Ben sauntered up to our table, looking a bit like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. “Hello, Ms. Washburn.” His tone was sarcastic and snarky.
Wonderful. Does he think I’m on a date?
He turned to Mason. “And you are?”
Mason stood and towered over Ben’s short frame by at least six inches. “Mason. And who are you?”
“Ben. I’m Senator Prescott’s campaign manager. He’s going to love to meet you.” His lips twisted into a snide grin.
“Oh, is Drake coming tonight? It would be great to see him again.” When Ben’s face paled, Mason leaned a little closer to him, crowding his personal space. “We’re friends. Didn’t you know that?”
“Well, I need to go,” Ben said, frowning. “Nice to meet you, Mason.” He gave me a curt nod. “Ms. Washburn.” Then he hurried back to his table.
“What a tool that guy is.” Mason sat down and took a long pull of his beer.
“He’s another reason why I want to come clean. If that man digs enough, he can find out and tell Drake before I do. Ever since I met him, I’ve felt as if he’s had it out for me. It’s unnerving.”
Our waiter stopped by our table to take our food orders, but my appetite was gone, so I just ordered a salad.
When the waiter stepped away, Mason studied me for a moment. “You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?”
I almost dropped my glass. Was I? No. It’s too soon; I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. “What makes you say that?”
“We’ve known each other our entire adult lives, and never once have you mentioned your past, aside from the first time you told me. We don’t discuss it. Ever. Truth be told, I haven’t thought about it since that night.” Mason wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Just you thinking about it tells me you have deep feelings for him.”
Thoughts about that night in our past brought back such memories. We’d been hanging out in Mason’s dorm room, cramming for an exam I had the next day. We were beat, so we’d lain down in his bed. Nothing sexual happened, but he kissed me on the forehead and said, “I’ll always be here for you, and not just to help you with calculus. You’re important to me, Lucy.”
That was when the dam broke and the waterworks had started. I didn’t have anyone else but Mason. And when I started crying, he didn’t pull away from me, flustered like most guys would be. Instead, he’d pulled me closer and held me, and that was when I told him my secret. After I’d told him the whole story, Mason vowed never to share it or even mention it unless I did.
And now, here we were talking about it.
Mason pushed his plate to the side. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m remembering the night I told you.”
He sobered, his eyes incredibly sad. “I’ll never forget that as long as I live.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “I’d be lost without you, Mace.”
When a single drop fell to slide down my cheek, Mason stood up and came around to my side of the table to pull me into a hug.
“You have me forever. I promise you that. I love you, Lucy.” His strong hand rubbed my back.
“I love you too.”
“Hi. Am I interrupting?”
Even with my back to him, I knew who that was. I released Mason, straightened my spine, and wiped my tears. Slowly I turned toward Drake, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I reached out and hugged him.
He held on to me and stroked my hair. “Are you okay, Lucy?” He pulled back and cupped my cheeks, wiping away my slow-flowing tears with the pads of his thumbs. My hands were still gripping the back of his shirt.
“Yes. I’m fine.” I sniffed. “Mace and I were reminiscing, and I got a bit nostalgic.”
Then it hit me. Why was Drake here? Did Ben call him?
Drake reached around me and shook Mason’s hand. “Good to see you, Mason.”
“You too, Drake. What brings you to Reston?”
Thank God he asked the question I was wondering.
“Ben called and asked me to meet him for a drink, and since I didn’t have anything planned tonight, I agreed. Did you guys see him?”
My blood was boiling. “Yes. We saw him. He came up to our table earlier.” I couldn’t help the sharpness in my tone. I was furious. What the hell was with that guy?
Drake’s brows lowered and he looked toward the bar, where Ben was talking to another man in a suit. “He did, did he?”
“Yes. Didn’t he tell you that I was here having dinner with another man? Maybe wanting me to get caught in the act?”
Drake shook his head. “Lucy, I really don’t think that was his intention.”
I bit my lip, frustrated with Drake. As smart as he was, he was blind when it came to Ben.
Mason went back to his side of the table and offered an empty chair. “Have a seat, Drake.”
Once we were all seated, I told Drake, “I’m sorry, but I don’t like him, and I know he doesn’t like me.”
“Babe, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.” He looked to Mason and then back to me. “I really didn’t mean to interrupt you two. It seemed pretty . . . intense.”
When Mason excused himself to go to the men’s room, Bless him for being so astute, I turned to Drake. “What did you hear?”
He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I heard you tell Mason you loved him. Then I heard him tell you the same.”
“I do love Mason. But I’m not in love with him, nor is he in love with me. There was a time in my life when I was alone and he was there for me. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” I licked my lips, which tasted salty thanks to my tears. “Do you understand?”
He nodded. “Yes. He’s your family.”
My lips curved into a smile. “Yes, he is.”
“I don’t want to barge in on your night, so I’m going to go have a word or two with my headstrong campaign manager.” Drake stood and then knelt next to my chair. “I’m falling for you, Lucy, and all I can wish for is that you’re feeling the same way. I’ll never want to take Mason’s place. He holds a special spot in your heart, and I get that. I just hope your heart will make room for me.”
Our eyes locked, and the rest of the room seemed to fade away until it was just the two of us.
“It doesn’t need to make room for you,” I said softly, “because you already occupy a large piece of it.”
He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips as Mason came back to the table. Drake stood, and they shook hands. He leaned close to say something to Mason privately, and then left.
My curiosity was killing me. Leaning over the table, I whispered, “What did he say?”
Mason grinned. “He told me he was glad you had me.”
We both looked over at Drake, who appeared to be scolding Ben. Then Drake turned to me, winked, and walked out of the restaurant with Ben.
“He’s a good guy, Luce.”
“Yeah. He is.”
CHAPTER 12
~ Drake ~
Fumes. That was what was coming out of my ears when I dragged Ben out of the restaurant. “Are you kidding me, Ben? Please tell me you didn’t call me down here because of Lucy.”
He put up his hands in defense. “Look, I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“A favor?” I spun around, ready to pull my hair out, but instead I rested my hands on my hips and dropped my head. “Did you honestly say a favor?”
My fingers gripped my hips, preventing me from grabbing him by the shirt collar and hoisting him up against the building. “I’m going to say this once.” I took a step forward, which forced him to look up. “Don’t you ever play these games with me and Lucy again! Do you hear me? NEVER. DO. THIS. AGAIN.”
Having had my say, I retreated a step, doing my best to calm my temper.
Ben glared up at me. “Pardon me for caring about your career. You’re losing your edge. Have you seen the poll numbers? Grissett is catching up to you. Get your head back in the game, or we’re both going to be out of a job.”