Page 15 of Mason Wilder
He nodded. “Yes. She is.”
Alyssa stepped forward, in all her gothic darkness, and touched the fabric. “This is hot. And it’s my color. Black.”
More voices and footsteps came from the other room and Angel appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is ready.”
As everyone began to exit the room, Mason hung back and waited for Tessa. He needed to clear the air between them. Something happened that needed to be addressed. Something big enough to potentially rock their friendship, and he couldn’t pretend otherwise. “Hey, Tess, hang on a sec.”
She smiled brightly at him, without any hint of unease. “What’s up?”
He waited until the room was empty and it was just the two of them. “I feel really bad about the other night. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think—”
“Don’t feel bad. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened.”
That’s exactly how she was acting, but Mason knew it was her way of dismissing the tension. The odd thing was that Tessa never glossed over anything. She wanted everything out in the open. Exposed. It was the only way to move past a situation. “But it did happen, Tessa. And you were very upset.”
“I’m over it.” She touched his arm and her face grew intensely serious. “I was embarrassed. That’s why I reacted so strongly. I put myself out there. I took a risk, and it backfired.”
The words were like little stab wounds. Icepicks in his chest. He never wanted to hurt Tessa. Anyone but Tessa. “I’m sorry, Tess. Are you OK? AreweOK?”
“Yes. Thank you. I’m fine and we’re fine.”
Her words were too formal and her gaze too steady. Never wavering. Barely blinking. He knew she couldn’t have recovered so quickly. She had the strength of a warrior and a backbone of steel, but he knew her heart, and it was fragile, kind, and generous.
“Now, let’s go into the dining room. I spent the day cooking with my papi, and he’s waiting for me.” Then she exited the room and left him standing there staring after her.
He didn’t know what else to do, so he followed her, but she didn’t wait for him so they could walk together. Instead, her pace was quick, and she never looked back, as if she didn’t know he was walking 10 feet behind her. When they got to the formal dining room, her stride never slowed, and she went straight to the kitchen.
“I got a seat for ya right here, Mase,” his dad said, patting the chair between him and Aunt Mary.
Mason slipped into the empty seat and Aunt Mary patted his knee. She gave him an apple-cheeked smile and a loving gaze that told him how much she had missed him. After putting his arm around her and giving her a little hug, he got lost in the banter of the large group at the table, until Angel and Tessa emerged from the kitchen, each carrying a platter of food that carried the scent of aromatic spices and savory pork drifting across the room. They each wore novelty aprons, which was a tradition for the father/daughter team. Angel’s said, “Flour Power.” Tessa’s apron had a picture of a black hat, sunglasses and goatee on a white background, ala Walter White of Breaking Bad, accompanied by the words, “Let’s Cook.”
As usual with large gatherings at the Blade-Garcia mansion, wait staff refilled glasses and cleared the table, but the food was always prepared and presented by Angel and Tessa, and there was always a description and sometimes a story that accompanied each dish.
”Pernil relleno!” Angel announced, placing his platter on the table. “That’s a pork roast, marinated in mojo sauce, stuffed with rice and beans.”
“Ajaico!” he said as Tessa set down the tray in her hands.
“It’s a stew with potatoes, pumpkin, pork, corn, fried egg, and a bunch of other stuff,” Tessa explained.
Another quick trip to the kitchen and a second pair of dishes landed on the table. Again, Angel revealed their names and contents. “Vaca frita. Beef marinated in lime and garlic. Ropa vieja. Beef, slow cooked, with tomatoes and onion.”
“Two beef dishes?” Mason sat up straight in his chair. Almost everything served in this house revolved around pork, so beef was a nice surprise.
“Holy cow. Literally.” Mason’s dad added, and they both shared a wide smile that mirrored the other.
“I love the pork dishes you serve,” Mason told Angel and Tessa, “but I’m a steak-and-potatoes kinda guy.”
“I made this one.” Tessa placed a large portion of the vaca frita on Mason’s plate.
He stuffed a forkful into his mouth, not bothering to wait for the rest of the side dishes and breads. Just to taste it. He’d wait for Tessa and Angel to sit down before he really dug in. The beef practically melted on his tongue, and the lime and garlic assaulted his mouth with flavor. “Mmm.” He wrapped an arm around his waist. “This is fantastic. Delicious.”
She thanked him, with a small smile on her face, happy that he enjoyed the dish she made, and returned to the kitchen with Angel to retrieve the accompaniments for the meal. Once everything was on the table, she sat directly across from Mason, and gave him another serving of the vaca frita, the corners of her mouth still turned upward. Guilt flooded him, and he felt like a jerk. Even though she acted as if she was OK, he knew she was only pretending, and it gutted him.
Angel returned and sat at the head of the table, Tommy on his right and Jessi on his left, and the meal commenced. Everyone filled their plates, followed by an array of yummy noises and compliments. They talked and had cross conversations across the table.
Mason watched Tessa, sitting between Sindy and Alyssa, talking about the tour. She began to relay the story about how the stage lights went out in the middle of the last show due to a brief power outage. “With no amps, there was no way to address the crowd or get their attention and maintain control. I tried, but I maxed out my voice after a few minutes. Mason saved the night and probably prevented a riot,” Tessa explained, sending a beaming smile his way. “He started banging on his drums and delivered a spontaneous and jaw-dropping drum solo loud enough to get everyone’s attention. The stage crew gathered around and held their phones on him like a spotlight. It was an incredible thing to witness. The crowd quieted and forgot that there was a power failure. They were totally focused on him. The power came on a few minutes later but the fans didn’t even react. They waited until Mason finished his drum solo and then they went nuts cheering and hollering. It was amazing.Hewas amazing!”
His quick thinking had staved off a potentially dangerous situation and brought order to an unruly crowd. The manager of the arena had been grateful and personally thanked Mason and offered them front row VIP passes to any show on the card in the next 12 months. Even so, Tessa was laying it on a little thick. Although it was hard to tell if she was playing up the heroics in order to smooth out any leftover uneasiness between them, since she had such an over-the-top vivacious personality. Maybe he was reading into her actions too much and he was the one who was dwelling on everything and making it uncomfortable. But how the hell do you forget about it when someone pours their heart out and tells you they love you?
