Ellen stood in front of Mason’s bedroom door, her heart pounding in her chest. She clutched a small paper bag, her fingers gripping it tightly. Inside was a tie she had bought earlier that day.
Helga had asked her to go shopping together, and Ellen, with nothing else to do, had agreed. Seeing Helga buy something for Jax had made Ellen want to do the same for Mason. Up until now, she hadn’t really given Mason anything, and she thought it might be a good way to show she cared about him.
The tie was a deep navy blue with subtle silver diagonal stripes, stylish but not too flashy. She hoped Mason would like it and, even better, that he would wear it. Ellen raised her hand to knock but hesitated. She took a deep breath and tried to practice a few lines.
"Hi, Mason, I got you something." No, that sounded too formal.
"Hey, I thought you might like this." Too casual.
"I wanted to grab something that makes you look even cooler." Ugh, that was terrible.
Ellen sighed and put the paper bag down in front of Mason’s door, deciding he would see it in the morning. But as she turned to walk away, she worried he might mistake it for trash and throw it away. She came back, picked up the bag, and took a deep breath. "It’s just giving a gift," she whispered to herself. "It’s pretty easy."
Just as she raised her hand to knock again, the door opened. Mason stood there, looking a little surprised to see her. Ellen quickly dropped her hand and smiled awkwardly. "Oh, he-hey, Mason," she stammered.
Mason looked at her, a curious expression on his face. "What are you doing standing in front of my room?"
Just as Ellen was about to answer, a phone rang inside the room. Mason turned and walked back to his bed to pick up his phone. Ellen could only catch snippets of his conversation. After a good minute, Mason put his phone down on the bedside table and walked back to her. "That was Philip," he said. "He says I need to go to Paris tomorrow for work."
Ellen nodded, her mind racing. That’s right, the business trip to Paris.
"How long will you be gone?" she asked.
"A week or so," Mason replied.
Ellen hesitated, then asked, "Do you need any help packing your things?"
She thought to herself that it wasn’t wrong to help her husband pack, right? But then she worried Mason might not like her touching his things and would refuse her offer. To her surprise, Mason said, "Don’t pack too much," as he opened the door wider and walked back into his room. He headed to his closet and a second later came out with a suitcase in hand.
Ellen kept standing at the door, her mind racing. Didn’t Mason’s response mean he was allowing her to help him? Before she had a chance to think about it more, Mason glanced at her with a curious expression. "What are you doing standing there? Do you not want to help anymore?"
Shaking her head, Ellen replied, "So, you’re allowing me to come into your room now?"
Mason paused, probably thinking back to when he had told her never to enter his room. "You can now because you have my permission."
Ellen took a hesitant step inside, looking around Mason’s room. It was tidy, not at all like she imagined a man’s room would be. Everything had its place, and she was surprised by how precise and organized things were.
Mason brought his suitcase to the bed and opened it. "You can pack my clothes," he said, pointing to his walk-in closet. He then headed to the bathroom.
Ellen placed the paper bag she was holding near Mason’s suitcase and walked to the closet. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a bunch of clothes all neatly arranged. Suits, shirts, and ties were lined up perfectly, and the shoes were all polished and in order. Ellen couldn’t help but admire the organization.
She then started picking out some clothes for Mason, carefully selecting a few suits, shirts, and ties that she thought would be appropriate for his trip. When she came to the section with his underwear, she felt her cheeks heat up. She quickly decided to leave those for Mason to pack himself. Gathering the selected clothes, she walked back to the bed and began folding everything neatly into the suitcase.
Mason emerged from the bathroom, carrying a pouch with his toiletries. He walked over to the bed and noticed the paper bag. "What’s that?" he asked, picking it up.
Ellen felt a flutter of nerves. "It’s a tie I bought for you," she explained. "I thought you might like it."
Mason pulled the tie out of the bag and examined it for a moment. "Thank you," he said.
He put the tie back in the bag and set it aside. Ellen felt a mix of relief and a tinge of disappointment, but at least he had accepted it.
After folding the last of the clothes, Ellen stepped back. "It’s done," she said, her voice a bit shaky. "But you’ll need to pack your underwear yourself." She blushed deeply, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.
Without waiting to hear Mason’s response, Ellen quickly left his room, her heart beating fast. She hurried down the hallway to her own room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for support. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
Mason’s business trip to Paris...
Ellen pushed herself off the door and walked over to her vanity table, where she grabbed her phone. Her fingers trembled slightly as she scrolled through her contacts, finally finding the one she needed. She pressed the call button and waited, biting her lower lip nervously.
"Hello?" she said as soon as the call connected. "Yes, it’s Ellen. I’m sorry to disturb you this late."
Ellen began to pace back and forth, her free hand fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "It’s about Mason’s trip to Paris," she said, her voice low but urgent. She paused, listening to the response, and then continued. "I need a favor, Philip."
...Aubrey would be there too.