Incumbent(37)

“Yes. That’s great.”

“You’re twirling your hair. You must be stressed.”

I dropped my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“What is it, Luce?”

His smooth tone calmed me, but I could tell he was concerned.

“I was going to wait until we got there, but I may as well start now.” After I cleared my throat, I said, “I’m thinking about telling Drake my story.”

Mason’s head snapped toward me and then back to the road. “Are you sure, Luce?”

“I’m falling for him, and he has a big election coming up. If I don’t tell him now and it comes out later, he could be screwed, and I could be . . . well, I’m not worried about me as much.”

We turned into the parking garage and walked into the restaurant. After we were seated and ordered our drinks, Mason had a troubled look on his face.

“You don’t think I should, do you?”

That conflicted look he wore said it all; he really couldn’t answer me or tell me what to do. He was struggling with this situation, just as I was.

“Mace.” I reached across the table and put my hand on his wrist. “I’m not asking you to tell me what to do; I’m just telling you what I’m thinking about doing.”

He nodded. “Drake is a great guy and if you trust him, then tell him. It’s just . . .” His hand raked through his floppy hair. “What happens if the wrong people find out? Are you prepared for that? You’ve worked so hard to protect yourself, but if it’s weighing on you, which I can see it is, you should tell him.”

“It just bothers me to keep it from him. I feel as if I’m being dishonest.” I took a sip of my iced tea and wished I’d ordered a cocktail.

Mason placed his hand on mine, which was still resting on his wrist. “No matter what you decide or what happens or doesn’t happen, I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you.”

I relaxed a little, feeling better already. We knew what we wanted to order, so I looked to my left to find our waiter, but instead my eyes caught Ben’s. I sucked in a quick breath of surprise as he looked at me and then to Mason.

“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath, but Mason heard me and looked up to see what had upset me.

Ben sauntered up to our table, looking a bit like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. “Hello, Ms. Washburn.” His tone was sarcastic and snarky.

Wonderful. Does he think I’m on a date?

He turned to Mason. “And you are?”

Mason stood and towered over Ben’s short frame by at least six inches. “Mason. And who are you?”

“Ben. I’m Senator Prescott’s campaign manager. He’s going to love to meet you.” His lips twisted into a snide grin.

“Oh, is Drake coming tonight? It would be great to see him again.” When Ben’s face paled, Mason leaned a little closer to him, crowding his personal space. “We’re friends. Didn’t you know that?”

“Well, I need to go,” Ben said, frowning. “Nice to meet you, Mason.” He gave me a curt nod. “Ms. Washburn.” Then he hurried back to his table.

“What a tool that guy is.” Mason sat down and took a long pull of his beer.

“He’s another reason why I want to come clean. If that man digs enough, he can find out and tell Drake before I do. Ever since I met him, I’ve felt as if he’s had it out for me. It’s unnerving.”

Our waiter stopped by our table to take our food orders, but my appetite was gone, so I just ordered a salad.

When the waiter stepped away, Mason studied me for a moment. “You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?”

I almost dropped my glass. Was I? No. It’s too soon; I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. “What makes you say that?”

“We’ve known each other our entire adult lives, and never once have you mentioned your past, aside from the first time you told me. We don’t discuss it. Ever. Truth be told, I haven’t thought about it since that night.” Mason wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Just you thinking about it tells me you have deep feelings for him.”

Thoughts about that night in our past brought back such memories. We’d been hanging out in Mason’s dorm room, cramming for an exam I had the next day. We were beat, so we’d lain down in his bed. Nothing sexual happened, but he kissed me on the forehead and said, “I’ll always be here for you, and not just to help you with calculus. You’re important to me, Lucy.”

That was when the dam broke and the waterworks had started. I didn’t have anyone else but Mason. And when I started crying, he didn’t pull away from me, flustered like most guys would be. Instead, he’d pulled me closer and held me, and that was when I told him my secret. After I’d told him the whole story, Mason vowed never to share it or even mention it unless I did.

And now, here we were talking about it.

Mason pushed his plate to the side. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m remembering the night I told you.”

He sobered, his eyes incredibly sad. “I’ll never forget that as long as I live.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “I’d be lost without you, Mace.”

When a single drop fell to slide down my cheek, Mason stood up and came around to my side of the table to pull me into a hug.