Chapter Eight
I walk into the restaurant at exactly six thirty. I had to leave my meeting early but at least I can trust Buzz to hold down the fort. He might be a pain in the ass but he’s a total beast at work. I quickly scan the room but there's no sign of Emily or the others. I head in the direction of the bar but there's only one blonde woman with her back to me. The bartender is completely in awe of her, which makes me curious to see what she looks like. I start to walk in her direction when I hear my name being called. "Mason, it's good to see you." I turn around to see Pete making his way over to me, arms wide open. He gives me an awkward man hug complete with several pats on the back.
"Good to see you too, Pete."
"It's been way too long; we hardly see you and Emily these days."
"I've been busy with work, you know how it is."
He grins. "No rest for the wicked, eh?" I follow him as he leads us over to our table. Joanne nods when she sees me. "Mason."
"Joanne, how are you?" I ask to be polite, not because I actually care. I've never liked her. She has a talent for sucking the happiness right out of you and she feeds off of other people’s misery. She's basically a Dementor in disguise.
"I'm good. How's Emily? Is she feeling any better?"
I frown. "How do you mean?"
"She’s sick. She called me about an hour ago to say she couldn't make it but that you were still coming." She leans her head to one side. "Wait, has she not told you?"
"No, she hasn't."
Pete looks from me to Joanne. "This is the first time I'm hearing about it. Why didn't you mention something earlier?"
"Excuse me, I'll be right back." I walk out of the restaurant and can already feel the anger building up inside of me. I take a couple of deep breaths to try and calm myself down but it doesn't work. I can't believe she guilted me into coming then cancelled without telling me. I pace up and down but start to attract unwanted attention from passersby so I sit down on a nearby bench. I pull my cell out of my jacket pocket and call Emily. She picks up immediately, as if she was waiting for my call. "I left an important meeting to be here," I say through gritted teeth.
She coughs pathetically. "Aren't you going to ask me how I'm feeling?"
"No, you sound fine."
"Just because I sound fine doesn't mean that I am fine. There's a difference."
"Cut the bullshit. Why didn't you call me?"
All traces of being ill disappear as her voice turns harsh. It was only a matter of time. "What's the point? You never answer my calls."
"That doesn't usually stop you. Did you not feel like pretending to be from my lawyer’s office today? Or how about my doctor’s? You have a full array of occupations to choose from."
"I'm going to ignore everything you're saying because I know you're stressed out from work. I just wish you wouldn't take it out on me."
"It isn't work that stresses me out, Emily." It's you.
"Well now that you're there, just relax and have a little fun."
"With your friends?"
"They're your friends too."
"No they're not. You know I've never liked Joanne."
"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"
"Because I could have stayed in my meeting. We have important clients visiting. I'm only here because of you. You're quick to remind me how little we see each other these days but then when I do show up, you cancel."
"Yeah well it's not very nice when somebody cancels, is it?"
I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice level. "Are you insinuating that you cancelled on purpose?"
"Maybe you needed a taste of your own medicine."
I throw my free hand up. "For fuck’s sake, Emily! We're not twelve years old so stop playing games! You know I take my work seriously. If I didn't, you wouldn't be sitting in a ten bedroom house right now. Do you really think pulling shit like this will achieve anything? It's not exactly going to help our relationship, is it?"
"At least I'm trying something. I'm not sure the same can be said about you."
"Oh believe me, I'm trying. I'm trying really fucking hard right now." Trying not to lose my shit in broad daylight.
After a few seconds, she sighs, "I don't know what else to say."
"An apology would be nice."
"Well here's the thing Mason...I'm not sorry. So what if you had to leave your meeting early? Stop acting like a little bitch and get over it."
Her words are like gasoline, feeding the flames burning inside of me. I can't bear to hear her voice for even a second longer. I hang up and slam my cell down on the bench next to me. Then I slam it down a few more times for good measure. I know I need to cool it, especially when I'm in public, but she's really gone and done it this time. And what’s worse is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I place my head in my hands and desperately try to think of something else to distract me. A song pops into my head. Cry Me A River. Fucking typical.
"Try holding it up," I hear somebody say from nearby. I look up to see a woman standing a few feet away from me. She's beautiful in an almost ethereal kind of way. She has to be the woman from the bar because I'm pretty sure I'm staring at her just like the bartender was. She has long blonde hair all the way down her back and is wearing a white dress which showcases her curves perfectly. Her heart shaped face and bambi eyes make her look sweet and innocent but her body is a walking contradiction. My greedy eyes can't decide where to look first. She laughs, which breaks my train of thought. Shit, what did she even say?
"Try holding your phone up. I'm guessing you can't get service either? It's annoying, isn't it?" She holds her cell high in the air which makes her dress ride up, revealing smooth, toned thighs.
Eyes up, Mason.