First Choice, Second Chance, page 16
"Go away."
The voice came from the kitchen. She turned and headed that direction and saw him sitting at the table with his head lying on his arms. She hurried over to his side. "Are you all right? Did something happen when you were working?"
"I said to go away. You do understand what that means, don't you?"
She ignored the barb his words sent through her heart. "Yes, I understand what it means. I don't understand why you're saying it. You've been acting weird all week. Is Kyle being here really upsetting you this much? I told you. I don't want to go back with him, not after what he did. I want to be with you."
His head jerked up. "What can I give you? Dad's going to be selling the farm. I will have nothing at all to offer you. Why would you want to stay with me?"
Her mouth dried up. The words were right there. Why couldn't she say them? "I don't have anything to offer you, either. He made sure of that."
"What are you talking about, Lila? Of course you have something. I'm sure you made more than enough with those concerts and CDs. What happened to it?"
"I've tried telling you before. It's all gone. It shouldn't be. It should have been invested and saved. It was in our contract when he became my manager. That was his job. To manage me and my money. It should have been separate from our marriage, one mistake I made, not making sure it was. When I filed for divorce, I looked for it. There was no money. He said I'd spent it all. I didn't. There's no way, Mason."
She watched as his face hardened. "What are you saying? He stole from you?"
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know what happened. When I left Nashville, I had the car my father helped me buy, the clothes I could fit into a suitcase, and my guitar. Everything else is his."
Mason shook his head. "That isn't right. How did you let him get away with that? You used to be more of a fighter."
"I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't even know how to fight back anymore. He had me believing maybe it was my fault it was all gone. I trusted him." Tears pricked her eyes. She didn't want to cry now. She'd been weak enough. She wanted to be strong now.
Mason got to his feet and moved over to her. "That's not your fault. I told you all those years ago, he's a charming bastard. He's always been able to fool people."
"He didn't have you fooled. I didn't plan to choose him," she admitted. "I thought he was giving me what I needed, but I should have listened to you about him. It was all an act to get what he wanted."
"He never tried to fool me." He brushed a lock of hair back from her face. "But, yes, you should have listened to me."
She thought he would kiss her. Instead he brushed his thumb over her cheek then stepped back. "Talk to Brian. He'll help you find your money. I may not be happy he's helping Dad sell the farm, but he's good. If anyone can find it, he will." Suddenly the smile dropped from his face. "Once you take care of that, you have to figure out what you want. I won't stand in your way if you want to go back to Nashville. I can't get my hopes up you'll stay, either. I think it might kill me this time."
She shook her head. "I already told you. There's nothing left for me back there."
"There might be once you get your money back. If you can get your life back, I wouldn't blame you for going back to it. Instead of tying yourself to a farmer who no longer has a farm. Even if I'd ever had a backup plan, it's a little late after all this time."
She stepped toward him. "It's never too late, but I've already made my choice, Mason. Money or not, farm or not, I want to be with you. It's the choice I should have made seven years ago."
He shook his head. "I can't take the chance that will change. Please, Lila. I can't take it again."
She thought her heart shattered again for the second time in a year. This time it hurt so much more. "Please, Mason."
He shook his head and stepped back again. "You should go. Let me know when you figure things out."
She stared at him for a moment then turned and walked out of the house. She wasn't sure she still breathed, or if her heart still beat. "You're my choice," she whispered, but he wasn't even near the door anymore. She walked back to her car, her eyes dry, even though it felt like everything was falling down around her.
Chapter 25
Before
Lila ended the call then stared out the car window. "Everything okay?" Kyle asked from beside her.
She sighed. Okay could be subjective. "Yeah, it's fine. I don't want him to do anything stupid, though."
Kyle made some noise in the seat beside her. It sounded suspiciously like a snort. Her mood had already taken a dip for the night, so she didn't want to push it. "Your father said he would take care of it. Where are you taking me?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Away from this place. I thought we could go somewhere you were more used to."
Something clenched in her stomach. She'd been here for a couple months and hadn't missed much about her life in the city. Maybe some of the shopping, but she hadn't even been able to do that without a bodyguard. Small town life could be so much easier. She wasn't even sure if she was ready to go back so soon. Now, he wanted to take her somewhere that reminded her of it. He probably thought he was doing her a favor, so she didn't say anything. She would have preferred a small restaurant or even the diner back in Kurztown.
She tried not to think about it. Soon enough she would be missing those meals at the diner. Thinking about that brought back the image of Mason's face after the concert. She could still see the hurt in his eyes when she said Kyle was taking her home. Now, they weren't even going home. After some food they would. She wasn't going to hurt Mason. At least not any more than she already had.
"What's on your mind?" Kyle asked, nudging her out of her thoughts. There was that smile again. It never seemed to be far away. Sometimes she felt she wanted to see him simply so she could see it. Mason smiled, too, but he was always so serious. Sometimes it took more effort to bring his out.
She shook her head. She probably shouldn't be thinking about Mason when she was out with his brother. She froze at that thought. She wasn't dating Kyle. That would be wrong. She felt content with him, not like with Mason. He always made her feel out of control. Like she had to grab for more, like she could never get quite enough. Her feelings were like being on one of those fast roller coasters when she was with him. All fast and hard and wild. Being with Kyle was calm. She wasn't sure which was better.
"Stop thinking about him," Kyle said as if he could read her mind. "If he makes you upset, he's not worth your time."
It sounded like good advice, but it didn't sit right with her. She wanted to spend her time with Mason. Even if it was a waste of time. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? She should have gone with him tonight instead of Kyle.
Again, he seemed to sense her thoughts and distracted her from them by taking her hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of it. In spite of everything, it was a pretty good distraction. "Don't think about him. Think about me."
He leaned toward her, and she hadn't realized at first he'd already pulled into a parking space. Her heart thundered as panic grabbed at her. "Kyle, the road," she said then saw the other cars parked around them. How had she been so distracted she didn't realize they were no longer on the road?
He chuckled, and her face flamed. Then, his thumb brushed over her cheek. The flush deepened, but there was something more than embarrassment to it now, and guilt slammed into her. She was with Mason. She shouldn't be feeling these things for his brother. "We should probably get going inside if we're going to eat."
He didn't say anything at first or even move. Then, he brought her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over her knuckles. Oh, God. He was full of charm. Before she could react, he dropped her hand and shut off the car. She trembled as she stepped out. What was he doing to her?
She hadn't recovered before he came around the car and wrapped an arm around her waist. She was leaving Mason at the end of the month. He could never go to Nashville with her. Life in the city would destroy him. She was sure of it. If he would even want to leave the farm, which she could never see him doing. Kyle, though, he was more used to the city. She could see him living somewhere like Nashville. A lot better than she could see him staying here and making a life in a small town.
She couldn't do that to Mason. They'd known from the beginning they only had this summer. She couldn't make it even worse by choosing his brother. Then, Kyle wiped all that away when he leaned over and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth. Nothing like what Mason made her feel, but it was good, too. Then, guilt set in. She was with Mason. She shouldn't be letting Kyle kiss her.
She pulled away slightly and smiled, even though it wobbled. "We should go in and eat," she said.
"Of course."
He took her hand as they crossed the parking lot, but her mind tore in two directions. She could still see the hurt on Mason's face at Kyle's comment at the fair. She'd wanted to hit him. They'd gone to dinner, but it didn't mean anything. Did it? She forced herself not to dwell on it as Kyle held the door open for her. She'd make it up to Mason tomorrow. For now, she would enjoy herself.
#
Brian seemed surprised when Mason showed up by himself. "Where's your girl?" he asked, handing a beer to Mason.
He bristled at the question. "She had other plans after the concert," he said through gritted teeth.
Brian winced. "Trouble in paradise, is there?"
"I never said that, just that she had other plans." His stomach still twisted up at Kyle even putting a finger on her. He brought the bottle to his mouth, hoping the alcohol would wipe the image away.
Brian wrapped an arm around a blonde who had sauntered up to him. Mason recognized Lila's friend, Ashley. The two of them had been dancing around a relationship for most of their high school years. He couldn't stand to look at them. Not when everything in his world seemed to be falling apart now. He turned away, hoping he could find a couple of his buddies to spend some of the night with. Everywhere he turned, someone asked him about Lila. After a half dozen times, he turned and threw the bottle against a tree. "She's not here, okay." He jumped up onto the tailgate of someone's truck. He didn't even care whose it was. "Lila's not here with me tonight," he yelled for everyone to hear. "We're not tied together at the ankle. We don't spend every night together." Except they had. Every night they'd had the chance to be together, they were until tonight. Something built in his throat, but he fought it back. Wouldn't let this happen in front of all the guys. "Just...just stop asking."
He jumped back down from the truck and strode over to the cooler of beer. He grabbed another bottle, but Brian reached out and took hold of his arm. "I don't know what's going on with you and Lila. Even if there is trouble between you, this isn't the way to handle it." When Mason looked at him, he said, "It's not your way to handle it."
"Thanks for the session, shrink. I really don't need your advice. I need a beer."
"You really don't." But, he let Mason go.
Mason took the beer and headed back to his truck. A part of his mind told him this was a bad idea. He wasn't even legally allowed to drink yet, but here he was trying to drown out his pain with it. His phone vibrated against his hip, but he ignored it. Instead, he jumped up onto his tailgate and stared off across the field as he brought the bottle to his lips.
A couple walked toward him, but he kept staring forward. Hadn't they gotten the point? He didn't want to talk to anybody right now. He wanted to drink and forget his brother was stealing his girl right out from under him.
"Mason."
He glanced over, and through the beginning haze of a nice buzz, he recognized Doren Holland, who had been the school's star linebacker up until he left for college the year before.
"What do you want? Lila's not here with me. Didn't you already hear me tell everyone?"
"I heard," he said, his voice surprisingly soft for such a big man. A lot of things about Doren would surprise people who only watched him play out on the field. "Is that why you're so angry?"
"I'm not angry. I'm fucking pissed. She went off with Kyle. He's going to steal another girl from me, and there's not a fucking thing I can do about it."
The woman standing beside Doren paled, but he saw the understanding in the other boy's face. "Cassie never should have left you for him. He's never been more than a bully. I don't know what she saw in him."
Mason sighed. "He's charming. He talks and smooths his way into whatever he wants. Who would pick a simple farm boy over him?"
"There's nothing wrong with simple," the girl beside Doren said. "Even a snake feels smooth."
Doren's teeth flashed at her words. "Mason, this is my girlfriend, Amy. She chose a simple mechanic over whatever doctor or lawyer her father tried to set her up with this month."
Despite the anger still simmering under his skin, Mason found himself smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Amy."
"You, too. If she's the girl for you, Mason, you should fight for her. Don't let him take her."
He fiddled with the label on the bottle but didn't respond and kept his eyes trained on the bottle until the sound of their footsteps moved away. Fight for her? Why the hell should he have to? His brother should refrain from stealing her away. It had started with small things with Cassie, too. He hadn't even noticed when she first chose Kyle over him. He could see it starting now. Suddenly anger flared from a simmer to a flame, and he threw the bottle down on the ground, only feeling slight satisfaction when it shattered.
He'd grabbed another bottle when his phone vibrated again, and he still ignored it. Until it kept going off every couple minutes, and he was almost finished with his third beer.
Finally he ripped it out of his pocket and stared down at the screen, but it blurred in front of him. Still, he saw 'Home' flashing across the top as it rang again. He didn't want to talk to his parents. Didn't want to hear what they had to say. His mother would stick up for Kyle. She always had. They obviously weren't giving up. "What?" he asked when he accepted the call.
There was silence for a moment, and he almost thought the call had dropped. It wouldn't be a huge shock out here. Then, his father said, "Come home, Mason."
"Not right now. I'm at a party."
"I said come home. I talked to Lila. You know she can spend time with other people, too."
"Not him. He's going to take her from me, too, like Cassie. You know what he does."
His father fell silent again. Mason almost didn't hear him when he said, "Yes, I do." Then, a little louder, he added, "This isn't the way to keep her, though. Come home. Get some sleep. Everything will look better in the morning."
"I can't." Before his father could insist, he added, "Really I can't, Dad. I'm not going to drive right now." He realized there was another reason. "I, uh, I'm not quite sure where my keys are." He tried to think back over the last hour. He remembered slipping them into his jeans pocket when he got there. The last hour was mostly a blur. He felt like he'd had more than three beers. Then again, he'd never had much of a head for drinking.
"Then, have someone else bring you home. You need to be here. That's not the place for you right now."
He wanted to be angry, wanted to tell his father he couldn't order him around. He was an adult now. He heard something else in his father's voice. Something that worried him. "I'll find someone."
"If no one else is sober enough to drive, call me back. I'll come get you."
He hung up the phone and slid down from the tailgate, stumbling slightly when his feet hit the ground. He righted himself and waited a moment for the world to stop spinning around him. Then, he headed over to where Brian still sat with Ashley. He cleared his throat and waited for Brian to look up at him. "I need to get home, and I can't find my keys. Is there anyone sober enough to drive me?" His face flamed at even having to ask.
"I'll take you," he said, setting Ashley on the ground before standing up. He fished a set of keys out of a bowl beside him. Mason recognized the guitar pick he'd adapted so a small chain could be attached. He'd carried it on his key ring since that first concert this summer. "You took my keys."
"When you came for the second beer. I won't have your death or dismemberment on my conscience. I don't drink. I'll drive you."
Mason walked back to his truck but climbed into the passenger seat. He slumped against the door, wishing he could ask Brian for another beer first. The other three hadn't been enough to knock this burning pain from his heart or the fear Lila would slip right through his fingers. His parents would really go at him if he came home with a drink in his hand. He was sure he'd already hear it when he got there.
Chapter 26
Now
Lila sat in the chair, keeping her hands clasped together to keep them from shaking. She had waited two days. What Mason had said was true. She needed to know where that money went. Because no way had she blown through everything she made, just no way. Sure, she didn't hoard it. She didn't go overboard, either. Even the house they'd lived in had been modest compared to her peers. She had thought it a little big for the two of them. Kyle had insisted they needed the room.
She rubbed her hands over her face. Even with the payments, she should have had money. There should have been investments, money saved away from what was used for purchases. When she went to leave Kyle, it had been gone. There had been barely a couple hundred dollars left. If her parents hadn't stepped in, she would have been homeless. The house was in Kyle's name, and there was no fighting that. She didn't even own her own vehicle. They had put her up in a hotel until the divorce was final. When he'd gotten almost everything in that, too, she had gone home. She owed them so much. She didn't know how she would ever pay them back.
The receptionist called her name. "Ms. Corelli, Mr. Sharrock is ready to see you now." The woman seemed a little awed at her presence, something Lila had never quite gotten used to.
"Thank you," Lila said as the receptionist led her down the hallway. There were four doors on the side with one at the end of the hall. There were two partners, and the three associate lawyers. Brian was the youngest of these. One of the others had their door open, but the receptionist gave a quick knock to the second one on the left of the hall. When Lila stepped inside, she noticed it was smaller than the one she had peeked into. She supposed he would have to work his way up to the bigger office. It didn't seem to bother him as he looked up and smiled at her. "Have a seat, Li-Ms. Corelli." He nodded at the receptionist. "Thank you, Melissa. I'll let you know if we need anything else."
