Page 45 of Fallen Hearts

“Let me know if you need anything.”

Besides you?

“Will do.”

I reluctantly pulled myself away from Mason and back to my mom and sister. “Okay, so here’s the scoop. We’re all going to stay here for the weekend since my apartment is tiny. You two will take rooms over there.” I pointed toward the inn section of Heritage Hill. “And I’m going to stay here in the main house. That way,” I said to Soph, “we can have a late-night wine with the kitchen close by.”

“Or two or three wines?” she asked.

“Your mother would like to be invited to the late-night wine session too,” Mom said.

“Sure. We’ll just drag you from the bed where you’ll be snoring after three seconds of watching the Hallmark channel over to my room. And also, you don’t like wine,” I pointed out.

“True,” she admitted.

“Ladies,” Mason called from where I’d left him. “Welcome to Heritage Hill, and Cedar Falls. I’m sure I’ll see you around this weekend.”

“Thank you, Mason,” my mother said sweetly as he left.

The second he did, both Soph and my mother started in.

“Holy shit, Pia. He’s gorgeous.”

“Watch your mouth, Soph,” my mother said. “But she’s right. He really is. Does he have a girlfriend?”

“Have you two hooked up? I’m picking up some vibes.” Sophia picked up her overnight bag.

“No. No. And knock it off,” I answered. “Come on. I’ll show you two ying-yangs to your rooms and will try to make a reservation at a restaurant you’ll love for tonight. Or tomorrow, if I can’t get it tonight.”

“Italian?” my mother asked, as if there wasn’t any other kind of food.

“No, Creole.”

Her face was priceless.

“Trust me, you’ll love this place.”

As we walked toward the hallway that connected the main house and the inn, neither of them let up about Mason, asking question after question. Thankfully, neither one of them asked pointedly if I liked himin that way, because I didn’t make it a habit to lie to my family. And the answer was yes.

I did.

16

MASON

“Beck still sleeping?” Parker asked, handing me a coffee. He was an early riser, like me. Some habits were hard to break, and waking up before the crack of dawn in the army was one of them.

“What do you think?”

He sat at the kitchen island, pushing his stool in close. “I think he’s not the only one sleeping upstairs this morning, a fact that hasn’t eluded you, I’m sure.”

“I never should have admitted anything to that asshole.”

“Oh, okay.” Parker laughed. “Because otherwise I had no fucking clue. Come on, man.”

Glaring at him did absolutely no good. Unlike the perps I dealt with, ones who weren’t accustomed to bracelets and could be intimidated into behaving, my old friend couldn’t give a shit.

“Like I told Beck, it doesn’t matter. I’m her boss, and it wouldn’t be right.”

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