Chapter 24
We must file it as a mistake
“Anyone in for the Ferris wheel?” Craig asked after discarding our food wrappers into the nearest trash can.
Melinda finished nibbling on her plain Caesar salad—no dressing, no croutons—and pushed her plate away. “I’m done.” She’d only agreed to order a salad after I argued she had to eat something and she counter-argued saying she wasn’t allowed fat or carbs on weekends, except on meet days.
“You sure?” my brother asked, eyeing the half-eaten salad like he was still starving.
She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t wanna get sick on the rides. Just thinking about it and I already feel nauseous.”
“Mel is not really a fan of heights,” Paige chimed in, sipping her soda. “We’ll sit the Ferris wheel out. You guys go ahead.”
“The whole thing about the Ferris wheel is to go with you,” my brother told Paige. “I love my brother, but I don’t wanna ride with him in a pod for ten minutes. I have nothing against his sorry ass, but it is a big fat no. The only person who’s climbing in that thing with me is you.”
“Oh,” Paige said, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
“You guys all go. I’ll grab cotton candy or something while you have your fun,” Melinda said, pointing to the concession stand behind her with a thumb.
The whiff of the sugar treat had been tickling my nostrils the entire time we’d been here, but I had eaten enough junk food today without adding the sugary treat to the mix.
“Or…” I neared her and grabbed her hand in mine. “We could ride together. You and I. I promise I’ll keep you safe. The view from the top is to die for. And now that the sun is setting, it will be even more beautiful. It’s a sight you don’t wanna miss.”
She shook her head. “I’m doing just fine on solid ground. Take a picture or something. I’ll look at it later.”
“Not good enough for me. I wanna do this together.”
“Mase.”
“Mel.”
“You protected me when we did that horror movie marathon. It’s my turn to protect you when something scares you. I’ll let you bury your face in my chest if you freak out.”
“Oh, so sweet,” Paige said, cupping her heart with one palm.
Melinda glared at her with a Not helping expression and twisted the ring around her thumb.
“Please. Pretty please. It won’t be as much fun if I have to ride alone. I hate third wheeling with these guys.” I motioned to my brother and Paige with my chin.
“Okay. Fine. You win. Geez, you’re so dramatic. I’ll ride the Ferris wheel with you, Mase. Under one condition.”
“Name it.”
She plastered an expression that said I mean business on her face. “I get a treat afterward.”
I waggled my eyebrows, unable to conceal the amusement I knew was brightening my features. “A treat? Any treat? Am I the one choosing what I feed you?”
She scrunched up her nose and seemed to catch up with her own words. “Oh no. Mase, I didn’t mean food…or something else. When you say it like that, it sounded…it sounded…”
“Dirty?”
She nudged my side. “Stop. Ohmygod, I can’t believe you said it…like that.” She sighed, fanning herself. “What I meant was, if I survive this ride, you ride the haunted house with me. I know firsthand how much you like being spooked. Something like that.”
I watched her with a wicked grin. “I knew what you meant. I just think red suits you, and shy is a good look on you.” I shrugged and snickered as her cheeks flamed hotter.
She closed her eyes and breathed out before bringing her attention back to me. “Anyway, do we have a deal?”
My lips stretched into a victorious grin too big for my face. “Yes. And Mel? You won’t regret this, I swear.”
The girls jumped into a conversation about some movie actor as we waited in line.
I pulled my brother aside. “Everything okay between you and Paige?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Nothing. Just some tension I’ve noticed between you two lately.
I promised I wouldn’t eavesdrop, but I heard you arguing in the maze earlier.
And the other night too. I told Mel I caught you guys doing the nasty so she wouldn’t walk in on you, but it’s happening more and more often these days.
Your bedroom is not as soundproof as you would like to believe. ”
He hung his head low and gave it a shake. “It’s nothing. She thinks… She thinks I’m hiding stuff from her.”
“Are you?”
He shrugged. “It’s complicated. I wouldn’t say I’m hiding stuff, but more like withholding some details until I’m certain we gotta discuss it. Does it make sense?”
“Huh…not really. Does it have anything to do with your secret meetings in Dad’s office most nights?”
“Yes and no. It’s not something either one of you has to worry about, okay? It’s my shit, and I’m dealing with it the best I can.”
“Fine. She loves you, man. Don’t screw it up because you think withholding information from her is the right thing to do, okay? If I were her, I’d want to know too.”
Pain flickered across his face, and he peered into the distance. “If it doesn’t work out as planned, I’ll lose her anyway. I’m not ready for the day it happens, but I won’t lead her on either. I’m in no rush to find out how it will play out.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Promise me you’ll be there for her if things go south. Promise me you’ll be the friend she needs if it all implodes and she’s collateral damage.”
“I promise. Man, are you dying or something? You are scaring me.”
“Nah. I would tell you if I were. As I said, it’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s my big brother’s job to protect you too.”
“What did you do?”
“Me?” He pointed to his chest and let out a sarcastic laugh. “Nothing. I wish I could blame this on myself. It would be much easier to wrap my head around everything it implies.”
“I’m here if you wanna confide in someone who’s not Paige.”
“Thanks, Mase.”
Paige waved at him, and he returned to her side, pulling her in for a hug. He stared at me over her shoulder, and I nodded, sealing the promise I’d just made.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing the crown of her head.
Beside me, Melinda tilted her head back and squinted, probably trying to guess how high the top car hung in the air.
“Don’t do this,” I murmured in her ear. “And don’t look down when we’re up there. Just straight ahead. And you’ll be all right.”
“And you know that…because?”
I stepped around her until we faced each other. “Because I’m Mason Pierce, duh. What else?”
She exploded in a fit of laughter and relaxed. “For once, that cockiness of yours is welcome.”
I winked and pumped my fist mentally at the idea I had succeeded at easing her fears with one of my comebacks.
Paige closed in on us. “You sure you wanna do this?”
Melinda blew out a breath and bobbed her head twice. “Yes. I can overcome my fear.”
Paige squeezed her forearm and turned to talk to my brother when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“Mel, what’s going on with you and your fear of heights?” I asked in a low voice once it was just the two of us.
“When I was a kid, I jumped from the highest platform at the pool and did a belly flop. It hurt so bad. I jumped with my eyes closed, not making sure I hit the water properly. I burst into tears once I returned to solid ground, and I’ve been hating heights since.”
I could relate. We had something more in common.
I held out my hand, and after hesitating for a couple of seconds, she slid her palm into mine, my thumb lingering on the pulse point of her wrist. “No chance of your getting hurt this time around.”
The car stopped at the lowest level, and it was our time to climb inside. Craig and Paige had taken the previous one and waved at us as the wheel moved them up.
“It’ll be okay,” I told Melinda in a calm voice that I hoped would soothe the wild beating of her heart.
We settled ourselves next to each other, and I kept my arm over her shoulders in a protective stance. “You good?”
She nodded, stiff as a rod, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
“Relax.”
“I’m trying.”
The wheel started its upward motion, and she shut her eyes, cursing under her breath. I pulled her closer until she was almost sitting on me. I massaged her upper back with my other hand, dissolving the knots lodged there.
The ride stopped every few seconds until all the cars were filled. On its first rotation, Melinda buried her face in my chest when we reached the top instead of admiring the view. I cradled the back of her head with my hand, holding on to her.
We were about to reach the top a second time when I leaned back and kept her at a distance, my hands locked on her shoulders.
“No more hiding. When we’re at the highest point, you take a moment to look around.
You’ll see miles ahead and realize how beautiful our town is.
I love the Ferris wheel because it’s the only spot high enough to let us see well past Elk River.
Like our world doesn’t end here and there’s an entire planet out there for us to explore.
It puts things into perspective. And opens us up to new possibilities. ”
“Wow. It sounds inspirational.”
I shrugged. “There’s so much more we haven’t seen or experienced yet. I have all these dreams, but I’m sure there are a thousand more for me to grab in this lifetime.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
I pointed to our far left. “See that? The park next to the white building between the lines of trees?” She nodded.
“It’s where I went to football camp when I was a kid.
It’s where I fell in love with the sport.
Craig and I, we were on the same team because we were born the same year, discovered we had talent.
And that this talent multiplies when we play together.
” Next, I gestured to the green expanse of lawn in front of us.
“That’s our school and our football field. ”
“Whoa, it looks so different from up here. So much bigger even though it’s smaller. If that makes any sense.”