Chapter 64 A Place to Think

Chapter 64 A Place to Think
"It's my day off!" Mayzie snapped as Dalton handed her the thick folder.

"Just read through it and fix the grammar," he said, shoving it against her chest.

"Am I your editor now?"

He frowned at her. "Just do it."

"I’m supposed to meet my friends in..." She checked her watch. "Dammit, like fifteen minutes ago."

"Get it done," he barked, turning on his heel and walking out.

Mayzie dropped into her desk chair. "Check your own essay, you big baby." She flipped the folder open and stared at the stack of pages. "You have got to be kidding me. This is a whole book."

She pulled out her phone and dialed. "Clyde, it's Mayzie. I'm going to be late. Dalton wants me to proofread his essay, but I have to figure out a way to get out of it. I'll be there in forty-five minutes, okay? Tell Bellatrix for me."

"She wants to talk to you," Clyde said.

"Mayzie!" Bellatrix whined into the line. "We're starving! I've been waiting forever for both of you!"

"I'm sorry, I'll get there as fast as I can."

"That's so unfair!"

"I said, I'm sorry. See you soon." She hung up before Bellatrix could complain more.

As she stood up to go find Dalton, her phone rang again. She answered without checking the screen. "I really don't have time to hear you complain right now!"

"Um." A deep, smooth voice answered. "Is this Mayzie Kollins?"

Mayzie froze and pulled the phone back. The screen read Donny Nereo. She clenched her jaw in embarrassment. "Yes. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

She heard a faint laugh at the other end. "This is Donny Nereo. My grandfather asked me to give you a call."

"Your grandfather?"

"Yes. Apparently you two met at a party and he took quite a liking to you. He even snapped a picture of you."

Mayzie slapped a hand over her forehead. "Oh, right! Mr. Nereo. I remember now. How can I help you?" She cringed at her own words, knowing full well why he was calling.

He cleared his throat. "Was my grandfather unclear about his motives when he asked for your number and took your photo?"

She chuckled softly. "No, he was pretty clear. But to be honest with you, Mr. Nereo..."

"Please, go on."

"I'm Dalton Murphy's assistant. I was just trying to be polite to your grandfather and went along with what he wanted. At the time, I had a boyfriend, so I wasn't looking for anyone else. You can just tell him you called and I turned you down. Or tell him I'm not your type — whatever works best for you."

The line went silent for a few seconds.

"Mr. Nereo?"

"I'm still here," he said, sounding amused. "If I'm being honest, I only called to tell you my grandfather forced me into this, and that I had no intention of actually meeting up."

"Oh... well, great."

"I mean, you're a beautiful woman, but I'm way too busy for a relationship right now."

Mayzie smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Not so fast, Miss Kollins. My grandfather made it very clear that I have to take you out at least once. If you could do me a quick favor and go along with it, I'd really appreciate it."

She slowly sat back down. "Can't you just tell him I said 'no'?"

"After the impression you made on him? If half of what he said about you is true, he won't buy it." She could hear the smile in his voice. "And honestly, the fact that you turned me down before I even asked makes me a little curious."

"I really don't want to go."

"Do you still have that boyfriend? Sounds like you might."

"No. We broke up last week."

He paused again. "Ah, I see. Still getting over it, then." He clicked his tongue. "How about this, Miss Kollins? You seem straightforward and honest. I just moved to Ravenfield to be near my family, so I don't know many people here yet. Why don't we just get dinner as friends?"

"Friends?"

"Exactly. I'll tell my grandfather it's a date, but we'll know the truth."

Mayzie paused to think it over. "Alright, Mr. Nereo. I guess a dinner with a potential friend wouldn't hurt."

"Great. What days work for you?"

"I only have Monday and Tuesday evenings off. I work weekends."

"Right, I'm sure Dalton keeps you busy on weekends. Since you're doing me a favor, I'll work around your schedule. How about tomorrow at six?"

She smiled. "That works."

"Should I pick you up?"

"I would rather meet you at the restaurant."

Donny laughed. "Smart. First rule of dating: take separate cars. Not that this is a date, of course, but you know what I mean."

"Of course," Mayzie said.

"Have you ever been to Ristorante Amalfi? I hear it's good."

"I haven't, but isn't that place a bit expensive for just two friends hanging out?"

"Don't worry about it. Meet me there at six, and dress up a little. It was nice talking to you, Miss Kollins."

"Nice talking to you too. Goodbye." She hung up just as he said his farewells.

Her eyes drifted back to the folder on her desk. She checked her watch, gasped, and bolted out of the room. "Dalton! I can't do this today!" she shouted, throwing his bedroom door open.

A frown washed over Mayzie's face as she glanced at Dalton in the passenger seat. Bellatrix and Clyde sat silently in the back, both confused about why he was even there. Mayzie had been so clear that morning about wanting it to just be the three of them.

"Are you going to glare at me the whole time?" Dalton asked. "I would feel safer if you kept your eyes on the road."

"Who asked you to come?" Mayzie snapped.

Once he forced her to admit where she was going, he insisted on tagging along. He even had his private chef pack a picnic basket for them. Mayzie still couldn't remember how she went from complaining in his bedroom to driving him up the coast. Then again, Dalton always got his way without caring what anyone else wanted.

He didn't bother answering her question, knowing he didn't need to. Mayzie was just annoyed that her plans had been ruined again.

In the back, Clyde and Bellatrix exchanged uneasy looks. Mayzie hadn't mentioned a picnic at all — mostly because she was too upset to talk on the drive up. As they got closer to Ravenfield Point, it was obvious there weren't any restaurants nearby. They clearly weren't eating indoors, if they were going to eat at all.

Mayzie parked the car, hopped out, and grabbed the picnic basket and a blanket from the trunk. She had originally planned to pick up fast food, but Dalton had flatly refused to eat what he called "junk food trash." Even though nobody had wanted him there in the first place, he had still taken over the menu. Clyde stepped up and took the basket from her as she reached for a paper bag.

She offered a small smile. "Thanks, Clyde."

He gave a brief nod. 

Dalton saw the exchange and tried to snatch the basket from Clyde, but Clyde pulled it away and out of reach. Settling for second best, Dalton grabbed the blanket and the paper bag instead. Mayzie shook her head at his childish behavior. She caught Bellatrix's eye, and her friend grinned as the two men walked toward the gazebo. Dalton spread the blanket over the picnic table, and Clyde began unloading the food. Mayzie and Bellatrix joined in, setting out the paper plates and cups.

"So why did we come all the way out here?" Bellatrix asked, taking a seat next to Mayzie. Dalton glared at Bellatrix as she sat down, but didn't say anything. He silently sat across from her, next to Clyde.

"I used to come up here all the time before I met you guys," Mayzie said, looking out at the scenery.

Just beyond the gazebo was a high cliff overlooking the whole city. Their university stood out sharply against the rest of the buildings below. Wildflowers were starting to bloom, and the surrounding trees were covered in fresh spring blossoms.

Mayzie smiled softly. "It's a quiet spot. Great for clearing your head. Whenever I had a bad day at school, I’d come up here to think. It gave me space to figure things out — like whether I wanted to stay at that school or just quit. Stuff like that."

Clyde and Dalton looked over their shoulders at the view the two girls were staring at.

Mayzie picked up her fork and cut into her chicken. Bellatrix and Clyde didn't recognize most of the fancy dishes, but Mayzie assured them that Dalton's chef made amazing food.

"So why bring us here today?" Clyde asked after a quiet moment.

"Because you two need to think," Mayzie looked back and forth between them, completely ignoring Dalton. "You’ve both been making reckless choices lately. You're letting your feelings run everything, and I want you to stop for a second. Pretend nothing else matters except these problems, and really think them through. No pressure, no rush. Just you and your thoughts." She took a bite of her food.

Bellatrix slammed her fork down on her plate. "Don't you think we've spent enough time stressing over this?"

"That's the issue," Mayzie replied calmly, taking a sip of her juice. "Stressing out means you're being emotional. I brought you here so you could feel calm and look at things logically for once."

"Not everyone works like you, Mayzie," Bellatrix said, crossing her arms tightly. "We can't all just turn off our feelings and make cold choices. Some things are meant to be decided by the heart, not the brain."

"The heart is just an idea," Mayzie reasoned. "Feelings come from the brain too. Honestly, the world would run a lot better if people relied on logic more often." She glanced at Dalton, who was eating with his head down, clearly wanting no part of the discussion.

Clyde let out a long sigh. "Look, I get what you're trying to do, Mayzie, but it's really not your business."

"Actually, it is," Mayzie replied, meeting his eyes. "You're my friends, and you're both acting silly. You need to figure out if you want to be together or not. If you do, you need to tell the other people involved. If you don't, you need to let each other move on."

Clyde turned to look at Bellatrix. As soon as their eyes met, Bellatrix looked down at her plate. "Do you honestly think sitting here for a couple of hours is going to solve what weeks of talking couldn't?" Bellatrix asked quietly.

"I think you both know you haven't actually thought it through, Bellatrix," Mayzie said gently. "You make quick choices based on how you feel in the moment, and now you're stuck because you're scared of the truth." Bellatrix turned her gaze back out over the city.

"Deep down, I think you both already know what you want," Mayzie added. "You're just afraid to say it out loud."

Without another word, Bellatrix stood up and walked toward the view. She stopped a few feet from the edge of the cliff and sat down on the grass. A moment later, Clyde got up and followed her — though he didn't sit next to her. Instead, he took a spot about forty feet away, near the shade of the trees.

Dalton finally raised his head as Mayzie leaned her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands. She sighed as she watched her friends.

"You should have told me this was a private moment," Dalton grumbled. "This is awkward."

"I told you it was only supposed to be the three of us," she reminded him without turning around. "You insisted on coming."

Dalton shifted on the bench to face the edge of the cliff. "I didn't realize the university took up so much land," he said, leaning back on his elbows.

"So do all the massive houses, or I should say big mansions," Mayzie said, gesturing vaguely toward the hills. "Seems like a waste, doesn't it?"

He scoffed. "Hardly. It gives the area some actual style compared to those ugly little houses."

"If you say so," Mayzie turned to look at him. He had grown quiet again. "Do you have something on your mind too?"

"Of course not," he snapped, standing up abruptly. "I have everything completely under control."

He walked out onto the grass, heading in the opposite direction from the other two, and sat down by himself.

Mayzie watched him go and smiled. "Right," she whispered softly to herself, turning back to her plate to finish her meal.

The four of them stayed in their separate spots for the next three hours. When the sun began to set, Mayzie gathered everyone up to head back home. Nobody else had touched their food, but none of them seemed to have much of an appetite anyway.