Streak

Chapter 17

Lydia

I stood at the door looking at my boss, hoping he would say no. I needed to relax and process everything that had happened. Tomorrow was Friday, which at least meant I had a weekend just around the corner.

His phone buzzed before he could answer.

“Becca’s asking me for your number. Is it okay with you?”

“Of course.”

“Tell me if she nags,” he smiled and winked. “I know my sister.”

I tried to smile and hoped it didn’t come off as a wince.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lydia. I probably don’t have to say this, but don’t mention anything that happened today to anyone.”

“I won’t.”

He nodded and muttered what sounded like ‘good night’ before leaving.

I barely got out of the shower when my phone buzzed, which I ignored because I was starving. I heated up some chili before brushing my teeth and collapsing on the bed, turning off the lights, and checking my messages.

?? Hey! Danny gave me your number. I hope it’s ok

?? Rebecca?

?? Becca, please, especially after today

?? How are you holding up? Punch anyone’s teeth in yet?

?? Haha no, managed to hold back

?? I’ll hold him for you when the time comes

I would gladly hold Brad down for Becca. I’d like even more to see her kick Howard in the face, old man or not.

?? I’ll hold you to that, if you can fight Danny off for the honors

I wasn’t sure how to answer that and eventually fell asleep trying to come up with a response.

The next morning, I woke up early and went through my usual routine at the café before heading up to the thirtieth floor.

Dianne and Chris were both already there, asking me how I felt as soon as I walked in.

I liked them both and felt a little uneasy at how quickly there were so many new people I was friendly with.

Mr. Mason came in and spent most of the day with Chris in the meeting room while I got emails from Chris every once in a while with notes and instructions. I had to assure him several times that my workload was fine before he seemed comfortable enough to give me more to do.

Chris was in his early forties with a grandpa vibe to him despite being so young. He was warm and caring, though not too friendly. He just did his job and spoke to everyone kindly. Dianne told me he was married with two kids—one was a tween and the other was in preschool.

I took my lunch break in the break room, which was nice because Mr. Mason and Chris both left for a lunch meeting, and Dianne ate at her desk, so I was alone. I looked at a message from Becca.

?? Want to go for drinks tonight?

She sent it about an hour earlier, but I needed to think about an answer, so I waited until my break.

A little over two years ago, when I broke it off with Nick, the dick biker, I decided to stay away from people.

I moved to DC from New York, found a job at Mason Corp after a year of temp jobs, and enjoyed the quiet life and my new routine.

I didn’t want friends, and I didn’t trust anyone enough to drink with them.

Now, I was getting more comfortable with Dianne and Chris, my boss texted me sometimes, and I wasn’t sure if he was being friendly, flirty, or just a weird boss, and his sister wanted to be friends.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of it.

It felt nice, but it scared the crap out of me.

I was also very much aware that I didn’t touch my ring when I was alone with Mr. Mason after Becca left the night before. I didn’t feel like I needed to.

That’s good, isn’t it? Unless he turns on me.

He wouldn’t be the first.

I liked Becca. That’s what I knew for sure. And I hated what Howard and Brad did to her. I also knew she couldn’t talk to anyone else about what happened. I typed and sent my answer quickly before I could regret it.

?? Sure

She sent me a location and time.

I’m going out for drinks with a friend.

The thought rattled my brain. The last time I had friends, they stood by and watched as my boyfriend, their friend, beat me. None of them interfered, and it hurt more than what Nick did.

When I got home, I only had an hour before I needed to go out, so I showered and dressed quickly and dried my hair as much as I could.

I wore dark blue skinny jeans with my Doc Martens, a fitted graphic t-shirt with the Guns N’ Roses skull logo, and an oversized black knit cardigan.

I let my hair down, hoping it would completely dry by the time I got there.

It was slightly wavy, so it didn’t really need much maintenance.

I also passed on the makeup completely. Coloring my brows and lashes had always felt like a work thing, like putting my hair in a bun, so I didn’t do it outside of work.

I took a cab to the address Becca sent me. It was pretty close to where Mr. Mason lived—a place called Mel’s. I saw her the moment I walked in. She shot up from her chair to hug me.

She was dressed in light blue jeans, white sneakers, and a simple light pink shirt that looked somewhere between a sweater and a t-shirt—it was very her.

“Thanks for coming. You look amazing!” She touched my hair and moved it forward over my shoulders. “Oh!” She looked at my eyes, and I smiled.

The edge of my left eyebrow was white, as were the lashes on the outer edge of my left eye, the same side as the thick white streak in my hair.

“It’s beautiful. I thought you dyed your hair.”

We sat back down at the table. “No, it’s called poliosis. Born with it.”

“Love it, you’re gorgeous.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I smiled again.

“Do you live nearby?” I asked.

“Not really. My office is only a few minutes away though. Plus, Mel’s is close to Danny, so I know I can always crash at his place if I need to.”

“That’s nice.” I took a sip and tried to remember what it was like to talk to people outside of work. “How are you managing with Brad?”

She groaned. “It’s so hard to pretend like everything’s cool with us. We’re close, you know? Or at least I thought we were.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re amazing, and I don’t give a fuck about my agreement with Danny—the offer stands.”

“You lost me.”

“To be my PA. I was joking before, but after all this is over, I’m going to need one I can trust.”

How do I respond to that?

“Oh. I…” I took another sip of beer. I was drinking slowly, still apprehensive about drinking around other people.

“Don’t freak out on me.”

I decided to stick with my usual, honest approach. “I just feel a little out of my depth. I’m not used to any of this.” I motioned around with my hands at the bar.

“You don’t go out to bars?”

“Not really. Not for a while.”

“Do you want to leave?”

“No, it’s nice to sit here with you.”

She grinned. “Likewise.”

We ordered a giant plate of fries, which went perfectly with my beer.

“So, dating anyone?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“No. You?”

“Nah. I go on dates, but I’m not really good with long-term stuff. I’m old enough to know what I want and don’t want.”

“You’re older than—” I stopped, wondering how I should refer to her brother. ‘Mr. Mason’ and ‘Daniel’ both sounded wrong.

“Danny, yeah. Just by two years, I’m thirty-three. What about you?”

“I’m twenty-eight.”

She laughed. “Why did you hesitate? Already forgetful?”

Because I’m not actually sure of my age.

“Oh, I just turned twenty-eight. Getting used to it, I guess. How did Brad react when you told him you changed your mind on the shipping company?”

“I told him yesterday, right after I left Danny’s. The asshat nearly choked on his drink.”

“So your brother will monitor him now?”

“Yeah, he’s got a friend who’s good at that.”

“Terry? He mentioned the name.”

“Yep. He’s got a few close friends from when he served. Terry, Jake, and Cole are closest.”

I noticed her tone change a bit on one of the names. “Who’s Jake?”

“Caught that, did you?” She took a sip and winked. “Speak of the devil.”

I turned around to see what she was looking at and hoped I didn’t outwardly cringe at the sight of Mr. Mason and an equally large man coming into the bar. They saw us, and both smiled from ear to ear.

Before they reached our table, Becca leaned forward and whispered, “Are you okay with them sitting with us? I could tell them we’re having a girl’s night and they’ll leave us alone.”

Yes, please. But I said, “It’s okay.” I wanted to be friends with Becca, which meant I had to get used to her brother outside of work. I was also kind of curious to see the dynamic between her and Jake, because there was clearly something there.

Since when did I care about these things?

Becca pushed out a chair with her foot, and they both sat down.

We were at a small round table that now felt even smaller with those two sitting beside us.

Mr. Mason sat on my right, Becca on my left, and Jake in front of me.

I felt so small next to them that I had to clench my fists under the table to stop myself from playing with the ring.

Mr. Mason leaned in my direction. “Lydia, hi. This is Jake. Jake, Lydia.”

Jake reached over the table and shook my hand. “Good job yesterday.”

Becca sighed loudly, “Thank god someone else knows. I was going crazy!”

Mr. Mason ordered two beers and smiled at me. “So you two were drinking and trash-talking Brad?”

Becca chimed in with a tone that reeked of mischief, “Yeah, and Lydia here made me a promise.”

“Oh?” Mr. Mason’s eyebrows shot up.

“I offered to hold him while she punched his teeth in,” I said matter-of-factly with a shrug.

Jake chuckled and winked at Becca. “I think we all want in on that.”

“Holding him down or punching him?” I asked, without thinking.

“You got a preference, Lydia?” Mr. Mason asked.

I hesitated, unsure if this was just a playful conversation or if they were all serious. I was good with serious—definitely out of practice on playful.

“Come on, you can tell us,” Jake teased. I turned to Becca, deciding to stay with what I knew best.

“At the cafe, I wanted to hit him in the face with the mug he was holding.”

Jake and Mr. Mason both laughed, but Becca put her hand on mine for a second before changing the subject.

She asked about Terry and his wife, Missy, which led to the three of them eventually talking about old friends.

I zoned out for a while, still playing around with my half-full bottle of beer while theirs kept getting emptied and replaced.

I jumped a little when I felt a hand on my knee and looked up at Mr. Mason. He immediately removed it and whispered, “Are you ok?”

Jake and Becca were laughing loudly and didn’t seem to notice us talking. I nodded.

“Do you want to leave?”

Shit. Was he asking if I wanted to leave with him or leave in general? Because I did want to go home.

“I’m tired.”

“Come on.” He got up and told Becca and Jake he’d be back. Becca hugged me, nearly lifting me off the ground, and Jake just nodded and smiled.

I managed to last the evening without saying ‘Daniel’ or ‘Mr. Mason,’ avoiding the need to use his name entirely since I still wasn’t sure how to address him.

He took out his phone when we were outside. “I called you a cab. I would take you, but I had too much to drink.”

“It’s okay, thank you for offering.”

“It’s nice seeing you and Becca hang out. I didn’t know you would be here. Jake and I come here a lot.”

I wondered if that was the real reason Becca went to Mel’s—to see Jake.

We stood side by side, facing the street for a few minutes. I was going to tell him that he could go back inside and didn’t have to wait with me, but I was sure he’d insist. Also, it was late, the sidewalk was empty, and I felt safer with him there.

Since when do I feel safer with someone?

The cab arrived, and Mr. Mason opened the door for me.

“Good night, Lydia.”

“Good night.”