Page 80 of Black Roses

My nod is met with shrieks of excitement.

“You can work for me. Be my assistant,” Baylor says.

“Oh, no,” Skylar protests. “You’re not taking my best waitress.”

“Better than Mindy?” Baylor asks.

“Mindy’s good, but she sleeps with the customers. Sometimes that’s not so good for business.”

Skylar’s comment reminds me of Charlie. I think of my best friend while they continue arguing over who’s going to get me to work for them.

“Hold on, guys. I’ve got a lot to figure out, but none of it will happen tonight. Right now I just want to call my . . . my, uh, boyfriend.”

More juvenile squeals come from my sisters.

Boyfriend. It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. It felt good. Hell, it felt great. Agreeable. Right.

“I need to borrow a phone to call him. As you know, I lost mine.”

Skylar shoves hers at me and I tap on the screen until I find his name. It only rings once.

“Skylar, is she okay?” His concern jumps through the phone.

“Not Skylar. Piper. I lost my phone, remember?”

“Right. Are you okay? Can I come over?” he asks.

“Yes. That’s why I’m calling. I mean, if you’re not too tired.”

“Tired?” he asks, his voice laced with maniacal amusement. “Go to the front door, Piper.”

“What?”

“Just go, sweetheart.”

I walk to the door, my sisters trailing behind me. When I open it, Mason is leaning against the railing, holding out his phone, shrugging.

I look down at my watch. He dropped me off three hours ago. Then I look at the ridiculously tight t-shirt he’s still wearing, and I laugh. “You couldn’t at least change out of the silly shirt?”

“Silly?” he asks, looking down on it, running a hand over the shirt like it’s a fine piece of art. “This is my new favorite shirt. It’s a reminder of the day we finally got together. I’m never getting rid of it.”

Skylar practically runs me down on her quest to reach Mason. She hugs him hard and he has to catch himself on the railing to keep them from tumbling down the porch steps. “Thank you, Mason. Thank you for bringing her back to us.”

They smile and share a look. I know her words run deeper than the obvious meaning.

Baylor pulls Skylar away so she can have her turn at Mason. “And you guys callmea romantic?”

When my sisters are done accosting my boyfriend, we go back into the townhouse. Baylor and Skylar both reach for their purses and share another one of their looks. “We’re going to Mom’s to get the kids,” Baylor says. “We’ll probably stay for dinner.”

“Yeah, and Griffin is out of town on a shoot, so nobody will be home forhours,” Skylar adds.

Mason laughs, turning to me. “Your sisters are very subtle.”

I hand Skylar her phone on their way out. Mason eyeballs the exchange. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me. “Here take mine. I don’t want you without one. I’ll pick you up a new one tomorrow.”

I stare at his phone in my hand. Allowing another human to access one’s phone is a display of utmost confidence and loyalty. I’m touched that he trusts me with this potentially sensitive information.

“I can get my own phone, Mason.”

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