Lincoln dropped me off at my store this morning on his way into town. I was supposed to catch a ride back to the house with him, but Oliver picked me up from the store, and here I was without a car.
Lincoln was one of my three roommates and a computer nerd. He also owned the house we were all living in. Our relationship had turned from roommates to friends, and I loved hanging out with him. He was a friendly guy who went above and beyond for his friends. There used to be four of us in the house, but Des, our fourth roommate, got a job in New York and moved last month.
“Lincoln, huh?” Stella teased me on our way out.
I groaned. “Don’t start.”
Getting a place where I not only had my own bathroom but also enough room to never see my roommates if I didn’t want to was divine intervention.
Lincoln bought the house—if you could call a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion a house—a few years ago and renovated it. He said it was too big for just him, and now there were four of us living there.
“How did you manage to keep your car?” I asked and got into the passenger seat. Things with her mom had been tense, but ever since Stella left home, it was war. Her mom had cut her off from all her accounts, canceled her credit cards, and blacklisted her from all businesses so she couldn’t get a job anywhere. Well, except at Drake’s Garage. And that was only thanks to Willa, who I knew convinced her boyfriend, Jameson—Mason’s brother—to let her work there while they were traveling.
“It was in my name, so my mother couldn’t really take it from me. She tried—of course she would—but there was nothing she could do. I’ll have to sell it though, if I don’t get a job soon.”
“Honey, you’ve got a job.”
“You know what I mean. A job that won’t end in a few weeks.”
She had a point. But at least that would give her time to figure out what she wanted to do.
“Are you still staying at Willa’s?” I asked.
Stella nodded. “She’s at Jameson’s most of the time, so she’s happy she doesn’t have to pay full rent. But I have to find something soon.”
We made it to The Grill and hid in a booth toward the back. Neither of us was in the mood for small talk. And since we had both lived here our whole lives—Stella out on a farm and I in a crazy hippie household—we knew pretty much everyone, and everyone knew us.
“Tell me what’s going on with Oliver,” she said.
“What the hell happened with Mason?” I asked at the same time.
I wasn’t ready to talk about Oliver and was way too curious to find out what the hell was going on with her and Mason. I knew him as an easygoing guy, but he was more fire-spitting dragon when I saw him at the garage. At least Stella knew she had to give me something before I started talking.
“Fine. I’ll go first. Not that there’s much to explain. It’s simple really. Mason hates me. I hate Mason. We make each other’s lives miserable whenever we run into each other. He thinks I’m a spoiled brat, and I think he has a chip on his shoulder the size of the Rocky Mountains. We only have to put up with each other while I work at the garage, so hopefully there won’t be any casualties.”
I laughed, and she narrowed her eyes at me. “Hey, stop that. I wasn’t finished. I had a lot more to complain about.”
I just bet she did. But I also knew the way Mason had looked at her at the garage was not the look of hate. More like lust. Things were about to get interesting. And since I had put a stop to my romantic life, I could just live vicariously through Stella. “Oh, Estrella, there is no way that guy hates you. And besides, he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. No way would he be mean to you. You sure you’re not overreacting?”
“Don’t even go there. This is not a case of pulling someone’s pigtails because you like them. He is making my life miserable. I know for a fact that he can’t stand me, because I overheard him talking to Landon.”
That stopped my amusement in its tracks. Landon was another mechanic at the garage, and usually the life of the party. He was good friends with Willa, and we all hung out together on occasion. He was a good guy and I liked him. I was surprised he didn’t defend my friend. “He said that? And meant it? He wasn’t drunk or something?”
“Yes, yes, and no. A few weeks ago, I was waiting for Willa in her office, and they walked past. He said I was a spoiled rich girl who didn’t know what hard work was.”
“He said that? Are you sure you heard it right?”
“I was standing on the other side of the door. And it was definitely him. I’d recognize his voice anywhere. Besides Jameson, he’s the only one I know who has a voice that deep.”
“I’m sorry you heard that. What a little shithead.”
“Don’t go and yell at him. Please, Maisie, promise me. That’s not the reason why I told you.”
I blew out a breath but nodded. “Fine. I won’t say anything. You know he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about, right?”
“I guess so. It still hurt hearing him say it though.”
I knew how much it hurt Stella when people thought of her as spoiled. She never talked about it much, but from the few things she had told us about her family, I knew she had it tough.
“Stop. I know you. You are a good person, and your heart is made of lollipops and sunshine. You work hard, and you don’t expect handouts. It doesn’t matter where you come
