25. Mason
Chapter 25
Mason
June 2023
We are standing in the middle of the sidewalk, halfway between Callie’s office and the diner we just had lunch at. Or didn’t have lunch at. Neither one of us ate our food. She’s just pulled away from my chest and looks up at me with tears still in her eyes.
“Let’s get you back to your office,” I say as I step back. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable even though I’d love nothing more than to never let go of her. She smiles at me then begins walking and I quickly fall into step beside her.
“I appreciate you being honest with me about your feelings and where you’re at, Callie. I also appreciate you taking the time to listen to me. You could have easily said no to meeting with me and I would have had to accept that. I’m glad that it feels like we’re both in a mindset where we are willing to work through both of our feelings and come out on top, whether that be making this work or just being back in each other's lives.”
She turns to look at me, smiling. “Wow, you really have matured a lot since we last saw each other, Mason.” I laugh, because she’s right.
At eighteen I was immature and cared more about what others thought than what I wanted.
We walk in silence for a while and are almost at her office building now.
“I guess I’ll see you at five?” I ask, hoping she hasn’t changed her mind.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you at my car and then we can either head to my place or your room. Whichever you’re more comfortable with,” she replies, a smile forming.
“I’m comfortable with whatever you are, Callie,” I reply. She looks relieved, motioning towards her office building. She turns to head inside and those same nerves that ravished me earlier are back.
I only hope this turns out in a way that benefits us both. Even if that doesn’t mean we’re together. All I’ve ever wanted was for her to be happy and I’m going to work hard to prove that to her.
My phone dings. I pull it out of my pocket and see I’ve got a text from Holden.
Holden : Hey man. I hear you’re back in Georgia. What’s going on?
Me : You heard right. Let me guess… your sister? There was a small fire at my parents so I’m down here helping with that. Did Jo Ellen tell you anything else about what’s going on?
I doubt she did, but I don’t want to explain it all to him again if he already knows that I met with Callie this morning. Although, I’m pretty sure if he knew he’d have already brought it up.
Holden : Ah, man. I’m sorry to hear about the fire. Is everyone alright? I haven’t talked to Jo Ellen in a few days so I’m going to assume that I have no idea what else is going on.
Holden and I go back and forth while I walk back to my room to put my lunch in the refrigerator. I grab my laptop off the desk and sit on the bed, but quickly decide that I want to get some work done at The Daily Drip, a small coffee shop I passed on Main Street.
I appreciate how small Magnolia Falls is. I can walk everywhere I need to go and there are so many wonderful shops along Main Street. On my way to The Daily Drip, I pass a bookstore named One Page at a Time; Val’s Diner; Huck’s General Store; Crumbly Creations; and a few other places.
The bell above the door jingles as I enter The Daily Drip and I’m immediately hit with the aroma of fresh ground coffee–a warming vanilla mixed with a dash of hazelnut.
As I’m walking towards the counter, I’m greeted by a woman who reminds me of my grandmother. Short, sweet, southern drawl, gray hair peppered with a little brown. She’s wearing an apron that says ‘Stressed, Blessed, & Coffee Obsessed’ and in the sweetest voice greets me, “Hello dear, what can I get started for you?”
I tap my finger on my lips so she doesn’t think I’m ignoring her before saying, “I came in for a black coffee, but I think I’m going to get a medium hazelnut creme latte.”
“That’s one of my favorites. You’ll love it,” she says while tapping some keys on the cash register. I pay for my order and move to the other end of the counter to wait for my drink.
I’m the only person in here so while waiting I walk around the small shop looking at the pictures that are hanging on the wall. They appear to be the family who owns the shop.
I’m glancing at a group of pictures that are pinned to a corkboard close to the front door when I hear the woman speak up. “Those pictures there are from when my husband and I took our two kids on vacation to Paris. Ah, I miss those days. I lost my husband almost two years ago and it’s been rough but I’m thankful for the memories and photos that we have of him hanging on these walls.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am,” I say, not really knowing the right thing to say in response to that. “Your family is beautiful.”
“Oh, why thank you. Your latte is ready. If there’s anything you need just let me know. If I’m not out front just ring the small bell that’s sitting by the register.”
I make my way back to the counter to grab my drink as she turns around walking down a narrow hallway that I’m assuming leads to the storage room or offices. “Thank you.” I’m not sure she even heard me.
Technically I’m on vacation while I’m down here but I can’t help but pull up my work email. I hit the compose button and type out an email to my partner asking how things were going and if they’d made any progress on the huge case we’d been working on for the last month.
Subject: Hutchison case
I already know what you’re thinking. You’re on vacation, why are you bothering with work???
I know, I know. I shouldn’t be worrying about work when I’ve got so much going on down here with my parents.
However, I wanted to check in about the Hutchison case. I hate not knowing what’s being said in meetings and where everyone is at. So, can you fill me in?
Thank you,
Mason Ward
Surprisingly my email pings with a new message almost immediately.
Re: Hutchison case
Get out of my head man. But yes, that’s exactly what I am thinking. I get it, though.
Everything is going smoothly. We ran into one issue but quickly got that taken care of. If something big happens I won’t leave you out of the loop, promise.
Enjoy the rest of your vacation, as much as you can.
Thank you,
Logan Mathew
I shoot back a quick reply thanking him for keeping me in the know. We can’t mess this up. It is one of our biggest cases yet and Hutchison is not a man you want on your bad side.
I’m pulled out of my work tunnel vision when my phone rings. Looking down I notice it’s an unknown number, so I reach over to mute the call. I haven’t been answering any phone calls from numbers that aren’t saved in my contacts because there are too many scams going around and if they need me, they’ll leave a voicemail.
I finished my latte a while ago and have nothing more I can do for work, so I gather my things, toss my cup in the trash, and say goodbye before opening the door.
When I get back to my room and attempt to plug my phone in, I notice that I left my phone charger back at the farm. I can stop by Huck’s on my way to Callie’s office and see if they have one. I could drive back to the farm and get mine, but it won’t hurt having an extra.
I’ve never seen a general store quite this size. It’s got to be about six of the coffee shop and the sign on the front window isn’t wrong, they do carry a little of everything. There’s a gentleman who looks about my age at the register when I enter the store. He’s currently ringing up a customer but still makes time to welcome me to the store and mention that if I need help with anything to holler.
I’m glancing around at the signs above each aisle and spot the one that reads ‘electronics’ so I head that way in hopes they’ll have what I need.
I hear the door open and look up. Callie is walking out towards the parking lot. I put my phone back in my pocket, after texting with Holden. He was there with me during all those late nights when I couldn’t stop thinking about Callie. Where all I wanted to do was call her and beg for her forgiveness. He didn’t understand why I didn’t just make the call, but he never pushed me one way or the other.
I’m watching her walk towards me, and I can’t help but notice the smile that’s aimed in my direction. I’ve always loved her smile.
When she’s close enough I ask, “Are we heading to your place or mine?”
“I figured we could head to my house, finish our conversation, and see where the day takes us.”
“That sounds great to me. I walked over here so do you mind giving me a ride?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t get annoyed.
“That’s fine. My house is only a few blocks away.”
Pulling out of the parking lot we make a few turns off Main Street and then we are in her driveway.
Her house is exactly what I imagined it would be. White siding, black shutters, and flower boxes under the front windows. I get out of the car and follow her up the sidewalk to the front door, our to-go boxes in my hand. Maybe we will get to eat now.
We walk into her home and it’s something out of a magazine. Open concept, granite countertops, white cabinetry, hardwood floors... She’s got a mixture of farmhouse and modern styles going on and the way that she’s got everything displayed, it works.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into her house was the kitchen. She’s got a full-size island in the middle with bar stools on one side and extra cabinet space on the other. While her upper and lower cabinets are white, she’s had her island painted in sage green.
Our styles would go well together, too. Nope, we can’t go there. Stop it.
This house fits Callie Grace.
I’m taking in everything around me as I sit at her bar. It slams me in the gut that if I had not messed up so badly, this could be our house. It breaks me even more to think of everything we could have had together.
What if I had not listened to everyone? What if we had made it through the long distance and college? What if we had moved in together after graduation? There were so many different scenarios that I often thought about all those years. How different would our life be?
My thoughts are interrupted when Callie sighs.
I look up at her as she opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. “What’s wrong, Callie?” I ask her.
She lets out a deep breath and looks over at me.
“If you would have asked me yesterday, or even this morning, if I wanted to see you and have the conversations that we’ve been having I would have told you no. I was in a good spot mentally, and emotionally... I was finally grasping that closure and my what-if thoughts stopped occurring so frequently. Then I was told you were in town and wanting to see me and now... I just don’t know. I don’t want to give you the false hope that things are good between us, because I honestly don’t know where this is going to go. I don’t... I just don’t know. And I only hope that by telling you that, you’re not hurt. That’s not my intention.”
That’s not what I wanted to hear, but it looks like that’s what we’re working with. And I have to be okay with that.