Page 80 of The Young & the Sinner

“At three o’clock in the morning?”

“Okay, so I’m not a night owl.”

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “I know.”

There was a moment of silence where I was trying to think of something to say, anything really, that wouldn’t make me sound so weird, but he broke it first. “Tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart.”

It wasn’t a question. “Max brought someone home today.”

He hesitated over the line. “Oh.”

“And it’s not a dog, like I’ve wanted for years, but a lady. A cold one to boot.”

Mason made a choking sound, like he was laughing on the other line, but it was hard to tell. Especially at three o’clock in the morning when not all of my brain cells were working properly.

“Did you know about her?”

“Yeah, Olivia. But I don’t think they’re all that serious.”

“Well, then what are they doing with each other?”

I was met with silence. For a second, I thought the call disconnected, but a quick check told me that wasn’t the case.

“Hello? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Olivia. I’m still here.”

“Oh. Good.” Then it occurred to me what his silence meant. “Oh, God. I don’t think I want to know about this.”

He let out another choked laugh. “I don’t know what to tell you, sweetheart.”

“How long have they been… seeing each other?” Was that the correct terminology?

“Not long. Not even a month yet.”

“She’s…” Cold. Detached. Hard to read. Probably dislikes me. “Something.”

He made that noise again, and this time, I was sure it was him laughing. I smiled. “She is that.”

“Do you like her?”

“Honestly, I don’t really know her that well. I’ve only met her a few times. I suppose you could say she didn’t leave that huge of an impression on me.”

“Why is he with her, then?”

“That is for Max to tell you. Attraction is a funny thing. I don’t think we can really say why we like someone and not others.”

His voice thickened with some unnamed emotion, and I really wanted to ask him why he sounded like that. I wasn’t brave enough to voice it, though. Instead, I said, “I know.”

And I did know. My attraction toward him was something altogether. I had never felt this way about anyone.

“Did you want to visit Max tonight?” he asked quietly.

“I thought about it.” When he didn’t say anything, I said, “Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s not, Livie. But I do think we should do something to get your mind off of that.”

“What?” It was my turn for my voice to turn thick. My heart beat erratically in my chest, and a small pressure made its way down below my belly.

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