10. Mason
10
MASON
ELLISON: I need a favor.
MASON: Ah, what does the lady of the house need today?
ELLISON: That’s cute, I kinda like that.
MASON: thought you would.
ELLISON: but seriously, I need a favor.
MASON: how much trouble is it gonna get me in with your husband?
ELLISON: he’s not my husband yet.
MASON: close enough.
ELLISON: ah, if we were, he would already have seen the bank transaction for this little purchase.
I snort as I read the message. Undoubtedly, another animal is about to be in Montana’s future.
MASON: What am I an accomplice to buying…
I wait as a picture message loads on my phone. Two large dairy cows stare back at me.
ELLISON: aren’t they cute? The one with the black spots is blind. Her name is Clover and the other one is her companion, Glenda. I rescued them.
MASON: You bought a blind cow?
ELLISON: AND her seeing eye cow!
MASON: Montana is gonna kill me.
ELLISON: No he’s not, that’s what blow jobs are for.
MASON: I’m not giving your almost husband a blow job even if my life depends on it
ELLISON: (woman spitting out drink)
MASON: Didn’t take you for that kind of girl
ELLISON: You’re on fire today this is the kind of energy I needed
MASON: I get funny when my life is on the line
ELLISON: Don’t be so dramatic
MASON: This isn’t even close to me being dramatic.
ELLISON: Okay, fine but I need you to focus
MASON: I’m focused. Blow jobs and blind dairy cows. Check.
MASON: What exactly do you need from me?
ELLISON: I need you to tell my fiancé that you gifted him a blind dairy cow and her seeing eye cow.
MASON: Of course you do
ELLISON: He won’t even be mad
MASON: Then why aren’t you telling him?
ELLISON: Because he told me no more obscure animals
MASON: He’s gonna know
ELLISON: He’s only gonna know if you tell him
MASON: You have the worst timing. I finally just found a woman I like—a lot—and now I don’t know if I’ll live to see her again
ELLISON: Have you always been this whiny?
MASON: Probably
ELLISON: So you finally met our girl
MASON: Your girl?
ELLISON: Nessa brought her home to us from the university. She was ours before she was yours. We have a book club and everything
MASON: I don’t know if she’s mine yet but I sure as hell hope I can convince her
ELLISON: that is honestly the sweetest.
MASON: remember that when your man is trying to beat me to a pulp.
ELLISON: he would never.
MASON: Also do you actually read the books?
ELLISON: Sometimes
ELLISON: but also it’s just an excuse to get together with themed drinks and snacks
MASON: How come I didn’t get an invite? I like snacks
ELLISON: You guys get the bonfire—we get book club
MASON: I’m coming next time
ELLISON: We’re getting off track. Focus.
MASON: Yeah, yeah. Break the news to Montana that he’s getting two dairy cows, two rescued dairy cows. Anything else?
ELLISON: You’re gonna have to get them.
MASON: What? I have to transport your dairy cows now?
ELLISON: Come on, it’ll be fun.
MASON: There are zero things that are fun about this.
ELLISON: (cow emoji) (heart emoji)(truck emoji)
Dammit.
“I’d say ‘to what do I owe this pleasure’ but I can already tell I’m not gonna like it,” Montana says as he leans back against the fence, his boot resting on the bottom rung. I’d thought about pushing this conversation off but decided it’d be best to just rip the Band-Aid off and hope for the best.
“Oh now, don’t be like that. I got you something you’re gonna love.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what it is yet.”
“Don’t have to,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“So, I saw there was this dairy farm…” I say, trailing off as I try to gauge his reaction.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters as he takes his baseball hat off and runs his hand through his hair before replacing it.
“You’ll never guess what I bought you.”
“Let me guess. Cows,” he deadpans. “You shouldn’t have.” I grin and his scowl deepens. “Seriously, you shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t you want to know the best part?”
“Not really.”
“They were a package deal.”
“Of course they were.”
“Glenda and Clover. And guess what?”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“Clover is blind and Glenda is like her seeing eye cow, and I need to borrow a trailer to go get them. But isn’t this great? They get to live out their lives at chateau de Greene. You’re basically a hero.”
Montana sighs and looks up toward the sky. “There’s no way I’m gettin’ out of this, is there?”
“No, they’re already paid for, and I texted Ellison the confirmation. She’s so excited.”
Montana’s lips twitch as he finally looks at me. “Someday I’ll get all you fuckers back for makin’ me a farm for wayward animals.”
I snort, kicking the dirt with my boot. “Since I’m doin’ something so nice for you,”—I pause and watch as his eyes narrow—“I was hopin’ you’d help me with something.”
He sighs. “What?”
I scuff at the ground again and feel his stare without meeting his gaze. I hadn’t realized I was going to ask him until this very moment, and while I’m not ashamed to ask for help, it’s still unsettling, that pit forming in my stomach at the unknown.
“I hit things off with Lana,” I start, swallowing hard as I try to act like this is no big deal. “Her son is into football.”
“Okay…” Montana says cautiously like he’s not sure where the land mines are in this conversation.
“Shit’s still new with her but if it works, if things work out with us, I want to be able to play with him.”
“You’ve never played?”
I shake my head. “It was expensive and so I made sure I wasn’t interested,” I admit, trying not to waver under his gaze.
“You want me to teach you?” he asks, his expression open and completely void of judgment.
I nod. “I’ve watched a few videos online, but I want to make sure I’m not just guessing, you know?”
“No, man, that’s really great. Her kid is damn lucky that you’re tryin’ so hard for him.”
The praise makes me uncomfortable—not in a bad way but in the way that my skin feels too tight and I need some air even though I’m outside.
I chuckle, but it’s forced. “I mean, nothing is set in stone.”
The words are a reminder I could lose it all in the blink of an eye—lose it before I’ve ever had it.
“Yeah, but you’re a fucking catch, Mason. Don’t doubt that. You’re putting in the work with so much unknown. And you know what? I got time now, do you?” Montana asks and I nod. “Let me grab a ball. And Mason?”
“Yeah?”
“You can tell Ellison she owes me. ”
He smirks and heads toward the house as I laugh and pull out my phone.
MASON: He figured it out
ELLISON: Is he mad?
MASON: He said you owe him
ELLISON: (gif of woman shrugging) orgasms for everyone!
MASON: Um…
ELLISON: (eyeroll emoji) go get your own
MASON: Oh I plan to.
Grinning, I pocket my phone as Montana walks back across the yard toward me.
Game on.