Page 68 of Sapphire Spring

Mason’s half smile flickered, turned into something thatlooked more like a wince. A secret had been exposed, after all, or maybe healways reacted to the mere mention of his dad’s name like it was a splash ofcold water in the face.

“They were mean.”

“My dad’s a tough customer. That’s for sure.”

Naser told himself to hold his tongue. He failed. “Yourdad’s mean, Mason. And he’s a homophobe.”

Mason didn’t drop his arm from Naser’s shoulders, and hedidn’t look away, but Naser could feel the tension coursing through every inchof the man’s body, and it made Naser’s heart race for the wrong reasons.

“All right, well, I’ve only been at this whole cleaning upmy life thing a week, so maybe give me some time before I work on myrelationship with the only family I’ve got.”

“I’m sorry. That’s not why I said it. I’m not trying topressure you. I’m just…has he always been like that? I mean, was he like thatwhen we were in high school?”

Mason nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Soif that’s how you were beingtreated at home, maybe it’s no wonder why you were…”

Silence now except for the sputtering of the grill and thepounding surf.

He’d gone too far. Another few moments and Mason would askhim to leave, which would be epically unfair given his earlier tears and thefact that Naser had stuck around. And a bad sign that, like Naser’s footfetish, authenticity was a one-way street in MasonWorther’snew and improving life. Or it would mean Naser, once again, had phrased hisconcern for another person in a sweeping manner that gathered up too many sharpjudgments along the way—which is what his sister accused him of weekly.

“He never raised a fist to me,” Mason finally said. “Never spankedme when I was a kid. Never touched me, really. But I guess that’s why I alwaysput up with it. Because I was afraid if I didn’t, the fist was next.”

“I’m pretty sure you could take him now.”

Mason’s laugh was a quiet little huff. “And where would thatleave us? We’re the only family the other’s got.Apparentlyhis dad was a real son of a bitch. Died when he was young. I think hedidget hit a bunch. He doesn’t want to talk about it. But every now and then he’llsay,Youshould feel lucky I’m not yourgrandfather. Never met the guy so I can’t say. Steaks are ready.” Theannouncement at the end sounded deliberately abrupt, a rushed attempt to closeoff this painful line of inquiry.

Even though he didn’t want to, Naser withdrew, sat in anempty chair, and watched Mason’s every move as the man headed back inside tofetch thevegetableshe’d stir-fried earlier then setto warm in the electric wok on the kitchen counter.

A few minutes later, they were eating, the only soundsbetween them the clinks of silverware and ocean waves.

“And your mom?” Naser finally asked. “Is she in thepicture?”

“Try Greece. Or Dubai. Last text Igot,I think she was in Rome. She’s always cruising the world with the boyfriend ofthe moment. They were only together for a hot minute. As long as it took themto figureoutI was too much pressure on a Vegaswedding that already wasn’t working. My mothers were nannies and housekeepers.And then later, my friends’ moms.”

Naser bit back a comment about how he hoped Chadwick Brody’smother wasn’t evil like her son.

Things got quiet.

Naser wanted to pretend it was a relaxed silence, acomfortable one, but it wasn’t.

The topic of PeteWortherhadplunged Mason into deep, dark reflection.

When he was done, Mason leaned back from his plate andsuppressed a belch, and Naser was surprised to find no judgment or coldness inhis eyes. And something about this casual moment seemed more momentous than theother things they’d done—the two of them sitting together on this intimatepatio that felt like it was perched at the edge of the world. How was thispossible? How was this his life? How had they become these people, these men?The answer seemed to lie in the fact that they’d always been these people deepdown, and the hands of fate had decided to start jostling them loose.

“It was too far, wasn’t it?” Naser finally asked.

“Searching my phone?”

“What I said about your dad.”

“I made your life a living hell for three years. I’m notsure I’m in a place to start demanding apologies yet.”

“Okay, let’s not go crazy. My life wasn’t aliving hellbackthen.”

Mason took a slug of sparkling water, as if Naser’s refusalto accept the assessment was a challenge he had no choice but to meet. “Fine. Itook the way I felt about you and turned it into something wrong. Somethinghurtful. How’s that?”

It was a description so perfect, Naser wasn’t sure what to say.He could only nod.

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