Chapter 8
8
M ason dipped his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead on his forearm. He and Marco were carrying his sofa down the hallway to his new condo. The Florida heat had him sweating as soon as he walked outside this morning to put things in his truck. He'd need a couple of showers today. The humidity was high and the temperature was higher. He should have looked at the weather before choosing to move today. He didn't even give the weather a second thought though, he wanted out of that apartment.
Marco stopped at the door to his condo. "We're going to have to tip it up on the side."
"Okay."
They worked together to tip the back of the sofa down and eased it through the door. Once inside, Marco grinned. "Where do you want it?"
"I don't know. What about against that wall?"
"You won't see out the patio doors that way."
Carley stepped inside, staring at the two of them holding a sofa, both of them sweating profusely. "If I may offer some assistance here, I'd say place the sofa right here." She moved to a spot on the floor. "That way, you can see out the patio doors and see into the kitchen. If you put your television above the fireplace, you can see both easily."
He grinned and looked at Marco. "You heard the lady."
They moved around and placed the sofa where Carley suggested and set it down. Both men mopped the sweat from their faces again as Carley set two grocery bags on the counter.
He glanced at the bags, "What's in there?"
"Cleaning supplies in this one." She pointed to the bag on the right. "Lunch in this one." She motioned to the bag on the left.
"You didn't have to buy cleaning supplies or lunch."
She smiled and he stood staring at her like a fool.
She began removing items from the cleaning supply bag. "I know. I wanted to. Now, finish getting your stuff in here so the air conditioning can catch up without the doors open."
He turned and followed directions without another comment. Marco followed him down the hallway, chuckling.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing."
He glanced back at his friend. "What?"
"You just jumped when she said jump."
"She brought food."
Marco laughed full-on at that. "Right."
They stepped outside to see Quinn and Jace pulling up in Quinn's truck with his bed, dresser, and night tables. He felt grateful for the help.
Quinn stepped out of his truck and looked into the box of Mason's truck. "Should we finish this one first, then start on mine?"
Mason nodded. "Sounds good."
He jumped into the back of his truck and scooted his end tables to the tailgate. Quinn and Jace grabbed those, so he moved his coffee table to the end. After jumping down, he grabbed one side and Marco grabbed the other. They handily carried the table down the hall.
"You've got some nice furniture, Mason."
He shrugged. "My mom helped me pick it out." He grinned. "She has good taste."
Marco laughed. "Does she like Carley?"
He felt his cheeks burn. "They haven't met."
Marco grinned as they entered his condo. Carley was instructing Quinn and Jace on furniture placement, so he and Marco waited patiently for their turn.
After Quinn and Jace left for the next load, Carley grinned at him. "How about in front of the sofa?"
"You got it."
They set the coffee table down and turned to leave again. But a fantastic aroma caught his attention, and he stopped. "What's that smell?"
Carley laughed. "It's lasagna."
"You made lasagna?"
"I did. I know it seems silly to eat something so warm and heavy in this weather, but when you're working so hard you need to keep your strength up."
"Thank you so much for doing that."
She looked up into his eyes, and he stared into hers. The blue of her eyes was the prettiest blue he'd ever seen. She smiled then, and his heart swelled. She was not only beautiful, but she was also thoughtful, kind, and she smiled more than any woman he'd ever known. Not like the flirty women at the Sandbar. Carley was naturally happy. Her sister, Margo, was also that way. It had taken some time to get used to being around happy people again. His life had been so dark for so long, he didn't know how to behave around people who were just simply happy.
"I wanted to do it. It felt good cooking for someone again. It's been some time. Normally, at home, I don't make big meals for just me."
He sucked in a deep breath as he heard Jace and Quinn coming down the hallway again. He hated to step away, but he did need to get the trucks emptied. "Thank you. I do appreciate all you're doing for me."
She smiled again. "It was my pleasure, really."
He nodded and stepped back. He wanted to kiss her. Badly. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. But there were people around, and he was likely a smelly mess. Plus, he didn't know if she wanted him to kiss her.
He turned just as Jace entered the condo carrying a box marked "Fragile". Jace grinned at the two of them standing face-to-face. He looked at Carley first, then his eyes slid to Mason's. Mason felt the tips of his ears burn, but he recovered by directing Jace to the coffee table. "If you want to set that box on the table, I'll unpack it later."
Jace chuckled and did as he was asked. After standing he asked, "What are you having to eat?"
"Lasagna."
"Nice." He left the condo without another word and Mason took the opportunity to follow him. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the rest of his friends lugging his mattress off the truck. He hustled over and helped Quinn carry it inside. Marco and Jace started on the bed frame.
Within an hour, the trucks had been unloaded and the final load from his apartment had been brought back and unloaded. They carried the dining room table and chairs into the condo and Carley laughed. "Just in time. If you're all done, go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
They all did as they were told to do.
Mason was the first to return to the kitchen. Carley was carrying plates to the table, but he gently took them from her hands. A thrill ran up his back as their fingers brushed. "Let me do that."
He set the plates out, noticing an extra plate. He turned and Carley laughed. "Margo's on her way too."
"Okay. That's nice."
Margo entered with a flourish and without knocking. Carley chuckled and shook her head. "This is Mason's home now, Margo."
"I know." She took two steps. "Oh, I should have knocked. I'm sorry, Mason."
He felt his face heat, but he shook his head. "It's no bother. Please come in."
Margo carried a package with her, and she handed it to him with a smile on her face. "This is from Jace and I. Happy housewarming."
"Oh." He had a lump in his throat at all the kindness surrounding him today. "Thank you."
Margo shrugged. "Open it."
Jace stepped from the bathroom and came to stand next to his wife. They watched as he opened his gift. Pulling the lid off the box, he saw that inside lay a metal and wood decoration. It was rustic, manly, and it matched the fireplace mantle perfectly. Margo pointed to the wall next to the fireplace. "I thought it would look nice on that wall."
"How did you know about that wall?"
She shrugged and glanced at Carley. "I know things."
He caught the two women grinning at each other and knew Carley had a hand in picking this out. His stomach twirled as emotions flooded him. He'd run from his past to find a group of people who were so good and kind that he didn't even think he belonged with them. How lucky he was.
Carley chuckled. "Come and eat before everything cools down."