Chapter 6
After watching Mallory ride away, Quinn went back inside, intending to spend some time in his office attempting to get organized.
He’d never been part of an endeavor like this one, launching a healthcare facility from the ground up, and was finding it a welcome challenge.
Working twelve hours a day sure beat trying to figure out what to do without the discipline of army life.
He missed everything about it—the traveling, the camaraderie, the feeling of being part of something bigger than himself.
His unexpected retirement from the military had left a huge, gaping hole in the middle of his life, and he was thankful to Jared and Lizzie for giving him a new sense of purpose.
Quinn fired up his computer to check his email and was replying to a message from one of the medical equipment suppliers when Mac appeared in the doorway.
“Hey,” Quinn said without taking his gaze off the screen. “What’s up?”
“That’s what I wanted to know. What was my sister doing here?”
“She wanted to see the place.”
“How do you know her?”
“We met through friends in town.”
“What friends?”
“Is there a point to this inquisition, Mac?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Okay, well, get back to me when you know.”
“She’s been through a rough time.”
“I know. She told me.” That seemed to take Mac by surprise. “You don’t need to play the protective-brother role with me. I have no intention of harming your sister in any way, so you can stand down.”
“You seem like a straight-up guy,” Mac said. “But you keep to yourself a lot. Don’t let anyone get too close.”
His general contractor was an observant sort of guy, Quinn thought. “So?”
“I’m just saying…”
“What is it exactly that you’re saying?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Good talk, Mac. Glad you stopped by.”
“Mac!” Luke called from the kitchen. “Get your ass back here, and leave him alone.”
“Be nice to my sister,” Mac said over his shoulder as he returned to work.
Despite his bull-in-a-china-shop approach, it wasn’t lost on Quinn that he’d been put on notice that Mac—and probably the rest of the McCarthys—would be keeping an eye on him when it came to Mallory. She’d probably be delighted to know that Mac had played the brother card with him.
The thought brought a smile to his lips, making him realize he’d smiled more today than he had in a very long time, and the day was still young.
Mallory rode her bike to the marina, coasting down the hill into the cool spring breeze off the Salt Pond.
Gansett Island was one of the most beautiful places she’d ever seen.
From the panoramic water views to the lush landscapes to the hidden waterways to the ancient stone walls and crushed-shell driveways, there was something to see everywhere she looked.
With the spring flowers in full bloom and Race Week about to get underway, the island’s residents were preparing in earnest for the summer season.
Arriving at McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina, Mallory parked the bike and walked toward the main dock that extended into the Salt Pond.
Her dad was on his knees, pounding nails into one of the wide planks that made up the pier.
He’d turned sixty recently, not that he looked a day over fifty with his wiry gray hair, gleeful smile and bright blue eyes.
“Hi there,” she said as she approached him, recalling the first time she’d ever seen him, right here on this pier one week after her mother died and her letter told Mallory where to find him.
He looked up from what he was doing and smiled with pleasure at the sight of her.
Mallory wondered how long it would be, if ever, before she’d become accustomed to the fact that this extraordinary man was her father.
“What a nice surprise this is. What brings you by?”
“I was hoping I might talk you into lunch.”
“Sweetheart, you should know by now that I never have to be talked into lunch, or any other meal, for that matter.” He wiped beads of sweat from his brow with the sleeve of the faded Gansett Island sweatshirt he wore over shorts and rugged work boots. “Let’s take a walk over to the Oar Bar.”
“That sounds good.”
He showed her the shortcut on a path that wound from McCarthy’s Marina to McCarthy’s Gansett Island Hotel, which he and Linda owned, and over to the neighboring marina where the Oar was located. They walked up the back stairs to the hostess stand, where the woman working greeted him by name.
“Hi there, sweetheart,” he said. “Could I get a table for me and my daughter?”
“Of course! Right this way.”
He smiled down at Mallory and placed a hand on her back to encourage her to go ahead of him. Everything he did and said thrilled her. Her dad. His daughter. It never got old.
“What’s good here?” she asked, taking in the thousands of painted oars that dominated the space.
“Everything, but I love the lobster roll. Comes with fries and slaw.”
“That sounds good to me, too.”
When the waitress came by, he ordered for both of them. “A Diet Coke?” he asked Mallory.
She loved the way he paid attention to every little thing about her. “That’ll do it,” she said.
“Make it two.” After the waitress walked away, he said, “I’d love a beer, but it’s a little too early.”
He’d given her the opening she needed to bring up one of the reasons she’d invited him to lunch. Mallory marshaled her courage and took the plunge. “About that… I wanted to tell you… I should’ve mentioned it sooner, but things have been so busy…”
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”
His genuine interest made it so easy to say the words. “I’m actually an alcoholic.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“I’m sure you’re wondering how that can be when you’ve seen me drink.”
He held up a hand. “No judgment from me. I swear.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’ve been doing a lot of personal judging and wondering why I so easily forgot ten years of sobriety the minute I met my dad and his big wonderful family.”
“Your big wonderful family.”
“My family,” Mallory conceded.
“Why do you suppose that happened?”
“I’m chalking it up to stress and excitement and getting caught up in the moment and wanting to fit in. None of those are excuses, but they’re all I’ve got. I’m back to daily meetings, and I haven’t had a sip of alcohol since New Year’s Eve.”
“At Adam’s wedding?”
Mallory nodded. “I kind of snapped out of it the next day and was horrified by what I’d let happen over the last few months.”
“You probably ought to cut yourself a break. Those few months in question would’ve tested anyone’s mettle.”
“I know, but still… I was disappointed in myself and vowed to get back on track. I went to a meeting that day, and I haven’t missed a day since.”
“It’s a strong person who can look at herself with that kind of scrutiny. You should be proud of yourself for being able to do that.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to have your support and understanding.”
“You’ll always have my support—and my understanding.”
She used her napkin to dab at tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “I’m still getting used to that.”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere. You and me… We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.” After a pause, he said, “I find myself wondering…”
“About?”
“So many things. I want to know everything. Who your friends are, who you’ve loved, where you’ve lived, the awards you won in school, the big and little things that I missed out on.”
Touched by his interest, she said, “My very best friend in the whole world is Trish Bennett. We met in second grade and have been best friends ever since. She lives in Boston and is an accomplished photographer. We’ve been through everything together.”
“I’d love to meet her sometime.”
“I’ll ask her to come out to visit.”
“Boyfriends?” he asked with a raised brow that made her laugh. It was too late for him to intimidate her ex-boyfriends, but he let her know that he would’ve made for a formidable obstacle.
“My first love was Chris Bristow in sixth grade. He never knew I was alive, but I was hopelessly devoted.”
“That was his loss,” Big Mac said indignantly, making her laugh.
“I couldn’t agree more. My first real boyfriend was Mike Smith, my junior year of high school.”
“Mike Smith,” he said with disdain. “That sounds like a fake name. I would’ve had him fully investigated.”
Mallory laughed again. “I can very easily picture you doing that.”
“Ask Janey about my investigative skills.”
“I’ll do that. Anyway, Mike and I lasted two years, until we went to colleges in different states, and our young love couldn’t withstand the pressure of distance and coeds.”
“He cheated?”
“He met someone else.” Mallory shrugged. “It happens.”
“I’m sorry it happened to you.”
“Thank you, but I haven’t thought of him in years.
The next one was more serious.” Her heart still ached when she thought of the man she’d loved with all her heart.
“I met Ryan Daniels in medical school at Tufts. We got married six months after we met and did our residencies together in San Francisco.”
“I knew you’d been married, but you graduated from medical school?”
Nodding, she said, “Yep.” Sometimes those years felt like another lifetime, a life that had been lived by someone other than her.
“What happened?”
The waitress arrived with their food, but neither of them touched it right away.
“We were almost done with our first year of residency, him in surgery and me in pediatrics. We were at work one day, and he collapsed in the operating room. By the time someone came to find me, he was gone. He was twenty-seven years old.”
“Oh my God, Mallory. I’m so sorry. Did they ever find out what happened?”