Page 34 of The Young & the Sinner

Mason

The monthsafter my move home were a blur.

I remember some parts vividly, though, like seeing Olivia again and spending time with Max. I also remember receiving a phone call about a month in and frantically running back to New York for what I had hoped to be a brief trip but ended up staying for three full weeks. And I remember the guilt I felt about that impromptu trip, especially coming back and seeing Max again, seeing the knowledge in his eyes that I, once again, was weak.

Several years back, when this all started, Max asked if I was incapable of staying away from Grace, as if she had an important place in my life. But the thing was, I only had trouble saying no to her now because I’d felt responsible for the state of things, and for leaving my mess behind.

The part I don’t remember as clearly about my move back home, though, was job hunting. Sure, I recollect applying to several corporate law firms, and I also recall reconnecting with Logan Cross again, a buddy I went to undergrad with.

He was in the same field as me, and had actually worked at Callaghan, Reese, and Malcolm for quite a few years. He was the one who recommended me. The pay was great, all things considered, and I had my own office and an assistant to help with the day-to-day. It was no different than my job back in New York.

But there was no spark of excitement.

I couldn’t remember a time when I felt so dissatisfied about my job. And I didn’t know what I could do to get out of this funk I suddenly found myself in.

Early Friday morning, I found myself alone in the office, watching as the sun set over Chicago’s skyline. There was something peaceful about the morning, before most of the world even woke up, and it felt like I was the only one there.

But my thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I walked over to the door, wondering who else was in the office this early, and found myself face to face with Logan. He was holding a cup of coffee, a wide smile on his face.

The bastard was way too preppy in the morning.

“Morning,” he chirped. I took him in. Like me, he was dressed in a custom-made black suit, white button down and a black tie. Logan was the only man I knew who reached my height at six-foot-four-inches, aside from Max, but I was far bulkier than either man. He had dark brown hair, cut short to almost a buzz cut, with hazel eyes and a neatly trimmed beard.

I knew his easy-going smile and charms were all a front—a mask to cover up the darkness brewing inside his scarred body. I wasn’t the only one with a damaged past.

I offered a low grunt in greeting and grabbed the coffee cup he offered. “Thanks. What are you doing here so early?”

“I could be asking you the same thing,” he said, coming in and grabbing a seat by my desk. I sat down across from him and looked down at all the paperwork I still needed to get done. It was just a huge pile of mess.

“Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d come here to catch up on some work.”

“I see nothing’s changed. You’re still as relentless as always.”

I smiled a little at that. “I wouldn’t say relentless.”

“What would you call it then? Boring?”

I scowled. Logan laughed. “Lighten up, man. You need to learn how to have fun. Come out with me and Gage tonight after work. We’re meeting at a nearby bar.”

Gage was the other junior partner at the firm. He was even more serious than me. I didn’t know him very well, but he and Logan were obviously close, and from what I could tell, he was okay. A little closed-off, I noticed, but then, so was I.

I conceded. “Sure. That sounds fun.”

“Perfect.”

Logan stood up, knocked twice on my wooden desk and walked out, leaving me alone in this office once again. I sat there for a long time, thinking.

Going out with the boys seemed like such a normal thing to do. I hadn’t done it since I was still in New York. Come to think of it, I hadn’t gotten laid in just about that same amount of time. That might be the very thing to get me motivated again. A perfect way to end the long work week, considering I would have to be back at Max’s house on Saturday to meet Olivia’s new boyfriend.

I almost grimaced at the thought.

It wasn’t that I minded being there. But I didn’t like this boy. And he was that—a boy. There was just something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. And he seemed way more interested in impressing Max then he was in impressing Olivia.

She was young and inexperienced. I didn’t want her to get hurt over this, but I didn’t see any way around it, especially since she got involved with the boy. I knew Max shared my worries. But unlike Max, I had no right to worry about her.

I shouldn’t even be thinking about my brother’s ward now.

So why couldn’t I stop?

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