Chapter 4 #2
“Um, okay. Whatever you say.” Glancing up at the cloudless sky, Evan took a moment to appreciate the crystal-clear September day before he returned his gaze to his brother. “What’ll we do about Mom and Dad?”
“I don’t suppose there’s much we can do. Whatever’s going on between them, they need to work it out.”
“What if they can’t?”
“I doubt it’s that dire. They’re solid, man. They’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Linda McCarthy watched her left-handed husband struggle to shave right-handed and had to restrain herself from going into the bathroom that adjoined their bedroom to offer help. She’d learned the hard way that it was better not to offer assistance. He didn’t want it, especially from her.
She sat on the bed, waiting as patiently as she could even as she churned with worry and fear.
For the first time in nearly forty years of marriage, she was afraid for them—and utterly unprepared for this crisis.
They’d never had one. Somehow they’d managed to navigate through life’s craziness, run a business and raise five children without hitting a single speed bump.
It was ridiculous. She knew that, of course.
Every marriage had its ups and downs. Except theirs was more about the ups than the downs.
The one thing in her life Linda had always been certain of was the man she’d married and the bond that had sustained them for decades.
And now, as she watched him awkwardly run a comb through his thick gray hair, she was certain of nothing.
They’d had more arguments in the last six weeks than in their whole life before then. Nothing she said was right. Nothing she did was right. From the minute Stephanie called from the marina to tell her about the accident, Linda’s well-ordered life had been turned upside down.
Not even their daughter’s beautiful wedding or the dramatic arrival of their granddaughter had managed to jar him out of the funk he’d slipped into. He’d rallied on both days, filling her with irrational hope that faded the next day when the funk returned.
The situation had progressed to the point where she’d decided outside intervention of some sort was probably needed.
If only she could find a way to broach the subject without risking the wrath of a man who’d never shown an ounce of wrath before cracking his head in an accident that had nearly killed him.
It wasn’t fair. He’d done nothing to deserve this.
They’d done nothing to deserve it. A drunken boater had done this to them, and she’d be damned if she’d let that criminal steal the most important relationship in her life.
And so when her husband emerged from the bathroom, she took a deep, fortifying breath and forced herself to look up and meet his stormy gaze.
“We need to talk, Mac.”
“’Bout what?”
Linda wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. “About how you seem so unhappy, and if you’re unhappy, so am I.”
He retrieved a pair of shorts from the drawer. Watching him awkwardly work his way into them pained her. Her husband wasn’t awkward. He wasn’t angry. And he wasn’t cold to her. Ever. Well, except lately.
“I’m not unhappy.” He pulled a T-shirt over the broad chest that still rippled with muscles even as he closed in on sixty. “I’m pissed. I’m sick of this goddamned cast, and I’m sick of everyone looking at me like I’m addled, especially you.”
Okay, that was totally unfair. Keeping a lid on her own anger, Linda stood to face him.
“I am not looking at you like you’re addled, but you’re certainly not yourself.
In fact, you’re so far from yourself I don’t even know who you are anymore.
” She went to him and rested her hands on his chest. “I miss you, Mac. I miss us. I can’t bear the tension between us.
” Tears clogged her throat, which infuriated her. Linda McCarthy wasn’t a crier.
His good arm curled around her, drawing her in close to him. The loving gesture shocked her. It’d been so long since he’d held her that the sheer relief of being near him overwhelmed her. As his fingers caressed the back of her neck, her eyes burned with tears. “I hate this,” she said.
“I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”
“It’s not yours, either.” She ran a hand up and down his back, breathing in the familiar scent of him. “I wish we could go through this together. There’s no need for you to feel alone with whatever you’re thinking or feeling. You’ve never felt the need to keep things from me before.”
“It’s not intentional.” His body was riddled with unusual tension. “I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling. Everything in my head is so scrambled. Nothing makes sense.”
As much as it pained her to pull back from his embrace, she had to take advantage of the first opening he’d given her in weeks. Steeling herself for his outrage, she looked up at him. “Do you think we ought to go see David?”
The roll of his eyes was more in keeping with the Mac McCarthy she knew and loved.
“You gotta be kidding me, Lin. You want me to see the guy who cheated on my daughter?”
“He also saved your granddaughter,” she reminded him. “It’s either him or we trek to the mainland.” The fact that he didn’t shut down the conversation and storm off was a positive sign, but then again, he hated leaving his precious island for any reason.
“That’s playing dirty.” It’d been so long since she’d heard that playful tone of voice or seen the hint of the devil in his eye that she wanted to jump for joy.
“Should I make an appointment with David?”
Scowling, he said, “I don’t think it’s come to that. I’m just in a bad mood. I’ll try not to take it out on you anymore.”
She rewarded him with her best smile. “That would be very nice. Thank you.” If things didn’t change, she would call David whether her husband liked it or not.
The stroke of his hand over her cheek nearly stopped her heart. “I’m sorry for putting you through this.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“Promise?”
She nodded and curled her arms around his neck. “Will you do one other thing for me?”
“Sure.”
“Would you kiss me, Mac?” Combing her fingers through his hair, she drew him down to her. “I’ve really missed kissing you.”
“Aww, Lin, I hate that you had to ask.” He wrapped his good arm around her and did his best to make it up to her.