Mason nodded, and couldn’t help a tiny smile. He’d said multiple times that he wanted his own Algonquin Round Table, heady conversation, gambling, snark, and mind-altering substances. “Does that mean you’re all going to get on my level?”
Bunny moved next to him and draped an arm over his shoulder, then led him toward the room. “I think us all getting drunk might have been part of the problem in the first place.”
They all walked to the meeting room, and they entire gang was there. Mason was drunk, but he was still cognizant enough to glance around. No cameras, and no mic packs in sight. No one from the actual production crew at all, even thoughclearlysomeone would have had to at least tell Eliza that they were stopping work for this.They stopped the job because I can’t keep control of myself. No wonder they were questioning my judgment.
Everyone sat, so Mason took the open chair and launched in before anyone could say anything else to him. “Listen, I’m sorry. I needed some fresh air and that took a turn—”
“Nah, it’s time for you to shut the fuck up and us to talk.” Aras leaned forward. “We could have picked a better way tobroach the subject with David. He’s kind of flighty, but that’s no excuse for turning a fun night into a fucking ambush.” He stared straight into Mason, unblinking. “I’m sorry about that. And I’m sorry we hurt you.”
Nods all around the room, but Mason was having a hard time processing. Not even just because of the mezcal still churning through his blood. If Aras was being sincere and apologizing, there had to be some real feelings of guilt in the mix. “You don’t need to apologize. I took things too personally—”
“Mason.” Robinson was next to him, and grabbed his hand. “You were pissed, and frankly, you had every right to be. It’s obvious to me that we’re taking you for granted more than we should.”
“No—”
“Yes.” Robinson sighed. “And I do clock the irony of everyone just constantly interrupting you every time you try to say something. But please just listen. We did some thinking and some talking, and we all pretty much arrived at the same conclusion: you wouldn’t have reacted that way if we were being good friends.”
Guilt gnawed at Mason, eating into the already subsiding anger. “Come on, you all are fine. Seriously, I overreacted. Running away from work over nothing?”
Ozzy rolled his eyes. “Right. You’re known so much for your fucking instability. I know exactly what you’re doing because it’s what you always do: you’re going to tell us everything is fine when it’s clearly not, and we’re not going to know it’s not but you’re never going to let us try to make up for what went down, and then it’s just going to fester forever until you get a fucking ulcer and die. So no. You didn’t overreact. You reacted.” Ozzy crossed his arms over his chest. “And I’m going to need you to put your head on straight and get back to your job because I’mclearlynot cut out to be doing any emotional damage control or balancing or any of the other hundred things you do every day.”
Mason tried to find some kind of footing, or at least a way to refute what they were saying. These were his friends. These were good people. Mason was the one who freaked out and turned this into something it wasn’t. Hell, even David was handling it better, and he was the one they’d actually approached with it.
But none of them felt insincere about this. No one was trying to disagree with Ozzy or Aras. “Is that really how you all feel?”
Robinson squeezed his hand gently. “I know this morning didn’t go…great between us. But yes. We all saw how messed up it was to go about last night the way we did.” He glanced around, then sighed again. “Even though we all were legitimately worried about David just…changing his mind on a whim and hurting you. None of us feel bad about checking on that, just about how we did it.”
Mason nodded. “I understand that.” He closed his eyes and leaned back, stretching out his neck. “I was too. I had my own opinions about him. But I’m going into this with I think pretty good knowledge of who David is. I don’t think he’s going to hurt me, but if he does…he’s worth the risk.”
“And we’ll support you, obviously.” Jake’s voice. Mason turned his head back down and opened his eyes to be met with a broad smile from beneath floppy, golden hair. “Even if something goes wrong, you’re not going to get rid of us. We’re in this relationship for the long haul.”
“I never doubted that.” Mason shook his head. “I’m sorry about just up and running. And don’t tell me not to apologize. We’re getting into this home stretch on this job, where a project manageractuallymatters.”
“You always matter.” Evander got up, walked over, and wrapped his arms around Mason from behind. “You have this nasty little habit of undervaluing yourself, and unfortunately Idon’t think beating it out of you is an option. So I choose to find it endearing.”
“I’m glad the beatings are off the table.” Mason looked up at him, then skated his gaze around the room, making eye contact with everyone on the team before speaking again. “I wish it hadn’t gone down that way, and maybe this is the drinks talking, but I’m good with it. Now.”
Bunny nodded. “If you want the rest of the day, you can take it. As long as you don’t go on a bender.”
Masondidconsider it, but only for a second before he shook his head. “I need to make sure Eliza’s not worried about this all falling apart. Better at least make an appearance.” He patted Mason’s arm, then rose. “So…flightiness aside, whatdoyou all actually think of David?”
Glances moved around the room. Mason’s belly tightened.
“He seems pretty fucking serious about you.” Aras was the first to break the silence. “And anyone who can get you to finally stop pussyfooting around and lay into us is good for you in my books.”
Bunny smiled broadly at him. “He’s my favorite out of everyone you’ve been with since high school.”
Mason rolled his eyes, trying to not display too much satisfaction at that. “The bar is in hell, though.”
She shrugged. “My point stands.”
Mason looked around at all of them, and it was more than a little difficult to remember why he’d been mad in the first place. Not literally, but he couldn’t tap back into that.Maybe when I’m less drunk. “Just promise me you’re not going to ambush him again, okay? Clearly, I can’t handle it, and I don’t want us leaving this job behind mad at each other.”
“Deal.” Jake popped to his feet, stumbled, caught himself on the edge of the table, and sort of half-scrambled his way over to Mason’s side. “Hug?”
Mason obliged, and soon everyone in the room was surrounding him. Even Aras got in on the group hug, although Mason noticed he was on the outer ring of it.
I’ll take it.
