I waited for the coffee to brew. There were a few missed texts from Taylor. She had to fly out tonight, so she could make it back for her Monday classes. She wanted to meet for lunch.
I sent her a text, asking when and where. At least I was already showered. Maybe she would be interested in brunch. I could go for some bacon and pancakes.
I hurried to my closet and tugged on a pair of jeans, tank top, and the boots Grey gave me. She texted back:
I’ll meet you in twenty minutes at the Pancake House.
Ok. See you then.
I picked up the blow-dryer to dry my hair and dabbed on a little bit of makeup. It was nothing compared to the work Lulu had done yesterday, but I thought I looked a little glowy anyway.
I headed to the door to grab my purse, when I remembered to shoot Grey a text.
Headed to brunch with Taylor before her flight. Can I bring you something?
I jogged down the stairs and cranked up the car when Grey wrote back.
Just bring some more of last night. Have fun.
I smiled. This feeling was incredible.
The Pancake House was my other favorite spot on the island next to Pete’s. A girl’s got to have a go-to coffee spot. This wasn’t Chapel Hill with a coffeehouse on every corner. The waitress showed us to a booth. We slid across the red vinyl seats and ordered a large pot of coffee.
“I had so much fun at the wedding.” Taylor poured us both a cup.
“Me too.” I wondered if I looked as different as I felt.
“I still can’t believe Mason flew me here for one night. What do you think that means?”
“Has he said anything?” I studied her.
She shrugged. “Not about feelings. He says we have fun together.”
“And do you?”
“Yes, I have a blast with him, but I don’t want to get wrapped up in the same thing I had with Jesse, you know? I don’t want to just be the good-time girl. I want more than that.”
“And you think that’s all Mason’s interested in? Fun?” I stirred a heavy dose of creamer into the porcelain mug.
“I can’t tell. You’ve known him longer than me. What do you think?”
I almost choked on my first sip of coffee. “I don’t know him like that. Our relationship has been slightly contentious.”
“Ok, I need you to be my friend right now and not Grey’s girlfriend.” She twisted her lips into a pout.
This didn’t feel like the right time to tell her that I couldn’t separate him from my life like that. That no matter what, Grey was permanently ingrained into my being. She didn’t need to hear that.
I dug deep into my girlfriend roots. “All right. Well, guys don’t usually buy plane tickets for no reason. Let’s face it; he’s pretty damn cute. He could have gotten a local date, but he didn’t. He wanted you here with him, and he didn’t have to see you when he flew to Charlotte. You were over two hours away. He definitely could have come up with an excuse not to see you on that business trip.”
Taylor smiled. “Keep talking. It’s working. I’m starting to feel better.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but it’s not really fair to compare Mason to Jesse. Mason’s twenty-seven. He knows what he wants in life. I think part of that is having a good time, but he’s obviously smart and extremely successful. He didn’t get that way by being an undependable loser. He has to have some follow through ability. He’s no Jesse.”
Taylor’s shoulders relaxed. “You’re right. He is successful and driven. That’s a good point. I shouldn’t worry. Just because we don’t have plans to see each other again, it doesn’t mean we won’t.”
I took a big sip of coffee. “You’re in the beginning of a relationship, which is sometimes the scariest part. Give him a chance.” I sat back against the vinyl seat. “The guy does have a lot going on—the Palm, all this crap with his dad. It’d be a lot for anyone to take in.” If I hadn’t heard so much inside scoop from Mason and then Renee, I might not have been as sympathetic, but it was true. Mason needed a break.
“Did Grey tell you he was going to sell? That was a bombshell last night.”
“I had no idea. It was news to me, but he seems resolved with it. At least they won’t be fighting with each other anymore.” I hoped this meant the beginning of a peaceful coexistence. Although, I didn’t exactly picture us all cutting the turkey together over Thanksgiving.
“All I know is that Mason was extremely quiet the rest of the night. We still had a good time at the hotel.” She winked. “But he was different. Pensive even.”
I thought about the Renee conversation and wondered if that had anything to do with it. It was so personal, I didn’t think I could share it with Taylor. The Pops situation was layered with such complexity, my gut told me to keep that to myself. I shouldn’t have been so nosey to begin with.
Taylor reached for the coffee pot to administer refills. “Enough Mason talk. Tell me your favorites here. Pancakes? Waffles?”
I picked up the menu and grinned. “You can never go wrong with bacon.”