“Emery, I really don’t think he’ll react how you think.” Mason sighs.
“You said it again,” I say, and Mason glances at me with a question written on his face. “Emery,” I tell him.
“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t even realise,” Mason says, rubbing a hand over his mouth.
“No… it’s okay. Sometimes I miss hearing it,” I admit. It’s whathecalled me. But I also have memories of my dad calling me Emery. There will forever be a hole in my heart from losing him, but it feels like the space next to it belongs to Mason, and I’m finding that his warmth is slowly spreading beyond its bounds. Not filling the hole or replacing it, but almost like he’s covering it with a warm blanket. “Thank you,” I say.
Mason pulls the car over and parks in front of what appears to be an apartment building. “For what?” he questions, turning to face me fully with a small crease in his brows.
“For being there for me. And for keeping me safe. I mean, I know it’s your job now… but I still want to say thank you.”
Mason lets out a deep breath. “Come here,” he says, leaning over the console and pulling me into a hug. “I’m not here because of any job. I’m here for you, and I would be even if I weren’t getting paid,” he says, and I hold him a little tighter. “I still don’t think you’re giving Sebastian enough credit. You didn’t kill his parents, Grace. He’s not going to blame you for anything that man did,” he says, reverting to the name I’ve been using for nearly a month.
“You can’t know that,” I say, lifting my head from his chest.
“I have a pretty good idea. No one in their right mind would blame you, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you. There’s no way that man would hold you accountable for what happened, especially for the person who hurt you.” He gives me the same look as before. The one telling me to trust him, but even though I let him in on my secret, he still doesn’t know the whole story.
I knew they were going to die.And I couldn’t stop it. I don’t see any other outcome than Sebastian hating me for letting him lose his family. As much as the thought of him finding out who I am worries me, it’s that fact—that secret—that tears me up inside.
“Just consider it, hmm?” he says, his expression softening. “Should we let Miss Hall know we’re here?” he asks, and I nod as we pull away from each other.
“I’m so excited. There’s nothing better than a little retail therapy.” Lauren sighs.
We’re going shopping?
I’ve never been on a ‘girl’s day’ before, so I had no idea what to expect.
After we picked up Lauren, Mason drove us to the place she requested, and now here we are, standing at the entrance of what looks like a shopping centre. I wipe my sweaty hands over my skirt as I take in all the people. It’s not crowded per se, being a Tuesday morning, but still, being around even this many people makes me nervous.
“I’ll be here the whole time,” Mason says. “But all you have to do is call me or give some kind of signal, and we can leave, okay?”
“What kind of signal?” I ask like it’s a vital piece of information, and Mason chuckles at my question.
“Anything, Grace,” he says, and my brain works to think of something that would work as a signal.
“What if I put my hand on my head?”
“Okay, I’ll watch out for it.” He smiles at me. “Or you can call or text me. You have my number.” I let out a breath while squeezing the phone Sebastian had given me on the first day after taking us to his parents’ house. Even though Mason appears somewhat relaxed, when you spend every day with him, it’s easy to spot the change in how he carries himself.
He’s always carried himself a certain way. But ever since I told him about me—or maybe it’s just the fact he took Sebastian’s offer to be mysecurity—whenever we leave the house, the level in which he’s aware of everything around him is tenfold.
“You girls have fun,” he says, loud enough for Lauren to hear this time.
“Thanks, Mason,” she chimes, and we go our separate ways, though I know Mason’s only going far enough away to give us our space. “You know, he’s kind of hot if you’re into the whole salt-and-pepper thing,” she says when he’s out of earshot, and I can’t help but laugh. Mason is handsome, though I can’t say I’ve ever looked at him that way before.
Lauren takes a few steps ahead of me and turns back, her long hair flipping over her shoulder as she does. She’s wearing a white blouse with a V cut out at the neckline and long cuffs at the wrists, adorned by three gold buttons placed in a vertical line, tucked into a pair of tight blue jeans. Her brown boots have a slight heel and a V-like cut-out on each side. It’s different from what I’ve seen of her work outfits, but she still looks amazing. Even though casual would be the last word I would use to describe her outfit, I get the feeling this is her version of casual.
“What do you want to look for first?”
“Ah… I didn’t bring… I wasn’t sure what we were doing.” I wince at my stumbled attempt to tell her I didn’t bring any money.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about anything.” She grins, coming back to me and linking her arm through mine before leading me towards one side of the large rectangle building. I’m not sure what she means, but I suppose it could still be fun even if I’m not buying anything.
Beautiful arches line each side of the building, showcasing different stores. There looks to be at least another two levels above us, visible by the void that expands from this floor to the high ceiling that looks like a long dome.
“I know exactly where we should go first,” Lauren says, pulling me along. “Every girl needs a bag,” she says, leading us into a shop. For the size of the store, there’s not as much inside as I’d have thought. Different handbags are placed along the various shelving lining the walls. A couple of tables are set up, showcasing some more bags, purses, and accessories. There are even a couple of small racks with different items of clothing.
“So, what do you like?” she asks, walking over to one of the displays.