Page 44 of Sapphire Spring

“I’m not trying to buy anything. I’m trying to make thisright.”

Naser swallowed and looked to the paper again as if he thoughthis eyes were deceiving him. “Okay, well, obviously nothing’s final until mysister countersigns.”

“I’ll be here if anyone has questions.”

“Proof of funds would be nice.”

“You saw the house.”

Naser stood. “It’s not your house. I did a title check.”

Mason laughed breathily. “Well, you’re good at your job. Ican have proof of funds to you by the end of the week.”

“Good. I’m not saying a word to her until after then. Idon’t want to get her hopes up.”

Naser turned and headed for the door. Mason figured hisspeed was an effort to conceal any evidence of his gratitude.

“Naser.”

He stopped, fingers resting on the knob. They both seemedfrozen by knowledge that if Naser opened the door even a crack before they weredone talking, he might let some of Mason’s secrets spill out into the world.

“What was the worst thing we did?” Mason asked as gently ashe could.

Mason prepared himself for another verbal strike. But whenNaser turned to him, head slightly bowed, he saw the man was struggling to swimthrough a sea of painful memories, struggling to get his arms around onewithout drowning, and the twist in Mason’s gut felt almost as bad as ahangover.

“Honestly, a few years ago I would have said the worst thingwas that letter to Coach Harris. But in the end, it kind of worked out. Harrisgot a slap on the wrist for how he handled it, and a year later he was bustedfor dealing steroids to students and went to jail. But the thing you guys didto my PE locker that time, when you banged the lock toshitwhile I was in the shower so that I couldn’t even get it to open, that wasprobably the worst.

“I was so afraid to walk across campus with no clothes on Imissed a test. And I failed it. Because I wouldn’t tell the teacher the truth.That I’d been so freaked out I hid in the locker room for three whole classperiods until a janitor showed up. If I had to do it over again, I would haveput on a stiff upper lip and—I don’t know—held paper towels over myself orsomething. But I was fifteen, and I was ashamed of my body because I was afraidof what my body wanted. It’s why I used to always shower after the other boys.And you guys knew all that, and that’s why you did it.”

“Three hours,” Mason said suddenly.

“That’s what I said.”

“No. For three hours, the time you spent trapped in thatlocker room, I will do whatever you want, however you want, wherever you want.”

Naser glanced at the door behind him. “I have to go towork.”

“Not right now. We’ll set a time. This weekend, maybe. How’sSaturday?” Mason reached into his desk drawer and pulled out one of hisbusiness cards. “My cell’s on there. Text me and I’ll be there, and I’ll do whateveryou want for three hours.”

Naser took the card as if he thought it might be hot to thetouch. “Within reason, I take it.”

“Your words, not mine.” Mason’s voice had gone husky beforehe could control it.

Naser shook his head. His mouth opened. He stared at thebusiness card as if it were an invitation to scandal and ruin.

“One p.m.,” Naser finally said. “I’ll pick you up.”

“One p.m.,” Mason said.

Then Naser was gone, and Mason was smiling like an idiot athis desk.

15

“This is a most intriguing and complexsituation, and all possibilities must be weighed.”

Brow furrowed, lips pursed, Jonas Jacobs stirred his icedginger tea. It was Sapphire Cove’s signature drink, served in a tall, slenderglass frosted with the hotel’s logo. Typically, Naser and Jonas enjoyed apitcher around lunchtime in their offices, not out on the pool deck. Seniorstaff were only permitted to take their meals in the hotel’s public spaces whenentertaining outside vendors and contractors. But Naser had obtained specialpermission from Gloria so he could treat Jonas to a nice meal—a make-good forbeing difficult around Pari’s event and then abandoning him in the middle ofit. They’d originally planned a Tuesday breakfast, but when Naser’s cardealership called and asked him to move up his maintenance visit by one day,the change had allowed them to schedule a proper lunch on Wednesday.

Today was one of those rare instances when the morningmarine layer had failed to burn off as the day wore on, obscuring the tops ofthe nearby hills and turning the usually blue ocean slate gray, allowing themto remove their sunglasses halfway through their chicken salads.

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