Элла Франк - Exquisite

Shelly made a squeak beside her, probably falling under his spell since this was the first time she’d seen him in seduction mode. He turned his face to look at her friend who was standing beside her. She’d dropped her arm from around Lena’s waist but she was glued to her side.

“Paul’s an idiot not to get you into bed by the way.” he said softly then turned back to Lena. “That’s where my doctor performs best.” and with that he lowered his head and kissed Lena hard on the mouth.

Gasping she braced herself not knowing what he was going to do next but she didn’t need to wait long. After a quick hot kiss he stood up and she turned to face Shelly who was fanning herself with her hand. Then they both looked back at Mason who was grinning and they all started giggling, exactly like a group of teenagers.

When they arrived at Catherine’s, Mason made a beeline to the kitchen after kissing her quickly on the lips and Lena turned and made her way out the back to where everyone was gathered around the large table under a huge oak tree. Catherine sat at the head and was laughing at something Wendy had just told her. They looked up when she walked in and Catherine jumped up walking towards her.

“Lena honey! How are you tonight?”

Lena smiled took her hand and walked with her over to the table. Sitting down she said her hellos to Wendy and her husband and that was it tonight because Rachel had flown to Italy two days earlier. Mason had told her about the break up with Charlie and she couldn’t help but wonder how she would cope if Mason and her came to an end. Right now everything was great. They were in a comfortable pattern that seemed to shift and morph when it needed to and she felt that she was finally beginning to heal, she really believed that for once in her life things were going to be fine. They all sat down to a meal of steaks and salad and it was delicious. Mason was talking to Wendy about Saturday nights menu when Catherine came down and sat beside her.

“Lena dear how are you? I finally have a minute to talk to you without Mason hogging you to himself.”

Lena smiled over at her and reached out taking her hand in her own. She squeezed it gently. “I’m great. Work’s busy and things with Mason are going very well. I know that’s what you really want to know.”

Catherine laughed and nodded, “It’s true, that is what I wanted to know. He tells me you go down and visit Carly on your own now. That’s a really big step for you Lena O’Donnell. I’m proud of you.”

Lena felt tears gather in her eyes and swallowed deeply trying to hold it together. “It’s all because of him.” she paused and looked over to where he was smiling at Wendy and her husband, “If you’re going to be proud of anyone it should be him.”

Catherine patted her hand. “Oh don’t you worry. I’m very proud of him and I’m grateful to you.”

Lena tilted her head and asked, “Grateful? Why”

“You came along at the perfect time Lena. He was ready to settle down he just hadn’t met anyone worth doing that with, and especially not that silly red headed twit.”

Lena’s eyebrow rose. “Trisha?”

“Yes her. I met her once and I have to tell you, if he’d chosen her I would’ve done my best, but Lena I’ve never been so happy to see him leave a woman.”

Laughing Lena watched as Mason looked over to her and smiled a slow sexy grin that showed his dimples off and made his eyes twinkle. She felt her heart kick up and do double time then he looked back at Wendy and Lena turned back to Catherine.

“I guess it was right place right time?”

Nodding Catherine agreed then said softly, “But I’m grateful you opened to him Lena. I was worried at first.”

“Worried? “ she asked, “About me?”

“No. I was worried about him.”

Lena sat back at that. “Oh.”

“Not because you aren’t a wonderful person dear.” she paused and scooted closer to Lena. “Because you were so closed. I knew you were scared to open your heart to someone. I watched you grow from a young girl to this amazing woman sitting beside me, and I never saw you relax and smile until a few months ago.”

Lena felt tears welling in her eyes and she reached up to brush them away.

“I’m glad my Mason did that for you and I’m glad you let him.” she smiled and leaned in kissing Lena’s cheek. “You two need to look after one another, promise me.”

Nodding Lena looked over to Mason, where he sat watching her with his mother, then she turned back and smiled at Catherine.

“I promise.”

The following week flew by. Mason had been working non stop on a new promotion for the restaurant and he’d only seen Lena twice. He missed her. She’d told him she was extremely busy this week with two seminars and she had a new intern following her. They’d met up on Tuesday for dinner and fallen asleep on his couch and Thursday night he’d gone by her house and they’d gone for a run around the park then they’d come home and crawled into bed. They were both exhausted.

He knew they needed to discuss moving in together soon, he wanted her with him all the time. Not just when they could fit each other in, but first he needed to sit her down and talk to her, tell her how he felt. Finally tell her that he was completely in love with her. He was planning to do that tonight. She’d told him she had the weekend off and they were going to meet down at O’Malley’s for a drink when she got off work, then they were going back to his place for the weekend. It was had just turned 7.23pm when his phone rang. He put his pen down and picked it up cradling it between his shoulder and ear.

“Hello.”

“Hi there.”

Mason beamed at the voice on the other end. He felt his heart start to beat just a little faster when Lena’s voice floated over the line. “Hey yourself. You better not be calling to cancel.”

He heard her laugh and could imagine her smiling. “No. I’m looking forward to spending some quality time in your condo this weekend.”

“Oh are you? So it has nothing to do with me then?”

“Hmm. Well maybe a little bit.”

Mason rocked back on his chair and lowered his voice. “Good because I’m looking forward to spending some quality time in you this weekend.”

He heard her take a deep breath. “I can’t wait. Sure you don’t want to just skip O’Malley’s?”

Mason saw his phone light up with a second call coming through. He noticed it was his mother’s shop and figured he’d call her back after he hung up.

“Now why would we skip O’Malley’s? You know I love it there. We first danced there.”

Lena chuckled, “You first groped me there.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Wow, really mature doctor.” Mason replied with a laugh.

“Ok then. If I must I’ll met you there at 8.”

Mason watched his phone light up again, wow his mother was really wanting to talk to him about something. “Ok sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to see you Lena.”

“And I can’t wait to be seen Langley. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Mason hung up and sat forward dialing his mother’s number. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he sat back rocking his chair. This weekend was going to be amazing, he could feel it. He was still thinking about Lena when he heard a man on the other end of the line.

“Hello? Is this Mason?”

Mason sat up and looked at the phone, yep he’d dialed the right number, so who the heck was this? “Yes, who’s this?”

“Mason, my name’s Edward Scott. I’m the shop owner across the street from your mother’s.” he paused and what came out of his mouth next would forever change Mason’s life.

Lena sat at O’Malley’s with a beer in front of her checking her watch. It’d just turned 8pm. She’d got there a little early and gone in to get a drink. Taking a sip she thought about what she wanted out of this weekend. Oh it was a given there would be a lot of good food, good company and hot hot sex and she wanted it all, but this weekend she planned to lay it on the line for him. Lena was ready to open her heart, let down every defense she had and invite him in. She was going to tell him she loved him.

Looking up at the clock she noticed it was now 8.15pm and he still wasn’t there. She grabbed her cell phone and called him. It went straight to voicemail. Reaching for her beer she told herself not to worry, he was probably just held up, but there was something niggling at the back of her neck and she couldn’t seem to shake it. 8.30pm and still nothing, she picked her phone up and dialed again, this time it was answered.

“Hello, Mason’s phone.”

Lena frowned, it sounded like Wendy, but she was speaking funny so Lena asked. “Wendy?”

“Oh god. Lena! Is that you?” she asked on a frantic cry.

Lena’s breathing froze and she felt herself go rigid. She made herself answer. “Yes. What’s going on Wendy? Mason was supposed to meet me here half and hour ago. Why are you answering his phone?”

There was another sob at the other end and Lena could feel her heart clenching getting ready to crack open at whatever tragedy was about to be hurled her way. Please God, don’t let him be sick, or hurt. Or worse, dead.

“He’s just left the hospital Lena, it’s terrible.” she paused and Lena gripped the bar with her free hand.

“What happened to him?”

“Oh.” Wendy sobbed hard now, “No not him Lena.” she heard her swallow. “It’s Catherine. She had a heart attack in her shop this afternoon.”

Lena’s hand flew to her mouth and she gasped loudly. She knew people were staring at her and she could feel the tears gathering in her eyes. “Is she?” she couldn’t even say it. “Is she going to be ok? Where did they take her?”

Lena heard Wendy let go of her tears now, “She died Lena. She died at the scene. Mason just left the hospital after going to down to identify her.”

Tears rolled in twin streams down her cheeks as she sat in the crowded pub looking at the happy people smiling and dancing without a care in the world. She hit the end button on the call and numbly got off the stool and made her way through the crowd and out the door. Her first instinct was to run, to leave it behind her and not go to him. He would have Rachel and Wendy to comfort him, she just couldn’t deal with this, but she didn’t run she did what her battered heart told her too and made her way to Mason’s.

Mason couldn’t comprehend what had just happened over the last hour and a half. He’d just got back to his place and moved through the condo to sit on his couch. His mind kept running over the details one by one, refusing to make sense of it. Choosing instead to believe this was some kind of horrible nightmare.

He’d hung up from speaking with Lena and called his mother back but she hadn’t answered, a man named Edward Scott had. He couldn’t get the words; Son I’m sorry to tell you but your mother suffered a massive heart attack around twenty minutes ago. There was nothing they could do, to stop playing on repeat in his head. After that it was all a blur.

He knew he’d gone down to the hospital but he couldn’t remember getting there. He remembered a young lady in a lab coat, much like Lena’s, take him into a small room with stainless steel tables and he remembered a sheet being pulled back and seeing his mother lying there, as though she were asleep, but he just didn’t believe any of it. His mother wasn’t dead, it was impossible, they’d just talked this morning on the phone and he’d told her he was going to ask Lena to move in with him, she’d been thrilled. She had been fine. He slouched back on the couch and laid his arms on his legs. Staring through the dark to the lights below he couldn’t fathom a world without here there. Without her Monday night dinners and her smile as he would walk through her store. Sitting forward he hung his head low and felt the tears start to roll down his cheeks.

The minute Lena stepped in the room she could feel the sorrow. This was a feeling she knew intimately. Looking around the dark condo she spotted him on the couch hunched over with his arms resting on his knees and his head hanging down. She placed her bag on the floor and walked over to him coming to a stop at the end of the couch He looked up at her and she felt her heart break in two. His face was streaked with tears and his eyes were swollen from what looked like hours of crying, although she knew it’d only been around thirty minutes.

Not knowing what to say and feeling her own eyes start to fill with tears she said nothing, and just sat down beside him holding out her hand. Reaching over he took it in his and squeezed then proceeded to cry into the night. The pure anguish coming from within him was so strong Lena felt it pulsing off him in waves and crashing into her almost knocking her over. She too had lost a loved one tonight. True, Catherine wasn't her mother, but she’d become such an important part of her life she was almost as important as a parent, but this moment was his. She needed to be there to support him in this loss. So she sat beside him quietly, with as much courage as she could find, when everything inside her was screaming to run.