondered where in the country she’d be this time.
“Hey, beautiful!” She answered on the fourth ring. “How’s my favorite baker?”
Her voice was husky and warm, just as I remembered it.
“Hey, sugar.” I said with an affected drawl. “How’s it going?”
“Great, great, actually. I just walked the Sig in Petra!”
My eyebrows shot up. “As in Petra, Jordan?!”
“Yep! Western Asia, baby. It was on my bucket list.”
“Wow, yeah, I’ve always wanted to do that! How was it?!”
“It was breathtaking, oh my God! Those monuments were all so massive. It was truly a humbling experience.
“Anyway, enough about me. How’re you?! How’s the shop?”
“The shop’s good. Penny’s been working for me now.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that! I’m glad. That girl needs some direction in her life. And I always thought she’d make an excellent baker if she pursued it.”
“I agree.” I sighed, taking a sip of my coffee and checking my watch.
“And how are you holding up after...?” Lucky trailed off, unable to find the right words.
I decided to help her out. “Well, that’s sort of why I’m calling you. I was hoping you might be my sounding board about something. And your advice is always welcome.”
Lucky laughed. “Alright! Always happy to help. Hit me!”
I smiled as I leaned back in my wicker chair, adjusting my sunglasses. I took another sip of my coffee then I told her everything that had happened over the past couple weeks; how I’d finally decided to face my fears and I’d gone and gotten myself a personal trainer.
“Well, I’m so glad to hear you took my advice!” Lucky said when I paused for a sip and a breath.
“Oh.” My eyes widened in remembrance. “That’s right! It was your suggestion, wasn't it? Thank you!”
“Of course.” Lucky chuckled wryly. “So I take it that this personal trainer of yours is someone special?”
I blinked in surprised amazement. How did she always know. “Uhm, well, yes, he is, actually.”
“Have you slept with him yet?”
Lucky was nothing if not straightforward.
I found myself blushing like a schoolgirl. “No, I haven’t. Maybe that’s part of the problem.”
I told her everything, going back inside my apartment as things got more personal. I didn’t want to risk any of my neighbors overhearing me.
Curled up on the couch, I was soon joined by Sniffles.
“Wow, you do have a lot on your plate there.” Lucky breathed when I’d finished the telling of it all. “And what an interesting man you’ve found yourself, eh?”
This coaxed a small smile out of me. “Sure is.”
“Well, darlin’, since you solicited my advice, here it is.
“What you’ve went through was a grotesque tragedy and you didn’t deserve any of this.
“I’m proud of you for being so brave and moving forward. I definitely think you’re doing the right thing in learning to defend yourself. Every woman on this planet should.”
“Thank you.” I murmured, stroking Sniffle’s soft fur to soothe us both.
“Now, as for Mason. He sounds like a good guy, from what you’ve told me. Whether or not you can trust him is something you’re gonna have to follow your own instincts on, you know? Trust what your gut tells you.”
“Yes, but should I-?”
I heard Lucky sigh, and it was a weary sigh. “Look, Annie, I’m no expert on life and love. But the one thing I do know is that life isn’t worth living without love in it.
“So is you think you might see a future with this guy, my advice is, take a leap of faith.
“Trust me, it’ll be worth it. And if you don’t...you’ll always regret it.”
###
It had gotten a bit heavy, perhaps, and we both steered the conversation to lighter pastures.
We chatted for a while about the friends we had in common and the people we both knew.
“Have you heard about Sara?” Lucky asked me at one point.
“Oh my gosh, yes! I can’t believe what happened. With her own sister! God, what a bastard. I think it’s for the best that it’s over, tho. She and Stu were always toxic together.”
“Agreed. But now guess who she’s rebounding with?”
“Who?!”
“My uncle, Randy.”
“No! Old Man Randy?”
“Guess he’s just what she needed.” Lucky and I both dissolved into riotous giggles and for a second it was like we were kids again.
“Well, blessings to them! We all deserve love, you know? Heed your own advice, Luck!”
I could practically hear her rolling her expressive brown eyes over the phone. “Well, I think it’s creepy, but maybe it’s just ‘cause he’s my uncle.”
“He’s only...30 years older than her?”
We shared another nervous giggle.
Eventually it was time for both of us to go.
We said our goodbyes and I thanked her again for the sound advice.
I felt better when I got off the phone with her, just as I always did.
Now I could only hope that I had the courage to live up to her advice.