Page 47 of Finding Us
He leans in and his warm breath against my skin makes it pebble with goose bumps. “Don’t get too close to my son, Red. He may be young and impressionable, but he’s a smart kid.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I say, turning to face him, which is a big mistake … his face is now inches from mine.
“This Mother Teresa act you’ve got going on. It’s only a matter of time before he sees through it, just like I did.”
My eyes narrow into slits. The hide of this guy. “That is rich coming from you,” I sneer.
“Be careful, princess, your crown is slipping. Unlike you, what you see with me, is what you get. I’m an open book. I’ve never claimed to be something I’m not.”
“Really? Because I know all about the food you’re stealing from the poor and misfortunate … I can’t even with that. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“What?”
“Blake told me you eat at a soup kitchen every night. Are you that tight you’d rather take food out of homeless people’s mouths instead of buying your own? If you’re incapable of cooking for your son, take him to a restaurant to eat. I saw where you lived, you’re not poor.”
Mason’s eyebrows pinch together as his face turns red. I’m not sure if it’s from anger or embarrassment. “Oh, you mean Bridge, the soup kitchen I run?”What?“And I gather you’re referring to the place I was forced to sell—the only stable home my son’s ever known—to downsize to a shitty apartment, so I could use the extra money the sale generated to keep Bridge’s doors open.”
“You run the kitchen?”
“I do … so next time you decide to get up on your high horse and judge me, I suggest you get your facts straight first.”
With that, he pushes off the counter and storms out of the kitchen, leaving me being the one who’s embarrassed and ashamed.
Chapter14
Jacinta
“So, what do you think?” Connor asks, popping his head into my room after everyone has left.
“About what?”
“Mason and Blake?”
“Blake is the sweetest, I adore him, but I can’t really comment on Mason. All my time was spent with his son.” I have plenty to say about his friend, but I’m definitely not going there with him.
“Mason’s a great guy. We’ll be seeing a lot more of them now that they’re living in our building. I’m sure you two will become friends when you get a chance to know each other better.”Hah! And pigs might fly.“He was so worried about bringing Blake here, because he’s petrified of women, but I knew if there was anyone who that little boy could relate too, it would be you.”
A lump rises to the back of my throat as my conversation with Blake flickers through my mind. I hate that his childhood even remotely resembled mine. “What happened to his mother?” I ask.
“No clue.”
“She’s not in jail?”
“If I had my way she would be.”
“Ah, okay. Blake just mentioned he doesn’t see her.”
“It was one of the conditions of their settlement,” he says. “Mason paid her a large sum of money to sign her rights over, and agree to no further contact.”
“Wow. I can’t believe a mother would freely give up her child like that. For money no less.”
“She’s a junkie, Jaz.”
“That explains a lot.”
“I’m going to jump in the shower and head to bed, I’ve got an early start in the morning,” Connor says. “Good night, and thanks again for all the food you made for us.”
“Night, Con.”
