Page 62 of Hypnotized By Love

“He stayed in the waiting room all night.”

That didn’t make any sense. “I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t. That’s part of the problem.”

I grasped at the only thing that made sense. “Out of guilt?”

“You got yourself drunk and fell off the trellis all by your lonesome,” she scoffed. “What does he have to feel guilty for?”

“I have an actual list.”

“He was worried about you.”

“You know, he showed up really late to our prearranged hang last night. You don’t get to do that and then not feel guilty about it when the other person who was waiting for you gets drunk and maims themselves.”

“You’re not maimed. You’re fine. Elevation and ice, and I’ll make sure that you’re doing it, so don’t think you’re getting out of healing up properly.”

My heart was still racing from the casual news she’d just shared with me and from how close I’d come to being caught in a potentially compromising situation.

What right did Mason have to be all kind and caring and stay up all night in a waiting room? He wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t even a friend, despite his assertion to the contrary.

What if he’d come in to say goodbye and had stuck around? There were so many ways this could have blown up in my face.

All Vivian had to do was see me and Mason together and my career, which I’d fought really hard for, would be over.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

No matter what.

My mentor had told me to avoid giving the Board any further ammunition. Mason Beckett wasn’t just ammunition. He was a full-blown nuclear warhead who could detonate my entire life.

For the last few days, I’d done as Sierra had asked and rested. I spent my time reading and doing my online appointments and my schoolwork. It was actually nice to be able to escape the real world for a little while.

I had thought that Mason would have at least reached out to me, but he hadn’t.

On Sunday evening Sierra came into my room. “My ankle’s elevated!” I told her. She’d been checking up on me constantly. I actually felt fine and had been walking around with absolutely no issues, but I didn’t tell her that part. “I’m feeling better, you know.”

“Good. I’m sure you’ll be okay to go back into the office tomorrow.”

“That’s the plan,” I said.

“Hey, guess who’s coming to dinner?”

“Sidney Poitier?”

She gave me a blank look. “I don’t understand your reference.”

“Do a Google search, Sierra. That was funny.”

“If your joke involves me having to look something up online, then it’s not actually funny.”

“So I’m guessing the answer to your riddle is Nana?” She came over every Sunday night, and she was one of my favorite people in the whole world.

“Nope. Try again.”

“Who?” I asked suspiciously, because she sounded strange.

“Heather and Mason.”

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