Page 27 of Take Me (Cherry Blossom Lake #5)
I’m reminding myself of this fact when Lucy walks into the bathroom at Sand and Cream. We’re two hours into Cassidy’s bachelorette party, and Mason’s twin startles when she spots me in front of the mirror.
“Oh my God, Erika—I will love you forever if you have a spare tampon.”
“Lemme check.” I dig through my purse as she ducks into a stall, muttering something about Harper taking her stuff.
“I love my daughter to death.” There’s a little more cursing from behind the stall door.
“And I love that she came to me first when she got her period. But honest to God, I’ve told her six-million times to stop taking stuff from my purse.
There’s a giant supply under her bathroom sink. Does she really have to rob me blind?”
Chuckling, I hand one under the stall. “I’ve got you.”
“Thanks.” There’s a crinkle of plastic and a flush before Lucy emerges. She washes her hands at the sink as she catches my eye in the mirror. “Feels like we haven’t chatted alone in ages. How’s everything going?”
“Great. The roofing project at our place kinda stalled, but Dad just scored a huge new contract for a builder in Salem.”
“Doing ADA consultation?”
“Yep.” I check my teeth in the mirror and pick at a small fleck of pepper. “It’s his biggest job so far.”
“Love that for him.” She tears off a paper towel and dries her hands. “I was asking more about you, though.”
“Me? Um, work’s going well and?—”
“I meant more like, how are things with Mason?”
“Oh, um—fantastic.” Heat spreads up my neck to my cheeks. “Great! How’s Peter?”
“Amazing as ever.” She lowers her voice, though we’re the only two people around. “Mason told me about the fake dating thing. Don’t worry—your secret’s safe with me.”
“He mentioned that he told you.” And now this feels like the high school locker room. “It’s going really well. I didn’t think I’d like living with someone, but it’s been nice. I’ll be bummed when it’s time to move back.”
That’s a little more honest than I meant to be, and the heat in my cheeks gets hotter.
Lucy stares like she’s trying to see through my skull. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Holy shit, Erika.”
“What?” I spin back to the mirror, worried I’ve spilled something on my shirt.
“You’re actually doing it , aren’t you?”
“Uh—”
“I knew you were staying there while your roof gets repaired, but I didn’t realize you were actually sleeping together.” She’s grinning so broadly I’m almost afraid of her. “Congratulations.”
I don’t know what Mason would want me to tell her, but I do know I’m not a good liar. “Please don’t make a big deal of it,” I whisper. “It’s just sex, okay? Nothing’s changed.”
“The hell it hasn’t.” Crossing her arms, she leans back on the counter. “I think it’s great. You both deserve something good after what you just went through.”
“That’s all it is,” I insist. “Just blowing off steam, regaining our mojo before we get back in the dating pool.”
“Really?” Lucy tilts her head again. “Call me nuts, but neither of you strikes me as the casual sex type.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you spent the better part of ten years loyal to Neil.” Her eyes soften as she speaks, like she’s not sure if she should be saying all this.
“And Mason, God love him, spent way too long convinced Annabelle Hanlon was his soulmate. He was so sure she’d come around and love him back if he only hung in there long enough. ”
I have no idea why those words hit like blows to the gut. Nothing she just said is news to me. I know how much Mason loved Annabelle. And there’s no disputing I’ve spent a third of my life convinced Neil would leave the Navy for me.
“Things change,” I tell her, and that’s true as well. “Getting dumped convinced us both that life’s too short. We’re just a soft spot to land for each other before we strike out on our own again.”
“You think so?” Her eyes look so much like Mason’s it’s eerie. “I mean, I guess you two know yourselves best. If anyone can be counted on to treat Mason with kindness and understanding, it’s you.”
That might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I open my mouth to say thanks, just as the door swings open.
“Oh, hey!” Annabelle glides through with a penis straw gripped in one hand. “I dropped mine on the floor.” She waves it around as she heads for the sink. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“We were just catching up.” Lucy steps aside so she can get to the taps. “Things have been crazy these days with all the wedding stuff.”
“Totally hear ya.” Annabelle washes the plastic dick with pink soap. Her eyes seek out mine in the mirror, and she gives me a shy little smile. “Hey, I’m glad I caught you. I’ve been wanting to chat for a sec.”
“With me?” We’re friendly, but never close friends. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to make sure you and I are okay. It’s a little bit awkward, you know?”
I consider pretending I don’t have a clue what she means. “I’m good,” I say. “How about you?”
“Really good.” She shuts off the water and takes the paper towel Lucy hands her. “I just don’t want there to be any tension between us. I’ve always admired you, and I hope it’s not weird that I’m dating Neil.”
“It’s a free country.” That didn’t sound convincing. “I’m totally over him, if that’s what you’re worried about. I want him to be happy.”
“Good.” She crumples the towel and tosses it into the bin. “And I’m happy you’re dating Mason.”
She looks like she means it, but her voice sounds a little bit strained. “You are?”
“Totally.” She lets out a self-conscious puff of breath. “I mean, we might as well point out the elephant in the room, right? It’s hardly a secret that you and Neil planned a future together.”
“Things change.” I’m surprised at how steady my voice sounds. “Feelings change.”
“That’s true, they do.” She turns to the mirror and slicks on some ChapStick. “I always wished I could crank up my feelings for Mason. I kinda had the sense he wanted more with me, you know? A future together, I guess.”
I’m not sure what to say in response, so I nod and shoot a quick glance at Lucy. Her eyes swing between us like she’s watching a tennis match, a little concerned she’ll get whacked by a ball.
My lack of response prompts Annabelle to lay out her case.
“Mason’s more into jokes than serious declarations of feelings, but a woman knows when a man is really into her.
He dresses up nicely for dates instead of wearing T-shirts all the time.
He buys flashy gifts like jewelry and flowers or blows wads of cash on romantic vacations instead of just springing for cheese sticks and beer. ”
I’m nodding along, but part of me aches for Mason. “He was really into you for a long time.”
Turning around, Annabelle tucks the penis straw back in her purse.
“I wished for so long I could reciprocate. He’s such a great guy, and I wanted to feel what he felt.
But until I started seeing Neil, I never felt that zing.
” She pauses, looking a tiny bit guilty.
“I hope that’s not hard to hear. I just—you seem so happy with Mason now.
You’re such a cute couple, so I have to think things worked out for the best.”
“Absolutely.” My palms feel itchy and sweaty. I swipe them on my jeans, darting a quick glance at Lucy. “If you love someone, set them free. And if you don’t love them, set them free to go plonk the person they’re meant to be plonking.”
“Exactly.” She laughs and gives me a hug. Over her shoulder, I see Mason’s twin watching me carefully. “I’m so glad we had this chat.”
“Me too.” But the pinch in the pit of my belly gets tighter as Lucy chimes in.
“I agree.” Her eyes lock with mine in the mirror. “As long as nobody gets hurt.”
“Of course.” Heat fills my face as my eyes dart away and land on the woman he loved just last month. A woman he dressed up for, wooed with flowers and trips and fine dinners.
The woman he might still be in love with.
A thick slosh of dread pools in my gut as I force my face into a smile. “We’re all good.”
But for the first time in weeks, I’m not sure that’s true.