Chapter Three
As Mason drove to Parents’ Night, he thought about the past two weeks.
Living as a white man was certainly an eye opener. He’d gone into a department store to buy Ben a present and he wasn’t followed or looked down on by a snooty salesperson. On his way out of the store, he accidentally bumped into a little old lady, and she didn’t clutch her purse or look at him suspiciously. It was a shame that because he was now a different color he was treated differently. He experienced plenty of racism in his prior body, but the differences hadn’t been as apparent to him then as it was now.
Being Mason Collins was another story. It was harder than he could have imagined. The man almost made Charles Manson look like a decent human being. Through Paul and tidbits, he heard from people who had known Mason well. The new Mason knew a lot more than he wanted about the fine example of human waste the old Mason was.
He had been born to a wealthy family in the Philadelphia suburbs. His father, a self-made millionaire, owned a couple of fast-food restaurant chains and car dealerships.
It was an all too familiar story. As the only child of parents who tried to have children for nearly twenty years, he was spoiled and overindulged. Throughout his life, he had been denied nothing and took what he wanted to the detriment of others. When Mason was in college, he used his money to bribe professors and deans. He used women as mere playthings, discarding them when his use for them wore out. His first marriage was the result of his parents’ threats to cut him out of his inheritance in a last-ditch effort to get him to toe the line.
Poor Becky Joseph didn’t stand a chance. Not married a week, he cheated on her with her best friend. Becky had been raised in a strict Irish Catholic home and did not believe in divorce, so she stood by her man through the verbal abuse and public humiliation. After a while, Mason didn’t bother to hide his affairs. With no family to offer support and unable to withstand her husband’s forceful personality, Becky downed a bottle of sleeping pills chased by a bottle of whiskey.
After a night and day with his mistress, Mason found her body the following evening. He had been more upset that she died sitting in his favorite chair than the fact that she had died at all.
By the time he was thirty-two, he had complete control of the family business, taking power of attorney over his parents’ finances when his father was struck with prostate cancer. By then, he met Karen, a pretty blonde flight attendant who refused to have sex with him without a wedding ring.
After several frustrating months, he married her, but not without an iron-clad prenuptial agreement. She was young and na?ve, willing to sign anything to be with him.
He became bored within five months of their marriage. Besides, she gained weight and her body disgusted him. It didn’t matter that she had been pregnant with their child. It had taken Karen three years of putting up with his indifference and his affairs before she took their son and left him. She had to sue for alimony, but the pre-nup was so clearly designed for his benefit that she lost before she’d even begun.
Mason rarely saq his son, telling himself that he hated children, so he didn’t see why he should make an effort when he didn’t want the kid in the first place. He only paid the minimum amount of child support despite having so much money of his own.
Yes, Mason Collins had been one of the biggest sons-of-bitches around. To top everything off, when his father passed away after a long fight with cancer, Mason sold his family’s house and put his mother in an inferior nursing home. How the man slept at night was a mystery to Mason. He knew redemption would be hard, but he hadn’t realized how dammed evil this guy had been. It was a good thing he had a guardian angel as a friend, or he wouldn’t have known how to sort out this man’s twisted life.
Mason’s first order of business was to take his mother out of the nursing home and put her in temporary accommodations because she had refused to come home with him. She would barely look at his face and Mason could hardly blame her considering what was done to her.
He could tell that Brie Collins had once been a regal, gracious woman, but now she was just an empty shell, barely acknowledging him as when he walked in the room. The poor woman. His heart went out to her. Mason hired a private nurse to take care of her and vowed to bring a smile to the woman’s face again. It was the least he could do.
As Damon Evans, he had always taken an interest in his children’s education, so he next set out to establish a relationship with his new son. Karen had not been forthcoming with much information, but she grudgingly informed him about Parents’ Night at their son’s new school. Due to their recent move into Bucks County, Karen decided to put Ben into public school because now they were in one of the best school districts in the state. It was a start. He pulled up to the school.
He got out of his car, a football in his hand for Ben, and walked up to the main entrance. The moment he entered the building, he froze. Only a few feet ahead of him were a recognizable boy and girl leaning against the wall, looking bored. He nearly dropped the football.
The children turned around with identical chocolate brown-eyes as if feeling the weight of his stare. They examined him curiously. Of course. He remembered now that Mya and DJ attended this school as well. His thoughts had been so focused on seeing Ben tonight that he didn’t take note of the school’s name before. Of all the schools in the Philadelphia area, Ben attended the same school as the twins? It must be true that things happened for a reason.
He slowly walked over to them, longing to pull them into his arms and never let go. When he died, the thought of never being with his babies again, hurt as much as not being with their mother. Just as he was about to speak to them, he felt a tug on his jacket.
“Dad! You came! Mom said not to get my hopes up, but I knew you would be here.” The little redheaded boy threw his arms around his waist. This was obviously Ben. Mason found it strange that there were no pictures of the boy in his home, but then again the kind of person Mason had been made it unsurprising.
‘Hi, kiddo. I brought you something.” Mason handed Ben the football. He felt awkward meeting the child like this for the first time and tried to conjure up the feelings for this love-starved child that he already felt for the two onlookers.
“Wow! This is neat. Dad, this is my new best friend DJ and his sister Mya.” Ben couldn’t seem to take his eyes off him. The Mason of old certainly didn’t deserve this type of devotion.
Mason turned to look at DJ. His heart swelled in his chest and tears filled his eyes. The boy looked so much like the man Damon used to be, and Mya was beautiful, the very image of her mother.
“Hi, DJ, it’s nice to meet you, son.” He held out his hand to the little boy.
DJ gripped his hand in a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“And Mya, what a pretty name for a pretty girl.” Mason smiled at her.
She gave him a little smile. “Hi.”
Unable to help himself he patted her on the head, wanting to touch her to reassure himself that he wasn’t dreaming.
“My, my, my, if it isn’t the great Mason Collins gracing us all with his exalted presence. Where are the cameras?”
Mason turned around to see a tall blonde glaring at him with a great deal of hostility. It was amazing he didn’t fall dead that instant. This had to be Ben’s mother.
“Hello, Karen. It’s nice to see you,” he answered as pleasantly as he could under her angry stare.
For a moment, Karen looked taken aback by his response, as if she expected him to return her scathing remark. “She’s a little young even for you, isn’t she?” Karen sneered, shooting a glance in Mya’s direction. She had obviously seen him pat the child on the head.
Mason’s eyes narrowed. Whether he had done her wrong or not, it was not right for her to make disgusting innuendoes in front of the children. He didn’t bother dignifying her nasty comment with a response.
She seemed annoyed when he didn’t rise to her dig. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“It’s Parents’ Night.”
“And when have you ever cared about that?”
“Perhaps we can have this conversation another time,” he said, his nod indicating that the children were staring apprehensively. Ben was especially tense.
Karen had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Come on, Ben. Let’s go see your homeroom teacher.”
“Can’t I stay with Dad? I want to show him the picture I drew in art class.”
Karen’s lips were pursed together in a thin white line. Mason intervened. Karen looked as if she didn’t want to share her time with Ben, but he couldn’t let the little boy down.
“Why don’t you show both of us your picture after we visit your homeroom teacher,” he suggested diplomatically. What he really longed to do was to stay out here and spend some time with DJ and Mya. He also desperately hoped he would catch a glimpse of their mother.
Karen threw him one last glare before taking Ben’s hand and pulling him with her. “Well, if you’re coming, then come on.”
Mason turned to the twins before he followed mother and son. “It was very nice to meet you both.”
They gave him a little wave before turning to talk to each other. He was about to walk off when Brandi came out of a classroom. His breath caught in his throat. Watching her from above had been one thing, but being this close to her again was another.
It took every inch of willpower in his being not to reach out and pull her into his arms. Brandi looked as beautiful as she did the day he met her. He ached to run his hands over her smooth dark skin. Facing her, he flashed her a big smile as he held out his hand. “You must be DJ and Mya’s mother.”
She looked up at him, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “Guilty as charged. I’m Brandi Evans, and you are?”
“Mason Collins. It seems that our sons have become fast friends.”
As she took his hand, an electric shock went through his body. Brandi’s eyes widened before she hastily pulled her hand from his. He knew that she must have felt it, too.
He widened his smile, not sure what she thought about his new package but confident that the magic between them was still there. Now he just had to figure out how to make her love Mason Collins.
“You have two fine children. My son was singing your son’s praises earlier. Perhaps they can get together for a play date some time,” he suggested.
“Well, I don’t see why not. What do you think, DJ?” She looked down at her son, who was watching them silently.
“Sure. That would be cool.”
“Great. Let me give you my phone number.” He reached into his breast pocket.
“Dad, are you coming?” Ben tugged on his arm. Mason looked behind him to see Karen’s eyes narrowed and her arms crossed.
“Maybe we’ll just have the boys exchange numbers at school. I think your wife is waiting.” She smiled at him.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Well, it was nice meeting you, Brandi. I hope we can talk again soon.”
“Likewise.”
He started to walk away, then turned around. “By the way, I’m divorced.”
She didn’t reply. He couldn’t tell from her polite expression what was going through her mind, but at least the groundwork had been laid.
Brandi watched the tall redheaded man walk away, not taking her eyes off his retreating back until he was gone from sight. What just happened? In most circumstances she wouldn’t have given a man like Mason Collins a second glance. It wasn’t that she was prejudiced or found white men unattractive, but she had never been as drawn to one before now.
He definitely warranted more than a second look. A long straight nose set in a classically chiseled face made him quite handsome. He had the greenest eyes she had ever seen, which went well with his dark-red hair. He had a full lower lip that gave his already attractive face a certain sexiness. His looks were enhanced by a full neatly trimmed beard.
On top of that, his tall sinewy frame was enough to make any woman’s pulse race, but it wasn’t his looks that made her so aware of him as a man. She’d seen men who were so physically beautiful that it ached to look at them but none of those men intrigued her this way.
When they touched, a jolt of lightning went through her. The feel of his hand holding hers felt so familiar and when their eyes locked, she could have sworn that they already met. There was something in the depths of his green gaze that made her want to find out more about him.
Snap out of it, girl! You are an engaged woman and that man should mean absolutely nothing to you.Brandi stood there for a moment, trying to convince herself that it was her imagination, but she had a nagging feeling that she’d seen him somewhere before.
Somehow, she made it through the rest of Parents’ Night without thinking about Mason, but on the car ride home he popped up in her thoughts again.
“Mom, why were you staring at Mr. Collins like that?” Great. Leave it to her daughter to not beat around the bush.
“I thought he looked familiar. I guess I was wrong,” It wasn’t exactly a lie.
“He’s got yucky red hair like Ben.” Mya tossed her nose in the air in disdain.
“That’s not a very nice thing to say. What do you have against redheads?”
“Missy Reynolds told her that all redheads have bad breath and she believed it. She believes everything that dummy tells her,” DJ chimed in.
“That’s not true, and Missy is not a dummy. She’s the third grade spelling bee champion.” From the rear view mirror, Brandi caught Mya sticking her tongue out at her brother.
“You’re the only one who likes Pissy Missy,” DJ taunted.
“What did you say young man?” Brandi’s eyes locked with DJ’s in the rear view mirror. Lord, save me from strangling my kids tonight. Being the mother of two active eight-year-olds wasn’t easy. At times they were angels and they could do no wrong, but other times she wanted to send them both off to boot camp, especially when they argued as they were doing now.
DJ looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Mom, she’s always having accidents and that’s why all the other kids call her that.”
“Just because everyone does, it doesn’t mean that you should join in. If everyone else jumped off a building, would you do that, too? Don’t roll your eyes at me, mister, unless you want to lose them. I better not hear you talk like that again.” Her expression softened when she caught the sight of his contrite expression.
“Look, baby, this girl may have a medical condition that she can’t help. If there was something medically wrong with you that made you different, would you want people to make fun of you?”
“I guess not. I’m sorry.”
“Okay, but the next time I hear you talk like that, it’s no television for a week,” Brandi warned.
“Yeah!” Mya smirked.
“Mya, I don’t need comments from the peanut gallery. I’m a little disappointed in you, too, young lady.”
“What did I do?”
“Your comment about Mr. Collins’s hair wasn’t very nice.”
“She said that about Ben, too!” DJ seemed glad that the heat was off him, but apparently saw no problem with throwing his sister in the line of fire.
Brandi shot her son a glare before turning back to the road. That silenced him.
“I know, but I don’t like redheads,” Mya said.
“Why not?”
“They all have gross freckles and their breath stinks.”
Brandi sighed. Unlike her son, her daughter sometimes didn’t know when to stop.
“See! I told you, she was listening to Missy Reynolds.”
Brandi ignored DJ’s comment. “Don’t you think judging someone based on something they can’t help is just as bad as making fun of someone with a health condition?” She addressed both children. “Remember that movie we watched about Dr. Martin Luther King? How would you feel if someone didn’t like you because your skin is brown? I didn’t teach you kids to treat people that way. What do you think your father would have said if he were here?”
Both children were silent for a moment, before DJ spoke first. “He would say we should treat people like we want to be treated.”
“Yeah,” Mya agreed. There was another long silence.
“I miss Dad,” DJ said.
“Me, too,” said Mya.
“We all miss him.” Brandi sighed and her eyes filled with tears. She wore Rodney’s ring, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Damon. She didn’t have the heart to put Damon’s wedding ring away, so she now wore it on her right hand. She wondered again if she was doing the right thing by marrying him when her heart belonged to a dead man.
Later that night when the kids were in bed, Brandi flipped on the TV. She surfed through the channels until she came across a commercial with a familiar face: Mason Collins. She knew she had seen him somewhere before! He was the slick car salesman that Damon used to laugh at. Judging by his flashy commercials, he seemed more cocky, brash, and totally unappealing. She would never have guessed that she would be drawn to someone like Mason. What made him so different in person?
As she lay in bed, she still wasn’t satisfied about the enigma of Mason Collins. Brandi just couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him better from somewhere else. Her dreams that night were filled by the images of a handsome man with startling green eyes, red hair… and Damon’s face.