My day went by like all other weekdays, one class ended and another one started. Students had begun to get antsy, ready for the school year to end, and I wished they were younger or that I taught elementary school so I could take them outside for recess. But we were stuck inside reviewing for the state tests that were quickly approaching.
After the last bell of the day, I was exhausted. I didn’t get much sleep this past weekend—although for very good reasons—and it was time for me to go home and chill out. Maybe I should take a bubble bath.
But first I needed to deal with the Metro. My car was low on gas, and I didn’t wake up early enough to stop and fill up, so I gladly took public transportation today.
As I was sitting on the train, my phone beeped.
D
RAKE
: Thinking of you.
I couldn’t help but smile when his text popped through.
L
UCY
: I’m thinking of you too. I’m on the M.
D
RAKE
: Wish I was with you. I’ve been in meetings and have dinner with Ben tonight.
L
UCY
: Okay. Have fun. Going to go home and relax.
D
RAKE
: If I don’t get home late, I’ll call.
L
UCY
: Okay.
When I got home, I turned on the faucets to start a nice hot bubble bath. As I waited for the tub to fill, I poured a glass of white wine and set it on the tile ledge surrounding the tub.
My thoughts plagued me. I’d never thought about my parents so much since I left Colorado ten years ago. I didn’t even know if they were dead or alive, and sadly, I didn’t care much either way. To me, they were already dead.
Ever since I found out that Ben wanted to investigate me, I’d been freaked out. It was so hard to explain what happened when I was younger, but it was harder for people to understand.
Mason was the only one who knew my entire story. When I’d shared it with him, I was at an all-time low and extremely depressed. If I didn’t confide in someone, I was sure to have a nervous breakdown. Mace had always been there for me, but once he heard my story and didn’t judge me for it, we became family. He was the only person I had in my life that I truly loved.
I’d never forget that day. Mason had wanted to hop a plane and go after my parents once he’d learned what they’d done, but naturally, that wasn’t an option. Maybe Tina was right; maybe I could confide in Drake.
Thoughts scurried through my mind as the bubbles in my bath started to dissipate. After I drained the now-cool water and wrapped myself in my terrycloth robe, I meandered into the kitchen to refill my wineglass and make a small sandwich, which I devoured while standing over the sink.
As I stared at what was left of my wine, I wondered if I could fall in love with Drake. What a stupid thought; of course I could. I felt as if I already loved his mom and sister. They were so kind to me, but all the Prescotts were. I supposed that was what a real family was like—a supportive, non-judgmental group of people who loved you unconditionally.
I went to my room, set the wineglass on the nightstand, and slipped into a pair of cotton pajamas. My body was totally relaxed, but it was still too early to go to bed. Deciding I might as well get some work done, I pulled my papers from my tote bag and sat on my bed as I began to grade them.
My eyes were starting to close. It was only nine o’clock, but between the bath and the wine, I was exhausted. It didn’t help that my brain was going a mile a minute.
I needed to talk to Mason. He’d know what I should do.
• • •
When I woke up, the sun was shining. I picked up my phone from my nightstand and saw I’d missed a call from Drake last night. I was disappointed I didn’t talk to him, but I must have been really out if I didn’t hear my phone go off.
I didn’t bother to call him back since I was already running late, especially if I wanted to catch Mason before classes started. After a quick shower, I towel-dried my hair and scooped it up into a damp ponytail, and then twisted it into a bun that I fastened to the top of my head with a clip. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my keys and was out the door in a flash. Luckily for me, today was Mason’s day to grab coffee, so I didn’t need to worry about that.
I found Mason alone in the teachers’ lounge, looking over some math equations that resembled hieroglyphics.
“Is that new math?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
He chuckled. “No, it’s trigonometry.”
“I’m glad I had you to help me with my math homework in college, or I would have failed.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Thank you for this.”
“What’s up? You look frazzled.” He set his pencil down and pushed the papers aside.
“I overslept, but I wanted to talk to you about something.” Just as I was about to elaborate, a few other teachers strolled in, and it was almost time for the first bell to ring. “Want to go out for dinner with me?”
“Of course. I’ll pick you up around six. Will that work?” he asked as we got up and walked toward our classrooms.
“Great. Thanks, Mace.”
We parted ways and began our day, which dragged, of course, since I wanted it to end quickly. But it was standardized testing week, so we didn’t have full days after today. Thank God.
At six o’clock on the nose, Mason rolled up in front of my apartment in his Jeep. I was happy to see he had the top up since it looked as if it was going to rain.
“Hey, thanks for coming to get me,” I said as I hopped into the passenger seat.
“My pleasure.” He smiled at me and I began to relax. “I figured we’d go to the little French bistro we like near Reston. Is that okay?”
“Yes. That’s great.”
“You’re twirling your hair. You must be stressed.”
I dropped my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“What is it, Luce?”
His smooth tone calmed me, but I could tell he was concerned.
“I was going to wait until we got there, but I may as well start now.” After I cleared my throat, I said, “I’m thinking about telling Drake my story.”
Mason’s head snapped toward me and then back to the road. “Are you sure, Luce?”
“I’m falling for him, and he has a big election coming up. If I don’t tell him now and it comes out later, he could be screwed, and I could be . . . well, I’m not worried about me as much.”
We turned into the parking garage and walked into the restaurant. After we were seated and ordered our drinks, Mason had a troubled look on his face.
“You don’t think I should, do you?”
That conflicted look he wore said it all; he really couldn’t answer me or tell me what to do. He was struggling with this situation, just as I was.
“Mace.” I reached across the table and put my hand on his wrist. “I’m not asking you to tell me what to do; I’m just telling you what I’m thinking about doing.”
He nodded. “Drake is a great guy and if you trust him, then tell him. It’s just . . .” His hand raked through his floppy hair. “What happens if the wrong people find out? Are you prepared for that? You’ve worked so hard to protect yourself, but if it’s weighing on you, which I can see it is, you should tell him.”
“It just bothers me to keep it from him. I feel as if I’m being dishonest.” I took a sip of my iced tea and wished I’d ordered a cocktail.
Mason placed his hand on mine, which was still resting on his wrist. “No matter what you decide or what happens or doesn’t happen, I’ll always be here for you.”
“Thank you.”
I relaxed a little, feeling better already. We knew what we wanted to order, so I looked to my left to find our waiter, but instead my eyes caught Ben’s. I sucked in a quick breath of surprise as he looked at me and then to Mason.
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath, but Mason heard me and looked up to see what had upset me.