When I'm Gone

I continued looking out the window. “I didn’t know her,” I told him.

He was quiet then. I should probably have spoken up and not made it so awkward, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

When he pulled up to Nan’s gate and followed the curve of her driveway, I was relieved. I was looking forward to cleaning and enjoying my quiet time alone.

“I’ll pick you up here around three.”

“Yes, thank you.” As weird as it was taking a ride from a stranger, it was nice to get to work faster.

Thad gave me a crooked grin. “No problem.”

That night, I told Mase about Jimmy leaving and Thad giving me a ride. He didn’t seem thrilled by this, but I didn’t ask him about it. We were friends, nothing more. Instead, I read two chapters to him. Just before we hung up, he asked me if I was in my pajamas yet.

“Yes,” I replied, looking down at the cutoff sweats and tank top.

He sighed, then chuckled. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. Good night, Reese.”

“Good night, Mase.”

“Sweet dreams.”

He had no idea how sweet they would turn out to be.

Mase

My coffee was brewing, and I hadn’t put on anything other than a pair of jeans, when a knock on my door disturbed my morning routine.

Annoyed, thinking it was Major here an hour early, I went and jerked open the door, ready to scowl at him. Instead, it was Cordelia.

She hadn’t called or shown up since I had sent her home almost a month ago. I didn’t step back and let her inside, because in the past, all our business had to do with sex, and I wasn’t doing that anymore. Not when I was getting in deeper with Reese every day.

“I’m in love with you,” she blurted out, as her eyes filled with tears.

Holy fuck, I did not need this today. Or any day. Cordelia was not ever supposed to fall in love with me. We’d had sex. That was it. Never any cuddling or kissing, just fucking.

Dammit.

“Cordelia, I’m sorry. But we went into that relationship knowing it was just a sex thing. I didn’t know you had deeper feelings or were developing them. I would have put a halt to it a long time ago.”

She sniffed, and her shoulders sagged in defeat. “So you really feel nothing? At all?”

Shit, I felt a fucking orgasm as I got my release. And yeah, her body had been nice and had felt good, and I’d enjoyed it, but that was it. Nothing emotional. I shook my head, hating to hurt her. “No. It was just sex for me. I thought that was all it was for you, too.”

“Is there someone else?” she asked. “Is that why you’re stopping with me?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer this. Reese wasn’t her business, but she was the reason this was ending. “I’ve got feelings for someone else, yes.” There, I’d said it.

She covered her mouth on a sob. “You got into a relationship with someone else while you were fucking me?”

Shaking my head, I let out a frustrated groan. I just wanted some coffee. Not this. “I’m not in a relationship . . . yet,” I told her. “But it doesn’t matter. I want to be. I’m waiting for her.”

Cordelia let out a hard laugh and wiped at the tears streaming down her face. “So the woman willing to give you everything isn’t good enough. You want the one holding back, is that it? God, I hate men! You’re all assholes!” Cordelia yelled the last bit. She pointed at me. “You will regret this. When you need me, you will regret this. All that hot sex we had was fantastic, and you know it. You will want my pussy and my ass again, and I won’t give them to you. This is it, Mase. You’ve had your last chance.”

I didn’t have a response for that. I watched her turn and stalk back to her truck and climb inside. I closed the door and hoped she kept her word and that this was indeed it. I couldn’t do this anymore and be nice about it. I hated hurting her, but she was pushing it.

My phone started ringing, and I looked longingly at the coffee in the pot. I really wanted that coffee. Frustrated, I reached for my phone. Why didn’t everyone leave me alone? Dammit, I wanted a quiet morning.

Harlow’s name lit up the screen.

“You OK?” I asked, anxious that something was wrong. She never called this early.

“I figured you’d be up already. Grant just told me something before he left for work that he heard yesterday that I thought was interesting news. I wanted to share it with you.”

I was almost afraid to listen. She was up to something. I could hear it in her voice. Whatever information she had, she was enjoying it a little too much. “It’s seven in the morning, Harlow. I’ve just gotten up, and I need coffee,” I grumbled as I went to pour myself a cup.

“Drink your coffee, grumpy. I can tell you all the information I have while you drink it.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, only half listening to her. I was more focused on the hot liquid in the mug in front of me.

“Thad—you know, Woods Kerrington’s friend—has been giving Reese a ride to and from work all week.”

This was her news? Rolling my eyes, I walked outside to enjoy my coffee. “Already know that,” I informed her.

“Oh. Well, do you know that he asked her out yesterday for this weekend, and she said yes?”

My hand paused in midair, the mug poised before my lips. What the fuck? “Reese is going on a date with Thad?” I asked, as I lowered my mug, still not sure that was what I had just heard. Reese was nervous with men. Thad was a player. I’d seen the dude in action. He was exactly the kind of guy I knew Reese didn’t like to be around. How the hell? “Who told Grant this?” I asked, waiting for the punch line. This had to be a fucking joke.