Page 47 of The Ruse of Romancing
Mason
Tonight,hadbeenamistake, yet I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
“What was I thinking?” I asked, even as I replayed the kiss. I’d kissed plenty of women, but there was something about the way Dani’s lips fit mine that had me wanting to kiss her again and again until I’d forgotten the taste and feel of every woman that came before.
I was in trouble.
Not wanting Dani to see me pull into the neighboring garage, I pulled out of the duplex driveaway and headed up the coast, stopping at a bench that overlooked the ocean. Sunset would start soon, and, by some miracle, the bench was empty.
I climbed out of the car, welcoming the chill in the air as it cooled my heated skin, though it did little to distract me from the best date I’d probably ever been on. And while I knew Dani was mortified by the ripped dress, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed the alone time with her in the car after.
But the concern I’d felt at the panic in her eyes when the dress ripped made one thing abundantly clear: I didn’t want to be just friends with Dani. I wanted to break my every rule about dating and tourists, and it terrified me. In fact, I had already started breaking the rules by telling her about my dad. But wanting more with Dani meant I had to tell her who I really was and there was no way she’d handle that deception well. Maybe I’d just legally change my name to Allen.
I dropped my head into my hands, groaning, my thoughts churning so fast I didn’t hear another car pull up until I felt the presence of someone dropping into the seat next to me.
“Now I’m not an expert, but I feel like you’re doing the whole sunset on the beach thing wrong,” a kind, feminine voice said. I looked up to find Joane settled into the seat next to me, a soft smile on her lips.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, knowing Joane lived on the other side of town.
“This is my favorite spot to catch the sunset. You can’t live on the Oregon coast if you don’t occasionally take the time to enjoy the view.” She gestured to the horizon in front of us where the sun was starting to paint the sky in shades of pink and orange. “I think the real question is what has you so dejected you’re missing this masterpiece.”
I leaned back on the bench, debating what to say. I could use Joane’s advice, but how could I explain the situation without giving everything away?
“So, there’s this girl,” I said slowly, choosing my words with care, “and I actually want to see where things go but history has taught me it’s easier to avoid relationships.”
“Finally!” Joane exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air and causing me to jump. “It’s about time someone held your attention for longer than a Friday-night fling.”
I scoffed, turning to face her fully, the sunset forgotten. “What do you mean finally? You act as if you’ve been eagerly waiting for this moment.”
“That’s because I have been. I think most of the town has been. There have even been bets placed at Ed’s about how long it would take you to slip up and turn one of your flirtations with a tourist into something more serious.”
I grimaced, not loving being the subject of a bet at Ed’s.
“You held out longer than I thought you would, I’ll give you that. Cost me twenty bucks.”
“You were part of the pool?” I asked, somewhat outraged.
“Of course! I was hoping to beat Joyce Campbell, though we were both wrong.” She gave a sigh and shake of her head.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I said, pushing to my feet. Maybe I didn’t want or need Joane’s advice after all. Not if she was going to turn around and share her intel with the Gossip Gang at Ed’s and get another betting pool going.
“Oh, sit down,” she said, grabbing my hand and giving me a gentle tug back into my seat. “It just proves we care about you. We were all worried about you after Rebecca.”
I stiffened. “This has nothing to do with Rebecca.”
“Of course it does. That woman ripped your heart out, threw it on the beach, and danced a jig on it. Anyone would be afraid to love again after that experience, especially so soon after you lost your dad.”
I held up a placating hand. “No one said anything about love.”
I just wanted to get to know Dani better, break out of the “friends” box I’d tried to build our relationship in. But love? We definitely weren’t in love territory yet. I’d only known the woman for a handful of days.
“You didn’t have to. I know that look. It’s the same look I get on my face every time I see George Clooney in a movie. Thatman.” She gave a small growling sound that I wished I could unhear. This was my best friend’s mom after all.
“Not to discount your,” I searched for the right word, “appreciationfor George Clooney, but I’m talking about a real woman here. Not a celebrity I have no chance of meeting.”
“No chance? Now that’s hurtful. But I get what you mean.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts, staring off into the sunset a moment longer before turning to face me fully, resting a reassuring hand on my arm. “Since the moment Rebecca hurt you, you’ve locked your heart away, keeping everyone new at a distance. And maybe it was necessary for a time to allow yourself to heal but Mason, it’s been years. It’s time to let the past go and allow yourself to be happy.”
“I am happy,” I insisted, still not willing to admit that my current predicament had anything to do with Rebecca and how she’d hurt me. Ihadmoved on. She didn’t influence my life anymore.
