The Moment We Began (A Fairhope New Adult Romance) (12 page)

Jenna looks to me, an eyebrow raised in question.

The notepad has a bunch of figures written on it.
The one that’s circled is $1600.

I close my eyes and let out a frustrated rush of
air. “That’s for everything?” I ask.

“That’s for even exchange,”
Rocco says. “Cash in hand.”

Fuck. I need a hell of a lot more than that.

“There’s got to be at least ten
thousand dollars worth of stuff in there.”

“Look, this ain’t a department store,”
he says with a laugh. “You want cash, this is the best I can
do. Unless you wanna show me what’s in your pocket?”

I swallow. I know I should just take whatever he’s
offering and walk out the door, but I can’t. It’s not
enough.

I slowly pull the bracelet out of my pocket and
lay it across the counter.

Rocco whistles and reaches under the counter for a
small black box that has what looks like a metal pen top on one end.
He switches it on and presses the metal probe onto the top of each
diamond. He waits for a beeping sound, then moves to the next until
he’s tested every single diamond on the bracelet.

“This is really something special,” he
says. He looks up and lets his eyes drift from mine all the way down
to my knees. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s mine,” I lie.

“Bullshit,” he says. “Where’d
you really get it? I can’t buy stolen merchandise.”

My shoulders slump and I press my palms against
the edge of the counter. “It’s my mother’s.”

“You stole it from her?”

“Not exactly,” I say. “She let
me wear it a few nights ago. I got into an accident and it ended up
in a plastic bag inside my purse. For all she knows, it was lost in
the accident.”

“So she doesn’t know you still have
it?”

I shake my head. Guilt churns my stomach, but what
choice do I have? My mother has hundreds of these kinds of things.
Bracelets, rings, earrings, watches. Does she really need another
diamond bracelet more than this baby needs his surgery? No way.

It’s easy to rationalize in my head, but I
know what I’m doing is still wrong.

“Two thousand dollars,” he says,
running the bracelet through his hand.

“I need five thousand dollars,” I say
bluntly. “For all of it.”

“Don’t dick around with her, Rocco,”
Jenna says. “Give her the five grand. This stuff is worth a
hell of a lot more than that and you know it.”

He lets a burst of air out through his lips, then
raises his hands and backs away. “That’s a lot of money
for something under-the-table like this. I’m the one taking all
the risk.”

“Please,” I say, meeting his eyes
straight on.

Rocco sighs and looks at the guy sitting on the
chair. They exchange heavy looks until finally, the other guy shrugs.

Rocco holds his hand over the counter to me.

I put my hand in his, and we shake on it.

Nurse Valerie takes the envelope from my hand,
tears shining in her eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk
to the family yourself?” she asks. “I’m sure they’d
love to know who donated this money. They’re going to want to
say thank you.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to
bring any extra attention to it,” I say.

She smiles. “You’ve done so much for
so many families here. How come you don’t ever want anyone to
say thank you?”

I look down at my feet. I think about all the
money I’ve spent on myself in the past couple years. New
clothes. A new car. Anything and everything I wanted. “Because
I do so much less than I should,” I say, looking up to meet her
gaze. “Keep me updated on how the baby does, okay?”

“I will,” she says.

I keep my head down as I make my way back to the
parking lot. I know Jenna’s waiting for me, but I step to the
side and lean against the brick wall. I pull my phone out of my
pocket and dial Mason’s number again.

Please answer.

I tap my toes inside my shoes as the phone rings.
The line picks up, and I expect it to be voice-mail again. But it
isn’t.

“Hey,” he says. He sounds tired.

“Hey,” I say. My heart beats fast in
my chest.

Silence passes between us. Two days of not talking
felt like an eternity, but now that I have him on the phone, I have
no idea what to say.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

I lean my head back against the rough bricks. “I’m
okay,” I say. “I’m sorry about your car. Are you
pissed?”

He hesitates and my chest tightens. “Yes,”
he says. “But not about the car. Fuck the car. I’m pissed
at myself.”

“No, this was my fault, Mason. I’m so
sorry. I can’t believe I did that. I don’t know what I
was thinking.”

“You were angry,” he says.
“Frustrated. That’s on me. I’m not good for you
Penny, can’t you see that?”

My insides tighten and knot. “That’s
not true.”

I want to tell him we belong together, but the
harder I cling to him, the faster he pulls away.

“It is,” he says. “The last few
times we’ve been together, you’ve gotten out of control.
I don’t want to be responsible for that. You deserve better
than me, Pen. Better than what I’m able to give you. Look,
there are things you don’t know about me. If you knew what kind
of guy I really was, you’d be running.”

I slide down the wall, my legs not wanting to hold
me up any longer. I can’t lose him now, but I have no idea how
to turn this around. I don’t want better. All I want is him.

“I’m not perfect, either,” I
say.

“I gotta go,” he says. “Take
care of yourself, Pen. I mean it.”

It sounds like a goodbye. I bury my free hand in
my hair and pull. What do I do? What can I do?

“Wait,” I say, my voice shaky. “I
need to see you.”

“I can’t,” he says. He draws in
a long breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to do
anything that’s going to hurt you more than I already have.”

“This was my fault,” I say. “Dammit,
don’t push me away just because you think that’s what’s
best for me. That’s not for you to decide. If you don’t
want to see me, that’s one thing, but don’t say it’s
because you don’t want to hurt me. That’s bullshit. Not
being able to talk to you the past few days has hurt me more than
anything. How can you not know that?”

He groans. “Tomorrow night some of us were
talking about getting together at Knox’s lake house,” he
said. “I wasn’t planning on going because I figured you’d
be there, but if you really want to talk, I’ll go.”

I breathe out and the tension I’ve been
holding in my body releases. “Thank you.”

“I really do need to go,” he says.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“And Penny?”

“Yes.”

He pauses. “I’m really glad you’re
safe.”

It’s nice to be able to skip out on dinner
with my parents the following night. They aren’t speaking to
me. Their anger and disappointment hangs like a Georgia heat in the
air, suffocating me.

I am nervous about seeing some of my friends
again, but Leigh Anne promises tonight will be close friends only. No
big parties. No drinking.

No judgment.

She picks me up at six-thirty and my stomach is in
nervous knots the entire ride to the lake house. For some reason, I
feel like tonight could make all the difference. Like when I see
Mason’s eyes, I’ll know if there’s hope or if I’m
going to have to do this on my own.

When we get there, though, I’m disappointed
to see he’s not there yet.

Knox, Leigh Anne, and Jenna are here already.
Preston joins us half an hour later. By the time Summer’s car
comes bouncing down the path, I’m starting to feel anxious.

What if he’s not coming?

Knox and Preston cook chicken on the grill with
fresh vegetables and bread. I’m relieved when no one brings up
the accident. Conversation is easy and relaxed. Mostly, we talk about
the upcoming school year.

I take my time eating, one eye on the road leading
up to the house.

As the sun disappears behind the trees, so does my
hope.

“Thanks for not being completely pissed at
me,” I say as I stand to help Knox bring the plates inside to
the kitchen. “I never wanted to get you or the bar in any
trouble.”

Knox shrugs. “I was honestly more worried
about you than anything,” he says. “I had no idea you’d
even left. I thought you were just going outside to talk. I never
would have let you drive home. Not in a million years.”

“I know.” My cheeks warm and the food
in my stomach turns. I’ve barely had an appetite the past few
days. Every time I eat, my stomach hurts like this. I’m not
sure if it’s the start of morning sickness or if it’s
just the constant nervous anxiety. “I didn’t mean to
drive off either. I was just so mad, I wasn’t thinking
straight. I’m really glad you didn’t get into any trouble
over it.”

He takes the plates from my hand and runs them
under the water, then sets them into the open dishwasher. “Me
too,” he says. “To be honest, it’s been a really
crazy summer. Ever since all the publicity from Leigh Anne’s
case, people have been packing into the bar every night. It’s
been great for us, don’t get me wrong, but man, dealing with
all the fake ID’s and attention has been a real nightmare.”

“Have you had a lot of fake ID’s
coming through there?”

“More than you want to know,” he says.
“I know it sounds awful, but I never really cared so much
before. I knew all the regulars and didn’t care if one of my
twenty-year-old friends wanted to grab a drink or two. But now? We
aren’t exactly flying under the radar anymore. The money’s
good, but the attention sucks. Rob’s used to have this very
laid back atmosphere, but now it’s gotten fast-paced and
hectic, everyone pushing to get a table or angry they didn’t
get their drinks fast enough. It’s exhausting. It makes me feel
like I’m back in Chicago again. Back in the rat race.”

I sit down at the small table in the kitchen and
watch as he finishes rinsing off the dishes. I hadn’t realized
how unhappy Knox was about the bar getting busy. I would have thought
it would be exciting for their family to start bringing in some good
revenue. It never occurred to me they liked it the way it was.

“What if you hired someone for the door,”
I say. “A bouncer who’s in charge of checking all the
ID’s. Twenty-one and up only or maybe armbands for underage
people. That way you wouldn’t have to constantly check them at
the bar. Then you can limit how many people can be inside at once,
too. Keep the crowd as big or small as you want.”

Knox throws the wet dish towel into the sink and
turns around. His eyebrows are cinched in the middle, like he’s
thinking it through for a minute. “You know, that might
actually help,” he says, giving me a little smile. “Dang,
I never thought about that, Penny. It’s been the three of us
working the bar for so long, I didn’t really think about hiring
help. You’re a genius.”

I smile back. God, it feels good to be praised for
something after the week I’ve had. “I don’t know
about genius,” I say. “It’s basic business,
really.”

“What is?” Leigh Anne asks, stepping
into the kitchen.

“Penny had a great idea about hiring a
bouncer for the bar,” Knox says. He starts to tell her more
when headlights flash through the windows. The road leading up to the
cabin is bumpy and rough and the lights bounce up and down like
search lights.

I stand, my heart in my throat.

Leigh Anne comes to stand beside me. “Is it
Mason?”

I can’t answer. I can only wait and watch.
And hope.

I am trying to judge the shape and color of the
car, but then realize I have no idea what he’ll be driving. I
completely totaled his car.

Preston and the others walk into the room, their
laughter carrying through the hallway.

I don’t even turn to look at them. My eyes
are glued to the car outside as it stops and the lights cut off.

From the lights mounted on the sides of the lake
house, I can see enough to make out that it isn’t a car at all.
It’s a truck.

When the driver gets out and stands up, I know
instantly it’s him.

I know the movement of his body as if it were my
own. I’ve spent so many hours watching him and loving him that
I’d know him by a single turn of his cheek.

“Let’s head outside,” Preston
says, patting Knox’s shoulder. “I’ve got a cooler
full of sodas. We can get a fire going and sit out there for a
while.”

As Leigh Anne passes by me, she grips my shoulders
and gives me a hug.

Most of the group heads through the house toward
the front porch, but I hang back to talk to Mason.

My hand trembles as I turn the knob on the back
door and pull it open.

He freezes when he sees me. His face is half in
shadow, but his eyes are on me. And mine are on him.

“You’re late,” I say,
breathless.

“I almost didn’t come,” he says.
There’s a sadness in his voice that can’t be denied, and
I wonder if everything is broken between us.

And if there’s any way to fix it.

“I understand if you’re mad at me,”
I say, nervous. “If you didn’t want to see me.”

He shakes his head, then looks down at his feet as
if he’ll find the right words down there. “I’m not
mad at you. Believe me, I wanted to see you more than ever,” he
says. When he looks up at me, there’s something in his eyes
that scares me. “I’m going to be taking off for a while,
Pen.”

The words make my knees almost give out. My entire
stomach lurches and I struggle to breathe in. “What do you
mean?”

I’m hoping he’s going to say something
like he’s going on a three-day trip to Vegas like he’s
done a few times before, but before he answers, I already know it’s
going to be more than that. This is why he wanted to see me tonight.
To say goodbye.

He steps onto the porch and his face comes into
the light. There are circles under his eyes. “I’ve got to
get out of this town for a while,” he says. “I’ve
been thinking it for months, honestly. It’s just time. Things
have gotten stale for me here.”