Cash In Now Honey

The next few days went faster than I thought. I did a lot at the Billabong office with getting scouting slots set up and paper work done. I set up photo shoots and just different stuff like that. I left the office at two on Friday to go to the doctor. I guess I had been taking good care of my ankle because I got off my crutches, which I was thankful for. I headed home and sat after cleaning up around my house. I looked around and thought to myself about my life. I was extremely content, pretty happy actually. I was always giddy when I talked to Mason, thinking about how amazing he was. I thought about my career and how much ground I had made since I started working for Billabong part time when I turned fifteen. I couldn’t believe I owned a house and that I had so much responsibility. I began thinking about how I needed to work on my online classes since I hadn’t for a few weeks. I went into my office and pulled out my books and my laptop and started working on my accounting homework. As I scribbled down the numbers in my work book, typing numbers into my calculator, I grinned to myself, knowing that I’d soon be able to see Mason. I had been working on my homework for about an hour when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey babe,” Mason said to me. I smiled.

“Hi,” I replied.

“So, I’m just getting into Carlsbad. What’s your address?” he asked. I told him and he stayed on the phone with me, making sure he was turning at all the right places while I continued working on my homework.

“Okay, I think I’m on your street. Tan house with a porch on the front?” he asked.

“Yep,” I replied. I looked outside the window of my office and saw Mason’s car and began for the front door.

“You live really close to KP,” Mason commented as he pulled into the driveway of my house. I opened the front door and walked outside and towards Mason’s car. I hung up my phone and smiled at him. He opened the door and stepped out only to get attacked by a hug from me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up off the ground. I secured my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. I pulled back and kissed him before he placed me back on the ground. I looked up at him, his eyes were shining from the sun, having a more intense hue than normal and his hair was a bit longer and a bit less curly today. His dimples made me grin, hitting me like they had the first time I had met him and on our first date.

“It’s been a long week,” I said to him.

“Yeah, I agree but now we’re only a twenty minute drive apart so it’s all good,” he said with a smile. “Hey, no crutches.”

“Yep, just got off them today,” I told him.

“You must be stoked,” he said. I nodded with a huge smile.
“Come on. I’ll show you my house,” I said as I took his hand and lead him towards the house. It felt good to be able to hold his hand again. I opened my front door and saw Mason’s gaze fall on the pool in the backyard.

“Why are your houses always amazing?” he asked me.

“I’m sure yours isn’t too bad either,” I said as I led him around the house so he’d figure out where everything was. “You said I lived close to Kevin. How close?”

“He’s your next door neighbor,” Mason said to me with a shrug. He pulled away from me and opened the door that led out back. The pool was scummy since I hadn’t been able to clean it but Mason went over and felt the water.

“Perfect temperature for a swim,” he said, splashing water at me.

“I need to clean it,” I told him.

“Maybe I’ll help,” he said as he stood and wrapped his arms around me with a grin. Mason pulled a chair up for me and one for him, sitting across from me. He took my hands and pulled me forward.

“I gotta do something first though,” he said to me. He pulled me towards him and kissed me, taking it deeper every time he pulled back for air.

“Mason,” I said to him, pulling back.

“Okay, sorry,” he said.

“Mmm, trust me. There’s absolutely nothing to be sorry about. I just.....I don’t know what I actually was going to say. You distracted me,” I told him. Mason laughed and kissed me again, pulling me out of my chair and onto his lap. I turned in his lap so I was facing him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I heard my house phone ringing inside but ignored it, enjoying Mason’s company too much to disrupt it.

“Car, your phone,” Mason said.

“Shh,” I said to him before pressing my lips against his again. I felt Mason smirk before he wrapped his arms around me and stood up. I pulled back from him and led him back into the house.

“Did you want anything to eat? Did you have lunch?” I asked him.

“No I haven’t yet. I’ll find something,” he said as he went over to my kitchen.

“I’ll be around the corner in my office. I need to work on my homework,” I told him. He
nodded and said he’d be in once he found something. I went in and had finished one of my worksheets and had started on another when Mason came in with a sandwich and some fruit in a bowl. He pulled up the ottoman and sat beside me. I reached over and stole a chunk of apple from his bowl and ate it before leaning over and kissing him.

“Whatcha working on?” he asked me.

“My accounting homework. I got a little behind while I was in Mammoth,” I told him. I pulled open my drawer, looking for an eraser and found a picture of my family and I instead. I hadn’t seen the picture in a long time and had honestly forgotten about it.

“Is that your family?” Mason asked me, resting his chin on my shoulder. I nodded.
“That’s my brother Justin,” I told him, pointing out my brother who had really shaggy hair in the picture. “That’s Bryce.” My brother Bryce had short dirty blond hair in the picture and was super ripped.

“Remind me to never piss him off. He looked like he could kick my ass,” Mason commented. I laughed.

“He’s really sweet. I promise,” I told him. I told him who the rest of my family was, the picture having me, Justin, Bryce, my dad, and my brothers Austin and Thomas. I kept working on my homework with Mason by my side before we decided to go get some dinner. I spent the night with Mason in Encinitas, kind of catching up and just spending some time together. I crashed at Mason’s house and I could tell that it was the best sleep I was going to have had in the past week. I woke up the following morning and looked up at the ceiling. I turned my head to the right and saw Mason beside me and smiled. I rolled onto my side and snuggled up beside Mason, resting my face in the crook of his neck. His arm moved around me and wrapped securely around my waist. His head turned towards me and he kissed my forehead.

“Good morning, Carson,” he said to me.

“Morning Mase,” I said to him. I heard scratching at the door and was confused.

“Barrett. I went and picked him up last night after you begged me to,” he said. I looked up and saw him smiling. I leaned over and kissed him before getting up and opening the door. Barrett came in and laid on the floor at the end of the bed on top of the pile of Mason’s clothes. I climbed into the bed and Mason pulled me to him and kissed me.

“Mmm, I like waking up like this,” I mumbled against him.

“Me too. I could definitely get used to it,” he said before he kissed me again, his hands running up under his shirt I had on.

“Do you want some breakfast? I make some killer pancakes,” I said to him.

“Mmm, yes please,” he said to me. “Did you want some clothes?”

“Yeah, whatever is fine,” I told him. He took my hand and pulled me out of bed and out of his room. He opened the door to a room down the hall and there was sponsor stuff everywhere. He pushed a few boxes aside and opened up a box. He pulled out a few shirts and assessed them before handing a t-shirt and hoodie to me. They were from his sponsor Nike 6.0. I spotted a Nixon beanie and reached forward and snatched one from the box before Mason closed it.

“Take whatever you want. Sorry, they might be a bit big, they’re all mens’,” he said as he stood and wrapped his arms around me. I smiled up at him and kissed him. His hands drifted up and down my bare sides under the t-shirt before coming to rest on my hips, his thumbs playing with the waist band of my underwear.

“Are you sure you have to get dressed?” he said to me with a grin.

“I didn’t say anything about getting dressed. You were the one who asked about clothes,” I told him.

“Stupid me,” he said. I laughed and kissed him again.

“I need pants,” I told him.

“I’ve probably got a pair of sweats that should be small enough if you use the pull strings,” he said. We went back to his room and he found me some sweats. I slipped into them and pulled up the legs so that the elastic rested on my knees. I pulled on the t-shirt and hoodie before going into the bathroom and putting the beanie on, fixing my hair around it.

“I’m gonna take a shower real quick,” Mason told me as he stepped into the bathroom.
Barrett was on his heels and I chuckled. Mason pressed me back against the counter and kissed me.

“Just can’t get enough of me, huh?” I said to him.

“Nope,” he replied.

“Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen,” I told him. “Come on, Barrett.” Mason turned on the shower as I left his bedroom and went downstairs. I screamed when I saw someone watching TV in Mason’s living room. He turned and looked at me, completely taken off guard.

“Carson, what’s wrong?” Mason asked as he flew down the stairs. He looked at the couch and shook his head with a laugh.

“Dude, clothes would be good,” Luke said from his spot on the couch. I looked over at Mason and saw he had a towel wrapped around his waist and that was it.

“Luke, you scared the shit out of me,” I said as Barrett looked at me with his head cocked to the side, not sure why I screamed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t know you were here,” Luke said to me.

“It’s alright. Did you want some breakfast? I was going to make Mase and I some,” I said to him.

“Sure, if you’re offering,” he said to me.

“I’m gonna go shower,” Mason said to me, kissing the side of my head and heading upstairs. Luke followed me into the kitchen, petting Barrett in the process.

“He must like snowboarders or something,” I commented as I looked through Mason’s cupboards for a bowl to mix batter in.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked me as he continued to pet Barrett.

“He hates new people. He usually nips at people he doesn’t know but he instantly let you, Mason and Danny all pet him. It’s so weird,” I said as I sat a bowl and whisk on the counter. I was surprised Mason even had a whisk to be honest.

“Maybe he just needs some strong male figures in his life,” Luke said with a smile. I laughed and went into Mason’s pantry. I found what I need and then some chocolate chips.

“Luke, do you want chocolate chip pancakes?” I called from the pantry.

“Do you even have to ask?” he replied. I laughed and stepped out of the pantry.

“Mase is a lucky guy. He’s got a girl that will cook for him who also happens to have a chill dog. It’s the life,” Luke said.

“Yeah, plus I’m super great,” I said with a laugh.

“Yes, you are,” Mason said as he walked into the kitchen.

“That was fast,” I said as I poured milk into the flour mixture that was already in the bowl. I cracked the egg and tossed the shell into the trash. Mason wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck as I whisked the batter.

“Chocolate chips? Oh my gosh, I’m in love,” Mason said, making Luke chuckle and me blush.

“Oh, she’s blushing. Isn’t that cute,” Luke commented. I flung pancake batter at him, which ended up being a really, really bad idea. Luke grabbed an egg and threw it at me and it broke when it hit my stomach.

“Guys,” Mason said but it was too late. I threw a handful of flour at Luke, who retaliated with a handful of pancake batter. Barrett barked, wanting to join in on the fun. I threw an egg at Luke, who came around the counter and smeared batter all over my face, followed by a handful of flour. Mason had stepped back but he soon got pulled in when I took refuge behind him.

“Carson, no,” he said but Luke threw batter at him and Mason grinned, joining in. I was about to dump the remainder of the pancake batter on Luke when the doorbell rang and the front door opened. We all looked at each other and froze.

“Mason,” a woman yelled. Luke laughed as Mason’s eyes widened.

“Hey Mol,” he called as he looked around the kitchen. She walked in and stopped in mid step.

“Mason, what is going on?” she asked.

“Um, Carson was making breakfast and yeah, things kind of got outta hand,” he said.

“Who’s Carson?” she asked.

“Me,” I said, raising my hand like I was in elementary school.

“My girlfriend. I was going to call later and see if we could have a family dinner so everyone could meet her but you’re here so I’m not going to waste the time calling,” Mason said as he wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mason’s sister said to me.

“You too,” I said.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Molly.” I nodded and grinned.

“Carson,” I replied. She smiled at me in return. She and Mason had the same smile.

“Alright, well I was just dropping off some stuff you left at the house, Mase. I just sat it by the door,” she told him.

“Okay. Thanks,” he said to him. She turned to leave but turned back.

“Will tomorrow night work? If so, I’ll tell Dad,” she asked. Mason nodded and Molly looked at me.

“It was nice meeting you, Carson,” she said to me again.

“You too, Molly,” I replied.

“It was good seeing you Luke,” she said as Luke sat licking the batter off his hands.

“You too Mol,” he said.

“Mason, make sure to bring the boys along,” his sister yelled before the front door closed and Mason turned to Luke.

“You know where the shower down here is. You can get some clothes from the room upstairs,” he told Luke, who nodded and took off for the stairs to get some clothes. I pulled paper towels from the roll and began cleaning up.

“Mase, do you have a mop?” I asked him.

“No, but I think I have a Swiffer somewhere,” he said before disappearing. I had cleaned up most of the piles when Mason returned with a Swiffer and some towels. He began cleaning the floor while I worked on the counter tops and cabinet fronts. Luke returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later and said he’d finish the floors so Mason and I could get cleaned up. I told Barrett to stay downstairs with Luke, which he did happily as he played with Luke while he mopped. Mason grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs. We went back into the room of his sponsor stuff and began going through boxes. I was looking through the boxes of shirts and grabbed one in my size as well as another beanie.

“Ah ha!!” Mason exclaimed. I looked over at him and he tossed a plastic covered item at me. “I knew there were pants around here somewhere.” I pulled off the plastic and unfolded board shorts from Nike.

“Very nice,” I said as I laid them over my arm. I walked over to Mason and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards his room. I laid my clothes on his bed before pulling off the hoodie, sweats, and t-shirt I had on. I walked into the bathroom and stripped down before stepping into the glass paneled shower and turning on the water. I stepped under the water and began rinsing off the batter when Mason opened the door and stepped into the shower with me. I looked over at him and blushed, not having been in this situation with anyone but Scotty before.

“This shower could fit like ten people,” I said to him as I looked at the shampoo he had. I guess I was going to smell like a guy for today. I lathered up my hair and moved aside so Mason could rinse off. I bumped him aside with my hip so I could rinse the shampoo out and he smiled down at me. I was almost done showering when Mason wrapped his arms around me.

“Come on, Mase. You were doing so good,” I said to him in a teasing manner. He bent his head down and kissed my neck. “Babe, Luke is downstairs. I still haven’t made breakfast.”

“I’m sure he busted into the Totino’s by now plus he’s got Barrett to entertain him,” he said as he placed kisses on my neck. “Plus, not to sound like a creep or anything, but your body is amazing and I like this situation.”

“Mason, you’re not so bad yourself,” I said to him, placing my hand over his and pulled his arm from around my waist so I could turn around. I looked up at him and stood on my toes so I could kiss him. Mason wrapped his arm back around me and pulled me against him. The bathroom door opened and Scotty, Danny, and KP walked in.

“Oh shit!!” Scotty exclaimed. I screamed out of surprise and boy was I happy there was a privacy panel around the shower. The three of them scurried out of the room and shut the door behind them. I pressed my forehead against Mason’s chest and felt myself blushing.

“Mkay, I’m done,” I said to Mason as I wrung out my hair and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around myself and opened the bathroom door. The three of them were sitting in Mason’s room and looked over at me. Scotty smiled at me while Danny and KP blushed a little and looked down at the floor. I grabbed some clothes for Mason similar to what he had been wearing and my own and walked back into the bathroom. I sat his clothes on the counter and got dressed. He stepped out of the shower as I was pulling on my shirt and I brushed my hair before towel drying it again and pulling on the beanie. Mason got dressed quickly and took my hand and led me out of the bathroom. We walked through his room and the three guys followed us downstairs. We went downstairs and I asked Luke if he still wanted food, to which he responded with a yes. He was sitting on the couch with Barrett’s head resting on his lap while he watched TV.

“Morning Carson,” Scotty said to me in a teasing way.

“Shut it Lago,” I said to him as I gave Danny a hug.

“Mason, didn’t know you had a live-in girlfriend,” Danny said. He hadn’t been down since we left Mammoth Lakes so he didn’t know I lived in Carlsbad. Scotty choked on the AMP he’d pulled from Mason’s fridge and ran to the sink. It started coming out of his nose and all the guys busted into hysterics. I grabbed a dish towel and handed it to him.

“That’s gotta burn,” I commented and Scotty nodded his head.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked with a cough.

“Yeah,” I replied. We began out of the kitchen and I wound up the dish towel. As I walked behind Mason, I snapped it and hit him square in the ass.

“Ow, fuck. It’s on, woman,” he called after me as I walked out of the room. Scotty walked into Mason’s laundry room and I tossed the towel in the washing machine.

“You moved in with Mason?” Scotty said.

“No, Danny doesn’t know I live in Carlsbad,” I reassured him.

“Oh, okay. I was a little freaked out,” Scotty said.

“Shit, I would be too,” I said. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I really like Mase but I’m definitely not ready to live with anyone.”

“Good to hear,” Scotty said, giving me a hug.

“If I would decide to ever move in with him though, you’ll be the first to know,” I promised.

“So I was wondering if you’d be able to chill tomorrow night? Like go get some food then a movie or something. We haven’t done that in a while and we’ve never done it as just friends,” Scotty asked as we walked back into the kitchen.

“Sorry, we’re having dinner with Mason’s family tomorrow night,” I told Scotty as I pulled myself up onto the counter.

“Oh, yeah. Molly wants you guys to come too,” Mason said. They all nodded in response. “Squid, you think Jack will be able to come?”

“Probably,” Luke replied. I got down from the counter and began making double the amount of batter as before.

“Scotty, do you want to go out tonight?” I asked him.
“Yeah, sounds good,” he replied as he took a seat on one of the bar stools. I made
pancakes for the guys and washed the dishes.

“Didn’t you want anything to eat?” Danny asked me as he sat his plate on the counter beside the sink. I took it and washed it before drying it.

“Nah,” I replied.

“Why not?” he asked me.

“Just not hungry,” I replied, even though I was starving. I just didn’t really like eating around large groups of people, it made me nervous. Scotty came over with two pancakes on a plate that were untouched and had everything on them I normally ate.

“Go sit in the dining room and eat. I’ll do these,” he said to me. I smiled at him, wiped off my hands, and took the plate.

“Thanks,” I said before heading into the dining room. I heard Danny ask what that was about and waited for Scotty’s response.

“She’s kind of self-conscious about eating in front of more than like two people. I don’t know why, she just always has been,” Scotty told him. I heard foot steps and looked over to see Kevin walking in with a cup of coffee and a glass of apple juice. He sat opposite of me and placed the glass of juice in front of me.

“Thanks,” I said as I cut a piece of pancake and ate it.

“Is it chill if I sit in here with you?” he asked me. I nodded and he took a sip of his coffee. “So, um, what are you and Scotty doing tonight?”

“Oh, we’re going to go and get something to eat and go see a movie,” I told him.

“Won’t that be weird for Mason?” Kevin asked. I shook my head no.

“Scotty and I dated for almost three years but broke up last year when he went to
Vancouver,” I told Kevin.

“So you’re the girl he dated but never let us meet?” Kevin asked.

“Yep. I don’t know, we always kept our relationship really quiet. My dad didn’t know we were dating until our one year anniversary when Scotty sent me like ten bouquets of yellow daisies and roses and about the same amount of candy bouquets,” I told Kevin. “I was eating candy for like six months.” Kevin laughed before taking another drink.

“Why’d you guys break up?” Kevin asked. I froze. I hadn’t even told Mason why we’d broke up. “Oh, sorry. Wrong question.”

“No, I just haven’t talked to anyone besides Scotty about it,” I told him. “I just.... I don’t like talking about it.”

“That’s cool. So, I say when we go back to Mammoth next week, we need to throw a kick ass party,” KP said to me.

“Done,” I replied. “You’ll have to get the booze though, I’m not old enough.”

“Pretty sure between Mason, Jack, Danny, and I, we can get it covered,” he said.

“So, you’re going to come to Mammoth with us?” I asked KP.

“Yep, we’re all set,” he said.

“We?” I asked.

“Yeah. Scotty, Jack, and Squid. Danny is meeting us there,” he told me. “If you and Mason don’t want to take another vehicle, you could ride with me and Luke. I think Scotty and Jack will take Jack’s truck.”

“Yeah, I’ll ask Mason,” I told him.