Longing for Love (25 page)

Janey was dismayed to see more tears cascading down Carolina’s pretty face. “I do. Of course I do. The day Joe married you, I got the daughter I’ve always wanted.”

“Now you’re going to make me cry, too.” Janey put the mugs on the table and lowered herself into one of the chairs, which wasn’t as easy as it sounded. When she was settled, she leveled a steady gaze at her mother-in-law. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I… God, I don’t know where to start.”

Carolina’s distress was truly alarming. “Start at the beginning.”

“There’s… Ah, well, there’s a man.”

Janey stared at her, astounded. “
Really?
Who?”

“It’s the ‘who’ that’s the problem.”

“Is it someone I know?”

Carolina bit her lip and nodded.

All at once, Janey realized that whatever she was about to hear was going to be big—really,
really
big. Her belly took a queasy roll like it did on the ferry when the seas were particularly choppy. “Who?”

Carolina hesitated for a long, long moment. “Seamus.”

Janey gasped. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open. “Holy shit.”

“I know what you’re thinking.” Carolina dropped her head into her hands. “I’ve thought all the same things myself. That’s why I told him it couldn’t happen.”

Janey’s brain literally whirled as she tried to process Carolina’s words.

“You’re shocked, I know. And probably disgusted. I wouldn’t blame you—”

“No,
no
.” Janey snapped out of the stupor and reached for Carolina’s hand. “I’m not disgusted. I’m surprised, that’s all.” And she couldn’t help but wonder what Joe would have to say about it. That thought made her stomach ache for real. “Is this why he’s leaving?”

Carolina nodded and wiped away more tears. “I told him last fall when, you know, we…got together…that it couldn’t happen. And now…now he’s decided he can’t stay here if we aren’t together.”

“Why did you tell him it couldn’t happen?”

Carolina stared at her, agog. “Why do you think?”

“Because of Joe.”

“Yes, because of Joe and the age difference and because he deserves to have children and a family of his own, not to mention the people who won’t get what the heck I’m doing romantically involved with a man only two years older than my son.”

“But do you care for him? For Seamus?”

Carolina covered her mouth to muffle a sob as she nodded.

Janey’s heart went out to her. “Come here.” She reached for Carolina and did her best to hug her with the big belly getting in the way, as usual. “You have to talk to Joe. He loves you so much. He’d want you to be happy.”

“He’ll never understand this.”

“Maybe not at first, but he’ll come around.”

“I told Seamus I’d talk to him, but…”

“Is that where you were just now?”

“Yes.” Carolina straightened and wiped her face on the sleeve of her shirt. “I had to know if he was leaving because of me, so I went to see him. Other than a few minutes when I was waiting to meet your boat the other day, I haven’t seen him in months. But I’ve thought about him. Every day.”

“What happened when you saw him?”

“Just like last fall. It was…explosive.”

Janey fanned herself. “I wish I was a smoker.”

For the first time since the conversation began, a hint of a smile tugged at Carolina’s lips.
 

“If it would help,” Janey said, “I’ll be there when you talk to Joe.”

“Oh, would you, Janey? That would help so much.”

“Of course I will. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that I broke up with my fiancé of thirteen years and took up with your son the same night. I know what it’s like to worry about what people will say.”

“Yes, you do, don’t you?”

Janey nodded. “And here’s how I think it’ll go—people, and Joe in particular—will be wound up about it for a while. And then something else will happen to change the conversation, and they’ll forget all about you and your scandal.”

Carolina winced at the word “scandal.”

“Sorry. Poor word choice.”

“I’ve never been part of a scandal before.”

“Maybe it’s time, huh? You’ve been alone for so long. I know Joe would be thrilled to see you happy again, and so would I. He’d never admit it, especially not to you, but he worries about you.”

“I wish he wouldn’t.”

Janey shrugged. “You know how he is.”

“I do, and that’s why I’m so afraid to tell him.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Carolina. I’m not sure, exactly, how he’ll take this. He’s put a lot of trust in Seamus to run the business in his absence, so he’s apt to be quite upset at first. But once he has time to get his head around it, he’ll be glad you have someone new in your life, especially someone like Seamus.”

“Why do you say that? Especially someone like Seamus?”

“He’s
wonderful
,” Janey said. “What’s not to love about him and that brogue?” She fanned herself dramatically. “Not to mention he’s crazy handsome.”

“I’ve noticed that—and the brogue.”

Janey giggled at the besotted expression on her mother-in-law’s face. “Joe thinks the world of him.”

“As an
employee
. As his mother’s boyfriend or whatever he’d be? Will he think the world of him then?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Chapter 15

Watching his son pace back and forth as he engaged in an intense phone conversation on the main pier the next morning, Big Mac McCarthy waited until Mac ended the call before walking out to join him. The pond, placid in the early morning calm before the storm of daily activity, was chockablock full of the sailboats that had gathered for Race Week, and the marina was completely sold out. A bank of fog hung over the pond, an early season staple as the cold New England water did battle with the warming air.
 

Mario, the pizza-and-bakery man from town, drove his skiff around while singing Italian opera and delivering muffins and baked goods to the boats at anchor. His deep tenor carried across the water as it had every summer since Big Mac had bought the rundown marina almost forty years ago. Another season on Gansett Island was under way, but Big Mac’s mind wasn’t on business. Not when his firstborn was clearly upset about something.

Mac leaned against a piling, staring out at the pond, lost in thought. What a handsome man his boy had turned out to be, Big Mac thought as he approached him. Having Mac working with him every day at the marina was one of the greatest joys in a life filled with great joy.

“Everything okay, son?”

Mac glanced at his father. “No, everything is not okay.”

It was so unlike his type-A son to admit anything was bothering him that Big Mac was taken aback for a second. “What’s wrong?”

“First of all, Thomas has the stomach bug. Apparently, Ashleigh has it, too.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Poor kids.”

“And Maddie…”

“What about her?”

Mac shook his head. “She’s making me so mad.”

Big Mac was truly astonished to hear that. The two of them were so stupid in love they didn’t even know they were supposed to fight once in a while. “Over what?”

“Her goddamned deadbeat father wants to see her, and she’s actually going to
do
it. And it doesn’t even
matter
to her that I don’t want her to.”

Big Mac leaned an elbow on the next piling. “She’s doing it because of Francine.”

“Yes,” Mac said, sounding weary. “We keep going round and round about it, and I can’t make her see reason.”

“She’s determined to do it.”

“That’s what she says.”

“Then you have to let her do what she needs to do. How’d you like to have it on your mind that you were standing in the way of someone else’s happiness?”

“It’s not that simple, Dad. She remembers him. She remembers him leaving. She sat in the window for weeks watching the ferries, hoping he’d change his mind and come back.” His voice caught on the last words, which tugged at Big Mac’s heart. He hated seeing his kids upset about anything. “She was
five
.”

“You could go with her.”

“She won’t let me.”

Big Mac held back a smile he knew his son wouldn’t appreciate. “How come?”

“She doesn’t trust me to behave.”

“Can’t say I blame her there.”

“Thanks, Dad. That helps. Really.”

“I’ll go with her.”

Mac looked up at him. “What?”

“I’ll go with her. I knew Bobby Chester a little bit back in the day. I know how he operates. I’ll make sure he doesn’t say or do anything to cause additional harm.”

“You’d do that? Really?”

This time, Big Mac didn’t hold back the smile. Was there anything, anything on God’s green earth, he wouldn’t do for his five kids? Well, seven kids, if you counted Joe and Luke, and they certainly counted as his.
 

“Of course you’d do that,” Mac said, more to himself than his father. “I should’ve known better than to ask.”

“Yes, you should have.” Big Mac hoped to draw a small smile from his son and wasn’t disappointed. “I’ll take good care of her. Leave it to me.”

“Excuse me.”

They turned to find a man waiting to speak with them—a handsome guy in his mid-thirties, if Big Mac was estimating correctly. “What can we do for you?”

“I’m Steve Jacobson. The woman in the restaurant thought you might be able to help me out.”

“Sure,” Big Mac said. “What’d you need?”

“I’m here for Race Week, but my crew is down with the stomach flu.”

“Seems to be going around,” Mac said. “My son and niece have it, too.”

Steve winced in sympathy. “Do you know of anyone who might be able to stand in for my crew for the opening race? If I don’t sail, I have to forfeit the whole regatta. They think they’ll be better for the day after, but tomorrow is the big day.”

“You could do it,” Big Mac said to his son.

Mac shook his head. “Not with this place so busy and Thomas sick. Maddie’s freaked out about the baby getting it, too.”

“I understand it’s a lot to ask,” Steve said.

“Let me ask around,” Mac said. “I’ve got a couple of brothers and some friends who might be into it. How many do you need?”

“Four would be ideal, but I could make do with three if they know what they’re doing.”

“My kids know how to sail,” Big Mac said proudly.

“Required life skill for the children of a marina owner,” Mac added, which made Steve laugh.

“I’ll check in later on,” he said.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Mac said.

“Thanks very much.” Steve shook hands with both of them and headed for the parking lot, cell phone pressed to his ear.

“You should take a day off and get away from it all,” Big Mac said to his son. “It’d do you some good. I can handle things here, and Mom and Francine can help with the kids.”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.” Mac glanced at his father. “Thanks. You know, for what you’re willing to do for Maddie. I think she’ll go for that plan.”

Big Mac rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you—or for her.”

“Have I mentioned lately that I got pretty damned lucky in the dad department?”

The words hit Big Mac right in the solar plexus, but he managed to refrain from overreacting. His kids hated when he overreacted—not that he thought he ever did… “No, I don’t think you’ve mentioned that,” he said, going with lighthearted over emotional.

“Well, I did, and so did the others. Seeing what Maddie is going through has brought that home even more than it already was.”

“That’s nice of you to say, son, but I got lucky in the kid department, too. The lot of ya turned out pretty good despite the mess I tried to make of you.”

“That’s thanks to Mom,” Mac said with a cheeky grin.

Big Mac cuffed his son upside the head and then drew him into a hug. “Don’t worry about your lady, son. I’ll take good care of her.”

“Thank you.”

Blaine knew it was absolutely ridiculous to stop by Tiffany’s store to see how Ashleigh was feeling and to find out whether Tiffany had gotten any sleep. It was especially ridiculous to go there with Wyatt in tow. He was supposed to be working on some training with the patrolman, but all he could think about was Tiffany. Until he satisfied the need to see her, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work or anything else. It occurred to him that this thing with her was moving way too fast, but that didn’t stop him from pulling the SUV into the grocery store parking lot. “I need to make a quick stop.”

“Has there been more trouble with the store?” Wyatt asked.

“Not that I know of.”

“Oh.”

Blaine was grateful that the chatty patrolman chose to keep whatever comments he might wish to make to himself. He wasn’t prepared to explain his relationship with the purveyor of Naughty & Nice, especially to one of his subordinates.