Page 49 of Bourbon & Bonfires

“Yeah, go on. I’ll be in shortly.”

Mason leaves me alone, but before he leaves the shop, he turns to me. “Hey, Landon?”

“Yeah, kid.”

“Thanks.”

I know his thanks is for more than the pizza and a place to stay. It’s for the job, for trusting him, and for the friendship we’ve built.

“Anytime.”

Without another word, Mason turns and walks out of the shop. I know if I start working on my current art project, I’ll be lost for hours. Instead, I tap my phone to increase the volume of the music as I finish the work on the table. I know this kind of task would seem tedious to most, but I find it cathartic. The simplicity of it all is what I love the most. Building furniture goes back to the beginning of time. It’s a craft and a skill that many people before me have had, and there’s something amazing about that.

Time flies while I finish the table. By the time I make it inside the house, Mason is sitting on the couch with the Xbox controller in his hand and there’s a half-eaten pizza on the table in front of him. I’m tempted to say something about using plates and eating at the dining table, but the reality is, I’d be doing the same thing as he is if I were here alone.

I’m stepping out of the shower, wrapping the towel around my waist, when my phone rings from my bedroom. Leaving a trail of wet footprints behind me, I rush to grab it before the call goes to voicemail. Addison.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hi. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was just getting out of the shower.”

A hear a small intake of breath and smile at the thought of Addison being turned on at the simple thought of me showering. I decide I might as well tease her.

“You know, I’m standing here dripping wet, not even a towel on.”

She sighs into the phone, and I hear rustling in the background. Is she on her bed? Damn, I’m getting horny at the thought of that.

“Do not try to have phone sex with me, Landon Montgomery.”

“You know that mom voice turns me on, baby.”

“Oh gross. Now anything I was feeling is gone. You cannot refer to me as your mother. That’s ... just no. This is already hard on me. Jesus.”

Laughing, I tap the speaker icon on my phone as I set it on my dresser. Opening my dresser drawer to pull out some boxers and a pair of sweats, I laugh before responding. “Sorry. No mom talk. How’s it going there? You okay?”

“It’s pretty awful. Scarlett is ... well ... I actually don’t know what she is. It’s like she’s in denial or something. She’s obviously sad and crying. But something’s off.”

“I’m sure it’s stressful for her. Aren’t there various stages of grief? Maybe she’s in a different one than you’d expect.”

“I guess. Anyway, I’m glad I’m here. How’s Mason? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we got a lot done tonight and will finish up everything tomorrow night. I’m taking him with me on Saturday to deliver the table and chairs to Spencer’s. I finally told him who the client was.”

“Did he lose his mind?”

I hear more rustling and know she’s settling into bed now. After the drive she had today, I’m sure she’s exhausted.

“Well, he’s currently playing Spencer’s latest game on the Xbox, so I’d say yes.”

We both laugh and talk a little longer before I walk out to the living room and hand Mason the phone. A fewyeah,uh huhandokay, momlater, and Mason ends the call with Addison. I settle into the couch next to him, grab a controller, and proceed to kick his ass in skateboarding before we go to bed.

Hanging out with a teenage boy all weekend isn’t much different than having Owen as a roommate for years. He’s messy, he sleeps half the day away, and pizza is its own food group. Today, we’re heading to Spencer’s house to deliver the table and chairs. I wanted to get over there early because I know Mason is going to freak when he sees Spencer’s house. Mostly the pool and mini skate park he built on the back end of the property.

I knock for the third time this morning as I look at the time on my phone. We’re approaching noon, and this kid still hasn’t come out of his room.

“Dude, I’m leaving in fifteen minutes with or without you. Your choice.”

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