Enchanted (32 page)

“Maybe she’d like going out with me. I always thought I was a lot of fun to be with.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Think about it. I’ll call you in the morning.”

He kissed his finger and touched it to her nose. “I love you.” He turned to walk away.

“Mac?”

He looked back. “Yes?”

“I love you, too.”

He took a deep breath. Thank you, Lord.

Kathleen hesitated only a moment when Mac called the next morning His voice sounded so imploring she couldn’t say no to his request to take Julie out for the day. When she posed the question to Julie, the little girl beamed.

“The whole day with Mr. O’Brien?”

“Uh-huh. Would you like that?”

“Can he buy me ice cream?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sure if you want ice cream, Mr. O’Brien will buy it for you.”

“I like him Mommy. Is he going to be my daddy?”

Julie’s
question took her by surprise. T
he innocence of youth, whose eyes see so much more than adults could ever imagine. “I don’t know, honey.”

Mac arrived and whisked Julie away in his limousine while Kathleen insisted on taking the bus, as usual, to work. He didn’t argue, just gave Kathleen a list of phone numbers for his mother, his attorney, and his doctor, “just in case.”

“Well, young lady,” Mac said, flipping through channels on the television. “How about a little Sesame Street to start off the morning?”

“Okay. Do you like Big Bird?”

“Of course. And Cookie Monster, too.” He’d seen pictures of the characters, but didn’t have the faintest idea what they were all about. But an hour later he was an avid fan, as the limousine drove around town, killing time until Mac was ready to stop for brunch.

They dined on Egg McMuffins and orange juice, then went window-shopping until they found a toy store to browse in. He tried out
a
n Xbox
. He was all thumbs, but Julie’s skills amazed him. He purchased the video game to hook up at home, although he didn’t own a television, then found Big Bird and Cookie Monster stuffed animals which he couldn’t resist buying.

For lunch they had pizza with the works, except anchovies, which Julie absolutely refused, saying they were much too salty and not good for his health. They found an electronics store, and Mac bought a large
flat
-screen TV, a
nd a DVR
. At a
video store he stocked up on an
assortment of old Disney movies, the
n they ducked into a video game store and
picked up the latest Xbox games for little kids, and a few more games just for Mac, and for Kathleen if she wanted to play with him
.

They went to the zoo for ice cream, and Mac
filmed her on his brand new Camcorder
while Julie fed peanuts to the elephants.

He was in absolute heaven and didn’t want the day to end, but forced himself to deliver Julie to her mother at precisely seven o’clock, just as he had promised.

“You don’t look the least bit worn out,” Kathleen said, then was assaulted with Julie’s description of the day.

“Mac bought me Big Bird and Cookie Monster, and took pictures of me at the zoo. And he wants me to spend the day with him again tomorrow. Can I, Mommy?”

What could she say? How could she break Julie’s heart?

“If Mr. O’Brien doesn’t mind.”

“
H
e doesn’t mind.” Julie wrapped her arms around Mac’s legs, her face the picture of innocence. “Do you?”

“Not in the least.” Mac absently caressed Julie’s shiny black hair while concentrating on Kathleen. “I had fun. I never imagined there was so much to do away from the office.”

“Mommy?” Julie said, looking up to her mother’s face.

“Yes, honey?”

“We’re still going to have dinner with Mr. O’Brien tomorrow, aren’t we?”

“I plan on it. Why?” She picked Julie up and brushed a lock of black hair behind her ear.

“Because he’s going to take us someplace really fancy.”

Kathleen looked at Mac. “How fancy?”

“Real fancy.”

“But—”

“I know what you’re going to say.” He mimicked what he expected to hear. “‘But I don’t have anything to wear!’”

She laughed. “You’re right.”

“The dress you wore at the Plaza Will do quite nicely, thank you. As for this one”—he took Julie into his arms and swung her up in the air—“we’re going shopping for dresses tomorrow.”

“I can’t let you do that.”
Kathleen
looked horrified.

“And why not?”

“It’s too expensive.”

He
rolled his eyes
. “Kathleen, darling. I know you’re not aware of this fact, but I’m not penniless. I can afford a dress.”

“I know, but you shouldn’t. I mean
…
”

“Please?”

How could she resist? Her daughter looked at her with big, dark brown eyes as if the man who held her was Santa Claus come to life. And Mac looked at her, too, with those smoky blue eyes that she wanted to look into for the rest of her life. “Okay. But you have absolutely no idea how to go about buying little girls’ clothes.”

“You’d be amazed how well we did when we went shopping today. Wouldn’t she, kiddo?”

Julie nodded, and a knot formed in Kathleen’s throat at the word kiddo, the same endearment her father used when he spoke to her.

Mac stayed only a few minutes longer, saying he had things to do, when, in truth, he was dead on his feet
.
Julie was still going strong, but he needed to head for bed. He had big plans for Tuesday .

He brought breakfast with him when he came for Julie in the morning, and tried to stay out of Kathleen’s way as she moved frantically around the apartment trying to find a missing shoe to go with the new suit she had bought the day before. Thoughts of lunch with the First Lady had kept her awake half the night; the other half she had lain awake thinking about how charming and gentle Mac had been with Julie the day before. Perfect father material.

Mac dug under the sofa while Kathleen stuck her hair back in its usual bun. He found the shoe and presented it to Kathleen, along with a gentle kiss on the cheek and a hug for good luck. Then he pulled the pins out of her hair and let it fall about her shoulders. “This is the way you should meet the First Lady. Don’t hide your beauty, Kath.”

She took his hand and pulled it to her lips. “This isn’t the kind of thing you want your wife to be doing, is it?”

“How many wives get to run off for lunch with the First Lady? I’m proud of you.”

A tear formed at the corner of her eye, and she nearly melted into his arms when he brushed it away. “That means more to me than lunch.”

His smile widened. “Tonight you can tell us all about your day, we’ll tell you about ours, and
then
we’ll
decide
who had the best time.”

“I don’t think we can compare the two. They’re both pretty special.”

“I suppose it depends on whose eyes you’re looking through.”

She touched his cheek. “You’re sweet.”

“Are you sure? You haven’t tasted me in two days, I may be turning sour.”

“Or getting sweeter.”

“Would you like to try me out?”

“Don’t tempt me.” She grabbed her purse from the tabletop, kissed Julie good-bye, and went to the door. “I’ll see you at seven?”

“Seven, straight up. Don’t worry about getting Julie ready. I’ll take care of that. Just put on your fancy dress and we’ll do the town. The boss says you can sleep late tomorrow.”

“
I
f only it were that easy.” She rushed out the door,
and Mac longingly watched her ru
n down the hall.

“Why does Mommy cry when she looks at you?” Julie asked, standing behind Mac, clutching Big Bird and Cookie Monster.

“Does she?”

Julie nodded.

“
S
ometimes people cry when they’re happy. I think your mommy was happy about having lunch with the First Lady, and about us having dinner together tonight. She missed out on all the fun yesterday, and I think she’s happy she gets to join us this time around.”

“She was crying last night after you left. I thought maybe you made her sad.”

He picked Julie up and cradled her in his arms. “The last thing on earth I ever want to do is make your mommy sad. Or you, either.”

“You make me happy. I like being with you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. I like being with you, too.”

They started the day at Neiman-Marcus, looking for that really special five-year-old-little-girl dress, with shoes and purse and undies to match. Mac had them throw in a few extra items that Julie seemed to like, and then they went looking at furniture.

“You haven’t seen my house here in New York,” he said to Julie as they browsed through sofas and chairs, lamps and tables, and aisle upon aisle of accessories.

“What does it look like?”

“Pretty awful. Lots of black-and-white leather. And chrome and glass. I never really thought it suited me. Maybe you could help me pick out some things that you and I would like, and maybe your mommy, too.”

Three hours later they had managed to completely redo Mac’s apartment
—
everything but the office he had never let Ashley touch. He did away with the leather, glass, and chrome, replacing it with warm woods, tweeds, and plaids in forest green and shades of blue and rose. He made sure everything would be delivered within the week, and then he took Julie to look at bedroom sets, just to get an idea of what she would like if she could furnish her own room, too.

In the late afternoon they stopped at Mac’s before picking up Kathleen. Mac gave Julie the run of the place while he got into his tux. When he came out of his bedroom, he found her sitting on the couch in his office, the teddy bear from Holly’s beside her, an
d
an old photo album open in her lap.

“Did you find something interesting?”

“A picture album. Is this you when you were a little boy?”

He sat down beside her. “Looks like me.”

“Are these your mommy and daddy?” she asked, pointing to the man and woman standing on either side.

“Yes. That was taken in front of McKenna House, where my mother and grandmother live.”

“Where does your daddy live?” She looked up at him, her dark eyes wide, waiting for an answer.

“He died and went to heaven.”

“A long time ago?”

“Not too long after you were born
.”

“Mommy says when s
omeone dies, someone else is born
to take their place. Do you think I took your daddy’s place?”

Mac had to force back his tears. “Yes, I think you did take my daddy’s place.” He pulled her into his lap and hugged her, smoothing back her hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Come on, little one. I think we’d better get you dressed or we’re going to be late, and I don’t think your mommy would be too happy with us.”

He ushered her into the bedroom and pulled out all the underclothes they had purchased, and the pretty dress. “I can get dressed by myself,” she stated. “But you might have to button me up.”

“Okay. I’ll be just outside if you need me.”

She came out of the room ten minutes later and turned around, presenting her back to Mac so he could fasten the tiny buttons. He clumsily tied the bow, turned her around, and inspected her attire. “Perfect.” He held out his hand, and she grabbed hold. “Shall we go?”

Julie grinned. “I wish you were my daddy, Mr. O’Brien.”

“I wish I were, too, sweetheart. I wish I were, too.”

oOo

Kathleen opened the door, looking even more stunning than she had that night at the Plaza. Mac and Julie came inside. “Isn’t my dress pretty, Mommy?”

“Very lovely. Did you pick it out all by yourself?”

“No. Mr. O’Brien helped. He said he liked me in pink. I wanted blue, but I figured I’d get the one he liked.”

Mac laughed. “You didn’t tell me you wanted blue.”

“It’s her favorite color,” Kathleen offered. “You’ll learn in time.”

“I have something for you before we go.”

“Oh, Mac. You’ve already done too much.”

“Hush.” He pulled a long velvet box out of his pocket and opened it for Kathleen to see.

Her eyes widened, and the tears that had been so prevalent of late crept into their comers. “They’re beautiful.”

“I tried to match the bracelet, but I couldn’t find the store. It’s the funniest thing. I thought for sure I knew which alley I turned down the last time. But the store wasn’t there.”

“But look, Mac. You couldn’t have found a closer match.”

He looked at the necklace in the box. A single strand of pearls with a diamond catch. Perfectly white, like the ones from the North Sea oysters that she wore on her wrist. He took it out of the box and held it to the light. This wasn’t the same necklace he’d purchased. The other one wasn’t as white, the pearls weren’t as perfect. But what was one more miracle in a life filled with them?