Page 88 of The Young & the Sinner

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Friday night wasLizzie’s first date with Sam. And though I wanted Lizzie to be with whoever made her happy, I didn’t think Sam was it.

I got to know him pretty well, since he had lunch with us for most of the week. Sam was nice enough. Totally sweet, especially for a football player. Plus, his family was well off, which made him popular at the school already. With wavy dark blond hair, brown eyes and tan skin, he was beautiful in a wholesome, American-boy kind of way. And he adored Lizzie, despite the short amount of time he’d known her.

The thing that really made me uncomfortable, though, was how obvious it was that he liked Lizzie more than she liked him. I didn’t think she needed to go out with Sam, because I didn’t think it was fair to either one of them. It wasn’t fair to Sam because Lizzie didn’t like him as much as he did her, and it wasn’t fair to Lizzie because she would be settling for her second choice, and we both knew who she wanted to be on a date with tonight.

I expected to be coming home to an empty house, because Lizzie was off getting ready for her date, and Mason and Max were usually still at work. But when I pulled into the driveway, I found Mason’s car already there—and Max’s wasn’t. Finally, we would be alone, even if it was for a short time.

My heart felt heavy with guilt from such thought. It wasn’t like Max was purposely being home because he didn’t want Mason or me alone. But it still didn’t stop me from hoping for it, and it seemed I might be getting my wish after all.

The house was silent when I walked in, and I found Mason in Max’s office, working on his laptop. They had been sharing the office since Mason moved in, and though Max never said it, I knew he wanted his office back. Max was even talking about remodeling the basement so that there would be more rooms added to the house.

Mason looked up when I entered, and the smile on his face told me he didn’t mind that I was home. “Hey, Livie. How was school?”

I shrugged. School was school. Kids were still weird, Lizzie and I still kept to ourselves, and most professors got off on power. Nothing new. “It was okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Yeah. Nothing exciting really ever happens at school.”

He grinned. “Well, it’s still the beginning of the semester. Just wait until midterms and whatnot. Things will definitely get more interesting then.”

I nodded. “Where did you go to school?”

He leaned back on his chair in the most casual way, his broad shoulders moving from the stretch, drawing my eyes to them. I was fascinated by his shoulders. Mostly because they were so big. In fact, everything about him was big.

When my eyes moved back to his, there was this knowing look to them that made me blush all the way to the roots of my hair. Luckily, he didn’t comment on the obvious way I had checked him out.

“I went to the University of Chicago for my undergrad, and Columbia for law school.”

“Did you like New York?” I asked. I wanted to know if he missed it. Especially the ex-girlfriend he left behind.

He shrugged. “It was my home during a time in my life when everything felt uncertain. My feelings about New York are very mixed. I can’t say I felt at home there; I had always considered Chicago to be my home. But it was a good experience for me, to move away and learn to be independent. And it was nice to get away from everything.”

There was a faraway look in his eyes, and I knew he was talking about the abuse he faced from his hockey coach.

“Would you ever go back?” I didn’t know what I would do if he had said yes. Were some Chicago memories too painful for him?

He stared at me for a moment or two. I fidgeted on my feet. “No, Livie. I don’t think I will ever go back.”

My smile was probably as wide as North America. “Good.”

“Yes. I suppose it is.” And I didn’t know what to make of that statement, so I said nothing.

Mason stood up, and I bit my lip to keep from saying something stupid—like how incredibly handsome I thought he was. He was still in his work clothes, a white button-up shirt that fit him well and black slacks. His suit jacket was off, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his forearms.

I had seen Max look like this before, when he had come home from work and still hadn’t changed out of his work clothes, but I had never reacted so hard to something as innocent as Max showing his tanned forearms.

Mason was a different story. His skin was tan and there were veins popping out in a pattern, drawing my attention. I wanted to touch him.

He walked over to me, and I balled my hands in a fist. He was so tall, I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. We didn’t say anything for a long moment, just stared at each other, and for a second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

I wanted him to kiss me.

“Come on, I got something for you.”

“For me? What?”

He tapped my nose with his finger, and I wrinkled it at him. He let out a tiny, amused laugh. “You, little one, are simply too adorable for your own good. And you’ll find out soon enough. Come on. I left it in the bathroom upstairs.”

“Bathroom? That’s weird place for gift-giving, don’t you think?”

He laughed again. I really like the sound of his laugh. “You’ll see.”

He walked ahead of me, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Following behind him, I grabbed onto the back of his shirt.

He paused in his steps, looked behind at me, and then resumed walking. I smiled at his back. At this point, he could lead me anywhere and I would happily follow.

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