Chapter 20
Jesse
Mason and I are hanging the last of the drywall in his place. After that we can start spackling, which is going to take days. This entire place needs it. It’s fine though, not like I have anything better to do.
Ella left for Texas two days ago. I’m doing alright with it.
I hope everything with her ex and parents goes okay.
Part of me thinks she didn’t want me to come because she didn’t want me in the drama.
I don’t need to be in the middle of anything, but Ella doesn’t always like to stand up for herself, and I would’ve liked to help her with that if needed.
“So when’s Ella driving back?” Mason asks. He stands a few feet away from me, opening another box of screws.
“She’ll be back Saturday.”
“Nice. You miss her?”
I glare at him. He laughs.
“You just wait, Mason. You’re gonna be the worst out of all of us once you find your Cinderella.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because you’re like me, but worse.”
Mason has never had a girlfriend, but there were girls in high school that he was in love with. They weren’t even dating. He falls way too fast and scares them off. At least I know how to pump the dang brakes.
“I just say what I need to say, whatever comes to mind. I act on my feelings.”
“Yeah, well, that can be dangerous. Next thing you know you’re thinking with the wrong head and waking up to a whole new mess.”
“Nah, I’m not.” He grins with a head shake.
“You’ll see,” I retort.
“Oh, will I? Is that what’s happening with you and Ella?” He raises a brow; a smug grin finds his face.
“What do you mean by that?” I get defensive.
He looks back to his work. “I don’t know … do I need to knock before I come over or … ?”
“No.”
“Really?” He looks to me surprised.
“What do you mean ‘really’?”
“I don’t know. Just going off vibes.”
I cross my arms. “What vibes?”
“I don’t know, Jess. It’s just a feeling. Like you guys aren’t strangers to getting down with it is all.”
“Well, we used to not be. But that was back then.”
His eyes bug out. “In high school?!”
“Now you’re surprised?! Yeah, high school! When else?”
“Did Mom and Dad know?”
“Hell no! You think I’d still be alive if they did?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “That’s hilarious.”
“It’s not funny. We were stupid, so stupid. I don’t know what we were thinking.”
“That surprises me.”
“Why?”
“You’re the responsible one … to me. The oldest, you always knew best.”
“Yeah? Well, not when I was seventeen.” I shake my head and the conversation drifts off after that.
He starts using the screw gun again and I get back to doing the same.
As I work, I think back to high school. Mason was only an innocent eleven-year-old when Ella and I were running around together.
He’d have had no idea about anything going on behind the scenes.
Cody, though—only two years younger than me—he knew.
* * *
Once we get the rest of the drywall hung, we stand back and take it all in. The number of hours and days we’ve spent—it’s taken forever to get this done, so it’s almost hard to believe we reached the end of this phase.
“Onto spackling,” Mason says with a tired sigh.
“Yup. This place will be girl ready in no time.”
“Yeah, funny.” He rolls his eyes at me.
“What?”
“You try dating with the schedule I got.” He huffs.
“I didn’t say you had it easy.”
“I don’t have it at all.”
I look to him. He looks defeated. I don’t blame him—every guy like him deserves a girl. He’s a good guy, but unfortunately, his job is demanding and sometimes even a deal breaker.
“I think you’ll meet her when you’re not looking. Just, right place, right time, you know?”
“That’s the conclusion I’ve come to.” He laughs. “Sometimes I go out and get a beer with the guys after a long shift, but good Lord. The girls we run into want nothing more than a free drink and a good time. If you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I know. That’s how I met Lexie. Not the ideal environment to find a girl to take home to Mom and Dad.
In my experience anyway.” I pause, holding Mason’s attention, then I keep going.
“If Mom doesn’t like her, she ain’t the one.
I’d live by that too, because Lexie was one of them, just looking for one thing. ” I huff.
I hate the hookup culture; you’ll never see me getting into that crap. It’s hard but worth it. I look back to Mason. “Don’t get into that, you hear me?” I scold pointing my finger.
“Yes, Dad,” he jokes.
“I’m serious, Mason. Your cop buddies give you a hard time, give them hell. It ain’t worth it.”
“I know the drill.” He rolls his eyes again.
“I just … I can’t express it enough.” I pause again. “You don’t want a soul tie with anyone but your wife.”
“Noted,” he says, his focus still on what he’s doing. I think he’s done having this conversation, but I’m not. I have more that needs to get off my chest.
“And Addison. That girl’s gonna give me a damn heart attack. I don’t like Brantley. Do you like him?”
“Not really, no.”
“Good. I’m not crazy,” I mutter.
“His record’s clean.” He shrugs as if that information is normal to know. “I think Addison’s smart though. Good judge of character,” he adds.
“I know she is. That doesn’t mean I trust him. He seems like the pushy type, and I swear, if I hear one more thing, I’m gonna—”
“Wait, hear what? What’d you hear?”
I stop. Damn it. I shouldn’t have said that. She didn’t want people to know.
“Nothing.” I turn my attention back to work.
Mason stands straighter. “Hold up. No. What did you hear?”
“I talked to her about it. It’s good.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass. That’s my little sister too,” he demands with a tight voice. He’s got a look in his eye that says he’s not going to drop it.
“Couple weeks ago. They were apparently upstairs,” I say, even though I don’t want to.
“What?! At Mom and Dad’s?”
I nod. “Ella caught them, but I talked to her. It’s all fine.” I gesture.
“What did she say?!”
“They were just making out, that’s it.”
“You’re sure? She wasn’t lying?”
I shake my head, “I know when she’s lying, she didn’t—”
“She didn’t bite her lip?”
“Nope,” I assure steadily. Mason lets out another huff; he’s tense.
I don’t see him like that often— he’s the hyper, happy-go-lucky, goofball brother. But I guess that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t absolutely burn the entire world down if he had to for Addison as well.
“So what did Ella say?”
“Well, she didn’t even tell me for a few days.” I shake my head. The memory of that argument between her and me is still fresh even though it was weeks ago.
“Why not?”
“Because Addie didn’t want her to, and Ella’s middle name is secret keeper.”
“Red flag,” Mason mutters.
“Don’t even start. I’m working on it.” My voice comes out harsher than I meant.
“Just saying.”
“She doesn’t like confrontation. Awkwardness, fighting—”
“Well, nobody does.”
I shake my head. “She’s extreme. She’s always been like that too, it’s just how she is.”
“Well, I hope she gets better. For your sake.”
“I think she will.” I end the conversation there because I’m not good at working and talking at the same time like he is.
I need to focus and get this done. He wants to move in here, like, yesterday.
Can’t say I blame him. I love my parents but by the time you’re twenty-four years old, you’re hankering for your own space.