At that moment, I wasn't sure what bothered me more – that he thought so little of my judgmentorthe fact that apparently, I was expendable.
I said, "Oh, really?"
"You're not family, so do what you want." Again, his voice hardened. "On your own time."
Lovely.
It didn't help that his original point was valid.
Yes, I realized that in a small town like Petoskey, the odds of something bad happening were pretty darn low, but I also realized that any expert on self-defense would've agreed with Mason ten times over.
And speaking of defense, I was tired of fending off his attacks.
Without preamble, I launched into my counter-attack. "So tell me. Doyouever text in parking lots? Or do you always wait until you're nice and safe inside your vehicle?"
"WhatIdo is irrelevant."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?"
"Because if I'm followed, I can handle it."
Dang it.
He was probably right.
Everyone knew that Mason Blastoviak was the kind of person who could handle just about anything.
I knew this from watching the show – and from Arden, who'd told me a little more about his family history.
His parents – first his dad and then his mom – had taken off when Willow hadn't been much older than a baby. And Mason? He'd stepped in to take up the slack.
Under his guidance, his siblings had not only survived, but thrived. Together, the three brothers had built a global tool empire while Willow appeared to be surprisingly well adjusted, all things considered.
Then again, I'd only met her the one time.
Thinking of Willow, I said, "So, about the last nanny, are you going to tell me what happened? Or are you planning to wait until we're actually pulling into the driveway?"
Just then, my cell phone chimed in my pocket. The ringtone was the one I'd assigned to Livia. I could only imagine why she was calling me now.
Last night, I'd left the club without saying goodbye. Then again, so had she. Of course, we'd driven there separately, so it's not like either one of us had ended up stranded or anything.
As far as Livia, she hadn't ended up lonely, that's for sure. After that impromptu make-out session near the Mercedes, she and Chopped Liver had gotten into that same car and driven off to wherever.
Her place?
His place?
Some hotel?
I didn't know, and I tried not to care. Livia wasn't one to play it safe, and besides, she didn't like me naggingherany more than I liked Mason naggingme.
From the driver's seat, Mason said, "If you want to get that, go ahead."
Nice try, Bucko."I can't," I replied, "because you were just about to tell me what happened with the nanny."
At the reminder, Mason looked just as thrilled asI'dfelt about his lecture on parking lot safety. And yet, to his credit, he actually lived up to his end of the bargain and told me what I wanted to know.
Chapter 12