Chapter 10
Mason
I had to laugh. The guy, who I guessed was the ex-husband, looked as if he was going to have a coronary. His face was red and splotchy, there was spittle at the corners of his mouth, and he was twitching. I wasn’t quite sure what Lara had seen in the man in the first place. He wasn’t overly attractive, but I could admit he did have a certain look that some women would appreciate.
The man was nothing like what I would have imagined Lara marrying. He was older. That was apparent. He looked more like someone’s dad rather than a beautiful woman’s husband. He was dressed as if he were headed to the golf course, which irritated me. I hated that look that wealthy men tended to have. They were always “on,” and it drove me crazy. Dude needed to chill and throw on a pair of sweats. Seeing him explained Lara’s shopping spree.
She turned to look at Brian and me, then at the man standing in the open doorway. She didn’t seem afraid of the man, so I hung back. She could do this on her own.
“Mitchel, you can’t barge in here whenever you want,” she said in a calm voice. “You need to leave.”
It was a very different voice than the one she had been using a few seconds earlier. Her voice was refined and haughty. It reminded me of the voice of those wealthy women in movies who always spoke with supreme confidence.
The man stepped into the condo and slammed the door behind him. “It’s my house,” he said.
She laughed. It wasn’t a joyous laugh. It was an acrimonious laugh that should have been a clear warning to the man. “Mitchel, you don’t own this place anymore. If you had bothered to show up to the last meeting, you would have known that. The papers are signed. The condo is mine. Give me your keys,” she said, holding out her hand.
“You won’t get away with this.” The man glared at her.
“I didn’t get away with anything. It was mine to begin with. My father is the one who put up the down payment for this place. This is my consolation prize. You get to keep your company unless you would like me to drag you to court and go after half of everything.”
The man, who was several inches shorter than me, stepped toward Lara. Instinctively, I moved forward to stand behind her. Brian followed suit. The man glared at both of us and curled his lip with open hostility. Despite him being unhappy to see us, he recognized the threat and kept his distance.
“It’s still my house, Lara, and I don’t know what the hell you were thinking by splattering this horrible paint all over my walls, but I want it gone. What the hell possessed you to go with such gaudy colors? It looks awful! I will report this to the HOA,” he threatened.
I bit back a retort. Was the man threatening to turn her into the homeowner’s association? Did he have no balls? The man was a weasel.
“Not your house, and I like the colors. Your color scheme was more suitable for a morgue,” she answered, not letting him upset her. “Report it to whomever you choose, Mitchel. Remember, I still have ownership of the building. I can change the HOA if I choose. I have the vote—you don’t. Nobody in the building likes you,” she said, slightly patronizing him.
His gaze turned to me and then Brian. I saw the moment he saw Brian’s black eye and immediately put me into the category of scum of the earth.
“Who’s this?” he said, looking at me, expecting me to answer him.
I didn’t give him the satisfaction.
“None of your business. Give me the keys and get out,” Lara repeated. “You can go, or I will have you hauled off and banned from the building altogether. That should really give the board something to gossip about at our next meeting.”
Mitchel was staring her down with unbridled anger and what appeared to be jealousy. I had a feeling my presence was making things worse for her. I didn’t want to cause her any more problems. I had done enough. This Mitchel character obviously knew Brian, but I could see him looking at me and questioning my presence. He didn’t need to start asking who I was. That could lead to Lara’s secret getting out, and I wouldn’t do that to her.
“I should go,” I said quietly from behind her.
“No. Stay. Mitchel, leave,” she demanded.
He sneered and looked at me with the same disgust Brian did. They were seriously going to give me a complex. Did I have a giant booger or some shit?
“It didn’t take you long to find someone to warm your bed,” Mitchel said, turning the look of disgust on her. “I should have known you would jump on the first man you saw.”
She started laughing. “Mitchel, the sheer fact that I waited until after you moved out is far better than you. I had to burn the sheets and have the mattress hauled to the dump because you dragged home every piece of trash you picked up.”
“They weren’t trash,” he shot back.
I raised an eyebrow, not believing the man’s complete lack of remorse for cheating on Lara.
“Keys. Now.”
“Does your boyfriend here know how much of a pain in the ass you are?” the man sneered.
I was about to say something to defend her, but I didn’t get the chance. I couldn’t utter a word. Her mouth was pressed to mine, and her tongue thrust into my mouth. I quickly got over the shock and kissed her back. I briefly heard Brian demanding I let go of his sister and Mitchel complaining I was kissing his wife. I ignored them. Brian and her ex melted away, and all I could think about was Lara.
It was a short-lived kiss. She pulled away as quickly as she had attacked me. She spun around and looked at Brian and then Mitchel. “Any questions? Opinions?”
Both men were slack-jawed. I was barely keeping my own mouth closed. Brian pushed past me, purposely shoving my shoulder as he went. “I’m out of here,” he grumbled.
He stomped toward the door, throwing a glare at Mitchel as he passed, and slammed it behind him.
“You’ve changed,” Mitchel said. “You are not the same woman I married.”
There was a sinister sound. I turned to verify it was coming from Lara. It was eerie, a little spooky, but strangely intriguing.
“Yes, I’ve changed, Mitchel. What did you think would happen when I caught you in bed with another woman? Did you honestly think I would pretend it had never happened and let you come back into my bed? You’re a bigger fool than I was.”
Mitchel shook his head, his arms spread wide as he encompassed the area. “This isn’t you. You’re having some kind of breakdown.”
She laughed. “No. I’m having a breakthrough. Big difference. The best thing that has happened to me in a very long time was catching you in bed with that floozy.”
“Don’t be crass,” he said.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I am. This is me, Mitchel. This is the woman I was supposed to be. You kept me in that box for too long. I don’t want to be the perfect hostess or the perfect wife. I want to be free to live my life as I see fit. You turned into a man I never want to see or talk to again. Thankfully, we didn’t have children together. There is nothing for us to talk about. We share nothing.”
“You’re still my wife.”
I turned to look at her response and puffed up with pride as she squared her shoulders. “No, I’m not. We have nothing to say to each other. If you need something, talk to my lawyer. But, do remember, you are paying for that lawyer. I’d make sure you’re succinct. Now go. Get out of my house.”
“You haven’t heard the last of me,” he spat before finally leaving the house.
I stared at the closed door and watched as Lara walked toward the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of wine from the cupboard and poured herself a glass. She drank it in several long swallows. I watched as her throat worked. My mind drifted back to the kiss and the way she had tasted. I imagined how sweet she would taste with the wine flavoring her breath.
“Mason,” she said, refilling her glass.
“Yes?” I answered, stepping toward her, hoping she would offer me a glass. It was a little early in the day, but I was game.
She sighed. “What a day. All I had planned was a little painting.”
I smiled. “Lara, that kiss,” I started.
She took another long drink from her wine glass.
“It was a kiss. It isn’t like we haven’t kissed before.”
She was lying. It was a lot more than just a kiss. “Lara, we’ve kissed before as kids. You know that was different.”
“No, Mason, I don’t. It was one of those things. You were in the right place at the right time. I mean, look around. See how quickly I cleared the room?” she said with a grin.
I laughed. She was right. Her little stunt had certainly shut Brian up. Mitchel was a different story. The guy was a dick. I was pleased she had managed to get away from him. It was a good thing she had caught him cheating. Sometimes fate had a funny way of working things out for people, whether they liked the method or not.
“Lara, can we talk about it? I think there is something to talk about.”
“Nope. I would like to be alone now. I still have a gallon of paint to splash on the walls. And then, if I am feeling particularly crazy, I may just start painting the nursery.”
I flinched. It was hard to imagine her as a mother. A single mother.
“Okay. I’ll go. I’m sorry for barging in here.”
She started laughing. “I’m not. If it weren’t for you being here, I couldn’t have shut Brian and Mitchel up with one kiss. Brian got the point, and Mitchel—well, maybe he will leave me alone.”
I nodded. “Take care, Lara. Stay home.”
She set the glass down a little harder than necessary and rolled her eyes. “Thanks. I’ll see you later. But really, thank you for being here. And thank you for clearing the air. I appreciate you telling me. It does make me feel a little better, but I guess it’s a little too late for all that now.”
“It’s never too late for anything, Lara.”
Our eyes met. Neither of us said anything. I didn’t want to push her. Today had been a little much. Maybe I could ask her for coffee later.
I walked to the door and let myself out. The visit did not go as I had anticipated. As I rode the elevator down to the ground floor, I thought about what Lara’s life had been like. Mitchel was a piece of shit, a control freak who had kept her under his thumb for a long time. I thought her condo looked great. It was a little bold for my taste, but I was glad it made her happy.
She could paint every room in my condo neon green if it made her happy. I liked to see her happy. Hell, I would help her if it meant I could get some more of those kisses.