After the twins had turned eighteen, Mason had assumed that Stephanie would be “done playing house.” He’d expected her to walk away from Scott and Simone and not look back. She’d explained to him there was no way she’d ever do that, no matter how old they were. In no uncertain terms she’d made it clear they were her family and she would never turn her back on them. Ever. He’d told her she was being selfish and tried to make her feel guilty for not putting him and them first. They’d argued for hours before she’d told him that she needed a break.
A week after their fight she’d come home from work to find all of Scott’s things gone and her brother nowhere to be found. She’d panicked and called 911. The dispatcher had explained that she needed to go down to the station and file a missing persons report. She’d dropped the phone and sprinted out the front door. Before she made it to her car, Mason pulled up in the driveway.
Tears poured down her face as she explained that Scott was missing and she had to go to the police station. He laughed. Laughed. He told her that she was being dramatic and ruining her surprise. He then handed her a pamphlet for a state facility and explained that he’d “pulled some strings” to get Scott in there and now they could be together.
After several seconds of shock, she’d told him she never wanted to see or speak to him again and to stay away from her family. Then, she’d gotten in her car, driven straight to the facility and picked up her brother. Mason left town the next day and hadn’t returned until a month ago.
The rage and hate that she’d felt for the man that she’d planned on walking down the aisle with was indescribable. To this day when she thought about what he’d done her body shook with anger. It infuriated her that she’d ever wasted a second of her life on him, much less agreed to be his wife.
She placed the blue plastic grid back in its cardboard box and set it on the shelf beside Scott’s puzzles and games as she tried to figure out what game it was that Mason was playing. None of this made sense.
Did he honestly believe he could use her brother to get back in her good graces? Did he really think he could worm his way back into her life? Was he that delusional?
“You can go now. I’m watching my show,” Scott informed her as he stared at the television.
Unless she had to go to work, she always tried to stay with her brother until he said that he was ready for her to leave. It gave him a sense of control and security.
She crossed the room to where he sat and kissed him on the top of his head. “Okay, bud. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“Ditto,” he responded using Patrick Swayze’s response to Demi Moore in Ghost. Whenever Scott expressed an emotion he used movie quotes or song lyrics. He only ever did it with people he trusted, people he felt safe with. For some reason it irritated Simone but Stephanie had always found it endearing.
She tried to focus on that as she left his room and moved down the hall but she was still feeling uneasy about Mason. When she passed the front desk she decided to stop and do some investigating. Picking up the visitor sign-in sheet, she ran her finger down the list of names. He hadn’t been there today. She flipped back all the way to two weeks prior, scanning each paper diligently, but his name wasn’t there.
Feeling more confused than ever, she set the clipboard down and walked through the sliding glass doors. Did Mason visit and not sign in? What was he up to? It didn’t make sense.
She’d just reached her car when she heard her name being called. Her shoulders slumped as she turned expecting to be told that Scott needed her to come back for some reason. Just as she suspected, his favorite nurse was rushing towards her.
“Hey, Nora.” Stephanie raised her hand and forced herself to smile. “Is Scott okay?’
The young nurse stopped about a foot away. “I’m not sure, I just got here.”
“Oh, I thought…”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just wanted to tell you congratulations.” Nora beamed.
“Congratulations? For what?”
“Mason, I think that’s his name, was here yesterday and I overheard him telling Scott that you two were getting married.”
“Mason was here?”
“Yeah. He was.”
The uneasiness that she’d been feeling multiplied like wet Gremlins.
The nurse continued, “Scott and I were heading out on an afternoon walk just as he pulled up, so he joined us. We almost missed him.”
That explained why his name hadn’t been listed in the visitor log.
“Are you okay?” Concern etched Nora’s pretty features.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Stephanie considered setting the record straight and letting Nora know that she and Mason were in fact not getting married, but she stopped herself. “Can you do me a favor? Can you let me know if Mason stops by again?”
Nora paused for a beat before agreeing hesitantly. “Sure.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Okay, well. I’m running late, so I better go.”
“See you, later.” Stephanie lifted her hand in a small wave.
As she climbed into her car she weighed her options. She could drive straight to Mason’s parents’ house and confront him, which she knew wouldn’t do any good. Or she could go home to Ace, who was in her bed, and deal with Mason later after she’d formulated a plan.
It was a no-brainer. Any option that had the words Ace and bed in it was the clear winner, winner, chicken dinner.