MASON SHRUGGED AT THEwoman behind the counter, who shook her head.
“She’s crazy, that one.” She nodded toward Harper’s car for emphasis.
Mason forced a tight grin through his embarrassment. “We’re just friends,” he said, though no one had asked.
The clerk looked skeptical. “Uh-huh.” She turned her head away, mumbling under her breath.
Mason was glad he couldn’t understand the words. He was pretty sure they weren’t complimentary. He rubbed the back of his neck again. It felt hot, and though he shouldn’t have been surprised by her rejection, it still stung. He’d been hot and cold, sending her mixed messages and Harper had just set down the boundary of not being willing to deal with that.
Good for her,he thought. She deserves better.
He gathered what was left of his breakfast and walked out the door to his parked truck, but his mind was still with Harper. She did deserve better. She deserved a man who would worship the ground she walked on. One who had the time and money to smother her with attention and bask in her presence.
Mason wanted to be that man, but he couldn’t. “Which is exactly why you need to let her go,” he snapped as he practically tore his truck door off. The hinges protested his rough treatment and Mason purposefully slowed down. An expensive repair right now wouldn’t help his Find Aimee budget.
He pulled out onto the road, turning up the radio to keep his mind occupied, but after two minutes, he turned it back down. His head was beginning to pound and everything sounded like noise. He had about a half hour drive until he reached the market and Mason dreading every bit of it.
Normally these events were his creative outlet and chance to shake things up a little, but today he felt as if a dark cloud had settled over him. His brain and his heart were in a war and it was messing him up inside.
He liked Harper...a lot, but wasn’t in a position to have her.
That was it. End of story. It shouldn’t be this hard to get it settled in his mind. His time for a relationship would come, it just wasn’t right now.
He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. He had never been bitter toward his sister until the last few weeks and he didn’t like it. Aimee didn’t deserve his disdain any more than Harper his preoccupation.
“Seems like you’re just letting down all the women in your life,” he muttered. A buzzing sound pulled him from his self inflicted misery and Mason pushed the speaker button. “Yeah?”
“You sound like you’re driving, Sasquatch,” Crew teased. “Don’t tell me you’re heading to another one of those artsy shows.”
Mason rolled his eyes, but was grateful for his brother’s interruption. He and his thoughts weren’t getting along at the moment. “Whattya need, Shorty?” Mason asked. Crew wouldn’t be consider short by anyone’s standards, but when they were younger, Mason had needed something to respond to his own childhood nickname.
“Can’t I just call my brother to say hello?”
“You could,” Mason drawled. “But I know you better than that.”
Crew chuckled. “Fair enough.” He cleared his throat. “But seriously, did I catch you at a bad time? You really do sound like you’re driving.”
“I’m on my way to one of those artsy shows,” Mason confirmed. “You know, the ones where I wield a chainsaw and turn wood into a cool animal?”
“Hmm...” Crew responded. “I thought those were the ones where you sprinkled yourself with man glitter.”
Even Mason had to laugh at that one. “I’ve got a few minutes,” he finally said. “What do you need?”
Crew’s voice grew a little quieter. “Just wondering if you’d heard anything lately.”
Mason’s shoulders drooped. “I wouldn’t keep something like that from you,” he assured his brother. “If I find out something, you’ll be the first person I call.”
“I know, but I just...” Crew sighed. “Sorry. I know you wouldn’t hide something from me, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder what’s going on. Why has she been so hard to find?”
Mason didn’t answer. There was nothing to say. Nothing that would make them feel better. The only possible explanation was that she had somehow died, but even then, Mason felt sure that they should have been able to find the record. Unless she was a Jane Doe.
He shook his head, refusing to even consider the idea. If Aimee was dead, they would figure it out. Otherwise...well, she was just really good at keeping their mother at bay.
“Sorry,” Crew muttered, taking Mason’s silence as a scolding. “I guess it’s just been a difficult couple of days and I’m letting it get my mind churning.”
“What’s the matter?” Mason asked, trying to lighten the mood. “A kid bite your finger off?” Crew was a dentist, specializing in pediatrics, though he saw all ages.
“You should see where they tried to sew it back on.” Crew laughed. “It’ll make a great scar. Maybe I’ll catch up to you one of these days.”
Mason chuckled at the reminder. He had quite a few scars from when he was first learning to carve wood, including one just like what Crew described after Mason nearly lost his finger.
His mother had fainted and eventually swore he would never be allowed to carve again, but Mason just made sure she wasn’t around when he did it after that. Now as an adult, living in a state his mother called uncivilized, he did what he wanted and didn’t worry about hiding it, but there had been a few close moments during his teenage years.
“I thought you told me chicks dig scars,” Mason said without thinking. The comment immediately brought to mind the woman he would want to share those scars with. He cursed in his head. Those blue eyes were going to be the death of him.
“After this heals, I’ll put it to the test,” Crew replied, completely unaware of Mason’s turmoil. “You haven’t exactly been a shining example in the dating department.”
“Yeah, well...” Mason didn’t have a good comeback for that one. His mother constantly called him a hermit. She had no idea of his other activities. Crew might know what Mason spent his time and money on, but he didn’t realize it was the very thing keeping Mason from moving forward with his own life.
Patience,he reminded himself. Someday it’ll all work out. And when it does, you’ll find someone who makes you feel even better than Harper does.
“Yeah, well...” Crew imitated in a sarcastic tone. “Fess up, Sasquatch. Your appetite just terrifies all the women in that tiny town of yours.”
“You got me,” Mason said, praying his brother bought the false cheer.
“Well...when you do find that special someone who finally makes enough money to keep you fed, be sure and let me know,” Crew continued.
“Why’s that?”
“Haven’t you ever heard that the oldest has to fall first?” Crew said. “I’m not going anywhere until you test out this love thing and prove it won’t kill me.”
Mason grinned. His brother’s sense of humor was helping. “We might both die bachelors if that’s the case,” Mason warned.
Crew snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”