Page 53 of Sapphire Spring

“Coming back?”

Mason rested one hand against the folding table as if layingclaim to his territory. “Next Saturday. I gotta finish the job.”

“It’s probably going to take more than just one moreSaturday,” Leila said.

“It’ll take what it takes.” Mason locked eyes with Naser.“Right?”

“I guess so.” Naser swallowed.

Leila shook Mason’s hand. “Well, if I had a gold star badgefor office work, I’d pin it on you, Mr.Worther. Butall I’ve got are flyers and office supplies. Can I interest you in a ballpointpen? Maybe a legal pad?”

“He’s not in it for the paper products.” Naser held Mason’sstare without wavering, trying to determine if it was satisfaction or a challengein the man’s eyes. But all Naser could think was,Nowwhat? Are we done?

Apparently sensing the strange current of energy flowing betweenboth men, Leila moved to Naser, kissed him on the cheek, and brought her mouthto his ear. “Tamitoonibokonesh.”Then she was gone.

“What did she say?” Mason asked.

“She thinks you’re nice,” Naser said.

Roughly translated, she’d said,Youcan get it,but no way was he repeating that to Mason.

“Little does she know.” Mason grinned.

“Fair.”

Naser had not, for the life of him, expected Mason tocomplete a full three hours.

Instead, he’d expected a phone call full of seduction andcharm in which he tried to wiggle out of the last hour or two, setting thestage for another fiery argument, the kind Naser had been craving all morning.Arguing with Mason felt easier than having the guy flirt with him. Maybe theless Naser said now, the higher the chances Mason would punch the clock andthey’d be done, and Naser would escape this experience unscathed. Withoutgiving in to his burning desire to throw the lock on the door behind him, hithis knees, and take thebastard’scock down his throatright here, no matter the cost to his self-esteem.

Mason picked up his Starbucks cup and shook it in one hand.“I would have gotten you something, too, but I didn’t know when you’d be back.”

“We said three hours so...”

“Yeah, but I figured you’d come back before then.”

“Figured?”

Mason gave him a lazy grin. “Hoped.”

Naser wandered to the stack of pages. “What were they like?The files, I mean.”

“Tough.” Mason’s smile faded. “Anonymous, like Leila said.But from what I saw, there are a lot of reallyshittyparents out there.”

Suddenly, Naser was remembering those hateful texts fromPeteWorther, figured Mason was remembering someversion of them too. Then he noticed Mason staring at him, and his eyes shot tohis. “Can I ask you something?” Naser nodded, frightened by Mason’s grave look.“Did you ever call this place? You know, back when…”

Naser swallowed, but the hard lump at the back of his throatdidn’t go away. “Yes.”

The silence felt thick, like the air after a fire.

“About us?” Mason finally asked.

Naser nodded, wondering if that would be enough. From theway Mason stared at him, it wasn’t. “About you three. About a mother who couldsee what I was but didn’t want to talk about it. About the fact that CoachHarris slipped a flyer for an ex-gay clinic into my locker after the wholeemail debacle…and I kept it.”

“The flyer?”

Naser nodded. Another silence, this one heavier. Much morepainful.

“Why did you keep it?” The sudden wet sheen in Mason’s eyessuggested he knew.

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