Harlow
Lunch had been painless.
But I wasn’t sure I was doing it again anytime soon. I just wasn’t ready to trust anyone right now. This was temporary, and as appealing as having a friend sounded, I didn’t see Adam wanting friendship. He would eventually want more.
I left the club and headed to my car. I wasn’t in the mood for golf. I just wanted to read and escape this mess Dad had left me in. I needed to get out of Rosemary and find some public park where I could sit under a tree and read. I had two books on my e-reader I couldn’t wait to read.
Then I spotted him. Long dark hair with just enough curl to make it look messy pulled back in a ponytail. Cowboy hat perched on his head. Blue plaid shirt pulled tightly against his broad shoulders and back as he leaned against my car with his arms crossed over his chest. Excitement bubbled up inside me, even as I wondered why he was here. I started running.
The sound of my footsteps caught his attention and he turned toward me. A slow, easy grin spread across his handsome face. I saw so much of our father in him. I often wondered if this was what Daddy would have looked like if he hadn’t let sex, drugs, and rock and roll take over his life. Mase was healthy and strong.
I threw my arms around him as he opened his. “What are you doing here?” I asked, holding on to him tightly. Tears stung my eyes. I hadn’t realized how alone I’d felt until this moment. Just having Mase here. Someone who loved me. It was a relief.
“Heard our dear ol’ dad threw you to the wolves and wanted to make sure you were okay,” he drawled in his Texas twang that always made me smile.
I couldn’t respond just yet. If he saw the emotion in my eyes or heard it in my voice he would pack me up and take me to Texas. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“It isn’t so bad. I’ve had a good day.”
Mase grunted and pulled back to look down at me. “From what Dad’s told me, she’s a raging bitch. The next thing I hear he sends you off to live with her. I’m finding it all a little hard to swallow.”
“She hates me. She’ll hate you, too, just because she can. But Rush and his wife, Blaire, are here. You’ll like her. She’s very nice. I’m not completely alone.”
Mase frowned and the dimple in his left cheek disappeared. “Rush got married? Damn, I’m behind on family shit.”
“Yeah. He has a baby, too. Nate. He’s adorable, but then Rush is, well . . . Rush and Blaire are stunning.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. The heartthrob got married. Haven’t seen him in forever, but didn’t expect that.”
“People change. Rush has changed.”
Mase nodded. “Yeah, they do.”
Reading no longer sounded appealing. I wanted to spend time with Mase. “How long are you here?”
Mase cocked an eyebrow and rubbed his stubbled chin. “As long as you need me, little sister.”
I needed him for nine months, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Where are you staying?”
Mase let out a chuckle. “I’m staying at that big, nice house my father paid for.”
My jaw dropped. Surely he knew Nan lived there. She wouldn’t just let him move in. “But Nan won’t . . .” I trailed off.
Mase winked and leaned closer to me. “I called Kiro. He knows I’m here. And he said if the bitch gave me problems to have her call him. He’d handle it.” He smirked. “Not that I needed him to handle her. I’ll move my shit in there and pick my own room. Ain’t one damn thing she can do to stop me.”
I thought about her reaction and knew this wasn’t going to be good. “She’s going to go crazy. She is crazy.”
Mase threw his arm over my shoulders. “Good. I need some entertainment. Now, why don’t you show me how to get to this house and you can help me settle in. Then we’re going to find ourselves a decent bar to get a couple beers and play some pool. One with no damn polo shirts and luxury cars.” He looked around the parking lot with a disgusted expression.
He might be the only son of the most infamous rocker in the world, but he was a country boy. His big black Dodge truck had mud on the tires and dirty work boots in the back. He wasn’t one for pretenses.
“Okay. Want me to drive and you follow?”
“Yeah. We need to get your car to the house before we head out tonight.”
I opened my door and glanced back to see him walk over to his truck and climb in.
My brother was here. He was moving in with us. All three of Kiro’s kids living in one house. This was going to be . . . a disaster.
Grant
“Ineed you to come here now! Right f*cking now!” Nan screamed into the phone. I held it away from my head to keep her from breaking my eardrums.
“Stop yelling in my damn ear,” I barked.
“He won’t leave! I need help. I can’t get my sorry-ass father on the phone. I need you. Please. Help me!”
“Who?”
“Just get here!” She screeched and hung up the phone.
Shit. I didn’t want to go anywhere near Nan. But Harlow . . . if “he” was upsetting Nan this much, could this person hurt Harlow? Had Nan brought someone home she didn’t know? Was he dangerous? F*ck! I ran and grabbed my truck keys and headed outside. I’d go over there, but this wasn’t for Nan. I was doing this for Harlow.
?
A black Dodge truck with an extended cab that looked like it had been mud-riding was parked beside Harlow’s car. Who the hell did Nan bring home this time? The idea of Harlow being in danger made the anger inside me start to boil. F*cking Nan wasn’t safe enough for Harlow. She needed a safe place to live, and Nan made dumbass choices like this Dodge truck.
I stalked up the steps and opened the door without knocking. Nan’s high-pitched screaming was easy to follow. I walked up the stairs to the first bedroom on the second floor.
“You are NOT living in my f*cking house! Pack your damn bags and leave now! This is not the agreement I had with Kiro.” Nan was red in the face when I walked into the room. Her wild eyes found mine and she lunged for me and wrapped her arms around me. “You came. Thank you, thank you. I need your help.”
My eyes found Harlow’s. They were wide with a mix of emotions. The only one that mattered to me was the hurt. I took Nan’s arms off my body and moved her away from me without looking away from Harlow. I didn’t want her to think I was here for Nan.
“You called your boyfriend? That’s pretty damn funny.” The deep drawl caught my attention. I shifted my gaze to the guy standing beside Harlow. His tone sounded relaxed, but the way he was standing slightly in front of Harlow and the stiff posture told me he felt as if he was protecting her.
“Who are you?” I asked, stepping past Nan and closer to Harlow. I didn’t know who this guy was trying to protect, but damned if I was gonna let him get any closer to Harlow.
“He thinks he’s moving into this room! Tell him he’s not,” Nan demanded.
He thought what?
I watched Harlow take a step toward him and wrap her small hand around the guy’s bicep. I didn’t like that. Not at all. I glared at her hand on his arm then I moved my gaze to hers. Was he hers? Had she moved on? “Who is he, Harlow?” I asked. I needed to hear her tell me this.
Harlow looked up at the guy then back at me. I could see the indecision on her face. She didn’t trust me. I f*cking hated that. I’d worked so hard to get her to trust me. Now she was holding on to this other guy like he was part of the damn cavalry.
“I don’t believe this? You come over here and you ask her who he is? What the hell is wrong with you? He’s in my house and I want him out. Now.” Nan grabbed my arm and jerked it, trying to get my attention. I just ignored her. I kept my focus on Harlow.
“Grant, this is my brother, Mase Colt-Manning. Mase, this is Grant Carter. He’s Rush’s best friend and Nan’s boyfriend.”
All I heard was “my brother” and my entire body relaxed. He was her brother. The tightness in my chest was gone and I could breathe again. Nothing else she said mattered. Mase Colt-Manning. The only son of Kiro Manning. I wondered if I had just breathed that sigh of relief too loudly.
Mase took a step toward me and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said in his thick Texas accent.
I shook his hand. His grip was more like a warning than a greeting. “You, too,” I replied. The silent threat in his eyes wasn’t unmissed. He had noticed my attention to Harlow. The message he was getting in this room was wrong, and I wanted to f*cking correct it but not for his sake. For Harlow’s.
“For f*cking real? You’re shaking his hand? He’s moving into my house! Uninvited!” Nan screeched.
I stepped back and looked at Nan for the first time since I’d walked into the room. “It’s Kiro’s house, Nan. If he wants to move another one of his kids in, he can. I don’t see how you can stop it.”
Nan’s face went from red to bright red as she stamped her foot and let out a loud noise that sounded like a five-year-old’s temper tantrum.
“Not that it’s my business, but how do you put up with that?” Mase asked.
“I don’t. She isn’t my girlfriend. Harlow has misunderstood some things that she won’t let me clarify,” I replied, looking over at her. She ducked her head and stared down at her feet.
“I see,” Mase replied, and I had an idea that he did see. A lot more than Harlow did. He was a guy and it was all over my face. I just wanted her to forgive me, and I had no use for Nan. Not anymore.
“Leave,” Nan demanded, pointing to the door. The angry gleam in her eyes was directed at me. “Now. Get out of my f*cking house. You are someone I can throw out. So just go. I shouldn’t have called you.”
“I’d tell you to stay, but Harlow and I got plans. I’m sure we’ll see each other around,” Mase said. “You can leave my room now, Nan.”
The infuriated scowl on her face as she turned and stalked out of the room almost made me laugh. Mase wasn’t going to let her get away with anything. Was that why he was here? Was he here for Harlow? The way he kept his body slightly in front of her as if he was ready to pounce on anyone who got too close told me that it was exactly why he was here.
“Thanks,” I replied before turning to leave.
“You’re welcome, but what are you thanking me for?” he asked.
I glanced back but I didn’t look at him. My eyes went straight to Harlow. “For coming to protect her. I can sleep easier at night knowing she has you.” I didn’t wait for him to ask any more questions. I just walked out.
Harlow
Icouldn’t look at Mase. His eyes were on me, though. I could feel his curiosity. It was filling up the room. What had that been about? Grant had come barreling into the room like he was ready to save Nan. Then he had basically thrown her from him. I almost felt sorry for her. He’d had her screaming in orgasm last night but today he wouldn’t even touch her.
“Explain that shit, please, ’cause, Sis, I’m seriously trying to figure all this out.” Mase said as he sat down on the king-size bed behind him.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, still not looking at him.
Mase chuckled. “The hell you do. Spill it. Or I’ll ask him.”
No. I couldn’t let him talk to Grant. I wasn’t even sure what he thought he knew. “I don’t know exactly. Grant and Nan sleep together but it appears to be all they do. He was here last night.”
“He sleeps with her? Really? With you in the house?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t know I was here last night.”
Mase didn’t reply right away. I had no idea what he was thinking but for the first time since he’d gotten here I wanted to be alone for a few minutes.
“You know he likes you, right?” Mase finally said.
I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t. He wants me to forgive him for . . .” I stopped. I couldn’t tell Mase the truth. It was very likely Mase would go after Grant with one of the big guns he used for hunting.
“For what?” Mase asked, standing back up, his body tensed. Crap. I had to fix this.
“He and I became friends a couple of months ago. I started to like him. We kissed. Then his friend drowned and he came back here. He didn’t call me again. I thought maybe he was just mourning his friend and needed time. Then I found out he was sleeping with Nan.”
Mase gave an unhappy grunt and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s all he did? Kiss you? Did he make you any promises?”
I shook my head because lying to Mase was the only way I could keep Grant alive.
“If it makes you feel better, he’s beating himself up over hurting you. He doesn’t want Nan. My guess is he wants you and knows he’s f*cked up. My advice is stay the f*ck away from him. Guys that weak aren’t the ones worth sticking around for. When a guy gets the attention of someone like you, he’s supposed to understand his luck. Not toss it away. He doesn’t get it. Find a man that understands your worth.”
I smiled and finally looked over at him. “Is that big brother advice?” I asked.
“The best. I’m full of it. Now, go, get on your jeans and pull on those cowboy boots I sent you for Christmas. We’re going to hang out with the common folk,” he replied with a wink.
I walked over and hugged him. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Don’t thank me for taking care of you.”
?
The bar Mase found was a good twenty-minute drive outside Rosemary. The bright neon lights in the windows and several trucks in the parking lot had been all the incentive Mase needed to pull in.
“Mud on the tires means there’s good beer here,” he explained, opening his door. I rolled my eyes and opened my door to jump down out of the truck.
We walked toward the door and Mase stopped, then looked back at me. “Try not to look appealing. I just want to play pool and have a beer. Spend some time with my sis, not beat a stupid shit up for coming on to you.”
I laughed, then nodded. What did he think I was going to do? Go in there and bat my eyelashes at everyone who looked my way.
He pulled open the door to the bar and we walked inside. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the air. This was a familiar scent for me. Mase took a deep breath and grinned at me. “I can smell the beer from here. The tap is good,” he said with a goofy grin before heading over to the bar. I followed quickly behind him. I glanced around the large room while Mase ordered us both a beer. I didn’t point out I was underage. I just let him do it.
The pool tables were full and I searched for a booth that was empty. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. But my eyes found a familiar face. She wasn’t looking at me. She was staring at the drink on the table. I watched as a man walked up and spoke to her and she replied without looking at him. The guy shook his head and walked off. The sadness in her profile and the slump of her shoulders broke my heart.
I turned back to Mase. “I see someone I know. Can you let me talk to her alone? I’ll be back in a few minutes. She just looks like she needs a friend.”
Mase glanced out over the crowd and I knew when his eyes found Bethy. He nodded. “Sure. I’ll just be right over here.”
“Okay,” I replied, then made my way over to Bethy. She didn’t look up until I slid into the seat across from her.
The confusion in her eyes turned to surprise. “Harlow?” she asked, then glanced around in case I was with someone else she knew. I could see the moment of panic. She didn’t want anyone to know she was here drinking away her pain.
“I’m here with my brother. No one else,” I assured her, and she looked back at me, relieved.
“Oh,” she simply replied.
I wasn’t good at this. I had dealt with loss. I had lost my mother, whom I barely remembered, and then my grandmama, but never someone I was in love with. Never someone so young with a life ahead of him. “You want to talk about it?” I asked.
Bethy frowned and glanced down at her glass. “I don’t know. Not really.”
I had never been loved or been in love so I wasn’t sure how that felt. How vulnerable it made you. I just knew the hurt I had endured from trusting someone who betrayed me. That had been painful, but it didn’t hold a candle to this.
“Some days I think I’ll wake up and this will have been a nightmare,” she said, still staring down at her glass as if it held all the answers.
I decided the best thing for me to do was stay quiet and let her talk. I was a good listener. I could help her that way.
“But then I wake up and he’s gone. He’s not beside me. He isn’t smiling at me with those pretty eyes of his. I don’t have him to snuggle up to and plan forever with. He was my safe place. I’d never had a safe place before. But Jace had been my safe place. He had taken care of me . . . and I . . . I didn’t deserve him.”
I started to tell her that wasn’t true, but she kept talking.
“He never knew the truth about me. He never knew my secrets. I wanted to tell him everything. But I knew once I did I could lose him, and I couldn’t lose him. Then . . . then Tripp would come home for a visit and I would spiral out of control. The memories, the lies—it all was too much. That night I’d been drinking because I had finally convinced myself to tell Jace the truth. He deserved to know who it was that he loved. And because I was a coward, I drank. And then . . . I killed him.”
I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You didn’t kill him,” I assured her. I knew that much. Jace had drowned.
She lifted her eyes to me and the tears pooling in them rolled slowly down her face. “He was out there saving me. I had walked out into the water and almost drowned. It should have been me,” she gulped. “It should have been me. He should have let me go and saved himself, but he wouldn’t do it. He saved me and it should have been me. I was the liar. I was the unworthy one.”
It wasn’t my business. I didn’t know her secrets and I didn’t want to know. But what I did know was Jace would have saved her regardless. Love didn’t just go away because of lies. I loved my dad, and he was very far from perfect.
“He would have saved you even if you had told him these secrets. Love doesn’t just go away. He might have been hurt. He might have even been unable to trust you again. But he would have come after you, because that’s what love does to a person.”
Bethy let out a small sob and covered her mouth. “He deserved life. A full, happy one,” she said once she dropped her hand. “I took that from him.”
I couldn’t help her forgive herself. It would take time.
“But you made a mistake. Jace protected you. Someday you’ll be able to stop blaming yourself. Until then, try to think about all the good things. Don’t dwell on the bad things.”
“But Tripp is in town now. He reminds me. Just seeing him from a distance reminds me.”
I had no idea who Tripp was and why she kept bringing him up. Again, not my business. He was obviously a part of the past that tormented her. “I’m sure a lot of things will remind you of him and the past. In time, it will get easier.”
Bethy closed her eyes tightly. “I hope so,” she whispered.
I didn’t want to leave her here alone. “Why are you here by yourself?” I asked.
She frowned. “I like it. I don’t want to see people. But I think I’m ready to go home tonight.”
I squeezed her hand and pulled my hand back to my side of the table.
“If you ever need someone to listen who isn’t attached to the situation then I’m here,” I told her as I scooted to stand up.
Bethy gave me a weak smile. “Thanks, Harlow. That means a lot.”
Grant
Rosemary wasn’t a big town. It was a small strip of beach. So how was it that Harlow had managed to completely avoid me for three days? I had done everything I could think of to run into her. I knew she had Mase here but I still wanted to get her alone so I could talk to her. I needed to find my peace with her.
I stood outside the club, waiting on her to pull up. She had tennis in ten minutes. I had cheated by having Woods call Adam and ask her court time then had him change it for an hour later. He hadn’t been happy about it but he had also wanted me out of his office so he had agreed as long as I left him alone for the rest of the day.
I watched as Harlow pulled her car up to the valet and climbed out in a short white tennis skirt that didn’t help my focus. Tennis skirts weren’t meant to be that damn sexy.
I walked over to open the door for her before one of the staff could. She lifted her eyes and stopped walking when she saw me standing there. I could see the questions in her eyes and I wanted to answer every damn one of them. She just needed to listen.
When she started walking again she kept her head down and attempted to go inside without acknowledging me. I gently wrapped my hand around her arm. “Your court time was postponed an hour today. I need to talk to you. If you will let me talk. I will leave you alone if that’s what you want. I just need you to listen to me first.”
Harlow’s spine was stiff as I spoke quietly in her ear. She didn’t move or respond right away. Finally, she simply nodded.
“Thank you,” I replied. “We need privacy. Will you come to my truck?”
Harlow let out a defeated sigh. “Yes, I guess I will.”
She wasn’t happy about it but she was doing it. I needed to celebrate the small victories.
We walked in silence to the parking lot and I unlocked my truck and opened her door then walked around and climbed in on my side.
“Talk. I’m listening,” she said without looking at me. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead.
“What we did . . . what happened meant something to me.”
Harlow didn’t even flinch.
“When I got the call about Jace I rushed back in a state of shock. Then . . . then I watched as Bethy completely crumbled. At the funeral, she was bent over in so much pain from her loss that it terrified me. She had planned forever with Jace. She had loved him with everything she had and he had been taken from her. She couldn’t get him back.”
Harlow was still staring straight ahead, although I could see the worried frown on her face.
“And all I could think was what if I loved someone that much and I lost them? How could I live? I glanced over at Rush and Blaire. He was holding her while she wept and I wondered how he would even be able to wake up every morning if he lost her. Or if he lost Nate.” I paused and took a deep breath. I was more open than I’d been with anyone about this. I hadn’t even explained it this way to Blaire and Rush. I had held myself back some. I was just laying it all out for Harlow.
“I decided I never wanted to be that vulnerable. I never wanted to love someone that much. I never wanted to face losing the one person that owns me. So, I got drunk. Because I also realized I could easily fall in love with you. In just two short weeks I had begun to care for you. I had feelings I hadn’t experienced before. Not like that, at least. It scared me. I knew you would be the one to own me if I let you. I ran from it. I drank too much whiskey and when Nan showed up I messed up. I should have stayed away from her. But in my head she was the one I thought I was in love with once. I hadn’t been. I realized that after only two weeks with you. I was in lust with Nan. I liked being needed by someone, and Nan needed me. That was all it ever was for us.”
Harlow finally dropped her gaze to her lap as she twisted her hands nervously.
“I never meant to hurt you. Hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted to do. What you gave me I didn’t deserve, but believe me when I tell you I’ll cherish it forever. It meant more to me than you know. But I shouldn’t have taken your innocence that night. I should have been a man and realized I didn’t deserve it and walked away. But you made me weak. It’s one of the things about you that scares me. No one has ever made me weak.”
Finally, Harlow turned her head to look at me. Her hazel eyes no longer looked hard. Instead, I saw understanding there. She simply nodded. “Okay. You’re forgiven.” Then she opened the door and climbed out without another word.
I sat there and tried to let all the emotions that were churning inside me calm down. I didn’t want her to take it so easily and walk away. But I couldn’t give her more. That was it for us. I had explained it and she forgave me. So, we were over now? The ache that came with that reality hurt. I reached up and rubbed my chest and laid my head back on the seat and closed my eyes.
“What did I just do?” I muttered.
A loud knock on my window caused me to jump as I opened my eyes and sat up to see Mase standing there.
I rolled down my window as he pushed his sunglasses up and onto the top of his head.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“I needed to explain some things to her. I had hurt her and I needed to make sure she knew the truth.”
“What was the truth?” Mase asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.
“That I wasn’t ready for any kind of commitment and she was the kind of girl you committed yourself to.”
Mase snarled. “Hell yeah, she is, and she’s too good for you. Harlow won’t ever settle for Nan’s seconds. And dude, you’re Nan’s seconds.” He moved his sunglasses back into place and sauntered off to that black truck of his that needed a damn car wash.
As pissed off as I was, he was right. I wasn’t good enough for Harlow. I knew that, dammit. I didn’t need reminding.
Harlow
Tennis had been just what I needed to get my aggression out. I hadn’t wanted to talk; I had just wanted to hit that stupid little ball for an hour. And I had hit every one of them that Adam had sent my way. When Adam dropped his racquet and threw the ball into the air, caught it, and tucked it into his pocket I knew our hour was up.
“You were killing it today. I was expecting you to bust a ball before it was over,” Adam teased as I walked over to my water and towel. I wiped my face then took a long drink of water.
“Was that all about the love of the game, or were you picturing someone’s head on that ball?”
I forced a smile. “Just one of those days. I feel better now,” I told him.
“Good. Because I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight? Maybe a movie, too?”
I paused. Wait . . . was he asking me out on a date? I turned to look at him and the hopeful look in his eyes told me that was exactly what he was doing. Adam wanted to take me out.
My immediate reaction was no. I wasn’t ready to do this, but I stopped myself before I could say something. That Grant had hurt me didn’t mean everyone would. Besides, Grant had saved himself some trouble. He didn’t know it, but he had. Adam wasn’t in that danger. I wasn’t going to want him the way I did Grant. Besides, was it fair that I protect myself from everyone? Did I want to be alone my whole life? No. I didn’t. I didn’t want to be living with my dad until I died. I deserved to know what living was like. I wanted to know I was loved. How would I ever find that if I didn’t look for it or allow it to come to me?
“I’d like that,” I said without thinking about it further.
The grin on Adam’s face was immediate, and I had to smile myself. I was going on a date. A real one. Dad would be proud of me.
“Whew, I’d been preparing myself all day for you to turn me down, and I had to pump myself up to ask.”
He had put himself out there. That made me feel special. More special than Grant had ever made me feel.
“I’m glad you asked,” I told him honestly.
“Me, too,” he replied, and threw his towel over his shoulder. “You leaving now?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Let me walk you to your car. My next appointment can wait a few minutes,” he said, and opened the gate for me. I liked that, too.
He fell into step beside me. “I can pick you up at your place if that’s okay,” he said.
“Oh, yes, that would be good. I live at 43 Rosemary Beach Estates,” I told him.
“Seven too early? Late?”
“Seven is perfect,” I replied.
We walked around the building instead of through it but Adam didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“Things with Nan going okay?” he asked.
I shrugged. Not really. She hated Mase and she hated me more for being there, but I didn’t care. “Tolerable,” I replied.
We stepped into the parking lot and I remembered I’d valet parked.
“Harlow,” Mase called from his truck. I glanced over at him then back at Adam.
“That’s Mase, my brother. He’s here visiting.” I explained.
Adam’s eyes widened slightly. “I’d heard that Kiro had a son, but I thought it was a rumor.”
A nervous knot formed in my stomach. The mention of my dad threw me off. He had “heard” about Mase? Only diehard fans had heard of Mase. He stayed out of the news. I wasn’t sure what to think.
Adam turned his grin back to me. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
I nodded and he turned to walk back the way we came before Mase got too close to us.
“Get in. I want lunch and I don’t want it here. I need real food,” he said as he stopped in front of me. I climbed into his truck.
“Tennis instructor?” he asked
I nodded, still thinking about Adam’s comment about Mase.
“You like him? He’s sure got the hots for you. The dude’s tongue was almost hanging out.”
“Where are we eating?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Hooters. Now answer me, do you like the guy?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. Mase was like a dog with a bone. “He asked me out.”
“That don’t answer my question,” he replied.
“Fine. I think I like him.”
“You think?”
I growled and shot Mase a frustrated glare. “I don’t know. He seems nice and sincere but I’ve been down this road before. Guys like me because of Dad. It gets old, and I’ve let myself get hurt this way before. I’m older and smarter and more careful now.”
Mase frowned. He didn’t understand this problem. He had women throw themselves at him because of him, not Dad. He was beautiful and no one really knew he was Kiro’s son.
“You think that dude is interested in who your daddy is?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Did you say yes?”
I nodded.
“Well you must think there’s something to him then.”
I did. Until he knew about Mase.
“He knew about you. When I said you were my brother, he already knew Kiro had a son. Only diehards know about you.”
Understanding lit Mase’s eyes as he turned onto the main road and headed out of town. “I see. Yeah, that’s odd. But maybe he isn’t really a fan; maybe he’s just heard the Rosemary gossip. This town knows more about Slacker Demon than anywhere else since Dean’s son grew up here. They feel like they have some sort of inside scoop. He’s probably just heard rumors since he lives here.”
I hadn’t thought of that. He probably saw many of the band members as clients all the time. He could’ve heard something through the country club grapevine. Rosemary did have a close relationship with Slacker Demon. I let out a relieved sigh and leaned back against the seat. That made sense.
“Feel better now?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Good. But if I’m wrong, you just say the word and I’ll rearrange his face for you.”
I just smiled. Not because I didn’t believe him. Because I did. Mase was rough. He was Texas tough, and I’d learned a long time ago that was a whole other kind of tough. It was how a little boy grew up with an absent father. His stepdad was a Texan. He owned a ranch and wore boots and a hat all the time. He was big and tall and loud and I loved him. Even when I was a shy little girl, he always made sure I felt like family when I went to visit.
Out of the three of us, Mase had been the lucky one. He had a mom who adored him. A stepdad who treated him like his own. Maybe that was why he was the best of us. At least I wasn’t the worst. Nan held that title. But then she’d been given the worst life, from what I could tell.
A small part of me felt sorry for her. But only a very small part.