Jay was at my side helping me up. I pushed past him going after Mason. Mason picked up his water and tossed it in my direction.
I gasped at the cold water hitting me in the face. It crawled down the front of me, saturating my t-shirt. He didn’t stop there. Next he picked up a fork and whipped it past my head. It skidded into the kitchen and spun wildly across the tile.
Jay stared at Mason in disbelief, probably shocked things had gone this far. I was sure he was only toying with Mason. But he didn’t know what Mason was going through and he’d pushed him too far.
“Now, boys, let Gran out of here before we spin this into something we can’t go back on,” Benny said sternly, helping Gran out of the room.
“I’m sorry,” I told Gran as she passed by us.
She touched my arm and shook her head at me letting me know she wasn’t upset. I didn’t know how she saw this as okay, but she wasn’t mad.
I turned my attention back to Mason once Benny and Gran left the room. “What the hell did I ever do to you, Mason?” I asked, pulling at my hair in frustration. I was angry and hurt.
I pushed him into the wall, demanding an answer. I shoved him and tried to get him to look at me. Trying to get him to say something.
“If you want him, go for it. Take him upstairs and show him what Kendall can do and how well Aunt Wanda taught you,” he said, pushing me away from him.
I smacked him in the face again even harder this time, my hand burned with pain.
“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” I warned him, grabbing him by the collar.
Mason eyes were dark, nothing I had ever seen before. He was distant and cold. “Fuck you. Get the fuck out of my face.” He grabbed me by the throat and shoved me into the table, bending me over it, his body weighing me down and keeping me from getting away.
I had never seen Mason so angry before.
I screamed and kicked my feet, afraid of what he might do to me. He held me down, not letting me loose. Jay ripped Mason off of me.
“Whoa, easy now. I can’t let you do something stupid to her, Mason,” Jay said, nose to nose with him.
I sat up, rubbing my arm trying to figure out what was happening. Mason was losing it!
I decided I didn’t care what his problem was. I grabbed one of the useless forks from the table and before I knew what I was doing, I stabbed Mason in the arm, all my rage coming out of me in waves. I used every ounce of energy to push it deep into Mason’s flesh. He screamed in pain, shock overtaking his face.
I let go of the fork and picked up a plate and threw it at him. And then I took off out of the room.
JULY 15
TH
I WATCHED THE WAITER walk away with an empty tray poised perfectly in one hand. I wondered what I was doing going out in a public place when Mason and I were all over the news.
Jay cut through my racing mind. “You look amazing,” he said with a big smile. He took a sip of his overpriced beer.
I smiled and nodded, trying to choke down the disgusting wine I was politely drinking. I was enjoying being wined and dined for once in my life. I didn’t know if I’d get another chance.
“Thanks, Jay. This is a beautiful restaurant,” I said, taking in the dimly lit restaurant. There were twinkling candles on every table, soft music playing, and the chatter of everyone around us as they enjoyed their fancy meals.
“I can’t believe you’re the girl Mason was talking about all these years,” Jay said.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But I took it as a compliment. He was infatuated with me and I found it attractive.
I didn’t know how I felt about Jay’s interest in me. It seemed like no matter what I said or did, he still wanted me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what his intentions were. Plus, I was too wrapped up in watching my life unravel right before my eyes.
After my fight with Mason I was still angry. But the bond that Mason and I shared would never go away. I still cared for him very much. I could never hate him; he was the only one always by my side. He was going through the same thing I was and we handled our stress in different ways. I needed to be more understanding and deal with Mason in a better way.
Mason wasn’t the first person to ever make me feel horrible. And I knew he wasn’t going to be the last. It was no wonder I had no self-esteem left with the amount of people who’d flown in and out of my life. Mason was the one constant, so it made no sense to stay mad at him.
“I have a big surprise for you,” Jay said. He dropped his napkin on his plate and left a generous tip on the table.
I took his hand and we left the restaurant.
We were by the water, just the two of us. I hadn’t caught sight of another person and I was glad. Jay wrapped an arm around me as we walked the pier.
I wondered what he saw in such a stupid country girl.
“Are you cold?” he asked, removing his jacket.
I nodded and accepted his jacket, impressed with his nice manners. I didn’t think he had it in him.
I watched the water move lazily with the moon’s reflection dancing on the surface. Jay pulled my hair away from my face and planted a kiss on my cheek and then sat down next to me.
“Can I ask you something, Jay?” I leaned back against the wooden post.
“You can ask me anything,” Jay said, taking my hand. He squeezed it, waiting for me to ask what was on my mind.
“What do you want from me?”
His beautiful blues didn’t flutter and he didn’t have to think before giving me his answer. “Nothing. I just want to be near you.” He kissed me.
I enjoyed his kisses and the way his hands playfully slid through my hair.
“But I won’t be here for long. We do have to leave sooner or later,” I said, giving his lips another try.
Jay pulled away. He traced my bottom lip with his finger. “I wish you would stay with me. I could take care of everything. I just want to know you more.” His mouth found mine and I smiled at the soft nibble of my bottom lip. He grinned, waiting for me to say I felt the same way.
My mind was blank, I had nothing to say.
“Just tell me you feel the same way, Kendall, and I can make all your problems go away for you,” he said, his expression turning serious. He wasn’t joking.
I looked away, inhaling the fresh air. My heart was racing. Jay wanted to know me more. He thought I was beautiful and liked having me around.
The problem with what Jay wanted was none of it included Mason. And I wasn’t willing to hang Mason out to dry. I wasn’t selfish. I wouldn’t leave Mason to fend for himself. I could never be that cruel and heartless.
I tugged on the collar of his shirt and smiled at him.
“Why don’t you show me this surprise,” I asked. Surely this was enough to forget the conversation I didn’t want to have with him.
He took my hand, accepting defeat, and we headed further down the pier to one of the biggest boats I’d ever seen. The moonlight bounced off it as it bobbed around in the water. It was the kind of boat you would imagine celebrities rode in.
He helped me climb aboard.
Once I was seated, he opened a bottle of champagne. The sound of the popping cork echoed in the night.
“This is the surprise? To show me how disgustingly rich you are?” I laughed.
Jay sat down next to me, amused. “No, I was thinking the boat would be romantic. And if that didn’t work, I’d have to come up with some other way to persuade you to never leave me.”
I shook my head. He was certainly confident. “You’re really cocky. Sex can’t convince someone to want to be with somebody else. It’s just simply an added bonus,” I told him.