Twenty-two
Chatting with Hank was always a delight. Patty loved the gossip from the sheriff’s department, particularly when she got to pry it out of Hank.
“So you’re telling me you have no idea who donated the money for the new K9?”
“Nope,” Hank said, a smile creeping to his eyes. “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Patty sat at the little kitchen table in their house, tea in hand, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “You’re a menace, Hank. Did you know that?”
The door opened and Mackenzie peeked in. “Hey, Granny. I’m all set. Are you ready to go?”
She sighed, bracing her hand on the table to stand. “I suppose so. Hank is tired of my questioning.”
“Not at all,” he said, getting up from his seat. “I’m just glad you took off the wires for the lie detector test.”
Mackenzie’s eyes darted between them. “Granny, you can’t keep bringing your lie detector to people’s homes.”
“Aha, but I have it with me everywhere I go.” She tapped a finger to her forehead. “Hank, thank you for the tea. We’ll be seeing you again soon.”
“Am I invited to the elite Blackfish Ball?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
“Of course!” Patty said. “You live here, and you double as security. Not to mention I owe you one for helping Eliza.”
“You told me you’d gut me like a fish if I arrested her.”
Patty scoffed. “I would never say something like that.”
She walked out, gave Margie a hug goodbye, and loaded herself into the car.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to threaten a sheriff, Granny,” Mackenzie said as they pulled onto the road.
“I said if he was cowardly enough to arrest my granddaughter, I’d gut him like the yellowtail he was,” Patty said. “That’s not a threat. It’s a fact.”
Mackenzie flashed a look at her, eyebrows strung together. “That’s even worse! That’s, like, creative!”
She shrugged. “I’ve always told you, Mackenzie. If you need to make a statement, you might as well make it memorable. But don’t be vulgar. They’ll only use that against you.”
“You’ve literally never said that.”
Patty paused, combing through her memories. It was all fuzzy. There were too many of them. “Well, I meant to say it. Maybe you should write it down.”
She laughed. “I’ll get on that.”
Patty settled back into her seat. Mackenzie’s car had a much smoother ride than her own. Maybe she should consider upgrading? Then again, what a waste it would be, a new car. Hers was fine for driving from one side of the island to the other. “How do things look for the ball?”
“To tell you the truth, I’m more concerned than ever.”
Patty turned to look at her. “What!”
“It seems too perfect.” Mackenzie shook her head. “Something is bound to go wrong.”
“Oh.” Patty laughed. “Have some faith. You have more friends than you know.”
Mackenzie scoffed. “Yeah, right. Russell ran off to Europe with Mom and left me here to deal with the contractors and drunken boaters and angry old ladies.”
“I’m not angry. I’m feisty. There’s a difference.”
“Not you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Mrs. Smitt.”
Patty looked back out the window. “Believe it or not, I remember being your age. I remember the intense emotions and ideas of youth.”
“Granny, this isn’t me being intense. This is intense!”
“Sure, sure.”
Mackenzie sighed. “Am I really about to get a lecture because I’m trying my best?”
“Not a lecture.” She reached over and patted her hand. “I think you might need to stop and take a deep breath. Maybe adjust your attitude.”
“I always need to adjust my attitude,” Mackenzie said. “Especially when things keep going wrong in ways I never expected.”
“You found friends you never expected, didn’t you?”
Mackenzie shrugged.
Patty went on. “Don’t turn your nose up at help! Look at Margie. She’s an ally. She’s a helper.”
“She is. I’ll give you that.”
She stared at Mackenzie. Her mouth was twisted, like she was chronically in pain.
“I can’t tell you everything is going to be okay,” Patty said. “No one can. What I can tell you is, no matter what, you will be okay. You have the strength, you have the resilience. Believe in yourself.”
Mackenzie stared straight forward, eyes on the road a thousand miles ahead.
“And believe in your friends,” Patty added. “It’s not just Margie.”
“Eliza?”
“Well, yes, of course.”
She cocked her head. “You?”
Was Mackenzie really that blind? How funny, to be so young, so intensely focused on the wrong things. “That goes without saying, but you’ve made new friends recently.”
Mackenzie tapped her hand on the steering wheel. “Liam?”
It was hard not to laugh. How had it taken her so long to realize who she was talking about? “Yes, Liam! He doesn’t have to help you, you know, but he does anyway. And you’re not particularly nice to him.”
“I know.” She laughed. “He’s an odd one.”
Patty clenched her hands together. That wasn’t what she was getting at. Patty had seen Liam’s type before, and she would bet her imaginary new car he was someone Mackenzie could count on.
Should count on.
His eyes were full of love, full of affection, but he didn’t say a word, instead keeping it locked in his heart like the ever-burning flame of a lighthouse.
He wasn’t odd at all. Just, unfortunately, rare.
“I like him,” Patty finally said.
“Should we stop at the bakery on the way home?” Mackenzie asked, flipping on her turn signal.
Patty sighed. Mackenzie couldn’t see it yet. Hopefully she wouldn’t wait until it was too late. “Of course. I never say no to a bakery.”