Rosemary Beach: When I'm Gone Part 12

"Drink that cappuccino, darling, because you're gonna need it. I heard that the wicked witch of the beach is back. She arrived from Paris late last night. Prepare yourself for this. Nannette is an evil, evil b.i.t.c.h. She's also gonna take one look at you and get p.i.s.sy. She doesn't deal well when there's a female hotter than she is, and baby, you are smoking."

I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about Nan. She was Mase's sister. But I also had to tell her about her mirror. Mase hadn't brought it up again, but I knew I had to tell Nan what had happened. Every time I cleaned that room, I saw that empty s.p.a.ce and dreaded having to tell her what I had done.

There was a good chance Nan would fire me. I was preparing myself for that, too. But I was going to call Blaire Finlay this afternoon and see about cleaning her house. If I was fired from Nan's, then at least I wouldn't hurt from the pay cut.

I grabbed my backpack and slipped it up my arm and followed Jimmy out to his car. "How did you hear about Thad?" I asked.

Jimmy grinned like he knew the best secret in the world. "I got a call from Mase last night. He wanted to make sure I was home and I would be picking you up for work. He also explained that he'd need to know the next time I was out of town or couldn't take you to work. He didn't want Thad to be my first call. He said he would make arrangements." Jimmy wiggled his eyebrows. "So naturally, after that very intimidating call, I called Blaire and asked her what the scoop was. She didn't know the details, so she called Harlow, who, of course, knew. Then Blaire called me back and filled me in."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe you called Blaire Finlay and asked her what she knew."

Jimmy laughed and cranked the car. "Blaire was my girl before she was a Finlay. Even married to hot, s.e.xy-as-h.e.l.l, dome-now Rush Finlay, she's still my girl."

The way Rush looked at his wife, I couldn't imagine he would like anyone calling Blaire "my girl"-even Jimmy, who apparently l.u.s.ted over Rush's body regardless of his friend being married to him.

"Now, tell me, any yummy deets you can share about Mase?"

I thought about last night and how good he had made me feel. Even after I lost it and messed up the moment, he had been so gentle and sweet.

"I love him." There, I'd said it. I had to say to it someone.

Jimmy slammed on the brakes and looked at me. Thank G.o.d, we weren't out of the parking lot yet. "You did not just say that."

I shrugged. "I can't help it. I won't tell him. But he makes it impossible not to love him. He's just . . . just what every girl dreams of. He makes everything right when it all seems wrong."

Jimmy laid his head back against the seat and groaned in frustration. "Baby girl, what are you thinking? You can't fall in love with Mase Manning. He doesn't even live here, for starters. Long-distance relationships don't work. He's a grown, very healthy man. He's gonna need to get his groove on, and he's gonna have women throwing themselves at him over in Texas. You can't love him. He's the kind you enjoy and appreciate. Not love."

My good mood evaporated. A sick knot formed in my stomach.

Was Jimmy right? Probably. He knew so much more about relationships than I did.

Did Mase have to have s.e.x? I hadn't given him s.e.x. Oh, G.o.d.

"He's probably got a woman in Texas, maybe even a couple he gets his goodies from. You gotta know that, sweetie. And I'm betting you didn't have s.e.x with him, did you? Don't answer that, I know you didn't. I would have seen it all over your face if you had. So that means he went back to Texas h.o.r.n.y. He's gonna get it somewhere, Reese. Those are the facts, and I don't want you hurt."

Hurt? I was devastated. "But I love him," was all I could say.

Jimmy reached over and squeezed my thigh. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to be upset. But you don't need to be blind to this. Has he told you he loves you?"

I shook my head no.

Jimmy sighed. "Girl, what am I gonna do with you? Love is one of them things you gotta be careful with. Guard yourself. I still got that friend we can double-date with."

Mase had said I was his. He didn't want anyone else to see me in my swimsuit. I didn't know if that meant we were exclusive, because apparently, I didn't know a lot. But I didn't want to go out with someone else. And I didn't think Mase would want me to.

If I was his, he wouldn't sleep with someone else . . . would he?

The Mase I knew wouldn't do that. I didn't believe he would have s.e.x with someone else. He hadn't told me he loved me, but he had said things that made me feel like I belonged to him . . . and like he belonged to me. Like he wanted to be mine.

"He said I was his," I told Jimmy.

Jimmy's eyebrows shot up. "Really? He said that? Like how did he say it? Give it to me word for word. I mean, I know he didn't want Thad taking you anywhere, but I figured he was protecting you from the man-wh.o.r.e who had his eye on you. I didn't think it was because he was laying claim just yet."

I didn't want to share my private time with Mase with anyone else. But I also didn't want to make a mistake and end up so completely broken that I couldn't ever recover. "He said he was glad I hadn't worn my swimsuit in front of everyone at the party, because he didn't want another man looking at what was his."

Jimmy let out a low whistle. "Maybe you better not date anyone else right now. Maybe I misjudged this. I don't want an angry cowboy coming to Rosemary Beach ready to kill someone. Let's just be careful, OK? Try not to love him too hard. Guard your heart, if you can."

I had given Mase Manning my heart already. I didn't have anything left to guard. But I didn't tell Jimmy that.

Mase.

Cordelia's truck was in my drive when I got back from eating lunch with my parents. Not what I wanted to deal with today, or ever. I needed to get my wallet and head to the stock-yards. I was already running late.

I opened the door to the house and cursed myself for leaving it unlocked. Apparently, I was going to have to start locking up, because my neighbor was refusing to listen to me and go away.

"Cord, where you at?" I called out, when I opened the door to an empty living room.

"Come find me," she called out teasingly.

s.h.i.t. Not good.

I threw my work gloves down and toed off my boots to keep from tracking mud into the house. Then I headed to the bedroom to kick out my visitor.

Sure enough, there she was, naked on my bed. I was going to have to wash the sheets to get her smell off them. I was tired and done with this s.h.i.t. She had taken it a step too far this time.

"Get your clothes on and leave."

"Don't, Mase. Look at me. You wanted this once. We were so good together. I want you. So bad," she said, opening her legs and slipping her hand between them and playing with herself.

"You've gone too far, Cordelia. I want you out of my house. If I need to call my momma to come get you to leave, I will," I threatened. I figured the idea of my momma finding her naked in my bed was enough to get any woman up and moving.

"Mase, don't do this. Please. I miss you. I need you so bad. I want you to f.u.c.k me however you want me. I'll give you anything you want. Let me suck your d.i.c.k. You can gag me with it like you love to do."

"Stop!" My angry shout finally shut her up. "I'm in love with someone. She's all I want. All I'm ever gonna want. So I need you to get your clothes and get out of my house, Cord. Now." I turned and left her there, not liking the image of her on my bed. That should be Reese there. Sweet, s.e.xy Reese.

I would need to get new sheets and a new mattress before I brought Reese here. Get rid of what I'd f.u.c.ked Cordelia and a few other women on. Reese was too good to be where they'd been. She was special.

Cord's footsteps finally alerted me that she'd given up. When I looked up, she was carrying her clothes and strutting naked through my house. d.a.m.n, did she not have any shame at all? I turned my back to her so she wouldn't think I was looking at her in any way and enjoying this s.h.i.t.

When the door slammed behind her and I heard her truck start up, I finally let out a sigh of relief and headed to my bedroom to strip my d.a.m.n sheets. Luckily, my mother made sure I always had two sets of sheets. She said you always needed a backup. Like always, my mother was right.

Once I was done, I knew I'd wasted too much time. I would have to go to the stockyard first thing the next day. I had a man coming at four to look at a horse I was selling. I needed to get things cleaned up from our morning routine before he got here.

Major was walking up to the house from my parents' place when I came back outside. "You not going to the stockyards?" he called out from down the hill.

"No, I'm waiting until tomorrow morning. Got that quarter I'm selling that I need to get cleaned up from her run this morning."

Major nodded. "I'm headed out, then. Got to be in San Antonio tomorrow. Dad wants to meet with me."

I didn't envy him. His relationship with his dad had been s.h.i.t ever since he slept with his stepmother last year. "Good luck," was my only response.

He shot me a bird and headed back toward my parents' house.

Grinning, I went to my truck and climbed inside.

I still couldn't believe the stupid f.u.c.k had slept with his stepmom. Even if she was only three years older than him. Last I heard, she wasn't his stepmom anymore. And the pre-nup she'd signed left her high and dry.

Reese.

I had been very careful to stay downstairs and be quiet while cleaning. I didn't want to wake up the woman all of Rosemary Beach had taught me to fear. But today I actually had something to clean; she was messy.

I spent more than an hour cleaning up what looked like a bottle of wine that had exploded all over the kitchen floor. Shards of gla.s.s littered the floor, and dry, sticky drink was all over the place. The cabinets, floors, counters-everywhere. Once I managed to get that mess cleaned up, I was able to clean the dishes and gla.s.ses I found littered around the downstairs.

Then I found piles of clothes on the laundry-room floor. Most of them looked clean, and I was sure most of them needed to be dry-cleaned. It looked like she had just dumped the contents of her luggage onto the floor. It took me another hour to sort the dry-cleaning from the regular laundry, and then I began washing a load of whites.

Once the downstairs was sparkling and I had the washing under control, it was past noon. I decided I could keep quiet and work on the rooms farthest from hers on the second floor. She would be asleep on the third floor. I knew which room was hers.

The bedrooms that had remained untouched were easy. I just had to dust and sweep and mop. Same routine. When I got to the game room, I cringed, thinking of the mirror I would have to tell her about. There were empty gla.s.ses in here, too. It looked like she might already know her mirror was missing. She must have had people in here. Sc.r.a.ps of food were scattered on plates, and the dregs of different alcoholic drinks were left in gla.s.ses. Garbage littered the floor.

The worst was the used condom in the corner beside the leather sofa. Gross. I put on the gloves I had bought when I had st.i.tches and got a large wad of toilet paper before picking it up and disposing of the condom. At least the user had tied it off.

Once I finished in the game room, it was almost three. I was normally done by three, but I still had the upstairs to do. And she was still sleeping.

I went back downstairs, walked all the trash out, and put the recycling in the correct bins, then came back inside and was considering reorganizing her pantry when I heard footsteps on the stairs. Finally.

I straightened my clothes and tucked my loose hair behind my ears. When Nannette walked into the kitchen, she saw me and scowled, then tossed her hair over her shoulder. As I'd predicted, she was stunning. Long strawberry-blond hair hung down her back. She was barely covered up, in a short, silky black nightgown that showcased her perfect pale skin.

"You the housecleaner?" she asked, sounding p.i.s.sed.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"Why are you still here? It's after three. It always take you this f.u.c.king long?"

"I'm finished with everything but upstairs. I was waiting for you to wake up."

She scrunched her nose at me. "Well, go clean it. I'm awake. Stop standing there gawking at me."

I needed to tell her about the mirror, but she didn't look like she wanted to chat just yet. So I hurried upstairs quickly and focused on cleaning everything I could. I didn't want her to have one complaint. Other than the mirror.

It took me two more hours upstairs. She had left a wake of disaster in her room. It made the rest of her house look positively spotless.

When I was satisfied, I headed back downstairs to see her curled up on the sofa with the remote in her hand and a cup of coffee on the table beside her. She looked more awake now.

"Took you long enough. You're slow. Speed it up, or you're gone," she snapped.

"I'm sorry. I will," I replied, thinking it was unfair that she thought I could go any faster.

She rolled her eyes and dismissed me with a flick of her hand. I had to tell her about the mirror, though. It would keep me up nights worrying until I did.

"While you were gone, there was an accident when I was cleaning the windows in the game room. I fell, and the mirror beside the window overlooking the Gulf came down with me. It shattered, and the frame broke. I will pay for it out of my paycheck until it's completely covered. I'm really sorry-"

"The h.e.l.l you will. You'll pay me right now. That mirror cost more than five thousand dollars. It came from Paris, as did most of the furnishings in this house."

I didn't have five thousand dollars. I had two thousand saved up right now, but that was it. How did one mirror cost so much? I hadn't expected this. "I'm sorry. I don't have that. I can give you two thousand right now and then work until it's paid for. That's the best I can do," I explained, hoping this woman had some form of empathy in her.

She glared at me; those green eyes were taking no prisoners. I was in trouble. Serious trouble. "No, you won't. I'll contact the agency and have them pay me back. They sent me a moron, so they can pay for it."

I had to sign a consent form when I started working for them that any damage that occurred was my responsibility. I just never imagined I would break a five-thousand-dollar mirror. "They won't cover it. They'll make me do it. It's my responsibility. All I have is-"

"Not even half. I heard you the first time. Go whine to someone else. I want my money, so figure it out, or I'll call the police and let them deal with your thieving a.s.s."

The police. Oh, G.o.d, I was going to go to jail over this. "I didn't steal it. It broke," I started to explain.

"Shut up! Get out of my house. There is no proof that it was broken. It's not here. I want my five thousand for it, or you can tell the cops you didn't steal it. Now, get out of my house."

I didn't say anything else. She looked ready to explode if I spoke to her again. This was not what I had imagined. Not at all. I thought she'd be mad, but I thought she'd at least let me pay her back.

I hurried to the door and got my backpack before running to the main road. Off her property. I had a lesson tonight with Dr. Munroe, but I couldn't go. I needed to go home and figure out what to do. I called the professor and told him I wasn't feeling well, then walked home slowly.

Mase.

When ten thirty rolled around and I still hadn't gotten a call from Reese, I called her instead. Something was wrong. She'd have called me by now if everything was fine. The phone rang until it went to voice mail. I hung up and tried again. The same thing.

I tried to tell myself not to panic, and I dialed Jimmy's number.

He answered on the third ring. "Hel-"

"Have you seen Reese?" I asked, not letting him finish his greeting.

"Yeah, she was walking home later than usual, and I gave her a ride back. She said she had a headache and was going to get a shower and go to bed."