Chapter 33
33
MASON
The week went by in a blur.
After Sunday, nothing was the same between Pia and me. She came to work every day, leaving before I was finished painting. It was as if we’d come to a silent understanding, that if I were going back to the city, we were better off distancing ourselves now. More than once I’d wanted to march upstairs, head into her office and clear the desk again.
Or text her at night, asking what she was up to.
Or go to her apartment, as I had before.
The ache in my chest thinking of how good we were together was overshadowed only by the ache that developed when it hit me from time to time.
He was gone. Forever.
“You look like hell.”
My hand froze in midair. It wasn’t a voice I’d been expecting.
“Cole.” I put the paint roller down, the guest room looking much brighter with the perfect shade of gray Pia had chosen. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“A guy can’t come home for a weekend?”
“Sure,” I said. “But no notice?”
He shrugged. “Maybe I like to be mysterious.”
“You’re as mysterious as a simple math problem, Cole. What gives?”
Judging by his bag, when Cole said he was coming home for a weekend, he meant here, at the inn. All four of us together, again, for the second time in just a few weeks? I wasn’t complaining.
“I didn’t have any classes,” he said, tossing his duffle bag on the bed and sitting beside it. “I had plans to go out with a few colleagues. Just wasn’t feeling it.”
I picked the roller back up. “So you drove out of the city on a Friday? Bet that was fun.”
“Quite.” Cole adjusted his glasses. “So why do you look like you haven’t shaved in days?”
“Because I haven’t shaved in days,” I said, glad to be almost finished for the day.
“That’s not like you.”
He was right. It wasn’t.
“Guess I’ll have to ask Parker and Beck what’s up.”
It would take Cole all of five minutes to find out that Pia and I were having trouble.
“Short version. I got involved with Pia. Hinted I might be heading back to the city. And now we’re barely talking.”
I didn’t need to look at Cole to see his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
“Maybe a few more details?”
Sighing, I finished up a second coat in the corner of the room. “Fine. I got heavily involved with Pia. We agreed that if I went back to the city, we’d see other people. Since she agreed to take on a larger role if I didn’t sell, I wanted to talk to her about that but lost heart after I saw her face. Pia has a terrible… no, nonexistent poker face.”
With a few last rolls, this particular room was complete, and I surveyed the finished product. And finally looked at Cole, whose expression was a cross between confusion and disbelief.
“What?” I asked him.
“Heavily involved. Lost heart. Do you hear yourself?”
Clearly I was missing something. “Not copying you, Cole.”
“You like her.”
“Didn’t I already say that?”
“I mean, really like her.”
I couldn’t argue that point.
“Mason,” he started. And with that tone, I knew where this was headed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding. What is the number one rule?”
Yep, exactly as suspected.
“Never say ‘I do’?”
“Sure. Ultimately. But what comes before that?”
“I’m not in the mood for games.”
“Love. That’s what. No. Falling. In. Love. Easy enough.”
“I’m not in love, asshole.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Sounds like it.”
I started cleaning up. “First of all, if I was in love, I wouldn’t give a shit about the pact and you know it. I don’t deal with the worst of humanity on a daily basis—and that’s NYPD and not even touching my military tour—to have my life be decided by anyone but myself. Second, I’m not in love.”
What was the saying? He doth protest too much? Or something to that effect.
“Mace.” Cole switched gears and now used his Mr. Professor lecture persona. “We made the pact for a reason. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I hear you loud and clear.”
And I did. Even now I could see my dad sitting on that dock. Heartbroken after so many years had passed.
“Let’s go get a drink,” he said, the words we’d exchanged forgotten.
By the time I cleaned up and the four of us had all gathered in the kitchen, I’d hoped to have heard from Pia. When she left earlier, I had asked if she had plans tonight. She’d said it was another girls night, a new Friday tradition, but that she’d text me later.
So far, nothing.
“Are we heading to O’Malley’s?” Cole asked, joining Parker and me.
“Sure,” Parker said. “Or we can start somewhere else and head there. Up to you guys.”
“You look like you’re interviewing for head teacher at some fucking prep school,” I added to Cole, for good measure.
“Or maybe some yuppie Ivy League college professor?” Parker asked.
“Shut the fuck up, both of you.”
I was barely listening. No text. Should I get in touch with her? We hadn’t been together all week, but giving her space to sort things out didn’t seem to be helping. Instead Pia and I were growing farther apart.
Isn’t that what you want?
“Earth to Mason,” Parker said.
“He’s in love.” Cole just couldn’t help poking the bear. I was about to lambaste him when Parker spoke up.
“Yeah, I know.”
My head shot up. “What did you just say?”
“Yeah.” He spoke slower and enunciated more clearly. “I know.”
I glared at him.
“Come on, Mace. Tell me you aren’t the only one who hasn’t figured that out yet?”
Cole looked back and forth between us, a disgusted look on his face, as if falling in love were one of the worst crimes a person could commit.
“Is she coming to O’Malley’s again?” Parker asked.
I put my phone away. “I don’t know,” I admitted. The urge to text her was strong, but so was escaping to the city with Cole and resuming my career where I’d left off. I had a good life in Manhattan. Had never wanted to run the inn. Or live in Cedar Falls.
Or fall in love.
But I wasn’t a complete idiot either. The guys were right, even if I’d chew off a finger before admitting it, especially to Cole.
I was in love with Pia Russo.
Fuck .