"Pierce! Pierce! Open this door right now! You have so much explaining to do!" Mason was not a furious as he had been at 2:00 this morning, but no way was he gonna let Pierce know that. He still wanted answers. He still wanted to know what the hell was going on.
Pierce grumbled through the door, clearly not awake yet. "Wha?"
Mason pounded on the door again, yelling, "Get out here right now!"
-----
On the other side of the door, Pierce was now fully awake and his eyes had just shot open with the realization that Mason probably knew something about Riley. He attempted to sound like he was still asleep and unawares. He yawned through the door, "But I'm not decent."
"I don't give a shit Pierce. We're identical! You don't have anything that I don't have. Now, open this door or I swear I will take it off the hinges."
Pierce felt panicked. He really didn't want Mason to yell at him, but he also knew he owed him some type of explanation. "Okay," He sighed. "Okay. Sheesh. Keep your pants on, will ya?"
"My pants have been on for six hours already! Come. Out."
Pierce tentatively opened the door, still in his pajamas, grinned at Mason and leaned his forehead against the door frame waiting for whatever it was Mason was about to yell.
"I had this strange instinct a while ago, and I ignored it because I was tired... exhausted, really." Mason began. "I wanted to sleep without being bothered... but I was bothered Pierce."
"Restless Leg Syndrome?"
Mason fake laughed. "Ha ha ha, good one Pierce, but no dice. Who bothered me? Who is she Pierce and what is she doing in our house?!"
"Who? Who on earth are you talking about?"
"The redhead, Pierce. The flaming redhead with the sketchbook."
Sketchbook? Huh? Pierce didn't know Riley was an artist. That came as a complete shock. She was full of wonderful surprises. Pierce felt like a prayer he hadn't even known to pray had been answered. "Are you sure it wasn't Clay? You know how he likes to dye his hair and do all kinds of crazy things!"
"No Pierce, I can tell the difference between my own big brother and a strange woman, particularly when both of them are in my house at the same time!" Mason roared.
Pierce was even more baffled. "Well, you know how you like magic. Maybe that was all just your imagination or a dream or something?"
Mason had had it, he grabbed Pierce by the collar. "No Pierce, this was not an illusion. This woman's appearance was not something that I would've conjured. She is very real Pierce, and that means she has a name. Who is she?"
"Okay, Okay," Pierce raised his hands in surrender. "Her name is Riley."
Mason seemed to calm down. "Riley. Okay, good. Now, how has Riley come to be at our house?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure she came by plane first, then the car, then... "
"Do not get cute with me Pierce." Nope, he wasn't out of hot water yet. "Why is she here?! Come on man, out with it!"
Pierce sighed in defeat and answered in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper. "I hired her."
"You did what?!"
"I hired her, okay? Are you happy now?"
-----
Mason could sense his own willingness to overreact, but he calmed himself. Once he was completely in check, he carried on his line of questioning. "Okay. You hired her. Where did you hire her from? What did you hire her to do?"
"I met her in Texas. She's in communications and production, and..." Mason was still not looking convinced. "She's and idea's person Mace!" Pierce sighed. "I liked her. I thought she had a lot of potential - so I wanted to help her."
"Shit Pierce. That sounds like something you'd say about an intern. How much are we paying her?"
"She's no intern Mason!" Pierce jumped to her defense - ah ha, Mason had found the button... money. "She was one of the top advisors in the field that I met when I visited Texas."
Mason translated aloud, "So, that means a lot. We're paying her a lot. Shit Pierce! I thought we discussed this. I told you not to hemorrhage any money on that trip!"
"She is not a hemorrhage!" Pierce defended. "She's an investment!"
"I'll give her a chance Pierce." Mason conceded, since was now curious about this young woman and her abilities himself. "One chance P-Brain! If it doesn't work out in six month's time - she is gone. In the meantime, her salary is coming straight out of your thirds. Okay, Mr. Six-Figures? You hired her. She is your staff. You are paying her. That is the only way I'm agreeing to this, otherwise it's back to Texas she goes."
Feigning defeat, Pierce sighed. "Okay."
Mason turned to leave as Pierce closed the door. Mason stopped when he heard a clap and chuckled under his breath -- imagining his goofy younger brother doing his "aww yeah" stupid-happy dance behind the door. "I heard that!" He called over his shoulder.
"You'll love her! I can feel it in my bones!" Pierce shamelessly called back.
"Yep, about as much as I don't love you right now!"
"That was hurtful!"
Mason kept walking. He thought about what he'd just said. How does he just win all the time? How?
-----
Riley was packing her bags when she heard a knock on the door. "I'll be right there." When she saw Mason standing there she blushed bright red. "I'm still packing. I'll be out of here in a jiffy... just as soon as my cab arrives."
Mason stepped into the door frame and leaned back to scratch his back on the casing. "Going so soon?"
"Well, yes. I think it's for the best. It'll be less awkward at any rate."
Mason disagreed. There was no way it could get more awkward than it had this morning. "Nah, people frequently barge in on me a 2:00 A.M. and have me risk my life to save them from my relatives. It's no big deal."
He saw Riley blush deeper. "I feel very badly about that."
"Why? You didn't know who he was. You just felt the instinct to get away from him. It isn't a bad instinct you know... I had it often growing up." He'd finally made her smile. It wasn't a big smile, but it was a smile... that was enough for now.
"Just the same, won't it be more comfortable for everyone if I just got a hotel room?"
"Nope. No, I don't think Pierce would like that. I mean you can ask him - since he is the one that hired you... but I know my brother and I'm guessing that him bringing you here in the first place was his attempt at being cheap. He doesn't want you to go anywhere right now, because that means he'll have to pay for it."
"Still, after last night,... I mean... you probably don't want me so close to your rooms anymore."
"Oh on the contrary." Mason disagreed. "You were a delightfully silent neighbor... until you snuck into my room and scared my dog." They both laughed. "It really isn't a problem if you want to stay here for now. But if you just insist on moving to... shall we say a... 'less invade-able accommodation'... then finish packing and I'll take you to another wing of the main house."
"The main house?" Riley asked skeptically.
"Yes, the main house. There is a suite built-in upstairs with it's own kitchenette, spare bedroom, an en-suite, and a walk-in closet. It is next to the game room, where we occasionally spend a good deal of time, but you are welcome to it if you think you might be more comfortable up there than you are in the studio here."
Riley hesitated. "What about the cab I just called?"
"Call and cancel."
At that moment Pierce appeared and saw Riley's luggage. His jaw dropped.
Mason internalized the laughter he felt, and smiled instead. "Hey! You changed out of your pajamas! Good job P!"
Pierce ignored Mason, wasting no time getting to the issue he saw immediately before his eyes. "Hey! You packed?! Already?! Don't tell me you found a new house overnight... without me! Damn Zooshk."
Mason answered for her. "Actually, Riley has found a new house. She is moving upstairs. Clay came in on her last night, so I'm helping her move to a place where she is less likely to be bothered."
Pierce hadn't thought about Clay's drunken escapades either, and he now felt genuinely sorry for putting Riley in such an awkward position so soon. "Oh. Is that what happened?" He asked with sincere concern.
Mason glared at Pierce.
"What?" Riley's twang interrupted the tension.
Mason answered. "Oh, nothing. Just ignore him and finish packing. I'll call and cancel the cab for you." Then he turned into Pierce's shoulder and spoke in a low voice directly into his brother's ear, as he grabbed his twin brother by the arm and walked him backwards out of the studio addition. "With me. Give her some privacy."
"What? Why?" Pierce asked as Mason hauled him out.
"She does not know that I asked about her this morning." Mason spoke under his breath once they'd both cleared the door and it closed behind them.
Pierce grinned. "No?"
Mason could've punched him. "Yes. And I'd like to keep it that way. Since she'll be sticking around."
Pierce couldn't help taking the opportunity to gloat. "Hmmm... " he mocked putting a finger to his lips. "So, is this you telling me that you don't want me to find her a house?"
Mason stood his ground. "I don't want you to find her a house if I have to go back through and rebuild it. No."
"But Mace... that's what we do best, Buddy!"
"Yeah, but how often do we do it for free Pierce? How often do we do it for absolutely nothing? I have to pay the crew something when they work you know? They are skilled craftsmen!"
"No no no... do not make this about you and the crew Mace. You don't want her to go because it's personal. You like her!"
"She is a quieter neighbor than you." Mason replied.
"Oh, is that it? Well, we certainly can't have her go now! Where will you ever find a quieter neighbor?" Pierce's words oozed with sarcasm.
Mason was finished having this infantile conversation. "Shut up, will you? This is all your doing... and it is coming out of your pocket. Her 'new' house... her 'renovation'... her new 'commute vehicle'... all of that is coming out of your wallet - not mine. I'm trying to be a conscientious brother and save you money by agreeing to let her stay here. This is far more for your benefit than it is for mine -- and you know it."
Pierce prickled joyfully at Mason's defensiveness. "Touche Mason. You do make a valid point. Shall I count her as a dependent so I can get a tax deduction too?"
"You do what you want." Mason said walking back into the studio. "She is not staying adjacent to my bedroom anymore. I'll just show her where your room is and she can barge in on you and Dinah at 2:00 A.M."
"Calm down Mason." Pierce chided as the door closed. He continued discussing Riley's situation with himself after the door closed behind his brother.
Sheesh, Mace getting all worked up over something that turned out to be nothing. There is plenty of space off the game room. It's fine by me if she stays there. The only thing is, Clay could walk in on her there too. Maybe the two of them should be more formally introduced. Then it dawned on Pierce how similar Riley and Clay were. Oh, if Mason is going to be this mild -- Clay is going to love her!
This Riley-situation was turning out to be much easier than he thought.
Pierce grumbled through the door, clearly not awake yet. "Wha?"
Mason pounded on the door again, yelling, "Get out here right now!"
-----
On the other side of the door, Pierce was now fully awake and his eyes had just shot open with the realization that Mason probably knew something about Riley. He attempted to sound like he was still asleep and unawares. He yawned through the door, "But I'm not decent."
"I don't give a shit Pierce. We're identical! You don't have anything that I don't have. Now, open this door or I swear I will take it off the hinges."
Pierce felt panicked. He really didn't want Mason to yell at him, but he also knew he owed him some type of explanation. "Okay," He sighed. "Okay. Sheesh. Keep your pants on, will ya?"
"My pants have been on for six hours already! Come. Out."
Pierce tentatively opened the door, still in his pajamas, grinned at Mason and leaned his forehead against the door frame waiting for whatever it was Mason was about to yell.
"I had this strange instinct a while ago, and I ignored it because I was tired... exhausted, really." Mason began. "I wanted to sleep without being bothered... but I was bothered Pierce."
"Restless Leg Syndrome?"
Mason fake laughed. "Ha ha ha, good one Pierce, but no dice. Who bothered me? Who is she Pierce and what is she doing in our house?!"
"Who? Who on earth are you talking about?"
"The redhead, Pierce. The flaming redhead with the sketchbook."
Sketchbook? Huh? Pierce didn't know Riley was an artist. That came as a complete shock. She was full of wonderful surprises. Pierce felt like a prayer he hadn't even known to pray had been answered. "Are you sure it wasn't Clay? You know how he likes to dye his hair and do all kinds of crazy things!"
"No Pierce, I can tell the difference between my own big brother and a strange woman, particularly when both of them are in my house at the same time!" Mason roared.
Pierce was even more baffled. "Well, you know how you like magic. Maybe that was all just your imagination or a dream or something?"
Mason had had it, he grabbed Pierce by the collar. "No Pierce, this was not an illusion. This woman's appearance was not something that I would've conjured. She is very real Pierce, and that means she has a name. Who is she?"
"Okay, Okay," Pierce raised his hands in surrender. "Her name is Riley."
Mason seemed to calm down. "Riley. Okay, good. Now, how has Riley come to be at our house?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure she came by plane first, then the car, then... "
"Do not get cute with me Pierce." Nope, he wasn't out of hot water yet. "Why is she here?! Come on man, out with it!"
Pierce sighed in defeat and answered in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper. "I hired her."
"You did what?!"
"I hired her, okay? Are you happy now?"
-----
Mason could sense his own willingness to overreact, but he calmed himself. Once he was completely in check, he carried on his line of questioning. "Okay. You hired her. Where did you hire her from? What did you hire her to do?"
"I met her in Texas. She's in communications and production, and..." Mason was still not looking convinced. "She's and idea's person Mace!" Pierce sighed. "I liked her. I thought she had a lot of potential - so I wanted to help her."
"Shit Pierce. That sounds like something you'd say about an intern. How much are we paying her?"
"She's no intern Mason!" Pierce jumped to her defense - ah ha, Mason had found the button... money. "She was one of the top advisors in the field that I met when I visited Texas."
Mason translated aloud, "So, that means a lot. We're paying her a lot. Shit Pierce! I thought we discussed this. I told you not to hemorrhage any money on that trip!"
"She is not a hemorrhage!" Pierce defended. "She's an investment!"
"I'll give her a chance Pierce." Mason conceded, since was now curious about this young woman and her abilities himself. "One chance P-Brain! If it doesn't work out in six month's time - she is gone. In the meantime, her salary is coming straight out of your thirds. Okay, Mr. Six-Figures? You hired her. She is your staff. You are paying her. That is the only way I'm agreeing to this, otherwise it's back to Texas she goes."
Feigning defeat, Pierce sighed. "Okay."
Mason turned to leave as Pierce closed the door. Mason stopped when he heard a clap and chuckled under his breath -- imagining his goofy younger brother doing his "aww yeah" stupid-happy dance behind the door. "I heard that!" He called over his shoulder.
"You'll love her! I can feel it in my bones!" Pierce shamelessly called back.
"Yep, about as much as I don't love you right now!"
"That was hurtful!"
Mason kept walking. He thought about what he'd just said. How does he just win all the time? How?
-----
Riley was packing her bags when she heard a knock on the door. "I'll be right there." When she saw Mason standing there she blushed bright red. "I'm still packing. I'll be out of here in a jiffy... just as soon as my cab arrives."
Mason stepped into the door frame and leaned back to scratch his back on the casing. "Going so soon?"
"Well, yes. I think it's for the best. It'll be less awkward at any rate."
Mason disagreed. There was no way it could get more awkward than it had this morning. "Nah, people frequently barge in on me a 2:00 A.M. and have me risk my life to save them from my relatives. It's no big deal."
He saw Riley blush deeper. "I feel very badly about that."
"Why? You didn't know who he was. You just felt the instinct to get away from him. It isn't a bad instinct you know... I had it often growing up." He'd finally made her smile. It wasn't a big smile, but it was a smile... that was enough for now.
"Just the same, won't it be more comfortable for everyone if I just got a hotel room?"
"Nope. No, I don't think Pierce would like that. I mean you can ask him - since he is the one that hired you... but I know my brother and I'm guessing that him bringing you here in the first place was his attempt at being cheap. He doesn't want you to go anywhere right now, because that means he'll have to pay for it."
"Still, after last night,... I mean... you probably don't want me so close to your rooms anymore."
"Oh on the contrary." Mason disagreed. "You were a delightfully silent neighbor... until you snuck into my room and scared my dog." They both laughed. "It really isn't a problem if you want to stay here for now. But if you just insist on moving to... shall we say a... 'less invade-able accommodation'... then finish packing and I'll take you to another wing of the main house."
"The main house?" Riley asked skeptically.
"Yes, the main house. There is a suite built-in upstairs with it's own kitchenette, spare bedroom, an en-suite, and a walk-in closet. It is next to the game room, where we occasionally spend a good deal of time, but you are welcome to it if you think you might be more comfortable up there than you are in the studio here."
Riley hesitated. "What about the cab I just called?"
"Call and cancel."
At that moment Pierce appeared and saw Riley's luggage. His jaw dropped.
Mason internalized the laughter he felt, and smiled instead. "Hey! You changed out of your pajamas! Good job P!"
Pierce ignored Mason, wasting no time getting to the issue he saw immediately before his eyes. "Hey! You packed?! Already?! Don't tell me you found a new house overnight... without me! Damn Zooshk."
Mason answered for her. "Actually, Riley has found a new house. She is moving upstairs. Clay came in on her last night, so I'm helping her move to a place where she is less likely to be bothered."
Pierce hadn't thought about Clay's drunken escapades either, and he now felt genuinely sorry for putting Riley in such an awkward position so soon. "Oh. Is that what happened?" He asked with sincere concern.
Mason glared at Pierce.
"What?" Riley's twang interrupted the tension.
Mason answered. "Oh, nothing. Just ignore him and finish packing. I'll call and cancel the cab for you." Then he turned into Pierce's shoulder and spoke in a low voice directly into his brother's ear, as he grabbed his twin brother by the arm and walked him backwards out of the studio addition. "With me. Give her some privacy."
"What? Why?" Pierce asked as Mason hauled him out.
"She does not know that I asked about her this morning." Mason spoke under his breath once they'd both cleared the door and it closed behind them.
Pierce grinned. "No?"
Mason could've punched him. "Yes. And I'd like to keep it that way. Since she'll be sticking around."
Pierce couldn't help taking the opportunity to gloat. "Hmmm... " he mocked putting a finger to his lips. "So, is this you telling me that you don't want me to find her a house?"
Mason stood his ground. "I don't want you to find her a house if I have to go back through and rebuild it. No."
"But Mace... that's what we do best, Buddy!"
"Yeah, but how often do we do it for free Pierce? How often do we do it for absolutely nothing? I have to pay the crew something when they work you know? They are skilled craftsmen!"
"No no no... do not make this about you and the crew Mace. You don't want her to go because it's personal. You like her!"
"She is a quieter neighbor than you." Mason replied.
"Oh, is that it? Well, we certainly can't have her go now! Where will you ever find a quieter neighbor?" Pierce's words oozed with sarcasm.
Mason was finished having this infantile conversation. "Shut up, will you? This is all your doing... and it is coming out of your pocket. Her 'new' house... her 'renovation'... her new 'commute vehicle'... all of that is coming out of your wallet - not mine. I'm trying to be a conscientious brother and save you money by agreeing to let her stay here. This is far more for your benefit than it is for mine -- and you know it."
Pierce prickled joyfully at Mason's defensiveness. "Touche Mason. You do make a valid point. Shall I count her as a dependent so I can get a tax deduction too?"
"You do what you want." Mason said walking back into the studio. "She is not staying adjacent to my bedroom anymore. I'll just show her where your room is and she can barge in on you and Dinah at 2:00 A.M."
"Calm down Mason." Pierce chided as the door closed. He continued discussing Riley's situation with himself after the door closed behind his brother.
Sheesh, Mace getting all worked up over something that turned out to be nothing. There is plenty of space off the game room. It's fine by me if she stays there. The only thing is, Clay could walk in on her there too. Maybe the two of them should be more formally introduced. Then it dawned on Pierce how similar Riley and Clay were. Oh, if Mason is going to be this mild -- Clay is going to love her!
This Riley-situation was turning out to be much easier than he thought.
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