sighs, like he’s got something he needs to get off his chest. “I owe you an apology. I never wanted to help Jake out, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“So you keep saying.” I keep my voice cool, because he’s not telling me anything new.
“How’s it going, anyway? Met the woman of your dreams yet?” He attempts to lighten the mood, but it’s not working. “I hear Liv is there too.”
“Is that why you’re calling? Jake’s got you fishing me for intel?” I ask.
Nothing would surprise me these days.
“What? No, of course not,” he scoffs. “Jake would kill me if he knew I was calling you…” He lets out an audible sigh. “Look, if I tell you something, do you promise to keep it to yourself?”
“What is it?” I guard my answer, not ready to commit to anything.
Mason hesitates. “I’ve been seeing someone.”
“Really?” That surprises me, because in all the years I’ve known Mason, he’s maybe had one girlfriend. Is that what Jake has on him, some secret relationship with some girl? “What’s her name?”
“Steve.”
Oh.
“That’s what Jake has on you?” I ask softly, it all starting to make sense.
“You know what my family is like,” Mason pleads with me. “If they knew I was… well, you know what they’re like, Ben. They’d shut me out. So, when Jake threatened to tell my mom, I didn’t have a choice.”
Mason comes from a super conservative family who would never understand or accept their son being gay. It blows my mind that Jake would use that against him just to get back at me. He’s an even bigger asshole than I thought.
“For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you,” I tell him. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone until you’re ready for people to know.”
“Thanks, but you’re not the person I’m worried about,” he mumbles. “And please don’t tell Jake I told you,” Mason adds, fear in his voice.
Fuck. That’s exactly what I’d been planning on doing.
“Okay, that’s your call,” I finally agree. “But Mase?”
“What?”
“I love you, whoever you love,” I say, wanting him to know that I’m on his side. “And so will the people that really care about you.”
He doesn’t answer for a moment, but I can tell my words mean a lot to him.
“I better go,” he finally says. His voice trembles, like he’s struggling to hold it together. “Go find yourself a wife and win this bet, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” I promise with a chuckle. “And call me anytime if you need someone to talk to.”
I end the call and sit there on the bed, my jaw tightly clenched. I have a whole new level of disrespect for Jake. He hates me so much that he’d do this to Mason? I feel like throwing myself overboard and swimming to shore, just so I can hunt Jake down and punch the shit out of him.
Things have gotten so complicated. I’m trapped on a damned boat that Jake tricked me onto, he’s blackmailing Mason, and my only option to end this without everyone knowing about it, is Liv, who I’m pretty sure I’m developing feelings for.
Kissing her was a bad idea—because when I’m with her, I worry my priorities are changing. A lot of things that would usually matter to me simply fall away into the background. Maybe that’s a good thing and maybe it’s not. In all honesty, I find the idea of opening myself up to someone like that completely terrifying.
The other thing that plays on my mind is how can I be a hundred percent sure she’s not playing me? What if she’s working with Jake, and this is all a ploy to throw me off course and distract me, so I lose the bet? I can handle not winning. What I can’t handle is letting myself get hurt in the process.
I force myself into the shower and then get dressed, throwing on a pair of chino shorts and a dark blue polo shirt. As I head onto the deck, I’m feeling more positive about things—until the siren sounds for today’s compatibility activity. My first reaction is that I should’ve stayed in bed, but then I spot Liv… and whether or not I want to admit it to myself, I’m happy to see her.
She waves me over, her joyful expression infectious. It’s not until I walk closer, I realize she’s already grouped us up—with Tara, my mom, and their matches. I sit down in the only empty seat, between Liv and Mom, not sure whether to