Broken (Book 1, The Watcher Chronicles, Paranormal Romance), page 19
I feel Faison slap me lightly on the arm. When I look up at her, she lifts her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. I just roll my eyes and try to finish my soup.
“Jess,” Mason says to me. “I need to go back to headquarters and check on the status of some things, like what we were just discussing. I see you’re in good hands now so I’ll be leaving.”
“Do you have to go?” I ask, not wanting him to leave.
“It’s not a matter of wanting to go,” he tells me, “but I need to go. I’ve been away for too long.”
“When will I see you again?”
“I’ll be here around four your time tomorrow afternoon to pick you up for Angela and Jonathan’s party. That will make it ten o’clock in London because of the time difference.”
“If anything comes up and you need me,” I tell him, “I’ll have my phone on me. I always do.”
Mason smiles. “I’ll keep you up to date this time. I promise.” Mason inclines his head to Mama Lynn and Faison. “Ladies it was a pleasure to see you again. If I don’t see you tomorrow, I wish you both a happy new year.”
Mama Lynn and Faison reciprocate the sentiment right before Mason phases.
Like a pack of hyenas about to pounce on their prey, Mama Lynn and Faison turn as one and look at me with expectant raised eyebrows.
“What?” I ask, scooting the pink box with the other chocolate croissants in front of me hoping to distract them with their sugary goodness. “Want a chocolate croissant? Mason brought them straight from Paris. They’re even still warm on the inside.”
“Don’t try to bribe us with chocolate,” Faison says even though she comes over to look inside the box and quickly snatches one with the quickness of a viper.
“So what exactly happened between you and Mason the last few days?” Mama Lynn asks, standing her ground and not allowing the call of sweet pastries dissuade her from meddling.
“It was just work stuff,” I say, trying to play it off.
“What I just saw wasn’t just work stuff,” she says back to me. She’s quiet, a contemplative looks enters her eyes. “Jess,” she says, watching me carefully, “have you fallen in love with Mason?”
“Oh,” Faison says as I see her eyes enter the fantasy realm she likes to visit every once in while, “can you imagine the gorgeous babies they would have together? I bet one would come out prettier than the next.”
“For Pete’s sake, we haven’t even been on a real date yet and you already have me married off and knocked up,” I say, trying to laugh but it ends up coming out too strained to not sound like it’s exactly what I want to happen.
Mama Lynn comes over to me and gives me a big hug.
“Oh, Jess, I’m so happy for you.” She pulls away from me, resting her hands on my shoulders. “I didn’t know if you’d ever find a man.”
“Geez, thanks for having so much confidence in me to attract someone of the opposite sex.”
“She thought you might be gay.”
I look at Faison and see her nodding her head. I look at Mama Lynn and notice the red hue on her cheeks.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that even if you had been,” Mama Lynn says in her own defense. “But it would be a lot harder for you to have some grandbabies for me if you were. Now, I don’t have to worry about it. Faison’s right, the two of you will have the most gorgeous babies ever.”
“Ok can we stop talking about babies, please,” I beg, reaching into the box for some sugar courage. “I admit, I’m interested in Mason but that’s all you two are going to get me to admit.”
“That’s all we need to know,” Mama Lynn says, patting my hand and sitting down beside me at the table.
“Well, he couldn’t be anymore in love with you if he tried,” Faison says. “Did you see how he looked at her Mama Lynn?”
“I did,” Mama Lynn reaches into the box for the last croissant. “It couldn’t have been more obvious.”
“You guys just saw what you wanted to see,” I say, trying to downplay the same conclusion they both seem to have come to on their own.
Even though I had noticed the difference in how Mason looked at me, I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to believe it was real. If I did and I was wrong, I feared the heartache would be too much for me to handle in my current state.
“We only saw what was there,” Mama Lynn says, taking a bite out of the croissant and having about the same reaction I did to the taste of the pastry.
Eventually, I get them off the subject of Mason and on to the subject of Faison’s upcoming nuptials in April. If there is anything they love talking about more than my ‘maybe’ love life, it’s Faison and John Austin’s wedding.
By the time they leave my house it is almost eight in the evening. After they are gone I am finally able to take a shower and after that I fall into bed feeling completely exhausted. I call to Michael in my dream world. This time I choose to meet him inside my father’s study.
Michael walks around the room studying various things belonging to my father, trying his best to avoid meeting my gaze.
“You knew, didn’t you?” I accuse.
“It’s not that simple, Jessica,” he says.
“Why didn’t you tell me my parents hadn’t been taken through the Tear? Do you know how long I’ve imagined them stranded on some strange planet? But they’ve been here the whole time, haven’t they? I could have been looking for them!”
“If you had known,” Michael says, “you would have never joined the Watcher Agency, met Mason, or discovered what your true path really was.”
“That’s beside the point!”
“No,” he says calmly in the face of my ire, “that is the point. It was the point of everything, Jessica. Everything you’ve been through has led you to this moment. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.”
“Where are they?” I ask, point blank. “You have to know where they are.”
“I don’t know and that’s the truth.”
I can tell he’s holding something back from me.
“What aren’t you saying?” I demand.
“I made a promise to your father.”
“What promise?” I ask, finding myself holding my breath waiting to hear the answer.
“I promised I would let him explain everything to you. I’m sorry, Jess, but I can’t tell you anything more without breaking that promise. I owe him the decency of telling you what happened himself.”
“When is he coming back to talk to me?”
“That I don’t know. But when the time is right, he will. I can promise you that.”
“I don’t think I can stand to look at you right now,” I say, feeling an uncontrollable anger towards Michael. “Leave.”
I wake up in my bed and turn to lie on my back. All this time Michael let me believe my parents were tearers scattered somewhere in the universe and he knew they were still on this planet. It isn’t something I’m sure I can forgive.
Chapter 16The next morning I am woken up by the sound of my phone buzzing notifying me that I have a text message. Suddenly wide awake, I grab it and open the text.
Good morning. I hope you slept well. Nothing much is going on here. Just wanted to keep you informed, as promised. Don’t forget I will be at your house at 4 this afternoon.
I lay in my bed and read the message from Mason at least five times before answering.
Good morning to you too. I slept very well except during a talk with a certain archangel. I will have my phone with me all day at the spa if you need me. I will be promptly ready at 4.
I pause, not sure I want to send the rest of what I’m thinking but decide to take a chance.
I look forward to seeing you in your tuxedo this evening.
I hit send and wait to see if I get a reply.
Two minutes later I do.
Have fun at the spa with Faison. I hope they pamper you well. You deserve it after what you have been through the last few days. I eagerly await seeing you in the dress Santa left for you Christmas morning….don’t forget the mask, even though I would rather have people see the beauty on my arm. But, it is a masquerade ball after all…
I can’t help but smile and instantly feel my heart ache in a good way at his sweet sentiment. I ponder if I should reply or just leave it at that but can’t seem to prevent my self from writing:
I hope you like what you see and only for you will I take the mask off at midnight.
I hit send and bury my head in my pillow, somewhat ashamed and surprised by my own audacity. Nervously, I wait to see if he makes a reply. As soon as the phone buzzes in my hand, I peek over my pillow to see what he has written back.
I have no doubt I will love what I see and I sincerely hope I am the only man you allow to remove your mask…
I feel my heart swell with excitement about what might transpire that evening and force myself to put the phone down. It’s already nine and Faison warned me the night before she would be over to pick me up at nine-thirty.
I quickly hop in the shower and don’t even bother to put on any make-up or blow dry my hair afterwards. That’s what the spa is for.
When I grab my phone I notice the little green light is flashing and discover I have another text message from Mason.
Did you receive my last text message?
I smile and respond.
Yes, I did receive it. Sorry, I just got out of the shower. Faison will be here soon to pick me up for our spa day.
I wait impatiently, tapping my finger against the side of the phone to see if he writes back.
Just wanted to make sure you got it. I meant every word…until tonight…anxiously awaiting our first date…
I feel my heart flutter with excitement and wish I didn’t have to endure over six hours more before I am able to see Mason again.
You don’t happen to have a time machine that can make the day go by faster do you?
No, unfortunately time travel is not within the Watcher arsenal of capabilities or I would be on your front porch to pick you up instead of sitting here with Nick going over some boring paperwork your government makes me sign every year.
So sorry to hear you have to spend time with Nick! He is my least favorite person on your team.
Nick is an acquired taste. He is a good man though. Please don’t think too harshly of him.
If you vouch for him, then he must not be too bad and I will give him the benefit of the doubt from now on.
I am glad to see you think so highly of my opinion of people…
I greatly value what you think…
The front door bell rings and I know I have to end our conversation quickly.
Faison is here. I am sorry. I will have to go now. See you at 4
I will be counting the minutes…
The spa Faison takes me to is owned by a girl we used to go to high school with. She is actually the person who threw the Christmas party Mason and I were supposed to attend the night I was sick.
“Hey Shelby,” Faison says, giving the other woman a peck on the cheek as we enter the spa.
Shelby is waif thin with long flaming red hair and pale white skin. Her large green eyes immediately captivate you with their brightness and her kind heart is easily seen through them.
“I hope you girls are ready to be treated like queens today,” Shelby says, giving me a quick hug. “I’ve got manicures, pedicures, facials, steam baths and massages planned. Not to mention a full make-up and hair styling session at the end.” Shelby turns to me. “Faison told me you’re going to a ball in London tonight with a Watcher,” I hear the swoon in Shelby’s voice. “That’s so romantic. I sure do envy you.”
I have to admit, I would be envious of me too. It does make my life sound rather interesting.
“Ok, enough of all this, let’s get the two of you started.”
For the next four hours, I am scrubbed, rubbed, patted down and basted in all of the modern conveniences to make me look presentable for my first official date with Mason. I suddenly realize it’s actually my first official date with anybody. In high school the boys were simply too juvenile to go out with. In college, I was too busy trying to earn a four year degree in three. At the Watcher academy, fraternizing with your classmates was looked down on, and I didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to stop me from becoming a Watcher agent. For the first time in my life, I don’t have an excuse to avoid dating. And, strangely enough, I don’t want one, not considering my first date will be with Mason.
“What are you smiling about?” Faison asks me as we sit in the salon chairs getting our nails polished.
“This is my first date,” I whisper to her, not wanting the manicurists to overhear us. Otherwise, I’m sure they would think me strange.
“Why do you think I brought us here?” Faison answers back. “I figured I would use some of the small fortune you gave me and treat you to a day of pampering so you don’t have time to get nervous.”
It is only then that I begin to feel a swarm of butterflies invade my stomach like the Luftwaffe. A look of instant trepidation must be on my face too because Faison’s eyes widen.
“Oh no you don’t,” she says to me sternly. “You are not going to get nervous and find a reason to back out of this date.”
“No,” I assure her. “I’m not going to back out. I wouldn’t do that to him… or me for that matter. I have to see where things lead. I have to try even if it turns out to be a mistake.”
“It’s not a mistake,” Faison states as a matter of fact. “You two were meant for each other.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because you’re both broken souls,” she says seriously, not trying to romanticize it like she usually does most things. “Even I can see the two of you fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. He brings out a side of you I’ve been waiting to see for so long, Jess. Please don’t get nervous. He was meant for you, and I think he realizes you were meant for him too. So don’t jinx anything,” she orders. “I might not live long enough for you to find someone who fits you so perfectly.”
A beautician named Maribel is placed in charge of my beautification for the ball. She ends up being sort of perfect for me. She keeps the makeup light and airy looking, just the way I like it. For my hair, she rolls it to curl softly at the ends and sweeps it completely to one side allowing it to hang over my shoulder elegantly.
By the time Faison gets me back home, it is almost three in the afternoon. She stays to help me get into my dress since the bodice is corseted in the back and requires an extra pair of hands to tighten and tie it properly. At around three forty-five, my door bell rings.
“Is that him?” Faison asks handing me my matching shoes.
“No, he’s never early or late,” I say, dropping the shoes on the floor and slipping them on my feet.
“I’ll go see who it is,” Faison tells me walking out of my bedroom.
I take a moment for myself and examine my reflection in the antique cherry wood full length mirror by the bay window. I’ve never been one to over analyze my looks but even I have to admit I look beautiful in the dress Mason bought me.
I hear a commotion of more than two voices out in the foyer and go to see who exactly is at the door.
When I get there, I feel like making an about face and finding a place to hide in my bedroom until Mason arrives.
“There she is!” Mama Lynn practically screams at me excitedly.
I try to put on a smile but feel the strain of such an act actually start to hurt my face.
It would have been bad enough to just have Mama Lynn present with her camera at the ready but it isn’t just her. George, John Austin, Vern, Sadie, Beau and his entire family are all standing inside my house staring at me. George, Vern and Sadie smile at me proudly but John Austin and Beau are staring at me with their mouths agape.
“What?” I ask the two of them, hands on hips. “Didn’t think I could clean up this good?”
Beau’s wife Fanny slaps her husband on the backside of the head which promptly makes his three little girls giggle. I imagine such a happening is quite common place in their home.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I say to them, “but why are you all here… now… in my house?”
“I dropped by Beau’s store to pick up some batteries for my camera,” Mama Lynn says. “When I told everyone what I needed the camera for, they wanted to come and see you in your new dress.”
“I hope you don’t mind, Jess,” Sadie says. “Its just that we don’t get a lot of excitement around here and well, when Lynn described the dress to us I just had to see you in it. You look so gorgeous. Your date is a lucky man.”
I see George cross his arms over his chest. “Am I going to need to have a talk with Mason before the two of you go on this date? I might not be your father but I can make sure he understands what’s expected of him.”
“No, George, that won’t be necessary.” I say. “If there is anyone in this world you don’t have to worry about treating me like a lady, it’s Mason. He’s really old fashioned. He even pulls out the chair for me when I sit at a table.”
“Awww,” Beau’s three girls say in unison, obviously thinking Mason must be some type of romantic hero.
“Well, I want to take some pictures of you before you go,” Mama Lynn says, turning on her camera.
For the next few minutes, I let Mama Lynn take all the pictures she wants. I know what she’s doing. Since I didn’t go to any of my proms or winter formals, she’s making up for lost picture opportunities.
“Try to relax and smile naturally,” Mama Lynn instructs. “You look like your getting your teeth pulled, not like your about to go on your first date.”
I glower at Mama Lynn for sharing this personal information with everyone but apparently they already know it and don’t look the least bit surprised. I suppose that’s one bad thing about living in a small community, everyone knows everything about everyone else.
