Hometown Love (9 page)

“And do you like her?” Mack’s gaze wandered over to Jessie again, and this time their eyes met for a moment. As soon as they did, Jessie looked back at her own dinner.

“She’s okay. I like Maggie more. She shares a cubby with Brianna.”

Mack nodded since his daughter’s statement didn’t require a response. In return Grace launched into a description of morning circle time while the waitress set their food out. Then without pausing to breathe, she continued telling him about class centers, which happened right before lunch.

As she spoke, Mack spooned food onto her plate, careful to make sure none of her food touched. Heaven help him if her fried rice mixed in with the chicken chow mien.

“You can tell me everything else later. Right now eat.” It wasn’t uncommon for his daughter to talk her way through dinner.

She hadn’t meant to look in their direction again. She’d already reminded herself how rude it was to stare. Even still, she glanced over at Mack and his daughter. She’d often done the same thing when he’d tutored her high school. Then, he’d been none the wiser—much like tonight. Rather, all his attention stayed focused on Grace. Or, at least, it had seemed that way. When she’d shot that last look at him and met his eyes, she’d wanted to crawl under the table. While he’d most likely assume she’d just been looking around the room, she hated that he caught her.

“Can you pass me the soy sauce?” Maryann asked.

Without looking up from her plate, Jessie grabbed the bottle and handed it over.

“You and Mack seemed friendly earlier.”

Jessie ignored the curiosity in her friend’s voice. “You know this town. Everyone is friendly with each other.”

“I guess.” Maryann’s tone let Jessie know there was a 
but
in there. “My mom said she saw you two together at Masterson’s.”

Maryann’s mom worked at Masterson’s in the kitchen, but Jessie didn’t remember seeing her that night. For the first time in a long while, Jessie wished she’d moved away from North Salem after college like her friend, Charlie Sherbrooke.

“I helped him paint Saturday afternoon, and afterwards, we grabbed an early dinner. No big deal.”

Maryann shot a quick glance over at Mack and his daughter, then at Jessie. “Didn’t you have a thing for him in high school?”

Jessie adored her friends, but they never forgot a thing. “Me and half the girls in our class. Even you had a crush on him for a while freshman year.”

“It lasted maybe a month for me and then Colin moved into town,” Maryann said, referring to her first boyfriend. “You liked Mack until he left for college.”

She’d liked him long after that, but Jessie kept her mouth shut. “I helped him out and we grabbed some dinner. People can do that.” She was an adult now with no time for old high school fantasies.

“Then why do you keep looking over at him?” Maryann asked raising an eyebrow.

The back of Jessie’s neck grew hot. She tried not to be obvious. “I looked over once.”

The corner of Maryann’s mouth twitched upward. “If you say so.” She glanced in Mack’s direction. “You know what I think?” Before Jessie could ask, Maryann continued, “You should ask him out. We’re all adults now.”

Ask Mack out? She’d rather have her hand cut off. “I’m not interested in him.”

“You’re a coward, Jessie. If you asked him, I bet he’d say yes. I noticed the way he was looking at you when I walked in.”

Jessie didn’t want to continue this conversation or encourage her friend, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity either. “And how was that?”

Maryann leaned forward. “Like he wanted to pull you in a corner and kiss you senseless.”

Why had she asked? “Oh please. Now I know you’re nuts. Come on. Let’s finish dinner so we can go shopping.” By this point they’d both stopped eating.

“Just think about it. You haven’t been out with anyone in a long time.”

Maryann’s words stayed with Jessie long after they left the restaurant. In fact, they still buzzed around as she got ready for bed. Regardless of how she’d felt about Mack as a teenager or even now, she couldn’t ask him out. She doubted she could ever ask anyone out, let alone him. And despite her friend’s insistence, she knew Mack hadn’t been looking at her with anything more than gratitude. She didn’t grab men’s attention. Although her grandparents and dad called her beautiful, it was only because they were related to her and they were supposed to say things like that.

Patting her face dry, Jessie glanced at her reflection. No, she wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t beautiful either. She considered herself average. The kind of person who could just blend into a crowd, not the type men fantasized about dragging into a corner to kiss. She was okay with that. Not everyone could be gorgeous enough to stop traffic.

Jessie switched off the bathroom light and went into her room. As for not going out in a long time, well, Maryann didn’t know the whole story. Jessie pulled her shirt off and tossed it into the hamper. As if pulled by an outside force, her eyes zeroed in on the scar on her side, a visible reminder of Jeremy. If Maryann or any of her friends knew the truth about her last relationship, they’d understand her reluctance to date now. None of them knew, and she liked it that way.

The oversized nightshirt she pulled on covered the scar, however, it remained crystal clear in her mind, as did the cold smile Jeremy had given her that day in the coffee shop. She’d called Sharon the day after the block party. When voicemail picked up, she’d hung up rather than leave a message. Perhaps she should try again. After all, if not for her friend, Morgan, who knew where she’d be now? But if she did that, though, one more person would know her secret.

If it helps Sharon get away from Jeremy without being hurt, it’s worth it.
Tomorrow, she’d try again. If she got Sharon’s voicemail again, she’d leave a message this time.

In less time than Mack expected, he and Grace fell into a regular routine. He’d wake her up after he ran on the treadmill in the basement and showered. As she got dressed, he prepared them breakfast, and then once they finished, he helped her brush her teeth and hair. In fact, after five consecutive days, they finished everything fifteen minutes early on Friday morning, allowing them time to read more of the book he’d started with her. Despite the easy routine they’d adopted since moving home and starting school, he was looking forward to the weekend. With nothing planned, he and Grace could do whatever they wanted Saturday and Sunday.

“Let’s go over this arrest plan one more time,” Bruce Conklin said late Friday afternoon to the other members of the squad gathered around.

Mack looked at Dakota seated across from him and shook his head. They’d already reviewed the plan for Monday’s early morning arrest. Everyone knew what was expected of him. They’d done enough arrests together that they worked like a well-oiled machine. However, no one argued with Bruce. They all realized this was Bruce’s first time as lead agent on an arrest and they’d all been in his shoes. Not to mention this case involved a high-profile suspect as well as several dangerous individuals who all had long criminal records. If all went according to plan, the suspects would be apprehended with no issues. To make the situation a little more challenging, however, other agencies were involved, including the DEA and the Massachusetts state police.

Settling back in his chair, Mack pushed aside all thoughts of his daughter and the weekend ahead as Bruce started at the beginning and worked his way through the detailed plan. Halfway through, another agent asked for clarification on a matter, but otherwise, Bruce got through the entire plan without any other questions or interruptions.

“I’ll see everyone at the staging point Monday at five-thirty,” Bruce said when he wrapped up the meeting.

With the group conference done, Mack turned back to his computer. Five-thirty. Christ, that was early. While he enjoyed the excitement and sense of the fulfillment that went along with an arrest like this, he hated the early hours planned arrests were scheduled for. While he understood the reasoning behind it, the older he got, the earlier five-thirty seemed. Of course, it didn’t help that most times he got little sleep before a big operation like this. He didn’t know how it was for others involved, but for him, the night before a take-down like this anticipation combined with adrenaline overwhelmed his body and kept him on high alert until the suspects were apprehended. Then, once at home, it’d drain out of him faster than a balloon losing helium. The energy up-and-downs he experienced before and after an arrest had driven Bethany crazy and had been something they’d argued about a lot before their separation.

“Jesus, I hope I wasn’t that bad my first time as agent in charge,” Dakota said when Bruce left the area.

“You were worse, Smith,” Oliver called out from his desk.

“At least I remember my first time, old man,” Dakota came back with. At forty-eight, Oliver was the oldest agent on the squad, though to look at him, you’d never know it, which partially explained how he’d landed himself a wife thirteen years younger than him.

Mack listened as Oliver and Dakota tossed insults at each other, something that occurred all the time among the squad members. While outsiders might see it and assume no one got along, the opposite was true. Especially between Oliver and Dakota, who often worked as partners.

“You guys can bullshit all you want, but I’m out of here.” Mack turned off his computer and locked his desk drawer. “See you both on Monday.”

The calendar said summer didn’t end for several more weeks, but Mack noticed a few orange and red leaves on his way home that night. He’d already noticed there was a little less daylight each day when he left work, but the colorful leaves drove home the fact that fall was just around the corner. Not that he minded. Fall was one of his favorite times of year. In a few weeks, he and Grace would go apple picking, something they had been doing since she could walk. Before the divorce, Bethany would sometimes come with them. This year, it would be him and Grace and maybe his niece. Grace had already asked if they could bring Brianna with them, but he kept forgetting to ask his sister. They would also need to buy a Halloween costume soon. He’d already seen some at the mall when he stopped for lunch earlier that week. He knew from past experience, though, it was best to wait as long as possible. Grace had a tendency to change her mind five or six times before Halloween ever arrived.

While he’d rather get off the highway and take the back roads home, he’d promised Jessie he’d get home as early as possible when they spoke Thursday night. If traffic remained light, the highway was a shorter route.

As expected, she told him not to worry, but still, he was eager to get home. Thanks to his long hours, he already didn’t get to spend as much time with his daughter as he’d like. Then there were the weekends when she went with her mother—like next week—and he saw her even less.

The eagerness inside him now, though, stemmed from more than just spending time with Grace. The thought of seeing Jessie again contributed to it. Ever since they’d painted and had dinner together, she had been popping up in his thoughts.

He’d enjoyed their conversations. They’d been easy-going and open. They both contributed, unlike the conversations he and his ex-wife had. Maybe that should have been a clue that their relationship wasn’t going to work, but he’d never noticed back then. Only after the separation had he noticed how Bethany needed to dominate their conversations. How she need conversations focused on 
her
thoughts and desires. If he’d paid closer attention, perhaps he would’ve saved himself a lot of headaches. Then again, if not for his marriage, he wouldn’t have Grace.

Thanks to the light traffic—an unusual occurrence for a Friday night—Mack pulled into his garage forty minutes after leaving the office. Opening the door into the kitchen, the smell of peanut butter greeted him, but all the lights remained off.

“Grace?” he called out as he stopped by the counter where two trays of cookies sat, and he grabbed a few.

“Were outside, Mack,” Jessie answered.

Mack bit into a cookie and turned toward the French doors that led onto the deck.

“Daddy.” Grace smiled at him when he came outside but remained seated.

Dropping a kiss on his daughter’s head, he surveyed the project before him. Newspaper covered the table and several paper cups sat in a line, each filled with a different color of paint. Off to one side sat a painted birdhouse, and judging by how neat it looked, he guessed Jessie had done it. In front of Grace sat another wooden birdhouse, but this one still needed its roof painted.

“I love the bird houses,” he said as he watched Grace finish one side.

Grace stopped, and she looked at him. “They’re fairy houses, Daddy.” Then before he answered, she went back to work.

Mack looked over at Jessie who tried not to laugh. “Right. Fairy houses. I should have known that.” He pulled out an empty chair near his daughter. “Did you make these delicious cookies, Grace?”

His daughter looked up long enough to answer. “Jessie helped me.”

“I hope you don’t mind. I brought the ingredients with me from home.”

Mack finished the cookie in his hand and shook his head. “No, they’re delicious.” He watched as Grace spread paint on the fairy house roof. “How much do I owe for the bird, I mean, fairy houses?”

“Don’t worry about it. They were on sale at the craft store.” As she spoke, Jessie came to her feet. “Now that you’re here, I’m going to go.”

Immediately, Grace stopped painting and looked at Jessie. “No, not yet.”

Although he didn’t say it Mack shared his daughter’s opinion. After thinking of Jessie often during the week, now she stood here in the flesh. “I plan to throw some burgers on the grill. Why don’t you stay and eat with us.”

“Daddy promised we’d roast marshmallows tonight. He bought huge ones at the store. You can roast some, too.”

Indecision filled Jessie’s face and Mack wondered what enticement might push her into staying.

“Please, Jessie.” Grace pleaded, her head tilted to one side and her large eyes fixed on Jessie.

He noticed a slight change in Jessie’s expression the moment she made up her mind.

“Okay. If you really want me to.” Jessie sat back down.

Mack almost shook his head. His daughter had a way of getting people to do whatever she wanted without pitching a fit or even raising her voice. “Great. You two stay here and I’ll get the burgers going.” Mack switched on the gas grill before he headed inside.

Big turkey dinners and casseroles he’d never mastered, but cooking outside he excelled at if he did say so himself. Over the years, he’d prepared everything, from burgers and hot dogs to venison and salmon. More nights than not, he cooked dinner on the grill, even in the winter. Tonight, after placing enough patties on the grill he went back inside and prepared a salad while Grace and Jessie cleaned up their painting project. Unlike most children he knew, his niece included, Grace liked salad. In fact, she preferred it to most cooked vegetables. As a result, they had one almost every night with dinner, regardless of what he cooked.

While he worked chopping up the celery, he could hear Grace chatting away outside. Every once in a while, he’d hear Jessie’s voice when she answered whatever question about fairies and fairy houses Grace threw at her. For the past month or so, they were all she talked about. He’d long ago run out of ideas for answers to her questions. From the sound of it, Jessie was holding her own, though.

“Brianna says fairies can live anywhere.” Grace said as they ate. “I told her she’s wrong. Fairies only live in the woods like in the movie I watched at your house. Do you think fairies can live anywhere?”

“How about we give fairies a rest and finish eating?” While he’d started on his second burger and Jessie was almost done with her first one Grace’s remained almost whole.

“It’s my last question, promise.”

“Last one. Then you eat, right?” He tried to maintain his stern tone. “Otherwise, no marshmallows after.”

“Promise.”

Mack looked over at Jessie who was smiling at the two of them. Behind her, the setting sun bathed her in light, and he noticed for the first time the blonde highlights her hair. “I never win with this one.” He pointed his thumb in Grace’s direction.

Jessie’s smile grew wider at his comment and a tiny dimple appeared in her left cheek. “Gran says the same thing about me all the time.”

The flames in the fire pit danced, making shadows on the side of the house as the smoke curled into the sky. Next to him, Grace sat licking the remnants of her last marshmallow from her fingers while he roasted one for himself.

“Can I have another?”

Mack thought for a moment, trying to remember how many she’d already eaten. He wasn’t positive, but he guessed four. While she had decided to just eat the marshmallows and not the s’mores like him and Jessie, she’d still consumed a fair amount of sugar. “Just one then it’s inside to bed.”

Grace didn’t wait for him to help her. Instead, she reached into the bag. After sticking what she’d described as “perfect pillows for her dolls” on the end of her stick, she inched a little closer to the flames.

“There is something extra tasty about a marshmallow toasted over a fire,” Jessie said from the other side of the fire pit. “I make s’mores in my microwave at home and they never taste this good.” She added her marshmallow to the chocolate and graham crackers she’d prepared.

“I’m still shocked Grace refused to try one.” Mack turned the stick in his daughter’s hand before the marshmallow caught on fire.

Grace, unwilling to wait for the sugar treat to get any more color, pulled it away from the flame, and without pulling it off the stick first, she stuffed half of it into her mouth.

“I like them this way,” she said with a mouthful. “Can I have one more?”

Taking the stick away, Mack shook his head. “It’s time for bed.” Her expression alone said she was about to protest, so Mack beat her to it. “This isn’t open for negotiation. You should’ve been in bed an hour ago.” Since he had promised her roasted marshmallows and they did have a guest, he’d let her stay up late, but if she stayed up much later, she’d be a bear in the morning.

“Can we do this again tomorrow night?” Grace stood, her movements slow and drawn out.

Giving her a slight push, he stood behind her. “We’ll see. Say good night to Jessie.”

Finding a new way to stall, Grace ran around to the other side of the fire pit and threw her arms around Jessie. “Good night, Jessie. I had fun with you.”

He watched as Jessie hugged Grace. “Any time. I had fun, too.”

Before Grace realized it, Mack scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I put this monkey to bed.” He tickled Grace’s side as he spoke.

In the past year, bedtime had gone from being a chore to just another routine part of the day, so it didn’t take him long to get Grace tucked into bed. “No story tonight, buddy. It’s too late.” Mack kissed her on the forehead. “We’ll do something fun tomorrow.”

“Can Jessie come over tomorrow? I liked having her here tonight.”