Page 6 of Enemies with Benefits

"Mhmm," she said, taking a sip and grunting. "Always with the bourbon."

"I like a nice tequila now and again."

"Yes, I remember our first time getting drunk was tequila. We thought we were so slick, taking a bottle that wasn't in the front of the house and had been stored away."

"Little did we know it was a five-thousand-dollar bottle that Marcus had been saving for a special occasion," I said with a snort. "One of the few times I thought Mom was going to break her 'no beating your kids' rule."

"To be fair, five thousand dollars a bottle is pretty steep. Especially when you realize your 'special occasion' was reduced to a couple of thirteen-year-olds who were the height of sneaky."

"True, but how many people can say they got drunk the first time on some of the most expensive tequila in the world?"

"Not many, and those that could are probably from families that make more in a month than this hotel pulls in a year."

"True."

"Now," she said, dropping onto a tall chair and watching me. "Are we going to talk about what you were doing before you got here? Or would you like to talk about the fact that it bothers you that Mom removed Dad's last name from the hotel?"

"I went for a scenic drive," I told her, leaning on the bar and taking a sip. "And who said it bothered me? I think it's funny."

"It's funny how you think I believe you."

"You did just say I should be a comedian."

"Mason."

"What? She's allowed to change it to anything she wants; she's the owner after all. If she wants to change it from her original last name to the new one, then she can. Plus, like yousaid, she and Marcus have been married for ages, it was long past due."

"I notice you can't bring yourself to say that it was Dad's last name...or mention him at all," she said, raising her brow as she brought the glass to her lips. "Kind of like how you've always avoided bringing him up."

"I mention him all the time."

"You tell people your dad died when you were young and Marcus took over the job and hassle of raising us...almost a direct quote."

"Then, see? I mention him."

"You always mention him vaguely, distantly, and then quickly move on."

The drink, which had been rich and smoky with just a hint of floral notes, now tasted too bitter, and I wondered if perhaps I’d added too many... bitters. "Yes, well, he's dead, isn't he? Not much to say about that. Am I supposed to spin a sad story about how a drunk driver hit him? That he managed to hang on for almost a month in a coma, before finally losing the fight and dying? It was years ago. People don't need or want to hear crap like that."

"I notice you're leaving out a few details."

"Jesus," I groaned. "Why can't you let it go? Do you want me to apologize to youagainbecause he was out that night because of me? That what you want?"

She stared at me, lips turned slightly down. "Inever held that against you, no one did...except you."

"I was a kid, Moira," I told her with a huff. "Of course I blamed myself. Because that's what kids do when they're young, stupid, and don't know how the world works. Something out of their control happens, and they blame themselves because even if blaming yourself is awful and ugly, at least it means something was in your control. You don't have to deal with the dread,ugly reality that life is cruel and capricious and sometimes, more often than we'd like, awful shitjusthappens. No rhyme, no reason, no divine plan or punishment or whatever, it just happens. But I'm a full-grown man who doesn't need to blame himself."

She stared at me for several beats before looking away. I thought she was finally going.to let it drop and move on, but she uttered one soft word that stung. "Liar."

"Thanks," I muttered. "It's these compassionate and well-meaning heart-to-hearts that make me wanna come around more often."

"You know, that smartass, devil-may-care attitude of yours toward shit might work on everyone else. And the rest of the family might realize that it means they should leave you alone, but I'm not everyone else," she said. "I'm dropping it...for now."

"Joy of joys, you’ve decided to show mercy," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Maybe we could move on to the subject of why I was basically summoned here without explanation. Mom wasn't exactly forthcoming, and even you've been vague."

"Well, maybe if you showed up at a decent time of day, you'd have your answer tonight," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But because you decided to go joyriding?—"

"I did?—"