Chapter 27
“Everyone, this is Oliver Watkins. He and his wife, Dara, are our new lighthouse keepers. Oliver, this is my buddy Ned, my brothers Frankie and Kev, my oldest son, Mac, and our business partner, Luke Harris.”
The guys greeted Oliver with handshakes and welcoming smiles.
“Let’s get the man a coffee and some of Linda’s famous doughnuts.” Big Mac was determined to show the younger man a good time and make him part of their morning gathering—if he wished to be, that was. “Cream and sugar?” he asked Oliver.
“Just cream is great. Thanks, Mac.”
“I’ll get them, Dad,” Mac said.
“Thanks, son.”
“You hafta call him Big Mac,” Ned said, “or it gets mighty confusin’ round here with this one.” He used his thumb to point at the younger Mac, who was now inside. “And he’s got a son named Mac, too. It’s a mess.”
Oliver laughed. “Gotcha.”
“The world needs more Mac McCarthys, not fewer,” Big Mac said.
“You keep tellin’ yerself that,” Ned said.
Mac returned with a tray containing coffees for himself and Oliver and a plate of doughnuts for the table. “Thank goodness for generators.”
The men dove into the doughnuts like wild seagulls.
“Get in there, Oliver,” Kevin said. “You can’t be shy in this group.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” He helped himself to one of the sugary confections, took a bite and moaned. “Holy hell, that’s good.”
“Right?” Big Mac said. “Linda gets all the credit for the doughnuts that are such a big part of this place. She started making them right after we were married, and before we knew it, people were coming back year after year for more of them. I swear they did more to make this place a hit than anything else.”
“Ya did yer share, too,” Ned said between bites.
“This place was a falling-down wreck when my little brother found it, had a big idea and made it a reality through sheer grit,” Frank said.
Oliver took in the bustling marina, full of boats and people and activity on the docks. “Quite an operation you’ve got here.”
“It’s a special place,” Kevin said. “This marina and this island. From the first time I ever visited my big brother here, I was eager to come back. The last time I came, I decided to stick around, and here we are.”
“The McCarthy brothers back together again,” Frank said, raising his coffee cup to Big Mac and Kevin. “Along with our adopted fourth,” he said of Ned.
“Do yourself a favor, Oliver,” Mac said, “and don’t listen to too much of what goes on with the four of them. You may find yourself in need of bail money if you do.”
“He’s fulla crap,” Ned said. “Stick with us. We’ll show ya a good time.”
“Are we still fishing this afternoon?” Frank asked.
“That’s the plan,” Big Mac said. “You’re welcome to come along, Oliver.”
“That’s very nice of you. Let me see what Dara wants to do today before I commit to anything.”
“Spoken like a wise man,” Kevin said.
“What brings you to our fair island?” Frank asked as he helped himself to a second doughnut.
“My wife and I were in need of a reset after we lost our three-year-old son.”
“Oh God,” Kevin said. “I’m so sorry.
The other men chimed in with their condolences.
“Thank you. It happened more than a year ago, but we’re still reeling. When I saw the ad for the lighthouse keeper’s job, something about it spoke to me. I’m hoping we can start over here and figure out a way forward.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” Mac said. “We have so many friends and family members who’ve come here at difficult times in their lives and found peace in this place.”
“That’s good to hear,” Oliver said. “We’re in bad need of some peace.”
“If there’s anything we can do…” Kevin said.
“Kev’s a therapist,” Big Mac said. “A damned good one, too, from what I hear.”
“Wow, you guys have it all here, huh?”
“We have everything you need,” Big Mac said.
“Except fer power,” Ned said, making everyone laugh.
As Big Mac watched Oliver join in the laughter, he had a feeling his island was going to be good for his new young friend.