Chapter 7
D uke was pissed off with himself by the time he slid into the driver’s side of his truck.
“Are you okay?”
He looked at her over the baby seat between them. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“You looked upset when you came out of the house.”
And she was observant, too. “Oh. No. I’m fine.”
“I really can walk into town. It’s no problem.”
“You shouldn’t walk with the baby on the roads out here.” He started the truck and threw it into Reverse. “People drive like lunatics on the curves. Someone takes out one of the stone walls at least once a year.”
“Well, I’ll have to walk since I don’t have a car.”
“I’ll take you anywhere you need to go.”
“You sound pissed.”
“I’m not. I swear. It’s not safe to walk out here.”
“You’ve already given me a place to live. Now you want to be my chauffeur, too?”
“Whatever you need. I’m happy to help you.”
“Why?”
He looked over at her, seeming stunned by the question. “Because that’s what people do for each other. They help when help is needed.”
“That hasn’t been my experience.”
“Maybe you’ve been hanging out with the wrong people.”
Her snort of laughter eased some of the tension that’d built up inside him as he tried to talk himself out of being attracted to her. “Ain’t that the truth?” She quickly added, “I have the best girlfriends, but we all have stories about other people, mostly men, that would make your hair curl.”
“My hair doesn’t curl easily.”
“We could make it happen.”
“It’s tough to be optimistic about the future when the past has been messy.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Took me a long time, a lot of years, to put the past where it belonged so it didn’t screw with my present every day anymore.”
She looked over at him. “How’d you do it?”
“I decided to focus only on what was right in front of me at that moment rather than putting it in the context of what’d happened before. Not sure that makes sense…”
“No, it does, but I still don’t see how you can just do that.”
“You make up your mind to look ahead, not back. There’s not one damned thing you can change about the past, but the future is yours to map out as you see fit.”
“That sounds great, but how ?”
“You wake up every day with a choice about how you want to live. Do you want to be mired in a past you can’t change or focused on a future that you direct?”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It is once you get the hang of it. You ever heard the saying that it takes three weeks to create a habit, whether it’s a good habit or a bad one?”
“Yes, I’ve read about that.”
“Usually, they’re talking about going to the gym or starting to walk or dieting or whatever. In this case, you wake up and decide to focus on all the positive things you can think of. You give them your full attention for all your waking hours. Whether it’s your work or your child or your garden or whatever brings you peace, pleasure and prosperity. I love my job. I love my studio and the people who work with me there. I love doing things to grow the business, such as partnering with the McCarthys to offer weekend getaways that include a tattoo. That was my idea, by the way. Brings in some business in the off-season. It gives me a kick to think of stuff like that. I love my art and my cross-stitching, my garden and puttering around my house. Those things bring me joy.”
He worried he was talking too much, but when he looked over, she was watching him thoughtfully. “You think I’m nuts, right?”
“Not at all. What you say makes so much sense, but?—”
“No buts. It works. I swear it does. For the first year I was doing this, any time something from the past wanted to sneak in to ruin my day, I did something to manifest the future I wanted for myself. One day, I went into the shop and spent the whole day building a website for the business. Let me tell you… That took all my mental energy for that day and a couple of others. There was no space for anything else.”
“So, you’re saying that by keeping exceptionally busy, you can start to replace the bad stuff with good.”
“For the most part. You don’t want to work yourself into an early grave, though. I mean, what good would it be to overcome a difficult past by creating a positive future if you’re too dead to enjoy it?”
McKenzie laughed. “Good point.”
“Like today, for example. What positive things can you start your day thinking about?”
“Jax, of course. He’s the most positive thing.”
“He sure is.”
“The apartment you loaned us is definitely a positive. Also, a new job, some new friends, more time in my favorite place.”
“All good things. Stay focused on them, and you’ll have a great day.”
“I’m adding your kindness in calling Mac for me to the good things to focus on today.”
“That’s the way to play the game. Doing that for you got my day off to a good start. You see how it works?”
“I’m beginning to. What do you do when your mind wanders to the bad stuff?”
“You pull it back on course by thinking about the good stuff. You don’t give the bad stuff any oxygen before you come swooping in to change the conversation you’re having with yourself.”
“The conversation I’m having with myself…”
“That’s what our thoughts are, right?”
“How did you get so wise?”
Duke huffed out a laugh. “I wouldn’t describe myself as wise at all.”
“Well, I would. How did you learn this stuff?”
“I got tired of the darkness. I wanted to focus on the light, so I did. Took a while to make it happen, but one day, I realized it’d been like two weeks since I’d thought about the bad stuff. That’s when I knew it worked. That I could truly decide where to put my focus and energy. Now, I’m not saying I never think about the past, because I do. Comes at me at the oddest of times, usually when I’m really happy. It’ll show up as if to say, ‘Hey, dumbass, don’t get cocky. I’m still in here.’”
“That’s funny.”
“Sorry to swear in front of Jax.”
“You didn’t.”
“I said a-s-s.”
“Oh, whoops,” she said with a laugh. “I think he’ll be okay.”
Duke pulled onto Ocean Avenue, which was largely deserted except for crews from the electric company, which were still working on the grid, and the town’s public works department shoveling seaweed off the street and into trucks. The storm had produced higher-than-usual tides that continued to deposit sand, seaweed and other ocean junk on the streets.
He parked in front of Tiffany’s store, Naughty & Nice, where mannequins in lingerie filled the windows. “Are you sure Tiff is planning to open today?”
“Nope, but I figured I’d come in and see if she needs help.”
He reached for his phone and found her contact. “You want to give her a call?”
“Probably should’ve done that before I asked you to drive me into town.”
“It’s no problem. I needed to come in anyway.”
McKenzie called Tiffany and put it on speaker. “Hi, it’s McKenzie, calling on Duke’s phone. I wanted to check on you and see if you need help at the store today.”
“Thank you so much for calling, but I think we’ll stay closed today, since I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Is there any word?”
“Nothing yet.”
“I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I think we’re good. Blaine is working this morning, but he’ll be home after lunch. We’re going to my sister’s house for a bit this afternoon so the kids can play.”
“If there’s anything you need, please call me. I’ll text you my number.”
“Please do, and I’ll keep you posted on when we’re reopening.”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you soon.”
McKenzie finished the call and handed the phone back to Duke. “Welp, I guess I’ve got the day off.”
“Want to see my studio?”
“I’d love to.”
Duke’s call about McKenzie’s cabin was the fourth of the day that Mac received from island residents in need of construction help after the storm. Ethel had upended his plans for the off-season, which he’d planned to spend mostly at the family’s alpaca farm, finishing the renovations so they could be ready for the first of the weddings booked there for late May.
Now he had a single mom with a wrecked cabin to consider, as well as his friends Slim and Erin Jackson, whose island home had also sustained serious damage.
Mac was exhausted, and the day hadn’t even begun yet.
Maddie returned to their room after tending to the twins and got back into bed. Sometimes they went back to sleep after an early wakeup. He hoped today was one of those days, because he could use a few minutes with his love before another day of madness began for both of them.
She curled up to him and rested her head on his chest. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, why?”
“You looked worried when I came in.”
“Just thinking about all the new work that’s coming from the storm and how I’ll fit it in with the other stuff I’ve already committed to, especially now that Jeff is out for the foreseeable future. I’ve gotten four calls already today, including one about the cabin owned by the single mom Blaine rescued in the storm.”
“Well, you have to take care of that one right away.”
He smiled. “I told Duke when he called that she’d be a high priority. She’s Rosemary Enders’s granddaughter.”
“Oh, I loved her. She worked at the summer camp I went to when I was in elementary school. Such a sweet lady.”
“Are there pictures of you as a summer camper?”
“Somewhere.”
“I think I’d like to see them.”
“I’ll ask my mom if she has them. Is there any word about Jim?”
“Not that I’ve heard.”
Her deep sigh said it all. “I’m so worried about Tiffany. I can’t imagine her having to tell Ashleigh this news.”
“Hopefully, he’s off being oblivious and will turn up like nothing ever happened.”
She looked up at him. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“Probably not. I think he and Billy were riding out the storm on Billy’s boat, which was beyond stupid. They’re putting divers into the pond again today to look for them.”
“God, I can’t imagine what they must’ve gone through.”
“They shouldn’t have been on a boat in a hurricane. Hopefully, they were both drunk and didn’t know what hit them.”
“It’s horrible. I couldn’t stand him, but I never wanted something like this to happen.”
“Me either. I keep thinking about Ash and how she has no clue he’s even missing. I don’t envy Tiff and Blaine having to explain that to her.”
“I know. My heart aches for her.”
“She’ll be okay. We’ll all make sure of it.” Mac knew he should get up and get going on what promised to be another very long day, but they so rarely got a minute of peace that he stayed put for as long as it lasted.
“What’s on the docket for today?” she asked.
“I’ll swing by Rosemary’s place to look at the cabin and see what we’re going to need there, and then to Slim and Erin’s, then back to the marina. Dad decided to open back up for the rest of the season.”
“You knew he would.”
“Yeah, I figured he would despite what he said. He’s not going to want to miss out on another month of doughnuts and BS with the boys.”
“True.” She reached up to stroke his face. “I’m sure you’re stressing out about how much needs to be done, but you’re one man and one company. You can only do what you can do. Take it a minute at a time and don’t let it trigger the anxiety, you hear me?”
“Yes, dear.” For the second time in his life, stress had led to a panic attack that’d scared the hell out of him and everyone who loved him. He was trying to do better about managing it, but at times like this, that was easier said than done.
“You do so much for the people on this island, but there’s no point in you working yourself to death. It’ll all get done. Somehow.”
“You’re right. Thanks for the reminder.”
“It’s available any time you need to hear it.”
“Are the grannies coming to help today?” Having their nanny out of commission was another thing adding to his stress. All that mattered was that Kelsey was okay and would recover from the broken arm. But being without her for a few weeks would be tough on Maddie, who was still recovering from the twins’ birth and adjusting to caring for two infants in addition to three older kids.
“They are, thank goodness.”
“I’d better get to it. Gonna be another long one.”
“Remember you’re not God out there, okay? Don’t take on more than you can handle. It’s okay to say no.”
“Really? It is?”
“Yes, Mac, it’s okay. I promise.”
“I hear you, honey. Now give me a kiss and make it a good one. It’s got to last me all day.”
Smiling, she reached for him and gave him a kiss that made him moan from wanting more.
“That wasn’t fair with hours to go until you can finish what you started.”
“Something to look forward to later.”
“I’ll think about it all day.”
“When’s your vasectomy follow-up appointment?”
“Next week and let me tell you how much I’m looking forward to that.”
“Your sarcasm is duly noted.”
“I’m looking forward to having fun with my sexy wife, no condoms required.” He kissed her again and then gazed at her gorgeous face.
“What?”
“You’re just so pretty. I never get tired of looking at you.”
“You know just what to say to me.”
“I only tell you the truth. Call me if you need me today. I can be home in a few minutes.”
“I will. Love you. Be safe out there.”
“Love you, too. Be safe in here.”
“Haha, it’s a jungle in here.”
“And you’re the queen of the jungle.”
Their daughter Hailey came into the room, her hair tousled and her cheeks rosy with sleep. “Baby Mac is awake, Mama.”
“Thank you, honey.” Maddie got out of bed and bent to hug their tiny girl. “Did you sleep well?”
“Uh-huh. Can we watch Bluey today?”
“As long as we keep power.” Maddie took their daughter by the hand and went to get Mac.
“That mean old storm took Bluey,” Hailey said.
As he got up and got ready for work, Mac chuckled as he listened to his family through the monitor. Maddie was so great with them, and they were lucky to have her. She was right about him managing the stress and that he was only one man.
He would try to remember that as the post-storm demands stacked up.