The Scale (Martha's Way) (22 page)

Claire nodded, her thoughts
seemed miles away. “True. But I moved a few things around my schedule so I can
sing as you walk down the aisle and during your first dance.”

Keely looked ecstatic at the
news and pulled a grinning Claire into her arms for a tight hug. I love yous
were exchanged. Minka stood in the living room, taking in the warm exchange
between the friends. Unlike the other day, she didn’t feel like an intruder. She
understood the significance of having your friend serenade you on that special
day.

“Let’s get going. And…” Her
sister turned to look at her. “We want all the gory details about Mr.
Montgomery. How is he in bed? How many times did he take you there? Are you
guys in
love
yet? You
know,
all the dirty details.”

“I thought you didn’t want me
with Jason.”

Keely waved one finger in the
air. “I want you to have a good time and who better to have it with than Jason?
He’s sexy, single, and obviously has the hots for you,” she added gently. “Just
be careful.”

“Well,” Claire said with a
frown, “just don’t tell us how well-endowed he is. I really don’t want to know
about that.”

“I told you about Blake.”

Claire shook her head. “And
you really shouldn’t have. That was TMI.”

Too much
information.
Minka wasn’t sure
such a thing existed with her sister. Claire wasn’t the only one who had to
endure the lengthy conversation as her sister went into great detail after her
first night with Blake. Those fifteen minutes had been slow torture.

As they walked out of the
house to her sister’s car, her phone vibrated once more. Claire opened the back
door and sat. Once inside, Minka reached for her phone to read the message.

Have fun today. I’m going to be home early. Dad
cancelled. I’ll make dinner. I’d like to have you for dessert.

Even via text, the words
affected her and triggered a vision of Jason with his badass tattoos, the
wicked smile and the twinkle in his blue eyes. With reluctance, she admitted
she was smitten.
Looking forward to it,
she
texted back, then placed the phone back in her purse.

“It’s called infatuation,”
her sister said. “He’s charmed you. I told you he would. He can’t help it.
That’s who he is. That’s who they all are. Isn’t that true, Claire?”

“Yes, they are quite
charming.
All four of them.”

“It’s just fun. It’s not
serious.”

Her sister took her eyes off
the road for a brief moment to look at her direction. “Do you want it to be?”

She hadn’t given it much
thought. The possibility of anything past next week had not been discussed.

“No,” she answered. “We’re
just having fun. After next week, it’s over.”

The words didn’t appear to
sway her sister, nor did they bring Minka comfort. She turned her attention to
the street, enjoying the beauty of the island. Her mind drifted to what it might
look like in the fall with the leaves changing. Autumn was always her favorite
season.

* * * *

In black board shorts, Jason
carried his paddleboard where Adam stood waiting for him. His friends glanced
over at him and smirked.

“To what do we owe this
honor?” Blake asked, leaning on his board.

He walked past them and
headed straight to the water and dropped his board. “The old man cancelled our
meeting and Minka is out with Keely and Claire, so,” he shrugged, “might as
well get some exercise. So are you guys just going to stand there with those
silly smirks on your faces or are we gonna race?”

Getting together with the
guys had been impromptu. The initial thought was to catch some waves in
Aquinnah, but the waves were a bit too high so they opted for State Beach. One
by one his friends joined him in the water and lined their boards. It had been
a long time since the four of them had spent a day in the ocean battling each
other. Adam spent half his time in Italy. Forrest was often buried in his
practice or on the farm. And Blake now lived miles away. But none of that
mattered at the moment. Jason felt at ease with the world, content. He gave
them a crisp nod. They seemed to have understood the rarity of the situation
and fist-pumped each other.

“I never thought I’d see the
day.” Blake was the first to speak.

Forrest took a handful of
water and splatted it on his face. “What day is that?”

Adam smirked. “The day Jason
Montgomery gets a girlfriend.”

Jason stood on his board and
adjusted his weight. “I will let you have your little fun for the next two
weeks.”

“Seriously,
first Blake and now you.
Who is
next? Forrest?”

“For the record, I’m not
walking down the aisle next weekend or anytime soon.”

“Hey, I am looking forward to
walking down the aisle.” Blake defended his upcoming nuptials.

The other three men rolled
their eyes at Blake.

“You guys are just jealous.”
He chuckled and settled on his board. “Keely is sweet, honest and loving.”

“Sounds like a Hallmark
card,” Adam mumbled and the others broke into laughter.

“Don’t forget sexy as hell,”
Blake bragged. “I get to go home to all that sexiness every day.”

“So Blake,” Adam called over
his shoulder, “Does that mean you’re okay with your best friend sleeping with
your friend, soon-to-be sister-in-law?”

Without hesitation, Blake
shrugged his shoulders. “They are adults.”

“I like Minka,” Jason
admitted and not because he felt the need to appease any concern Blake might
have.

“A lot.”
Adam grinned.

“She’s fun to be around. Now
stop being a slacker and let’s race.”

Two hours later, exhausted
from being in the ocean all day, Jason was barely in the house when he stripped
off his shorts and made his way to his bedroom. Paddle boarding with the guys
had been a stress reliever. After three lengthy sessions of pushing their
physical limits, each one of them had crashed one by one. Adam had been the
last one to collapse but Jason guessed that had been out of sheer stubbornness.
He opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside. On the vanity, he spied
Minka’s makeup bag. Her morning spray of lavender still filled the room. A
smile crossed his lips. The guys had teased him about his obvious attraction.
Knowing that they all had put Blake through hell when he started dating Keely,
he took it in stride.

Dating, he mulled over the
word. The last time he had a girlfriend was his freshman year in college. The
so-called relationship had barely survived a semester, although not for her
lack of trying. Looking back now, Jason felt remorseful over his behavior
toward… He cringed. He couldn’t even remember her name. But, something told him
he would forever remember Minka.

He reached to grab a towel
when he kicked a silver scale on the floor. Puzzled, he frowned. Since he
didn’t own a scale, he concluded it belonged to Minka. He deduced she forgot to
place it back wherever she had been hiding it. The sight sent a spasm of pain
coursing through his body, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness. Memories
of his mother flashed before him, the way he remembered her most as the healthy,
beautiful woman she was to the skeletal figure she’d become before she died. A
heaviness of reliving his childhood settled on his chest, making him nauseous.
Jason stepped out of the bathroom and reached for his phone. Claire’s mother
quickly answered the phone.

“Rosa, I’m coming over on
Friday for the weekend with a few guests.”

There was a slight pause on
the other line,
then
the woman spoke. “That’s
wonderful, Jason. Should I tell your father?”

“No,” he responded. This
wasn’t a reunion with his father. It was more an act of desperation to distract
Minka and help her deal with whatever she might be dealing with.

“How many rooms do you need
to be ready?”

Jason took the time to go
over the details with Rosa. He ended the call with his traditional love for the
woman who raised him before sending a text to his friends, proposing they all
go to the house he grew up in for the weekend. Adam along with Blake quickly
confirmed but Forrest had a conference out of town. After he read their
messages, he made his way back to the bathroom. He glanced at the scale once
more, befuddled over why she would bring something like that on vacation. The
only explanation was the obvious. She had a problem with her weight.

About one hour later, he
heard Minka’s voice mixed with the others, vibrant, filled with laughter. Jason
smiled. Even Minka sounded more relaxed. He put his tools down and made his way
down the hall where he was greeted by the three women. He reached for Minka and
placed a kiss on her lips. He groaned, enjoying the taste of her lips against
his.

“She was only gone for a few
hours,” Claire teased. “Anyhow, we are out of here. Have fun, children.”

“I spoke to your mom today.”

Claire nodded. “She told me.
I guess I’ll see you over the weekend.” Jason watched her whisper something in
Minka’s ear, to which she glanced at Jason,
then
blushed. Keely as usual gave him the
If
you hurt her, I will kill you
stare before giving both of them a hug.

Once alone, Jason pinned her
against the wall and pressed himself close. His heart almost came to a stop
when she wrapped her arms around him and smiled invitingly at him.

“How was your day?” He traced
his fingers over her cheek.

“It was fun. We went to a
spa. I was reluctant at first, but it turned out okay.”

He lowered his head to her
neck and breathed her in. “You smell good.”

She giggled. “And you’re
covered in paint. Keely blamed me for your lack of progress in the house.”

He shrugged his broad
shoulders. “I’ll have all the time in the world soon.” The revelation failed to
bring him any comfort. He stepped back, allowing her some room. “I’m taking you
to Chappaquiddick over the weekend.”

Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Your father’s house.”

He nodded.

“Claire mentioned you were
going. I thought alone.”

“Why would you think that?”

She opened her mouth to
speak, but closed it.
She looked down as he watched. He reached for her
chin and tilted her head back up.
“Until next
week, wherever I go you will go with me. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes.”

Unable to control himself, he
lowered his lips to hers once more. Jason wondered how he would survive after
next week, especially since the idea of kissing any other woman failed to
appeal to him. “I invited the crew. I figure it’ll be a nice way to spend the
weekend.”

“Oh, yes. Good idea. What
will I need to bring?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.
Typical things women bring to a beach house. Sneakers for hiking, a bathing
suit for swimming, and as little clothing as possible,” he finished with a
grin.

Panic flashed in her eyes as
he spoke, but it was quickly masked by a smile. Something inside him stirred
with pain over the reality that she was insecure over her appearance.

“Oh, my God, I completely forgot,” she said. “Lily is
coming.”

“She’s welcome to come along.
As a matter of fact, I think it would be a great little excursion for her.
Don’t you agree?”

“I guess. I need to let Lily
know of the change of plans. I’m going to call her.”

He allowed her space to walk
past him, and she nearly ran down the hall. Jason ran a hand through his hair
as he let out a heavy sigh. How had he failed to notice her discomfort with her
appearance?

The cautious voice inside told
him he shouldn’t care. He had no investment in her well-being. They were
temporary with barely two weeks to be together. It was true that once Blake
married her sister, she would be part of the pack but that wasn’t enough for
him to spend time caring. Hell, he didn’t even want to care, but he did. It was
too late for that.

He walked into the kitchen
and retrieved his tools. Standing in the empty room, he thought about his
mother and her troubles.
His father’s infidelity.
Minka’s unspoken insecurity. He would make her open up to him.
In his
eyes, she was flawless. Her voluptuous curves had the power to drive him out of
his fucking mind. He couldn’t get enough of her.

* * * *

Once inside the bedroom,
Minka let out a deep breath before dropping her weight on the bed. She reached
for her phone and text her friend.

Change of plans, we’re going to stay with Jason and
his friends this weekend.

The idea that she would have
to wear a bathing suit in front of Jason and his friends was terrifying. If
Lily wasn’t set to come for the weekend, she would have tried to find a way out
of the proposal, but her friend needed the getaway.