The freedom of the press works in such a way that there is not much freedom from it. -- Grace Kelly
Chapter 21 - Damage Control
Mason's POV-
The next two days were just a repeat of our first day on the river with the inclusion of Helen and Elliot. We begin with early morning fishing, an outdoor playful lunch, movie or games when it got too hot, and cooking fish on an open grill for dinner. Whenever possible, I steal a few moments with Chandler, but for the most part I just enjoy being around her with all of our friends.
We spend July 4th on the lake in my Grandparents' backyard, only taking a break for a few hours. Helen and Chandler spend most of the day on the boat with my mother's most teasing cousin, Caleb, and his two young teenage sons. Addy's fair complexion had her seeking shade by noon.
Elliot and Joel kept Edward busy and away from Addy for the most part, but I did witness one throw down. Addy took on Edward like a champ, flirting with Joel as she did it. I couldn't hold back my pride or my laughter.
I did get Chandler out on the jet ski a few times, and even ended up with Helen and Holden diving off cliffs for a while.
Helen had figured out there was more than just friendship, by all of the 'accidental' touches she said she witnessed. Chandler blushed a sweet gentle pink, and Helen pretended to zip her lips before I could ask her to keep the information to herself. She had one slip, when she was fighting me off, but it was to Holden. I'm not worried: the man is like Fort Knox, when it comes to getting information from him.
After watching fireworks from the dock of a nearby island, we head back to the river for the night. I knew I was limited on time with Chandler, but we were having so much fun with our friends, we opt for one more day on the water. It didn't take much to convince everyone, since no one was in a hurry to go back home.
When we got back to my parents' home this morning, I quickly shooed everyone away, taking Chandler with me back to Uncle Michael's. After a few short errands, we've pretty much been holed up in his upstairs movie room, stuck together like we would never see each other again. She played with my hair during some chick flick, and I ended up falling asleep in her lap.
It's evening and Chandler is ready to detach from me, but I am not willing to let her go. "If you stop whining, I can get the food ready for dinner before your uncle gets back home."
"I'll stop," I tell her moving up against her back, blocking her against the counter. My mouth toys with her neck as she tries unsuccessfully to stir a mixture of spices to coat chicken.
"You're not helping."
"I didn't want to," I smile, but she doesn't look impressed. Flipping her around, I move in, kissing her neck. She pushes me away, and I hear the garage open before I have her back in my arms. He's home early, and Chandler's is avidly trying to get me out of the kitchen, but there is no way I'm taking her hint.
I have her by the hips, trying to turn her toward me, again, when we hear, "Hand check!" from Uncle Michael from the doorway to the kitchen with a smirk on his face, and Chandler and I both raise our hands like 'busted' teenagers. "That's better, carry on."
"He meant for you to carry on in another room." She points with a spatula as if she's about to turn it into a weapon.
"Playful as ever, I see."
"Some things never change, because some people never grow up." Chandler says, trying to keep a straight face, but she does have the sink-eye glare down pat.
"What's the fun in that?" I ask.
"I have no idea," Uncle Michael answers and Chandler moves her glare over to him. "Sorry, I'm on her side. It looks like she's feeding me."
With a smugness that definitely needs to be kissed off of her face, Chandler smiles back at me.
"What are we having?" Uncle Michael asks.
"Mason," she glares at me, "will be manning the grill as soon as I'm finished seasoning the chicken. I have corn and mixed fresh vegetables already seasoned and wrapped in foil."
"It looks great," Michael tells her and then turns to me, "One of these days I'm going to have to get me one of those," referring to Chandler. She takes offence with his statement as if she's easily 'gotten'.
"They're a lot of work." I try to tell him. There she is, again, with the glare, "but absolutely, completely, 100% worth it." I say with my hands up in a mock surrender. Now she's got the spatula, again.
"Stop while you're ahead." She says with a laugh, and I can't help but smile. It's just fun sometimes just playing with my best friend.
"Here take these out," she hands me a platter of chicken. Michael follows behind with a pair of tongs and oven mitts.
"So, last night?" Michael asks with a touch of sympathy.
"Yeah, I couldn't talk her into staying, but she'll be finished within the week."
"What will you do?"
"I'll stay long enough to help Addy move into her new house, and then, I'll be in Charleston and wait for Chandler to finish."
Chandler joins us on the veranda with a couple of beers. "So, where are you headed off to?" Uncle Michael asks her.
"New Orleans for a few days. Before you get excited, it's work. I won't have time to sneeze while I'm there. In fact, I need to be there all week, but I cut it to three days, and I'm hoping for the best."
"And then?"
"Peoria for the rest of the week."
We sit outside and talk as the grill takes care of the food. As if we planned it, just as the food is set on the table, Coach shows up. "I swear I can smell her cooking from my house. Sorry it took my nose so long to hunt her down," he says as he walks from the side of the house.
"Dad, you're right on time." She had invited him but was expecting him here earlier. She goes back in the house for a few more beers, a bottle of wine, serving utensils, and fresh cut tomatoes.
Holding the door for her, I'm rewarded with a kiss from Chandler, and a grunt from Coach. "Behave yourself, Dad is present."
I choose not to inform him that this is 'me' behaving myself, because I could be so much worse. "Yes, sir," I say with a smirk and Chandler giggles. "I'm a gentleman; I'm always behaved."
Pushing Chandler's seat to the table, I whisper three little words in her ear. She smiles and I quickly take a seat beside her.
Chandler's POV-
The sun hides behind the trees just as the food is coming off the grill. I flip on the exterior lights and dim them enough to enjoy night dining. Surrounded by three of the men I love, I sit back and relish good food and conversation.
Everything on the table came from my dad's place. Over ten years ago, he made a set of raised gardens for Emily to manage, since her backyard is primarily a huge soccer field. He had already been raising chickens for as long as I could remember. It was just something he liked to do.
"This smell like heaven," my dad beams. "I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think Emily was in the kitchen whipping up the food."
"She'd be proud. It tastes great." Michael tells me as he digs into the first packet of vegetables, sending compliments to the chef, the grill master, and Emily's teaching skills. Without her teaching me to cook, I would've been stuck with boxed pasta, steak and potatoes, and hunter stew.
"I still remember the first cooking lesson," Dad informs the table. "It was beef enchiladas, and I think you ended up feeding about twenty people."
"I think you're right. She was teaching Addy and me how to cook for small groups, but she kept having make the same recipe over-and-over. By the time we finished we managed to feed the crowd."
"It's just her excuse to entertain. Not that she doesn't love it, but anyway to draw a crowd to her house, she'll jump on it." All the men at the table said "Amen", before taking a swig.
Dad and Michael begin talking about a construction project that was beginning through the middle of town, and how traveling though it took almost five minutes longer than usual. I bite my tongue, because a Chicago construction project could delay you by an hour if you hit it at the wrong time.
It didn't take long for our discussion to move to Addy's new house, since Michael just finished that project a couple of days ago. My dad asks Mason if he's seen the changes at the old fields, which led us straight to the discussion of the soccer, the World Cup, and player trades that they think will be coming. Michael and I pipe in with our two cents worth every once in a while, but for the most part I just enjoy watching and listening to Mason and my dad.
Mason pulls me away for a surprise after dessert, and I say goodnight to my dad and Michael. We drive through our old town, making sure to drive by and see the changes to the high school. A few minutes later he's parking the car near the community soccer fields.
"So, this is your surprise?" I look out at the abandoned fields, remembering days when I watched Mason play.
He holds my hand, bringing the back to his lips, but never looking away from where he spent so much time as a teen. "You're dad's right, it looks good. They reconfigured it for more u-6 fields. They needed that." I listen to him talk about the place for a little while longer, before he puts the car in reverse, and we're off again.
"Ok, now where?" I fill myself getting a little giddy with the possibilities.
"Somewhere I've never been with you."
I twist my lips and think. "That could be a lot of places."
"Somewhere I've never taken another girl." He says a little more cheekily than is necessary.
"Still, that could be endless."
"Patience."
He parks on the side of a gravel road and grabs a flashlight out of the glove compartment. "This way," he says and holds out his hand for me. He walk and stumble down a small ravine, and we turn back toward the road. There is a sizable opening, and Mason ushers me inside. For as much as I can tell, it's a cave.
"I remember coming here with Holden and Edward when we were too young to drive and exploring kept us out of trouble." He shines a light as he indicates a direction. "The south end of my neighbor is just through the trees. We took off on bikes, discovered some old trails, and came upon this little oddity."
"So, what is this place?"
"I'm really not sure. It doesn't have an exit," he shines his light, and all I can see is dirt from floor to roof. "It's not rock, so someone had to have dug it, but I have no idea."
"Was this your plan? Get a girl here and have her completely dependent on you for her safety?"
He chuckles, "No, I just wanted to do something different, but I like your idea better."
The crickets are loud and I can hear the rustle of branches, telling me little critters are close. "Oh, Mason. I'm scared," I use my best damsel and distress voice I can muster. "You are going to keep my safe, aren't you?"
"With my life, ma'am." He chuckles on his words, before pulling me into his arms and kissing the hell out of me. I've got a great life.
We walk the bottom of the ravine, stumble up the side of a hill, until we come to a small bridge. The water is nothing more than a trickle, but in the daylight, I imagine the antique wooden bridge is a quaint sight to behold. Mason leans over and we kiss some more as if we are playful, innocent teenagers, and for a moment that's exactly what it feels like.
Mason's POV-
The next day, I lost Chandler to a week's worth of traveling, and the day after I help my family move Helen, Joel and Addy into a their new house a few blocks from the medical center. Everything went smoothly on both fronts, but I can't shake the feeling that Addy is regressing. She was back to dressing like a bum in oversized clothes, hiding the budding personality of her former self.
"Joel, just watch her. I can't be here even though I want to. I have a lot happening back in Charleston and I need to get back there."
"I've got a handle on it," he says with a smile looking back over at my fragile little sister.
As I sit in the airport waiting for my flight to be called, my phone buzzes. I grin at the cheesy smiling face that comes on the screen. "Mason," I say into the receiver.
"I tried to stop it, but it's too late. It's already in circulation in Virginia. It won't take long." Not expecting to launch directly into a conversation without the pleasantries, it takes me a moment to mentally catch up with Rachel's conversation.
"I thought we'd have more time."
"No, my dad got wind of it, and put out a press release. Since, I'm not working in the office right now, I wasn't privy to the information until it was too late."
"Meet me at the airport. My plane is expected to land at 6:20," I say as I busily pick up my briefcase and pull my boarding pass out.
"I'll see you in a few hours."
Dialing Chandler I'm sent directly to voice mail. This isn't the type of information I want to leave for her, so I just ask her to call me when she gets the message.
Rachel is at the end of the concourse waiting. She nods for the go ahead, and I motion for her to come to me. We engulf in a huge hug, and she buries her head in my neck. "I'm sorry about this."
"It's ok. I'm just glad I'm home." As we pull apart lights flash all around us. There are a flurry of questions that Rachel does her best to calm speculation. I offer her my elbow and escort her to Thomas' awaiting car, while he picks up my luggage from baggage claim.
As soon as we are in the back seat, she leans over me to pull out the Richmond Times, turning to the page she referred to earlier. "It'll be all over the national news tomorrow. You might not be a celebrity, but you're an heir to a multibillion dollar business that's rapidly expanding its media interests; this is news."
"Will this hurt us in any other way than timing?"
"No, this is what we were expecting, it just bumped up the timetable a few weeks." She holds my hand, leans on my arm, and just helps me come to grips with how my life will become a circus.
"Nothing changes. I speak for you as P. Cahill, as Chief Operating Officer, and as Mason -- anytime, anyplace."
"I know and I thank you."
--
A/N I left this wide open for you to ponder. What does Rachel have up her sleeve? What has Mason agreed to? Most importantly, How will this impact Chandler?