Page 111 of Sapphire Spring

“We’ll figure it out,” Mason finally said.

“All right, kid.” She was fighting a catch in her voice.“Say yes where you want to say no, like you did with me.” She pulled him closeand kissed him on the cheek. The enormity of it all closed over him again. Nophone, no visitors until something called Family Week, and that was two weeksoff. And the wordfamilydidn’t exactly give him a warm, fuzzy feelingright now.

“Thanks for saving my life,” Mason whispered.

“If I could, I would in a heartbeat, but that’s going to beon you. Here.” Her second hug was fiercer, then she pulled away, head bowed,starting for the dirt parking lot nearby.

Suddenly he was alone with the guy whose name he couldn’tremember and the vast quiet of the woods all around them.

A few minutes later, they were walking through the clearingtoward one of the cabins.

When they stepped inside, the threadbare accommodations gavenew meaning to Shirley’s description of the place ashardcore. Severalbunks in a single room, a window unit AC in the far corner that looked moldyfrom years of disuse—the colder mountain temperatures probably meant it nevergot turned on. At least there were two private bathrooms—for five guys. And allthe beds looked occupied.

On the nightstand next to his bed, like a spartan welcomepackage, was a new copy of theBig Book of Alcoholics Anonymous,several workbooks of some sort, and a fresh new Mead spiral notebook with anunopened package of felt-tip pens resting on top. And most importantly, apaperback copy ofTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the very textShirley had accused him of ignoring the night before. The work he’d avoided doingfor days now was waiting for him.

Of the two other guys who rose to their feet when theyentered, one looked like he should be managing a small regional bank in theMidwest; the other was a long-haired rocker type whose shoulder-length hair wasseveral different colors of fading neon hues.

When they shook hands, Rock Star apologized for the factthat the colors in his hair were fading. “Fresh dye jobs aren’t exactly thepriority here,” he added with a sheepish grin. They were friendly enough, andafter the guy who’d admitted him left—Tony, he’d reminded Mason after it becameclear he’d forgotten—Mason sat there, feeling like it was another version ofhimself making polite conversation. The guys kept their questions simple andnot too invasive and gave him plenty of time to respond, their long, patientlooks telling him they’d been where Mason was just a few weeks or maybe a fewdays prior.

“Car accident?” Mr. Midwest said, while pointing to his faceto indicate Mason’s injuries.

“Best friend,” Mason answered.

They both nodded, as if a fistfight with one’s best friendwas a regular weekend where they came from, and for the first time, Masonthought he’d ended up in the right place.

Then he remembered the stunned and wounded look in Naser’seyes as he’d left Sapphire Cove, the way he’d gone rigid under Mason’s kiss,and he sank down onto his bed as if his bones weighed five times as much asthey had the day before. Remembered that when he’d asked Naser if he’d comevisit, Naser hadn’t said yes.

29

The only thing Naser loved as muchas his best friend was the comfortable, suburban house his best friend sharedwith Logan Murdoch. It was in a hilly section of Mission Viejo, a comfortabledistance from Sapphire Cove, and in the year since the two men moved in, it hadbecome Naser’s favorite refuge.

Several months of renovations had turned it into a delightfuljumble of Connor and Logan’s contrasting tastes. The kitchen, with its brightlytiled backsplashes and dusty gold drawer pulls, was all Connor. In the grassybackyard, the fire pit and stark stone fountain might as well have had Logan’sname carved into their bases.

The yard also sported a serene view of the wooded canyonbeyond. There, underneath a pergola threaded with string lights, Naser andConnor sat by the sputtering flames, wine glasses in hand.

Logan remained inside, puttering around thekitchenand watching television, giving them a respectfuldistance.

Nobody knew him better than Connor Harcourt. The reverse wastrue as well. And that’s why, a year before,in the midst ofthe endless drama that had marked Connor’s return to Sapphire Cove, Naser hadbarged into the hotel room where Connor had been staying and told him in nouncertain terms how he thought he was about to blow it with Logan. He didn’twant to take credit for keeping them together. He liked to think he’d helped,though. A little bit.

Whatever the case, ever since that night, Naser knew thathe’d laid himself open to a similar lecture should their roles ever bereversed.

And now they were.

Having finished the entire tale, Naser took a long,fortifying sip of rosé. “Speak, Blondie.”

Connor cleared his throat and set his glass on the rim ofthe fire pit. “Sowhen Mason asked you why you hadn’ttold him, you really thought he was accusing you of having some affair?”

“It felt like an accusation. Like he thought he had a rightto know. But…”

“But what?”

“You think I should have told him before?”

Connor nodded. “Not because he had some right to know.Soyou could see how he would react. Because you have aright not to be involved with someone who doesn’t think what Chadwick did toyou was a big deal. Because it was a big deal.”

Naser rolled his eyes before he could stop himself. “I wasbullied in high school. It’s part of my story, that’s all. A week with Mason,now everyone’s acting like it’s the whole story. I’m not interested in lettingChadwick Brody take over my life.”

“It was beyond bullying,Nas, whatChadwick did to you.” Connor’s gaze was so suddenly direct, his blue eyes sofull of intensity, Naser’s wine hand froze halfway to his mouth. “Look, itmeans a lot to me that you would trust me with this story, and I’ve done mybest to hold my tongue about it over the years. Really, I have. But this wasn’tsome tryst that went wrong. That man used sex to get you alone, vulnerable, andon your knees. Then he violently attacked you. That’s sexual assault, and it’sa crime. Last night, Mason saw that, and he reacted like someone who reallycares about you. And it’s the first time I haven’t wanted to push him off acliff.”

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