Made to Love (20 page)

“Not at all. You should join us.”

Marly didn’t even need to see the look on Nikki’s face to know she was just being nice for Mason’s sake. The clipped tones in her response were telling enough. “No, thank you. Right now, I feel like a hot bath. Have fun.”

“Okay.” Mason watched her stride away quickly. She immediately felt the energy change around them. There was just something about Marly that warmed everything up. Finally, she shook her head and shot Nikki a smile. “Let me get cleaned up.”

“Hurry, I’m starving.” Nikki slipped her arm through Mason’s. “I think you need to be careful around her.”

“Who?”

“Marly.” Nikki brushed her fingernails up Mason’s arm. “I don’t like the way she looks at you. She’s interested in more than friendship.”

“I can promise you she doesn’t want anything more from me than I do from her.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Huh?” Mason stopped and turned Nikki around to face her. “What are you getting at?”

“You two seem a little close. That’s all.”

Mason ran a hand through her hair. “If you have a problem with our friendship, just say it. This beating around the bush is driving me crazy.”

“I just want to make sure your heart is in the right place…with me. Sometimes, I think Marly tests that.”

“Are you asking me not to be friends with her?”

“No, not at all.” Nikki tilted her head and regarded Mason thoughtfully. “Unless you think it’s best to do that.”

“It was a hug…of gratitude. I’ve been struggling with that piece for weeks, and she helped me work it out.” Mason stomped up the steps. “You don’t see me throwing a fit about your phone calls.”

Nikki opened her mouth to reply then clamped it shut. She knew she was overstepping her b
ounds. But she saw the way Marly looked at Mason. There was nothing friendly about it. It bothered her more that Mason’s face shone when she was around Marly. She couldn’t figure out what Marly had that she didn’t. She was Nikki-fucking-Castellanos. By the time she finished that train of thought, Nikki was good and pissed. She took the steps two at a time. “Tell me this. Am I not enough for you that you have to go cavorting around with awkward Annie behind my back?"

“Whoa, hold on. I haven’t cavorted or done anything else behind your back with her.” Mason opened the screen door and stopped halfway inside. “You want me to limit my time with Marly
, end the calls with Katherine. Otherwise, this conversation is done.”

Nikki watched Mason fume away. She had a point. She had no right demanding that of her, without offering the same. She waved her hand in front of her face, suddenly flushed. It was the first time she’d seen Mason the remotest bit
angry, and it was sexy as all get out. Nikki had to admit this side of Mason really turned her on. The sad thing was it reminded her of all her old girlfriends treating her like shit, and how pathetic it was that Nikki found that attractive. “God, I’m such a mess.”

Mason slammed the bathroom door shut and stripped her sweaty clothes off. She wrenched the water on with more force than she should have. The nerve of Nikki questioning her feelings or calling Marly out for something that obviously wasn’t there. Mason clenched her fists and shook angrily. Finally calm, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes never lied. That much was certain. Buried deep beneath the rolling blue waves was a glimmer of something else. Truth. Nikki had no right to question her feelings or her friendships, but maybe she did see that Mason was keeping something from her.
And unless she figured a way to get over it, it would keep Mason from committing completely to Nikki.

Mason needed time to collect her thoughts. She drained the
hot-water heater and then some before she turned off the tap. Still, there was so much running around her head. So many jumbled thoughts she could sort into a tidy space. She didn’t like chaos. At least not inside her head. And she certainly didn’t like arguing. It reminded her of her life with her mother. Mason skirted around quarreling when she could. It made her uneasy and tense. She wanted to run away and hide and hope when she came back to reality, things would be settled again.

Nikki wrung her hands and waited for Mason to be done. She’d had time to think about her words. Her demands, really. Ones she had no place making. She knew if she didn’t watch herself, she stood to lose the sweetest woman she’d ever dated. Unable to wait any further, she stopped in front of the bathroom door and lifted her hand to knock just as Mason opened the door. “Oh. Hi. I wasn’t sure if you were still alive in there.”

“Barely.” Mason rubbed her towel through her hair. “I…”

“I’m…” Nikki laughed nervously as they both started speaking at the same time. “You go first.”

Normally, Mason would allow the other person to voice their thoughts before her, but this time, she jumped at the opportunity to get things off her chest. “Listen, I was wrong. I understand why you are concerned. You’ve been cheated on before. I should have respected those feelings.”

“And I was wrong. I should trust you. I shouldn’t automatically assume that just because I see something that may or may not be there, that you will act on it. That’s unfair to you and doesn’t say much about your character.” Nikki bit her nail anxiously. This was the part where she would normally be told how stupid she was for worrying, or how naïve she was for believing that love equates to faithfulness.

Mason draped the towel around Nikki’s shoulders and pulled her in close. “Promise me this. You won’t punish me for something another woman did to you, and I’ll promise that if, and that’s a big IF, another woman is interested in me, I’ll put her in her place. Deal?”

Nikki kissed Mason’s chin and nodded her head like an innocent child. She slid her arms around Mason’s waste and sighed softly. “How did I get so lucky to get you?”

Mason shrugged. “Guess someone must think you deserve it.”

Nikki hugged Mason tightly, resting her head on Mason’s shoulder. She tried to agree, but she wasn’t sure she did deserve it. Nothing more had been said about Katherine’s phone calls. The problem with that was Nikki wasn’t sure she wanted them to end. She smiled smugly at the idea that Katherine wasn’t happier with her latest conquest. She pushed the nagging feeling of guilt to the deep recesses of her mind. If she and Mason had a discussion again and opted for a more permanent dating arrangement, she would address the issue then. For now, casual seemed to be the order of the day
, and she was just fine with casual.

Chapter 14

Mason popped the lid down on the trash can and started back inside. She paused ever so briefly as her eyes followed the trail her head was already on. Marly’s house was dark except for a light in the kitchen. Mason pondered making the short trip between yards. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Marly in several weeks since she’d come back home. It wasn’t because she was too busy. No, it seemed as though Marly was trying hard to avoid her. Mason couldn’t figure out why. They’d had a good afternoon the day of the orchid. She was excited to see her friend, ready to turn on the charm and convince her to stay, but the opportunities never came. It nagged Mason more than just a little that she was being blown off and didn’t deserve it. She rolled her eyes and almost said screw it before her feet started moving on their own. “Fuck it.”

Marly dropped the photo album in irritation. She eyed her watch, noting it was well past the hour a decent person would be bothering her. The knock on the back door meant it could only be one person. She threw it open with more force than she intended and cursed when it hit the table with a loud bang. “Jesus, Mason. It’s after ten o’clock. What is so damned important that you have to pound the door down?”

Mason smiled self-consciously. Somehow, the idea of just showing up on Marly’s doorstep sounded much more sensible thirty seconds ago. “I have a very important bible scripture to share with you about your future.”

Marly snorted out loud. “Funny. I’m sure that I’m beyond saving.”

“Nonsense.” Mason leaned on the doorjamb. “God loves all his children.”

“Oh God, shut up and bring your Jehovah’s Witness ass inside.” Marly shut the door behind them. “Seriously, why are you here? Is something wrong?”

“There’s something very wrong.” Mason pulled out a chair and sat down without an invite. “I lost something. I thought you might have it. It’s about five-foot-six, brown hair, brown eyes, usually answers to the name Marly. I have posters all over town with her face, but I haven’t had any luck finding her.”

By the time Mason was done with her spiel, Marly’s arms were crossed and the look she shot Mason would take down even the toughest butch. “Are you done?”

“Depends. Are you done avoiding me?” Mason pinned Marly with a hard stare, daring her to deny the question.

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” Marly grabbed two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Mason. She opened hers and
gulped half of the bottle before she set the bottle down. “I got the feeling from our last visit that my presence wasn’t welcome.”

Mason pushed the unopened bottle aside. “Not from me.”

Marly sighed loudly. “I don’t think Nikki likes me very much. I figured I would respect the relationship you two have and not butt in where I wasn’t welcome.”

“Nikki isn’t the boss of me.”

Marly smiled despite herself. Mason sounded like a petulant child. “I’m not saying she is, but I know what the score is. Look, I like you and I value the friendship we have, but ultimately, friendship comes second to a relationship. Even I know that.”

“You honestly believe that bullshit?” Mason picked at the label distractedly. “Nikki knows your friendship is important to me and not one that I will give up, unless you don’t want it. Then there’s nothing I can do but accept it.”

“I don’t want that.” Marly lowered her eyes. She couldn’t face the accusation in Mason’s glare. She already hated the distance she’d put between them. Fortunately, until tonight, Mason hadn’t called her out on it. It wouldn’t matter soon. She hadn’t said so, but the house was going on the market, and as soon as it sold, Marly would disappear again.

Mason realized she would get no further with Marly on the subject. She nodded toward the album on the table. “What are you doing?”

“Clearing out the attic. I found a box of old picture albums Mom had stashed up there.” She flipped it around and motioned for Mason to open it up. “It’s just me as a baby. I didn’t realize Mom had so many pictures of me.”

Mason finally opened her beer and flipped to the first page. She took a quick sip as she looked through pictures of Marly from the hospital. She scanned half the album before she looked up. “You look like your dad.”

“I know. I forgot that fact until I found the pics.”

“You do have your mom’s eyes, though. I could always tell what she was thinking. But with you, you’re way more guarded. I don’t know where your head is.”

Marly eyes danced vaguely. “It’s a protection. It keeps me from getting hurt.”

“Nikki thinks she can read you.”

The phrase slipped out so nonchalantly that a bystander wouldn’t see the hidden subtext, but Marly knew that there was more to Mason’s statement than she let on. “Lucky girl, since she doesn’t like me.”

“Don’t you want to know what she thinks she saw?”

“Not particularly.” Marly held her breath for several beats. She could not care less what Nikki thought. The only person she cared about was Mason. And if she was daft enough to miss what Marly was struggling to hide, then Marly wasn’t going to tell her.

“She thinks you have a thing for me.” Mason studied Marly’s face so closely she missed the slight shake in her hand. “I told her she was crazy.”

Marly forced a laugh. “Totally crazy. We’re just friends. Everyone knows that.”

“Yeah, sure. Everyone knows that.” Mason hid her disappointment. She wasn’t sure what she expected when she called Marly out. “I set her straight anyway.”

“Good.” Marly hid behind her bottle. She mentally chided herself for lying, all the while knowing that the truth would only hurt them both. She set out on this
tweaking Mason
mission with one goal in mind. Admitting to being in love with her would ruin everything. “So things are going good?”

Mason folded her arms over her chest. “I think so. We had a bit of an issue, but we worked through it.”

“You seal the deal yet?”

Mason spit her beer all over the table. She felt her face redden. “I forgot locker room talk came with the territory. I…we haven’t…”

“I’m messing with you, Coyote.” Marly felt relief flush through her body. She just assumed that Mason and Nikki would have slept together weeks ago, knowing Nikki’s type. “Obviously, I’m not doing my job well enough.”

“Your job?”

“Re-vamping you. The Mason Project. Getting you laid.”

Mason opened her mouth then clamped it shut when she saw Marly wink conspiratorially. “The Mason Project, huh? Interesting.”

“Catchy, isn’t it?” The smile on Marly’s face suggested she was quite pleased with herself. “I need to work a bit harder on my project.” Marly knew it was a cover for the way she really felt. The only thing she could hope for is that they would sleep together, and that would put the last nail in the coffin where she kept her feelings buried. Nothing like the thought of sloppy seconds to put a damper on her desires.

“It will happen when it’s supposed to happen. Don’t push it.” Mason’s tone held a hint of a warning. She didn’t want to be pushed into something she wasn’t ready for, or sure she even wanted. She didn’t mean for her tone to sound so severe, so she quickly steered the conversation away from herself. “What else did you find in the attic?”

Marly sensed Mason’s reluctance to talk about her relationship with Nikki and a part of her respected that. “What didn’t I find up there?” She got up and motioned for Mason to follow her. She led them upstairs to a narrow ladder suspended from a small hole in the ceiling. “Now be a lady and don’t stare at my ass.”

Mason smiled sweetly, but made no such promises to the request. She stole several glances before she gave up trying to act innocent and just stared. It never failed. Seeing Marly’s body made her heart hammer in her chest. There was no doubt in her
mind, she was attracted to Marly. That much, Mason was sure of. She didn’t realize she had completely stopped ascending the ladder until the sound of Marly clearing her throat woke her from her reverie. Mason scrambled to cover her transgression. “The ladder was a bit wobbly with us both on there. I figured I’d wait till you were all the way up.”

“Well, I’m up.”

Mason bit back a smile. Marly, arms akimbo, peered down the small attic ladder with the sternest of expressions. The twinkle in her eyes belied any real anger. When Mason finally crested the ladder, she let her eyes adjust to the dim light before she gave the room and its contents a quick once over. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been up in an attic. Shelley and I used to play up there all the time as kids.” Mason bent her head and laughed ruefully. “This one time I came down before Shelley and shut the door on her. She stepped on the door trying to get it open from inside. It couldn’t support her weight, and she came sprawling out head over heels. I felt so bad.”

“I might believe that if you weren’t grinning like an idiot.”

“What?” Mason held up her palms innocently. “I felt horrible. That was a crappy trick to play on my sister…who got all the attention and love and still does.”

“Bitter much?” While Marly was an only child and couldn’t understand what it must feel like to be the outcast, she could sympathize with Mason. Her own childhood, at least in her jaded view, seemed sprinkled with extremes of censure where there should have been love.

“No.” Mason muttered the next part under her breath, choosing not to elaborate. “It’s like a freaking treasure hunt in here. I had no idea Anne held on to this much junk.”

“Me neither.” Marly weaved her way through the narrow space between stacks of unmarked boxes. “
Apparently, she saved every piece of homework and test that I ever had. This whole box is just drawings I did for her and my dad. I had no idea she hung on to all of this. I’m only a third of the way through.”

“She loved you.
Of course, she would hold on to everything.” Mason nudged a box with her toe. “Want some help?”

Marly smiled gratefully. “You’re sure you don’t mind. It’s late.”

“Nah.” Mason cleared a small space on the floor and sat down. She pulled the top of the box open and chuckled evilly. “Well, what do we have here?”

Marly
reached up and caught an old doll. She recognized it immediately. “I completely forgot about her.” She rubbed her finger over the short tufts of faded red hair and smiled reminiscently. “Poor thing didn’t stand a chance. It’s not the most attractive cut on a female.”

“Nonsense.” Mason took the small doll back and gave her a quick once over. “Ragged buzz cuts were all the rage in the late
70’s in the doll community. I’m really surprised it didn’t catch on everywhere. Such a shame.”

“Ooh.” Marly grabbed the doll and swatted Mason on the arm. “You are enjoying this way too much.” She pinned Mason with a mock glare, but couldn’t keep the twinkle out of her eyes. “If you happen to run across a Cabbage Patch kid, let me know. I didn’t touch her hair.”

Mason nodded and dove back into the box. She made appropriate oohs and aahs as she dutifully pulled out and discarded items with all the care of a whirling dervish. “Found it!” Mason shot Marly a shit-eating grin and waved the doll in the air. She gave the doll a once over before she threw it across the room. “God, they really were ugly, weren’t they?”

“Rude.” Marly stroked her hair and laughed sarcastically. “I guess so. I used to love her, though. Closest thing I had to a
sister, and God knows the only baby I would ever have. Elizabeth Anne. Anne with an E. That was her name. Seems like a million years ago now. I think there was an entire year in the 80’s that she was glued to my hip. I was the coolest mom ever.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure you were.” Mason pulled a folder out of the box and started flipping through it. She stopped at a brown-colored, wide-lined sheet of paper she recognized from grade school. There were five lines of text and several roughly drawn crayon pictures below it.
“Five things that make me happy.”

“Huh?” Marly looked up in confusion.

“This paper.” Mason held it up so Marly could see it. “You’re quite the artist.”

“Shut up.” Marly stuck her tongue out. “Let me see that.”

Mason stood up quickly, not realizing the ceilings were as low as they were where she sat. “Shit.” She rubbed the top of her head as she handed Marly the paper.

“Might want to watch your step. The ceilings are a bit low.”

“Ya think?” Mason winced painfully. “Here you go.”

Marly scanned the sheet, a faraway smile on her face. “I’d forgotten all about this. I actually won a contest for
this, and it was in the local newspaper. I guess at one point, I did like my dad alright. Funny how time and circumstance change things for the worse.”

“Funny how they can change it for the better, though.”

Marly knew exactly what she meant. Some things had changed for her. Her relationship with her mom was different than it had been, or at least it felt different to Marly, since her mom wasn’t here to know for sure. Her perception had been altered in that sense. The one area where it didn’t seem better was with Mason. Marly still longed to be with her, knowing her desire was not returned. Hence, the reason she was selling the house. The longer she stayed around, the deeper she would fall and Marly knew she wouldn’t allow time and circumstance to change her mind. No, she knew leaving was the only way to save her sanity. She handed the paper back to Mason and sighed wistfully. “You might be right. What do you say we wrap up here? I’m tired. Besides, this isn’t your mess to deal with.”