Three of Hearts (26 page)

After take a large bite of the sweet pastry, and washing it down with the hot liquid, she looked at her friend and said “Okay Mae, spill it. What happened with Conner, and why does Miss Silicone know?”

Ignoring her breakfast and just holding the warm Styrofoam cup in her chilled hands, Mae played over both encounters with Conner in her head. Yes she should have told Seth about both times, especially considering she knew it was a hot topic between the two, but did he really think so little of her character that she would deliberately keep something from him for sexual favors? The whole thing hurt, to the point she felt like she would fall apart at any moment. But that he accused her of such evil and selfish behavior proved he didn’t know her at all.

Realizing Robyn wasn’t going to accept silence any longer, especially since she went to the trouble of tracking Mae down at the motel, Mae put the untouched tea on the table and cleared her throat.

“Not really much to tell that you weren’t informed about last night. I caught Conner trying to take the boat out, not once but twice, after clearly knowing how Seth felt about the subject. As far as Shannon knowing, I assumed that was due to the second time when Michael was with Conner and I told him to go home.”

Slowly analyzing every word that Mae spoke, Robyn was confused as to why she didn’t defend herself or give the reason why she kept it from Seth.

“So you found Conner driving the boat off both times and he, what, asked you not to tell Seth?” Even after she said it, the more it didn’t make sense.

“No, the first time he was walking toward the boat on the dock and the second time he was actually in the boat but it was still tied to the dock.” Mae said before taking her first sip of the hot brew.

Dropping the remnants of her pastry, Robyn looked at Mae as if she lost her mind. “So Conner didn’t actually take the boat out either time; the first time he wasn’t even on it and the second time he was just hiding?”

“Technically, yes” Mae said with a meager voice.

“What the hell didn’t you say something? Why did you let him, my stupid, idiotic brother with the temper from zero to sixty in .04 seconds, accuse you like that?”

“Because he was right, I should have told him. I knew how he felt about Conner and the boat,” Mae said, upset by Robyn’s critical description of Seth.

“Let me get this straight, you are falling on your sword because you didn’t mention that my nephew tried to do something rather than actually doing it?”

Not understanding where Robyn was going with this, but just nodding to help it along, Mae was astonished when Robyn leaped out of her chair and quickly showed her that the Finn temper wasn’t reserved just for Seth.

“You are an idiot too, Mae! My brother thinks and everyone else who was within an quarter mile of Cal’s thinks you had to rip the keys out of Conner’s hand and drag him into the house.” Robyn said now pacing in the small space.

“I don’t believe that to be true, Robyn. Regardless of the details, Conner is
his
child; if I knew anything I should have told him. I have no legal or granted responsibility for that child, and for me to make such a ruling on my own accord of what his father needs to know and doesn’t need to know, is my mistake.”

Realizing that Mae truly felt that way, Robyn just shook her head, consumed by sudden empathy. Rather than call her brother out and defend herself to him, her friend instead found a way that she was indeed at fault regardless of another point of view.

Hoping that Robyn was finally coming around to Mae’s way of thinking, she got up and went over to her purse and grabbed some money to pay for her breakfast. When she went to hand the money to Robyn, she was answered with, “If I want to buy breakfast for the sweetest person on the planet, who just happens to be masochistic, I’ll damn well buy her breakfast.”

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Robyn stayed for a few more minutes, cleaned up their breakfast mess and told Mae she would call her later. She left and headed to her car, when she was in she called Bryan to tell him she was heading over to Seth’s to beat some sense into him and that she would fill him in later. She drove her car toward her brother’s and hoped she could get him to listen and understand how much of a tool he truly was.

Seth arrived home after leaving Wes’ and processed everything that had occurred over the last twelve hours over and over again. Wes was right; he did love her with all that he had and was. They shared the great love that so few ever get close to. Even though the time on the calendar was short, the depth and intimacy of their connection was as if they’d known each other their whole lives. He needed to talk to Conner and find out how this all happened. At least he wouldn’t run into her until he got all the facts. Maybe he was wrong; perhaps he didn’t give her a chance to explain what happened. But if Shannon was that mistaken, surely Mae would have spoken up.
But
you
really
didn’t
give
her
a
chance
to
speak.
You
didn’t
even
listen
when
she
said
what
she
did.

Opening the door to his home and walking in he saw Lynne folding laundry at the table, she didn’t even acknowledge his entrance. Aidan was on the couch watching television, while Megan was in one of her princess dresses, this one blue, perhaps Cinderella, on the floor having a tea party with a number of her stuffed animals. Megan was the first to notice him.

“Hi Daddy! Where’s Mae, she said we could have a tea party today and I have a special present for her, but she isn’t home and her car isn’t here.”

“Mae won’t be coming back, Spitfire; maybe I can have a tea party with you later.”

Suddenly, as if Megan were in agonizing pain, her face transformed from his beautiful red-haired angel to pure misery.

“She left? Without saying goodbye?”

Wanting to weep along with his baby girl, Seth leaned his forehead against her much smaller one and said quietly, “Sometimes grown-ups fight and say things they shouldn’t. Maybe she’ll move away, but it’ll be okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

She cried harder after his explanation. Sniffing and hiccupping she said “But I wanted her to be my new mommy. I didn’t want her to leave like my other mommy. Mommies are supposed to stay. She said she would always be my friend, we have to go find her Daddy, we just have to. She belongs here with us.”

Holding his daughter as she cried her little heart out just made Seth feel worse; Mae intertwined so well not only with him, but with his children too.

As he tried to comfort Megan he noticed Aidan looking toward him now with a look of devastation on his usual jovial face, and Conner standing behind him offering comfort to his younger brother by wrapping his arm around him from behind. Conner’s face was pale and guilt-ridden.

“You and I need to have a talk, Conner,” Seth said as he tried to put Megan down. But the little girl just wouldn’t disengage from around his neck. Walking over to the couch he sat and settled Megan to his right and grabbed Aidan and hugged him to his left. Conner sat across from them on the coffee table.

Taking a deep breath, Conner looked at his father and said, “I know you know about the boat. I’m really sorry Dad. But you shouldn’t be mad at Mae, I’m the one who asked her not to tell you.”

Feeling himself losing his temper, Seth took advantage of Megan’s relaxed hold and got up to pace around the room. “Damn it, Conner! How many times do I have to tell you, you can’t drive the damn boat! You could get hurt or worse hurt someone else.”

“I know Dad, I’m sorry, I just never thought you’d let me and then you surprised me by letting me drive it the other day. I’m really sorry Dad.”

“Well you can forget about driving it for a while, it will be a long while before I even let you on the boat as a passenger, buddy! And you can forget about the fishing derby, too” Seth said as he ran his hands over his bald head and tried to calm down.

“Yes, sir. But please don’t be mad at Mae, for my mistake.” Conner said, and Seth looked at his oldest boy, seeing what an expressive young man he was growing up to be.

Seth walked over to Conner and took him in his arms. When he was a baby, Seth would hold him with one arm and they would just look at each other, green to green. Seth didn’t know where the time had gone from then until now, but there would never be a time that he wouldn’t want to hold Conner or his other children in his arms. There they were safe; there they were loved and protected
.
Love
and
protect,
didn’t
Mae
use
those
exact
words
as
she
talked
about
why
she
did
what
she
did?

Inhaling deeply, Seth ruffled Conner’s hair and lightly pushed him down on the couch next to Aidan. Seth took the seat on the coffee table so he could face his kids. Hating how they all look so unhappy, Seth needed to say something, but for the life of him he didn’t know what to say.

“Is she really not coming back, Dad?” Aidan asked with wet, tearful eyes.

“I told her she couldn’t come back, Aidan. I’m very upset with her. She should have told me about Conner taking the boat out. As your father, it was my right to know, and she knew that. We are just lucky that Conner didn’t hit anything or anybody.” Seth said hoping that his kids would understand.

“Dad, I would have had to be in the boat to drive it,” Conner said as if Seth had missed that one bit of key information.

“What?” Seth said starting to get annoyed all over again.

“The first time I was on the dock and the second time, technically I was in the boat, but that was only because she pulled into the driveway and I panicked and hid,” Conner explained.

“You mean you weren’t actually driving the boat? She caught you before you even put the key in the ignition?” Seth asked trying to catch up.

“No, I wasn’t driving the boat, either time, Dad. Mae didn’t tell you that?”

Seth just looked at Conner, not quite following what he was saying. If Conner didn’t take the boat then that meant… . “SHIT!”

“Daddy, you used that bad word. You put me in Time Out when I said damn; do you need to go to Time Out?” Megan asked with youthful concern.

“I need something much worse than Time Out, Spitfire. And don’t say damn!” Seth said realizing that Wes and Robyn were completely one hundred percent right: he was an idiot, he ruined the best thing to happen to him and he didn’t deserve her. He needed to fix this and fast!

Just then, Robyn came barreling into the house and ran right to Seth. She couldn’t care that the kids were here, she needed to tell her brother that he was a damn fool.

“Listen Seth, I just saw Mae, you have got it all wrong…”

“Ro, where is she, I need to find her and apologize.”

“Oh so you figured that bit out all by yourself, brother of mine.” Robyn said aggravated that he could make such a mess out of everything.

“Robyn! Not now! Yes I was a jerk! Yes I owe her more than an apology, please just have pity on me and tell me where I can find her.” Seth said not being able to stand through a renowned Robyn Finn high and mighty rant.

“Seth, you really hurt her, but more importantly she actually thinks it is her fault. She thinks that everything you said, those horrible things, were all true.”

Oh God, the things he said to her, the horrible, hurtful, crude things he said to her. To the woman he loved. What kind of man was he… a sucky one, apparently.

“Ro, please just tell me where she is.” Seth said needing to get to her and tell her what a horrible mistake he made and beg her for his forgiveness.

Wanting him to rectify this fast, she told him, “Nightingale Motel, room B7, around the back.”

“Thank you, Robyn.” Kissing her to show his appreciation, Seth quickly kissed his kids and headed toward the door. But first he walked over to where Lynne stood and took her hand and placed it over his heart. “I’m sorry Lynne, for the hateful way I spoke while I was on the phone with you. If you don’t want to work here anymore, I understand, and trust me if cleaning my own toilets is the way to get back in your good graces, consider it done.”

Touched by his apology, Lynne looked at the man she loved like her own son. She didn’t come here and cook and clean because she had to, but because she wanted to. She’d known Seth since he was little and before Robyn was born. The Finns were part of her family, and Lynne needed to take care of her family.

Whispering so only Seth could hear her, “Go to her, Seth. She needs to hear that you were wrong, but she knows you are a good man; she belongs here with you and those babies. Do what needs to be done, go bring her home.” Reaching up to place her old hand on his whiskered cheek. “And we’ll talk about the toilets later.”

“I don’t tell you enough Lynne, but I love you, we all love you and we would be lost here without you.” And with that he leaned down and kissed her cheek and went out the door.

When he reached the Tahoe, he froze, overwhelmed suddenly by her tropical scent, faint but definitely there. As if she was sitting right here with him. And he knew in that moment, that Maggie was telling him as well, that he needed to bring Mae home.

Pulling out of the driveway much too fast, Seth headed toward the motel outside of town. He tried her cell phone and it just kept going to voicemail.
Come
on
honey,
pick
up!
But regardless of the hundreds of times he tried, he just kept getting her generic number only voicemail.

He pulled into the motel parking lot and turned the corner on two wheels until he was parked in front of room B7, but he noticed her car wasn’t there. He got out anyways and knocked on the door. Lightly at first but then with increasing strength to match the level of anxiety he was experiencing internally. Giving up on the door, he headed over to the lobby and was told by the older lady working the front desk, the woman in B7 checked out an hour ago.