Hometown Love (23 page)

***

“I’m going to take a break and the lovely president of the PTA is going to start calling numbers for the baskets. So if you bought raffle tickets, now is the time to pull them out.” The DJ handed the microphone off to a woman Mack didn’t know twenty minutes after Jessie joined him.

Uninterested in the raffle, the crowd of dancers broke up and wandered back to their parents or off to the bounce houses. He expected Grace to head back to them because before she joined the children dancing, he’d instructed her not to go anywhere else without checking in with him or Bethany first. Grace pouted and whined from time to time, but she was a rule-follower. If he or anyone else in the family or at school told her to do something, she did it. Now though, the dance area was empty and Grace hadn’t appeared.

“Did you see Grace?” he asked, scanning for her.

“She probably went with some friends to the bounce houses. She loves those,” Bethany answered.

If she spent more time with Grace and paid attention, she’d know Grace wouldn’t do that. “I told her not to go anywhere else.”

“Maybe she needed the bathroom and couldn’t wait to check in. I’ll go see.” Jessie headed for the temporary bathrooms set up behind the bandstand.

“I’m going to check the bounce houses. Stay here in case she comes back.” He couldn’t recall a single time Grace had disobeyed him on anything like this but she was a kid surrounded by her friends. Kids followed their peers all the time.

When a search of both bounce houses and the craft table nearby turned up nothing, he started back for their blanket, hoping that Jessie had found her or she’d wandered back. The sight of just Jessie and Bethany standing together froze the blood in his veins. He continued to survey the area as he walked, and he reminded himself that this was North Salem not some huge city.

“I checked the bathrooms and asked some parents I passed.” Jessie’s voice echoed his own worry.

“She has to be here. This town is like Hicksville. Everyone is either related to each other or knows everyone else. Nobody would take her.”

While Bethany might be close to the truth, he knew strangers did pass through town all the time, and it only took one messed-up person to snatch a little girl. Hard cold fear knotted inside his chest. As a member of law enforcement, he’d seen what could happen to a little girl like Grace both during his time with the Boston Police and now with the FBI.

He continued sweeping the area as he waited for his father, the police chief, to answer his phone. He might be jumping the gun. She could be playing with friends somewhere, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Every police officer on and off duty descended on the Common and search parties formed, spreading out from the Common in every direction.

“Maybe she walked home,” Bethany offered as they crossed onto Fender Drive toward Peggy Sue’s coffee shop.

“Why the hell would she do that?” Sure, she could’ve cut through the church parking lot and made it to the house with no problem, but she had no reason to.

“To see the dog. She was upset when you wouldn’t let her bring him today.”

Grace had cried a little, and she did love the dog. Still, he didn’t picture her doing that.

“It’s not a bad idea to check just in case,” Bethany said.

Bethany had a point. “I’ll call you if I find her.” He took off at a dead run and prayed he found Grace inside with Socks. She’d seen him hide the extra key outside the week they’d moved in. If she had gone back to the house, she’d be able to get inside, assuming she remembered where he put the key. Knowing Grace, she remembered. The kid didn’t forget anything.

The house remained empty and Socks still sat in his locked crate. The hands around Mack’s heart squeezed tighter as he thought about his next move. If anyone hurt his little girl, they’d wish they’d never been born when he got done with them.

Despite her best efforts, Jessie’s mind kept bringing up horrific images and headlines from child abduction cases she’d seen on the news. 
No, we’re going to find her.
Jessie repeated the line in her head for at least the hundredth time. Still, her panic rose.

She reached the corner of Union and Pleasant Streets. When she heard her cell phone ring, hope flared. It had to be Mack saying they’d found her safe and sound. Stopping dead, she pulled the phone out, but the word
Gramps
appeared on the screen instead of
Mack
. Her grandfather didn’t know they couldn’t find Grace. While it felt like an eternity had passed, it had, in fact, been less than thirty minutes since they’d realized she was missing.

“Hi Gramps, I can’t—”

“Grace Ellsbury is here looking for you.”

Had he said what she thought he said? “What?”

“Mack’s daughter walked in, looking for you.”

Her legs wobbled. “Keep her there. I’ll be right there.” She flew down Pleasant Street and didn’t think to check traffic before she crossed the street and ran into the hardware store.

Jessie’s heart stopped and she paused, her brain processing what she saw. Grace sat in her office next to her grandfather, sucking on a lollipop. She was safe. No one had her.

Once Jessie’s brain accepted the sight, she rushed forward and picked her up. “What are you doing here? Why did you leave the picnic?” Frustration slowly ate away at the relief in her chest. Did Grace have any idea of the hell she’d put everyone through?

“I want to come live with you.” Tears glistened in Grace’s eyes.

Stay calm. Don’t shout.

“I don’t want to move again.” Grace sniffled.

“Grace, who said you’re moving?” Jessie asked in a soothing voice as she sat her back down in a chair.

“Mommy did last night.”

At the mention of her mom, Jessie realized Mack needed to know Grace was safe. “I’m going to call your dad and let him know where you are. Then you can tell me why you’re upset.”

Her hands shook when she pulled out her phone. Never in her life had such fear gripped her. Mack’s phone rang only once before his anguished voice barked a hello.

She skipped the pleasantries. “I found her. We’re at the store.”

“Why the— I’ll be right there.” The line went dead.

“Your dad is on his way.” Jessie looked at Grace who sat with her shoulders slumped and tears on her cheeks. “Do you want to tell me why you left without telling anyone? You know better than that.” She knelt down and took Grace’s hands in hers.

Grace’s large sad eyes met hers and she wanted nothing more than to hug her again. “Last night, Mommy said she was going to ask Daddy to move to New York with her. She said she wants us to live together like before.”

Jessie bit down on her lip and said, “That doesn’t mean you’ll move.”

“I saw them kissing this morning, and they were sitting really close at the picnic.”

She’d seen them sitting close, too, but she’d chalked that up to Bethany’s behavior rather than something Mack wanted. The kiss… How did she explain that one? And this wouldn’t be the first time. The image of the last kiss she’d witnessed was burned into her memories.

Grace’s bottom lip quivered. Right now she had to focus on Grace. Everything else could wait. “Don’t you want things to be like before?” In her experience, most children wanted their parents together.

Grace shook her head. “I like it here. If we move, I won’t see Grammy and Grampa or Brianna or you. I want Daddy to stay here and be with you.”

Jessie wanted the same thing, but if Mack wanted his ex-wife back, she wouldn’t stand in the way. Grace deserved to have a traditional home with two parents who loved her. Something Jessie had always longed for growing up.

The office door flew open, and Mack rushed into the room. Without a word, he picked Grace up and hugged her as a few tears slid down his cheeks. “Why did you leave? You know never to go anywhere alone.” He didn’t release Grace as he spoke.

Before Grace said a word, Bethany arrived, her eyes red, and black mascara streaking down her face. “Maybe we should take her home and talk there.” Bethany kissed the little girl.

Deciding they needed some privacy no matter what, Jessie stepped out of the office. She’d talk with Mack later about what Grace had said. Right now, they needed some private family time, and while she hated to admit it, Mack and Grace were not her family.

“You holding up okay?” her grandfather asked. He’d left the office when she’d arrived and now stood near the back counter where they always kept coffee for the regular customers.

A turbulent stream of fear, relief, and anger still swirled around in her body. So far, she’d held it together, but not well enough to share anything with her grandfather. “I’m fine.” Or at least, maybe she would be once she could talk to Mack and get some answers. That, of course, assumed she liked the answers she received. Grace wouldn’t make up what she’d told her, but she might have misunderstood. And of course, Jessie didn’t know what Mack’s reply had been. Grace also wouldn’t have lied about them kissing. After all, why would a six-year-old make something like that up? 
It could mean nothing.

Maybe Bethany had come on to him again. Jessie could see her doing that. Yet, it had now happened
twice
. That, combined with how close they’d been at the picnic when she’d first arrived, made her now doubt Mack’s explanation the morning she’d caught them kissing. True, she had seen him put space between them, but who knew what prompted that move?

“Why don’t you go with Mack and help him sort things out with his little girl?” Her grandfather interrupted her thoughts. “I can stay here until Ty gets here.”

Her emotional side said 
Great idea
. Her logical self said 
No
. Grace had her mom and dad, and right now, that was who she needed, not a third wheel. “Mack needs some time alone with Grace. But if you’re sure, I’ll head home.”

Farther down, the office door opened. Bethany exited first, followed by Mack who carried Grace. For a moment, Jessie thought they were just going to leave, but then Mack headed for her while Bethany waited.

“I’m taking her home. Maybe she’ll talk to me then. I’ll call you later tonight.” He sounded both worried and exasperated, which had her assuming Grace hadn’t said much.

A pang of jealousy sliced through her. Bethany was returning home with him and Grace, but he hadn’t asked her along. Jessie knew she shouldn’t be jealous. Bethany was Grace’s mother, but it sill hurt that Mack hadn’t asked her to come home with them. “I’m going home, too.” She squeezed Mack’s forearm. “Talk to you later.”

He took a step closer and placed a quick peck on her lips. Then he followed Bethany out.

Not a soul spoke on the short drive from the hardware store to the house. So far, Grace hadn’t answered any of his questions. While he wanted to push to get some answers and then fix whatever the problem was, he managed to keep his trap shut. Whatever the problem, it had to be substantial. Grace, like any other little girl, had temper tantrums and the occasional bad day, but she normally wouldn’t outright disobey him like she had today. He prayed she never did again. He’d never experienced fear like he had today. Even now, with Grace in the back seat, his hands trembled and his heart was up in his throat. When Jessie had called and told him she was with Grace, he’d almost cried.

“Come on, buddy.” Mack lifted Grace out of the car. She’d stopped crying, but still looked sadder than he’d ever seen her. “What do you say I get you some milk and then you can tell us why you ran away today?”

Grace’s head rubbed against his shoulder, but she still remained tight-lipped.

Mack poured her a glass of her favorite chocolate milk and even added one of the twisty straws she loved. Since he was at it, he poured himself a soda, although at the moment, he would love something stronger. “Okay, buddy, you know you can tell me anything, right?”

Grace nodded, but kept her eyes down.

“It’s time to talk. Why did you leave today? You know better than that.”

Grace looked at him then her mom before she spoke. “I don’t want to move. I left to find Jessie and ask her if I can live with her. She wasn’t at the store. Mr. Quinn was there and he called Jessie.”

For some reason, he’d thought Jessie had found her and brought her to the store. He’d not entertained the idea that she’d made it there herself. “We’re not moving again, buddy. Why do you think we’re moving?”

“Mommy. She said she was going to ask you ask to move, and this morning you kissed her.”

He glared at his ex-wife, several choice words on the tip of his tongue. Did she
ever
think before she spoke? As for the damn kiss, Bethany had kissed him, but Grace had no way of knowing that.

Putting his anger on the back burner for now, he took Grace by the shoulders. “Your mom and I talked about this, Grace. You and I are not moving. North Salem is home now, understand? And your mom is going back to New York today.” And if he had it his way, she’d not return anytime soon.

Grace went for her milk, her mouth still in a frown. “But you only kiss people you love like when Uncle Marcus kisses Auntie Erin.”

If his daughter believed people only kissed when they loved each other, he was okay with that. She’d grow up soon enough and learn the truth about that and so much more.

“And when you kiss Jessie.”

“You’re right; people do kiss when they love each other.” No good explanation emerged for why Bethany had kissed him.

“Then why did you kiss Mommy?”

He could strangle Bethany for creating this situation. A situation she’d not helped him explain at all.

“Your mom and I are friends, Grace. We’ll always be friends, but we don’t love each other like Uncle Marcus and Auntie Erin do.” It didn’t answer her question, but he hoped she’d be satisfied with it.

She took her time processing his response. “Do you promise that we’re not moving?”

“Promise.” He couldn’t stop himself from throwing a dirty look in Bethany’s direction.

“And I’ll visit Mommy in New York?” She looked at Bethany.

“Either that or she’ll come visit you here. Nothing is going to change.”

“Good. I like it here. Can I go play with Socks now?” Her frown disappeared and, once again, his happy little girl appeared.

“First, you need to promise that you’ll never run away like that again. If you get upset like that about something, talk to either your mom or me, okay?” He waited for her answer.

Grace nodded, already half out of her seat.

“No matter what, is that understood?”

Grace nodded again.

“Go play and pick out a movie for tonight.”

When Grace raced off toward the dog’s crate, he turned to Bethany. Now that his daughter was safe, he let his anger loose. “Did you lose your goddamn mind? Why the hell did you tell her that?”

Bethany’s annoyed expression remained the same. In fact, it hadn’t changed since they’d walked into the house. “When I told her that, it was my intention to talk to you.” She shrugged, her sweater slipping down her shoulder, exposing more skin. “I expected a different answer from you this morning.” Long slender fingers with light pink nails curled around his arm. “We were so good together, Mack. If you give us another try, we could make it work. We could hire a part-time nanny and have our weekends to ourselves again. We could go out like we used to before Grace.”

She never stopped amazing him. Her take on parenthood and his were polar opposites. Sure, he liked the occasional free Saturday when Grace spent time with her grandparents, but what Bethany proposed sounded awful. Already he felt as if he missed so much of Grace’s life because of his job. Nothing in the world could take him away from her any longer than necessary.

“That’s not the kind of life I want and not what I want for Grace.”

As if just realizing her top hung off her body, Bethany readjusted her sweater. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

***

Jessie chewed her thumbnail until nothing remained, then switched to the nail on her ring finger. In the past few years, she’d stopped biting her nails, a bad habit she’d picked up in high school. Every once in a while, she’d start up again when she was stressed out or upset. The last time had been when her grandfather fell and broke his hip. It had taken months, but she’d broken herself of the habit. Until now.

The short talk with Grace replayed in her head. While she could explain Grace’s comments about them moving, she couldn’t explain the kiss Grace had seen. Especially since it wasn’t the first time they’d been caught kissing. Every time Jessie closed her eyes, she pictured them in Mack’s kitchen again, Bethany wearing his t-shirt, her lips locked on his. And Grace was correct: they 
had
been sitting close enough to touch at the picnic. Had there been more to that kiss in his kitchen? Mack insisted she’d come on to him and maybe she had. That didn’t mean it hadn’t caused him to have second thoughts about their relationship. They had a lot of history together, and at one time, he must have loved her.