Page 90 of Size King

“Well, I encourage you to call him,” she says.

“You’ve been saying I should call him ever since we stopped talking,” I say with a snort.

“My point is going to be that it might be good to patch things up in case you hear bad news in there,” she says. “You don’t need to keep ignoring him out of pride. After this, you’re calling him.”

I take a deep breath and step into K-Plus, ready to accept my fate.

36

Mason

Deliveries are slow that day. Sunday’s are usually mild regardless, but it’s too quiet, even for living in a mountain town.

This day is also unique because I’m returning to L.A. after being away for weeks. I decided that I’m going to be the bigger person and talk to Jillian first. Neither of us have says a word to each other in three weeks, and neither of us wants to be the one to talk first. I’m done with waiting and wondering. I’m going back to talk with her and figure out what is going on with us.

The roads are nearly empty for me until I reach Los Angeles County. Built-up traffic keeps me from reaching K-Plus when I want, but I make it there with the sun still in the sky and people still at work.

I want to go in and look for her, but I don’t want to make her look bad or unprofessional in any way, so I hold back. I wait outside of K-Plus for her to be done working. I assume she is in, but my backup plan is to talk with Emma if I can’t get Jillian. I see Emma’s car in the parking lot and know she has to be there.

I am proved right shortly after I saw her car. Emma comes walking out of the building, surprised to see me standing there. I wave to her, and she comes over to me.

“Mason?” she asks.

“Hi, Emma,” I smile. “How are you?”

“Fine. How areyou?”

“I’m okay,” I reply. “You wouldn’t happen to know if Jillian is working today, would you?”

“Are you waiting outside for her?” she asks. “Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes,” I answer. “I need to talk with her.”

“You’ve got that right,” she sneers. “What is up with you two? Why are you guys being so weird?”

“I don’t know, and that’s what finally got me in the car. I barely even remember what got us not talking in the first place. I don’t want her to be alone anymore.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” says Emma. “Better late than never. She’s a little busy at the moment, though. She’s in a meeting with our managers right now. They found out that she is pregnant and wanted to talk with her ‘about her condition.’”

“Oh, my God,” I utter.

“Yeah, so this could go either way,” she says. “It might not be a good idea that you’re here because she might be really upset when she comes out of there.”

“Should I leave?”

“No, well, I don’t know what you should do,” Emma admits. “If she is really upset, seeing you might make her feel better. I mean, I’m not sure. I’ve had a hard time getting a read on her lately. She’s beencrazyhormonal. She’s bitten my head off a few times recently. She can be vicious.”

A couple of minutes later, Jillian comes walking out of the building, looking flustered and lost. She sees Emma and I standing in the parking lot together, and she slows down to a stop once she registers that it is me.

“Mason?”

“Hey, Jillian,” I reply.

“So?” Emma asks her. “What happened? What did they say? How did they find out you were pregnant?”

Jillian and I stare at each other for several seconds, and I’m savoring the moment. I’ve missed her terribly, and I’m instantly angry with myself for having let things go this far. I hope she misses me too.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Emma interjects. “You guys can go crazy on each other later and get a room. Jillian, talk to me!”