Blandview High Musical

30. Finishing Touches

The entire week was dedicated finishing the diner. I was taking a break when Shayne came in and sat down. "Paint job looks good." He said, grinning. "Yeah, I take pride in my work." I said. "Just a few more touches and we'll be ready to have people inside the place." He said. I took a drink of the water. "Gill, I wanted to talk about Monday night..." He said. I twisted the lid back on the bottle and placed it down. "I don't really think we need to." I said. "Well, I just want to—" "I went home with Mason that night anyway, so it doesn't make much difference." I said. My god, you could see the heartbreak flashing in his eyes. "You-You did what?" He asked. Suddenly, his attitude toughened. "Well, I'm happy you found someone." He said. "Yeah, me too. So, I don't think we need to talk about Monday night or anything prior." I said. Shayne took another drink of water. "Right. I should get back to work." He said, abruptly.

As Shayne was leaving the room, Jade came around the corner. "Everything okay?" She said. "Yeah, we were just talking." Shayne said, shortly. Jade wrinkled her brow. "What the hell was that about?" She asked me. "Oh...I just mentioned myself and Mason." "Ooo...I bet he didn't like that." She said, wiping her hands on her overalls. "Yeah, I could care less though." I said, plainly. "Speaking of...you're looking a little fuller in the hips." I said. "You think so?" She asked, turning around in a circle. "Definitely." "Well, I guess good dick will do that to you." She said. "Are you and Javier...?" Before she could answer, Caylie came into the room. "The back room is finished and Frankie's office looks better than ever." She said, grinning. "Okay great, we just have to finish up out here and it'll be ready to go." Jade said, tugging her gloves back on.

As we were moving the tables into place, I caught a glimpse of a black car rolling up along the curb. A man got out and adjusted his jacket. "Get a load of the 1950's biker boy." I said, motioning out the window. Caylie looked up. "Whoa, he's kinda cute." She said. He reached into his jacket leaning against the car. He seemed to be going over the outside looks of the building. It had been given a brand-new coat of paint and had brand-new windows and neon signs. I couldn't wait to see everything lit up on opening night. It was going to be gorgeous. His eyes halted on the glass, specifically fixed on one place...or something beyond the glass. "Jade?" I said. "What's up?" She asked, looking up from wiping down the bar. "Do we know him?" I asked. She looked out the window. I could tell she recognized him. "No, I don't think so. Lemme go see what he wants." "Don't you think I should—" Shayne started. "No, if it's a man from Stone Industries...you've caused enough trouble already." She said, heading for the glass door.

She opened it and stepped outside. "James?" She said. "I love what you've done with the place." He said, waving his hand. "What are you doing here? How'd you find me?" She asked. "Can't wait to see what it's going to look like when it's lit." He said, taking a drag off the cigarette and flicking the ash away. He kept the glasses on, making it difficult for her to see his eyes. "Don't you think you're putting too much into this?" He asked. She crossed her arms. "I really don't. I think it's working out perfectly. Lots of people like to come here." She said, stepping forward. "Listen, James...why don't you come by later and we'll talk about this? You really shouldn't be here." She said. His head turned towards her. "Promise me after you're finished with the diner...you'll stop." He said. "Fine, I promise." She said. He flicked the butt on the ground. The cigarette smoke billowing behind him as he moved around the car to the driver's side. "See you later." He said.

"Who was that?" I asked when Jade came back inside the diner. "Hell if I know. We didn't seem to have anything he wanted." She said, shrugging. I let it go. There was no point in saying anything if she wasn't going to talk about it.

The past week had been full of ups and downs for all of us. Mason and I had been seeing each other more frequently and things were getting serious between us. I found myself wanting to have an actual relationship rather than a Friends with Benefits type of deal. I was too afraid to tell Mason that, but I was reaching a peaking point. I was thinking about bringing it up to him tomorrow. The diner would be open and we could go on an actual real date if we wanted it. It would be the perfect opportunity to discuss our feelings and where we stand with each other.