Chapter 1 #3
Mason swore as he quickly fixed his shirt and fly. “Can I get you anything before I go? A glass of water? Tylenol? A wastebasket in case you need to…?”
“Get. Out.”
“Okay!” Mason held up his hands apologetically as he backed toward the door. “You can text if you need—” He ducked when a pillow flew at his head.
“Out!”
Mason lobbed off one more “Sorry!” before escaping and quietly shutting the door behind him. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” he whispered, then turned and went to find Sarina.
It took a while to locate her, she was sitting alone in the garden on a bench under a rose arch.
“Hey! I have to tell you something but you have to promise you won’t hate me because I already hate myself way more than any man has ever hated himself,” he said in a breathless rush, then stopped when he noticed how off she looked.
“Are you okay? What are you doing out here?” He dropped onto the bench next to her and pressed the back of his hand to her brow and cradled her face. “You’re clammy and flushed.”
“I had to throw up, but all the bathrooms were taken so I snuck out here and yacked in Mom’s hydrangeas,” she said, hitching a thumb over her shoulder.
“I didn’t think you drank any of that wine. Have you eaten anything today?”
She shook her head, her lip wobbling and her eyes pooling with tears. “I didn’t drink any of that wine. I can’t have alcohol while I’m…” Sarina bit down on her lips to hold in a panicked whimper.
“Oh!” Mason couldn’t think of anything else to say and didn’t know what he was supposed to do so he pulled her into his arms and held her as tightly as he could.
“Oh…kay. We can handle this.” He remembered all of his parents’ warnings about the difficulties of unplanned pregnancies when he was in high school—the sacrifices, the stress, the sleepless nights—but it didn’t matter.
Sarina was in trouble and she needed him. “It’s going to be alright.”
“No! It isn’t!” Sarina shook her head, her face mashed against his chest. His shirt was probably smeared with mascara but Mason didn’t care.
“Everyone is going to hate me when they find out who the father is. They’re going to think I’m a monster and I won’t be able to show my face in Roseview ever again. ”
“Come on! It can’t be that bad.” He leaned back, his brows lifting encouragingly.
His eyes got dry as he waited but eventually, she mouthed a name.
The very worst name Mason could have heard.
“Oh…God, Sina! What were you—?” He stopped and shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter and we’ll come up with something.
But while we're confessing to awful, awful things: Sky and I just kissed and we almost…” He cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look.
“You and Sky?” Instead of flipping out, Sarina laughed and covered her mouth. “That would be so sweet, though!”
“No!” Mason shook his head quickly, refusing to even imagine it. “I can’t! No one else knows and no one else ever will!” The only person Mason had told was Sarina. She had kept his secret since they were fourteen but now, Sky knew as well.
“I don’t think it would be that bad. Everyone loves you and I think they’d all want you to be happy, even if they didn’t completely get it or like it.”
He shook his head. “It’s not happening. Not now. My dad just retired! He’s waited years for me to finish school and get my software company off the ground so he could step aside and manage my campaign.”
“What campaign?” Sarina laughed. “Who else would run for mayor? You’re the only choice as far as Roseview is concerned.”
“Unless something came out about me that was really bad.”
“But this isn’t bad! Look at Sky. Everyone’s known most of his life and he survived.”
“Did you forget about the part where he was practically exiled by your parents and why no one would talk about him until after…” Mason cleared his throat suggestively.
“That wasn’t Sky’s fault and everyone knows that now.” She sniffed angrily. “He wasn’t run out of town when he came back and you wouldn’t be either.”
“Right! But would they vote for him?” Mason countered.
“I was raised for this, Sina! Sure, no one else is going to run, but I’ve been waiting for it to be my turn to go door-to-door and shake all my neighbors’ hands and tell them why they should trust me.
Not because I’m the next Cartwright and they’ve always voted for Cartwrights.
I want them to see me and all the things I want to do.
If I come out, that’s all I’ll be to them and it’ll tank my chances. ”
“You don’t know that!” Sarina argued. “They’ve known you your whole life and—”
“Have they? What if they can’t get past me lying to them for that many years and realize they don’t really know me?”
“I don’t think you’re being fair, to Roseview or yourself.”
Mason nodded. “You’re probably right but I’m not ready to risk it. Especially now, when you need my help.” He took her hand and hugged it against his chest. “I might have an idea that could fix most of our problems.”