When Its Least Expected (9 page)

your place…”
Oh yes, total date night. Crap.
“And we could watch a movie maybe. Hang out as, um, friends.” She gnawed on her lower
lip; she was boggled; mind-blowingly boggled.

Hang out, as friends? She shifted her legs over one another. Why did those two simple

and completely normal ideas bother her so much?

“So, what do you say, little beast? I could bring ice cream, popcorn, whatever else
you’d

like to nibble on...”

Nibble on? Oh hell, she could think of a few things. Ears, neck, and lips were always

good. Oh, God no.

What was she thinking? She shook her head and pinched her eyes shut. She was in dire

need of a little focusing energy here, and hearing this guy talk about nibbling was
not the way to do it. Having Mason in her house, on a Friday night definitely constituted
as a date. A date she should avoid, but couldn’t bring herself to say no to.

“I mean, I
would
have you over here and everything, but my grandpa’s sick and

my mom’s not exactly friendly right now,” his rambling startled her out the misery
she was

digging herself deeper in. She sighed in defeat. There was no other way around this,
especially when he sounded so sincere, so excited even.

“I’ll tell you what,” she paused, flicking her finger nails together, struggling to
keep her voice even as she spoke. “You can come over, but you’ve got to bring pizza,
preferably

pepperoni and jalapeños. No romance or horror movies. It’s got to be strictly comedies,
and I require pop, lots of it. Oh, and make it chocolate ice cream with chocolate
syrup.” She giggled at her own demands. His answering chuckle made her laughter erupt
more.

“Wow, little beast. You drive a hard bargain.”

“Yup, I know what I like,” her voice went low and trailed off as her face immediately

flushed at the double meaning in her words. She slapped a palm against her head. God,
she was an idiot!

He laughed low, and at his good hearted response she threw herself face first against
the

pillow. She was tempted to scream into it, in excitement, in frustration, she wasn’t
sure. But instead, she just inhaled the scent of laundry detergent lingering against
the sheets as she struggled not to suffocate herself.

“I think I can help with your demands, little beast…” Now Mason was the one with the

double meaning. When had their conversation turned from purely friendly to downright
flirty?

“Besides, I can paint a mean pedicure I’ve been told.”

Harley’s stomach rolled with laughter, and before long, she was clutching her middle
in

pain. She hadn’t laughed like that in months. It sure as hell felt good too. She sighed
in

contentment as their joking ceased. She turned over to her back again, her legs twisting
and untwisting in the sheets. Man, she’d be lucky if she fell asleep before her next
birthday.

“Harley?”

“Yeah, Mase?” She cringed, not at all comfortable with the nickname thing yet, but
it just

sort of slipped out.

“Thanks,” he offered up, his voice soft, wistful. “I mean for forgiving me and stuff.
I was a jerk today. You didn’t have to agree to go to that dance with me or even forgive
me, but you did. Believe me when I say that makes me super happy.” She smiled to herself
as she brought her hand up to play with one of her mangy curls. “I haven’t had a friend
in while, and you’re quite possibly the first girl who seconds as my friend…”

Wow. He was going sensitive again. It was time to get off the phone.

“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

You will not swoon … you will not swoon …

“Good night, Harley. Sweet dreams.”

“Yeah, um, bye, Mason.”

She slid her finger over the end button, easing the phone onto her chest. This wasn’t

happening. Dammit, she couldn’t like this guy.

Yes you could, and no, you can’t deny that it.

She groaned as she threw an arm over her eyes. Her biggest fears were coming true.
And

she’d totally just swooned over Mason Daniel.

“I’m telling you, Mom, we are
just friends.”
Harley barked at her mother as she

continued to flip through the same section of sweaters in her closet over and over.
She’d been at it for over twenty minutes. The sad part was she had no idea what she
was looking for. “I mean, he’s new in school, and his friendships are few and far
between, so…”

Her ever nosey mother snorted as she sidled up next to her. It was obvious the lady
didn’t

believe her by the telltale narrowing of her eyes. Harley glared back at her; the
stare down was in place again. They’d be Olympic medalists if staring contests were
a sport. Harley finally looked away though otherwise she’d truly believe what the
woman was telling her. That this movie

thing was more of a first date then just a couple of friends simply hanging out.

Five minutes later a decision was made on the clothes, and the old black hoodie paired

with her holiest pair of jeans was the winner. Big, baggy, and un-flattering; that
was the perfect option. Well, to Harley at least, but to her mother not so much.

“Well, sweetie,” her mom sighed, an arm outstretched towards her clothing choice she

had just uncaringly stowed across her bed. “Can you at least
try
to make yourself presentable?

This boy obviously likes you and wants to get to know you better. Maybe he has boyfriend

potential, and you don’t even know it!”

Now it was Harley’s turn to frown, and that she did while growling in annoyance. The

woman may have been her mother, but she was also the most delusional woman on the
face of

the earth.

The lady was worse than an obsessive teenage girl always wanting Harley to find a

boyfriend or insisting that she
find someone to spend time with
other than Abigail and David.

Moms were supposed to be the opposite of hers, telling their daughters to steer clear
from said boys, especially ones like Mason Daniel, but Harley’s mom wasn’t normal
in that sense or any others senses actually. She had a terrible tendency to take things
to the extreme when it came to her dating life.

Hell, she took Harley condom shopping with her last boyfriend; that’s got to say

something! Sitting down on her bed, she slipped her sweats off, only to pull on pulled
her

favorite worn jeans instead. Harley snickered to herself, shaking her head, as she
thought of that dreaded condom buying day.

She had told the woman at least a million and a half times that she was a virgin and
that

she had planned to stay that way for a very, very long time, but that trip to Pamida
was

apparently not to be argued with. Her mom was insane, telling Harley as they drove
in their family’s minivan that it was better to be prepared for the moment rather
than to be saddled with an STD or a child for a lifetime. Harley was so shocked that
speaking was almost deathly

impossible.

God, that poor old lady cashier had to have died of a heart attack shortly after they
left

because her lovely mom had grinned like a fool at the checkout, reciting how Harley
was a

“growing young girl, with raging hormones.” The woman gasped and stared at my mother’s

gleaming proud face like she had four heads. And Harley? Well, she was beyond mortified,
and getting to the van without balling her eyes was difficult, to say the least.

To top it off, her mother laughed Harley’s tears away, calling her silly. Silly, her
ass...

Throwing her favorite black hoodie over her head, Harley rolled her eyes at the memory.

Her mother, on the other hand, sat down next to her on the bed running a hand over
her shoulder.

Too bad it wasn’t a soothing motion.

“Ah, sweetie, really? You have so many nicer things to wear, yet you still insist

upon that ugly, ratty thing? I thought I raised you to take care of yourself a little
better than that, honey.” Her mom frowned, her voice laced with disappointment. Harley
only shrugged as she

stood to go to the bathroom.

She stared back at herself in the mirror, waiting for her mom’s inevitable knock to
sound

on her door. Luckily, it never came. She studied her face, as she threw her frizzy
curls into a lose pony tail at the nape of her neck. Control was definitely out the
questions today as the tiny ringlets flicked out to the side. She laughed at the picture,
slapping her hands down against her thighs. Her life was apparently represented by
her hair.

A knock sounded at her door. “Oh, and Harley,” Harley pressed her palms onto the

counter and dipped her chin into her chest. Damn the woman; she hadn’t given up after
all. “Do yourself a favor, and give the boy a chance. You never know, sweetie.” She
shrugged and patted the door frame as she turned to walk away.

Ugh, the nerve! There were no words on her tongue that could do the idiotic mom

moment, justice.

Five minutes later, the sound of the doorbell rang ominously through her house. She

stiffened, her heart jarred against her chest. Panic was setting in… What was she
doing? A boy was actually coming to her house on a Friday night! She rubbed a hand
over her belly. No, it wasn’t the flu she felt coming on … it was her enemy, happy
anticipation, coming out to play.

She sighed and gave herself one last frustrated glance before she left the bathroom,
to head towards the hall.

Out the blue, David’s speed racing wheel chair cut her off. Her eyes narrowed at his

black head of hair. He smiled over his shoulder at her, his eyes danced with mischief
as he grinned and waved.

“Oh no, you don’t, David Anderson,” she threatened, her feet picking up speed. “You
are

so
not
going anywhere near that door, do you hear me?” His answering smirk said otherwise,
and he pushed his wheels faster. She growled. A wild animal would have been terrified
of her.

“What’s the matter, Har? You don’t think I’m gonna embarrass you, do ya?” She gasped

as his eyes went from sweet to devilish in under a second. Harley knew
exactly
what he was planning. Too bad it wasn’t going to happen on her watch.

When they finally reached the edge of the living room, David went all out dirty on
her,

pushing her down on her ass in front of the ottoman of their dad’s chair. “Oh you
no good piece of –“

“Hi, Har!” her dad cut her off with a smirk as he stared teasingly over his paper.
“I knew

I trained your brother right.”
Oh no, he was in on this too?
Harley gaped up at him in disbelief, her face was burning red. She was beyond mortified
and pissed. “He’ll interrogate that poor kid more than I ever could.” Just like that,
he went back to his magazine while her mother giggled like a school girl over on the
couch, head tucked in her own Home and Gardens magazine.

Ugh! The nerve of these people!

Just as she stood rubbing her soar behind with the palm of her hand, her ears opened
up

and took in the sound of her new favorite melody, Mason Daniel laughing.

She sighed in resolution. Her arms hung low at her sides. It was too late. Her brother
was

going to humiliate her. It was in his protective twin brother manual apparently.

* * *

front door. He checked his cell phone for the third time since he’d pulled up, worried
that he was too early or maybe he was too late. He shook his head and laughed a humorless
laugh. He was a dumbass. He’d never been this worked up over hanging out with a girl
before, especially a girl like Harley. Straight laced, prissy types weren’t his thing,
but before he had a chance to retreat off the porch like his head was demanding him
do, the front door cracked opened, revealing a dude with eyes as black as coal, and
a face so similar to his little beast that it was downright scary.

With a carton of ice cream balanced on top of the pizza box, he looked down at this
dude

in a wheelchair, immediately curious to know what had happened to his other leg, err,
well, the leg that was no longer there. It wasn’t often he saw a dude this young with
a missing leg and no prosthetic. Hell, it wasn’t often he saw a dude with a missing
leg at all.

“Sup, I’m Mason.” Harley’s brother stared up at him, eyes wary.

“I’m David. Good to meet ya.” He paused, and a genuine grin appeared on his face.
For

the first time in an hour, Mason could breathe. “Anybody who can deal with my pushy,
neurotic sister is alright by me.” Mason grinned hard, a loud laugh escaped his mouth,
and the food he’d been ordered to bring, just about didn’t make it in.

Luckily this David dude, who he already knew he’d like, reached up to grab the ice
cream

before motioning him inside. “Well, she
did
kinda blow me off the first night we ever met but later ended up accepting my invite
to that dance, so I guess she must not be
that
neurotic,”

Mason smiled, stepping into their home.

Immediately, the warm smell of cinnamon enveloped his nose. Now
this
was a home he

could live in. His eyes darted back and forth to look around. This was nothing like
the stuffy, bare walled mansion he lived in.

“I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same girl here, dude, but whatever.” Mason

smiled, following David further into the kitchen, noting the dark oak wood of the
cabinets and the smooth granite on the countertops. The walls were a yellow color
and they immediately

reminded him of the California sun.

A throat cleared off to his left pulling his attention from the picture perfect surroundings.

He looked to see who it was, and before he even knew what was happening, his throat
dried up.