Call Me Michigan by Sam Destiny Page A

interrupted, knowing that he needed to sit down with Taylor, even if it was merely to stop the wild matchmaking idea.
    “What do you need me to do?” she asked in an exasperated breath.
    “Blankets, sheets, decorations. Take it out of my account,” he explained and then listened with relief as she promised that she knew exactly what he needed. They hung up, and he turned back to Taylor’s front door, patting around the frame until he found the spare key. Entering the house, he took Brad and his two brothers upstairs. The furniture needed to go before they got some color on the walls. Ashley arrived promptly as they had stored away the last box of memorabilia in the barn. Brad had covered the wooden floor before they started to color the wall around the door in a light shade of yellow, which worked well with the light violet they’d put on the wall left of the door. The paint would complement the white walk-in closet there. Next wall, yellow again, and then, the last one violet. The lady at the store had assured him that the choice of color was exactly right for a young woman’s bedroom. Now, he wondered if maybe they weren’t the right ones for this woman.
    “She won’t be able to sleep in here today,” Brad reported, and Mason nodded He had guessed that much, but at least they’d be able to make her imagine how it would look done and dry.
    “Let’s go and get the dresser, night tables, and bed.” With two trucks, they’d easily be able to bring it all back without much trouble. Downstairs, they found Ashley draping a lavender quilt over the back of the sofa. It fit the color upstairs perfectly.
    “You know, that’s always been Taylor’s favorite shade of purple. I remember back when we were in high school, she used to tell me how she imagined her bedroom if only she had the money. I don’t think she knows who she is any longer, so let’s remind her of who she was,” Ashley whispered as if she guessed his thoughts.
    “We’re going to get the furniture,” he explained after clearing his throat.
    “I’m coming. You and I need to talk, honey,” she decided, and Mason groaned, throwing a glance back it his best friend.
    “Meet you at Woody’s,” he hinted, waiting for Brad to move.
    The name of the shop was misleading, since it had everything from guns to food, and just his luck, exactly the pieces he imagined for Tay’s bedroom.
    “If you ain’t there in thirty, I’ll call the cops,” Brad stated under his breath, clearly worried that Ash planned to hurt him.
    “You’re a true friend.” Mason laughed, locking up the house as everyone was out, and then he held the truck door open for Ash.
    “Still a gentleman,” she commented, and though the drive was less than thirty minutes, it sure would take forever.
    “When Taylor said that you still have my pictures in the truck, I thought she was lyin’.” Ashley touched their smiling faces, and Mason couldn’t deny that he wanted them to go back to not talking to each other. There was just so much he didn’t want to face, that he couldn’t explain or apologize for, and no man liked facing that.
    “I don’t think she could’ve made somethin’ like that up,” he persisted, starting the truck, wondering if turning on the music would make her shut up.
    “Why, Mason? You never looked at me the way you think you did, so why?”
    “I wanted to remind myself not to make the same mistake again.” He heard her swallow, but figured since they were being honest, he might as well continue. “Being with you was amazin’ and fun, but you’re right, I was in it for the wrong reasons. I hurt you so much, and I never want to do that to anyone ever again. I thought I had to move on after Taylor left, but come on, move on from what? The day you told me you were pregnant, I swore to myself that I was going to do everythin’ to make you happy. No matter what, you deserved more.” They both had been lying to themselves, but that wasn’t going to