Chapter 12 #3
“Who didn’t approve of her decision to have a baby on her own.” Mallory shrugged. “We didn’t need them. We had each other.”
“So now you’re alone in the world.”
“Not entirely. I have fantastic friends and a career I’m proud of.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m an emergency room nurse in Providence.”
“That’s very impressive.”
“You really think so?” she asked wistfully, clearly hungry for more than just information.
“I really do.” He cleared his throat and tried to think of what his next move should be. “I need to talk to my wife. Her name is Linda, and she’s the center of my life. She has been since shortly after your mom and I broke up. Do you have a phone number or some way I can reach you?”
She shook her head. “I can see that you’re a nice man.
You’re the good guy my mother said you were, but I just wanted to meet you, not turn your entire life upside down.
There’s no need to explain me to your family or your wife.
That’s not why I came. I got what I needed, and I appreciate your time. I won’t take any more of it.”
“So you’re not one bit curious about your five siblings?
How about your cousins? There’re quite a few of them.
Laura and Shane both live here on the island.
They’re my brother Frank’s kids. He’s up there at the table.
He’s a retired Superior Court judge. My brother Kevin is a doctor—a psychiatrist, actually.
He’s got two sons—Riley and Finn. They’ll be here in a couple of weeks for Laura’s wedding.
She’s marrying Owen Lawry, who’s my son Evan’s best friend.
If I were you, someone who doesn’t have much family to call my own, I’d at least want to meet everyone before I decided I didn’t want anything to do with them. ”
“And how do you plan to introduce me into this lovely family of yours?”
“As the daughter I never knew I had?”
She folded her arms and looked down at the wooden dock. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t plan for anything beyond introducing myself.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“No, I was going to take the ferry back tonight.”
“You should stay. Spend a little time here. See what you think of the place.” He was about to offer up one of the empty bedrooms at his house when he stopped himself, knowing he couldn’t do that until he talked to Linda.
“We own that place up there on the hill.” He pointed to the hotel that sat just outside the entrance to the marina.
“Go on up there, tell them I sent you and to bill me for your stay.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I wouldn’t feel right.”
“I’m inviting you to be my guest, but if you’d rather not stay, I understand. I would like your phone number, though.”
She seemed to be engaged in an argument with herself as she weighed what he’d said. “I’ll stay for tonight.”
“Good,” he said with a smile. “See that house up there on the hill? The white one?”
“Yes.”
“That’s my place. Come for dinner tonight.”
“You can’t just invite me without talking to your wife first.”
“Funny, you’ve never met my wife and yet you seem to already have her figured out.”
“I’m a woman, Mr. McCarthy. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to predict that this news might take her by surprise.
” She withdrew a card from her purse and handed it to him.
“My cell number is on there. Call me later after you talk to her, and you won’t hurt my feelings if you tell me I’m not welcome there. ”
“Don’t call me Mr. McCarthy. At the very least, call me Big Mac. That’s what everyone calls me.”
“Big Mac,” she said, trying it on for size. “I will. Thank you. You’ve been really nice about all of this, when I wouldn’t have blamed you if you told me to take a hike.”
“I’m not going to do that. I wonder, though, if I could borrow that letter from your mom. I’d like to show it to my wife.”
She pulled the letter from her pocket and handed it to him. “You’ll understand that it’s precious to me—”
“I’ll make sure you get it back.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” The smile she left him with reminded him, in a way, of his mother.
And then he remembered the photo of his mother that he kept in a frame in his study and realized Mallory was the image of her as a younger woman.
After she walked away, he watched her until she was past the table full of men, who eyed her with curiosity.
She didn’t stop to speak with them but rather kept walking toward the hotel.
Big Mac’s mind raced with thoughts and memories and fear over what this news might do to his family—and his marriage.
As Mac and Frank approached him, clearly looking for information about what’d just happened, Big Mac knew he couldn’t tell anyone about Mallory until he’d told Linda. With that in mind, he walked purposely toward the parking lot.
As he approached his son and brother, Mac tried to stop him. “Dad?”
“Hold down the fort. I’ll be back.”
“Is everything all right?” Frank asked.
“Yeah. Nothing to worry about.” As he said the words, Big Mac hoped and prayed they were true.