Page 118 of Bang

But Mason – he hadn't contacted me all day, not even to check on Willow.

Maybe it was a compliment of sorts, like he realized that I'd surely let him know if something was wrong. Still, it bothered me more than it should've – andnotbecause of Willow herself.

At the realization, I literally groaned.Great.NowIwas the nanny who spent too much time obsessing over Mason and not enough time on the kid I'd been hired to care for.

All day, I hadn't been myself. And even though I'd tried not to show it, I realized all too well that I'd been only half-listening as Willow told me about her day at school.

Now, as I stared at my cellphone, I couldn't decide what to do. There was only one topic I felt capable of discussing. Unfortunately, it was the same topic I'd be smart to avoid, especially while Arden was in Kentucky with all three brothers – Brody, Chase,andMason.

But then, my pulse quickened. Maybe, if I were really crafty about it, I could get Arden to tell me something about Mason's current moodwithoutarousing her suspicion.

With that in mind, I tapped the call button and waited for her to answer.

I didn't need to wait long.She answered almost instantly. And then, with barely a hello, she said, "I've got a question."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. By any chance, is there a nice family emergency you could rustle up? Like maybe some sort of house-fire? Or maybe a flood?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Cripes, I'd even take pestilence."

With a weak laugh, I asked, "Why pestilence?"

"Because I’m not picky," she said. "I'm thinking that if you could find a reason for Mason to come back home, the rest of us could breathe a little easier."

I sat up straighter on the sofa. "What do you mean?"

"He wassucha crab-ass today."

For some stupid reason, I almost wanted to smile. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "And I mean above and beyond, even for him."

"So…you're saying he was in a bad mood?"

"No. He'snormallyin a bad mood. Today, he was in the worst mood I've ever seen."

"Really? How so?"

"Well for starters, he flipped out on Brody."

"Oh." This wasn't what I wanted to hear. "He did? Why?"

"Forwhistling."

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "You mean…like, wolf-whistling or something?"

"No. Like when you whistle a happy tune."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. There Brody is, looking at plans for the new kitchen, and he's kind of whistling, you know, to himself. And Mason happens to walk by. And he stops and gives Brody this look. You should've seen it. It was like he wanted to clobber Brody with a two-by-four."

"Wait, why a two-by-four?"

"Don't ask me," she said. "I’m just glad he wasn't holding a hammer."