Time for Love , The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 9 (10 page)

“Still,” Big Mac said. “It wasn’t his finest hour.”

“Let’s not talk about him,” Linda said. “I have another question.”

“Which is?”

“Do you think you’ll go back to school in a year?”

With the eyes of the three most important people in her life on her, Janey found that she couldn’t lie—not to herself and certainly not to them. “I don’t think so.”

“What?” Joe said. “You said one year, and then you’d finish.”

Dismayed by his reaction, Janey said, “I know. I did say that, and I felt that way at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I want this.” She gestured to the airy sun porch and the house. “I want to be here, with my family. I want my baby to grow up with his or her cousins and grandparents and all the people who love him or her nearby, not a thousand miles away.” Janey’s throat tightened with emotion. “You all have sacrificed so much to help me make my dream come true, but my dream has changed. Dad, I’ll never forget the way you insisted on paying my tuition, even though you certainly didn’t have to.”

“Aww, shucks, honey, I was happy to do that.”

“And Joe, you moved heaven and earth to make it possible for me to go and to come with me. I know you probably don’t understand—”

He got up and moved to sit with her on the chaise, putting his arm around her. “I do understand. How could I not? No matter where we go in the world, this is our home. It’s where we belong.”

Janey rested her head on his chest. “All I keep thinking about is that we’ve got two years invested there, not to mention the tuition money.”

“Don’t give that another thought,” Big Mac said. “Things change. I get it.”

Janey released a deep sigh as an overpowering sense of relief swept through her, making her teary eyed. “Damned hormones,” she said, brushing away the tears. “I want to be with my baby. I can’t do everything. I’m only just now realizing that.”

“Welcome to motherhood,” Linda said. “The sacrifices never end, but they’re the best sacrifices you’ll ever make. Nothing matters more than your children.”

“It’s your fault, you know,” Janey said with a watery smile. “You set such a high standard that I’ll never be able to live up to it.”

“Oh shush. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you feel better?” Joe asked.

“Much.”

“You know you still have the right to change your mind when you’re not pregnant and hormonal.”
 

“Good to know, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind. Now I have to find a way to tell Doc that he’s going to have to turn his practice over to someone else.”

“He’ll understand, honey.” Big Mac cleared his throat loudly and dramatically. “
So
, I happen to have a bit of gossip you all
might
be interested in.”

“Is that right?” Linda said acerbically. “Do you need an engraved invitation to share?”

“No, I do not.”

“Guys have no clue how to gossip properly,” Linda said to her daughter.

“I think Daddy might be the exception to that rule,” Janey said, making the others laugh.

“Thank you, Princess,” Big Mac said. “I might’ve talked to Uncle Frank this morning, and he might’ve asked if it’s okay if he comes back for the weekend, and he might’ve also asked if Betsy is still staying with us.”

“Mac!” Linda said. “That’s huge! Why didn’t you say something?”

“I am saying something.”

“How’s Betsy doing?” Joe asked of the woman who’d been staying with them for a couple of weeks now. Her son Steve had been killed in the boating accident that had nearly claimed the lives of Mac, Evan and Grant and left Grant’s friend Dan Torrington badly injured.

“She seems a little better every day,” Linda said.
 

“It’s nice of you guys to have her at the house,” Janey said.
 

“We love having her around,” Linda said. “She’s no trouble at all and so thankful for the change of scenery. Lord knows we’ve got plenty of empty bedrooms these days.”

“So Uncle Frank and Betsy, huh?” Janey said, intrigued by the possibilities.

“Wouldn’t that be something?” Big Mac said. “I’ve been hoping he’d find someone new since Joann died all those years ago, but he’s never even had a serious relationship that I know of.”

“I don’t know about you guys,” Janey said, “but I suddenly can’t wait for this weekend.”

Chapter 5

Daisy couldn’t recall a day that went by as slowly as Tuesday did. Every time she glanced at the clock, it seemed only a few minutes had passed. Even though she was busy at the hotel, the day still dragged on endlessly. While she couldn’t wait to see David later, she was anxious about the conversation they planned to have.

Worries about what he might say and how she would feel about it weighed on her as she walked home from the hotel. It stayed with her in the shower and as she dried her hair. Standing before her closet pondering her limited options, she could think of little else but how this night might unfold.

She so wanted him to be different from the men she’d known before. There was something about him that appealed to her on the most basic level. It went beyond his dark good looks. She sensed the same kind of loneliness in him that she’d known herself.
 

During the evenings they’d spent together, she’d found out what it might be like to have a normal relationship for once, one in which she didn’t have to constantly be on guard against emotional or physical abuse. She’d made bad choices in the past. They were her choices, and she owned them, but she didn’t want to make bad choices anymore. She’d promised herself after the mess with Truck that she’d be more wise and discerning about who she spent time with in the future.

David had seemed like a wise choice, and she hoped she hadn’t been wrong about that.

In the far back corner of her closet, she found a dress she’d forgotten she had. It was basic black with a cowl neckline, a cinched waist and a skirt that came to just above the knee. She’d had it forever but hadn’t worn it in ages—mostly because she hadn’t had an occasion where it might be appropriate.

Feeling uncertain, she hung it on the outside of her closet and took a picture with her phone that she sent to Maddie.

Is this too much for dinner at Domenic’s?

While she waited to hear back from Maddie, Daisy took the dress into the kitchen to iron it on the counter.
 

Not at all
, Maddie replied.
It’s perfect
.
 

I’m nervous. We’re going to talk before dinner, and I’m afraid of what he’ll say
.

It would matter to me that he’s telling you himself and not letting you hear it through the grapevine.

I know… Still. I like him. A lot.

Hear him out and then decide how you feel. You don’t have to decide anything right away
.

That’s true. Thanks for the consult.

Any time. Hope you have a good time!

Thanks! I’ll report in tomorrow morning.

I’ll be waiting. And Daisy…it’s okay to be a little afraid of falling for someone new after what you’ve been through. Just don’t be too afraid to take a chance.

I’ll try… Thanks. Xoxo

The pep talk from Maddie helped, and Daisy tried to stay focused on all the positives of her relationship with David as she got dressed and found some earrings and a bracelet to wear with the dress. She pulled on black, high-heeled sandals and then checked the ensemble in the mirror with a critical eye.

“I guess you’ll do,” she said as she looked over her shoulder at the back of the dress. She’d lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose since the attack and was more waifish than ever thanks to Truck’s punch to her jaw that had made it difficult to eat for weeks.
 

Remembering that awful night, Daisy told herself that whatever David had to say it couldn’t possibly be worse than what she’d already been through—and survived. Not just with Truck, but with a string of men who liked to be in control of the women in their lives and hadn’t hesitated to exert some muscle to bend her to their will.
 

No matter what David might’ve done in the past, he would never harm her physically. That much she already knew for sure. No, with him she had to be far more vigilant about her emotional well-being than her physical safety. It hadn’t taken long for him to become an important part of her daily life. The connection she felt with him wasn’t one she’d experienced before, and that was enough, on its own, to strike a chord of fear in her.

“You’re going to be strong, listen to what he has to say, and make the best decision for you,” she told her reflection.

Satisfied with her self-lecture, she went downstairs and realized it wasn’t even six o’clock. She had more than half an hour to kill before David would arrive, so she sat down to flip through a magazine and enjoy a glass of lemonade while she waited.
 

A few minutes later, a disturbance outside her door had her rushing over to peek out the window to see if David had arrived early. At the thought of seeing him, her heart beat faster with excitement and adrenaline. She was surprised to find an older woman sitting in one of the rockers on her porch.

“What the heck?” Mindful of safety, especially lately, she opened the door slowly to get a better look.

The woman’s hair was standing on end as if it hadn’t been brushed in days. She wore a sweatshirt with flannel pajama pants, and her feet were bare and caked with dirt. Something was very wrong here, Daisy thought as she stepped outside the door. “May I help you?” she asked softly, trying not to startle the woman.

“No.”

“Are you lost?”

“I don’t know.”

Daisy glanced down at the woman’s feet, which were cut and bruised, and wondered how far she had walked before landing on the porch.
 

“I’m Daisy. What’s your name?”

“Marion.” She had blue eyes that looked past Daisy vacantly. Between that and the cuts on her feet, Daisy was concerned that the woman was in some sort of danger.

“Is there someone I could call for you, Marion?”

“My husband is coming for me. His name is George Martinez. He’ll be here soon.”

“Could I offer you a drink while you wait?”

“Some water would be nice.”

“I’ll be right back with it.” Inside, she debated about what she should do and finally decided to call Blaine Taylor. After Truck attacked her, Blaine had programmed his cell phone number into Daisy’s phone in case she ever needed help.
 

“Hi, Daisy,” Blaine said when he answered. “Everything okay?”

“Hi, there. Yes, I’m fine, but an older woman named Marion is sitting on my porch.”

“Marion Martinez?”

Through the curtain, Daisy made sure that Marion didn’t leave. “Yes, that’s her. She seems a bit disoriented, and her feet are cut. It looks like she might’ve walked quite a distance on bare feet.”

“Thank goodness you found her. Her sons are going crazy looking for her. Would you mind sitting with her until I can get over there?”

“Not at all. She said her husband George was coming to pick her up.”

“George Martinez has been dead for ten years.”

“Oh,” Daisy said, saddened for Marion.
 

“I’ll be right there.”

Daisy ended the call and took a glass of ice water outside to Marion, who accepted it gratefully.
 

“You look very pretty,” Marion said.

“Do you think so? I have a date tonight.”

Marion’s smile was so sweet and innocent. “I hope he’s a nice boy.”

“I think he is.”

“I have two boys—Alex and Paul. You should meet them. They’re very handsome, but they might be a little young for you. Alex is in tenth grade and Paul is a senior this year. The kids call them A.M. and P.M.,” Marion added with a smile. “George and I are very proud of them.”

In her mid- to late-sixties by Daisy’s guess, Marion seemed too old to have children that young. “I’m sure you must be.”

“What’s your young man’s name?”

“David.”

“I have a brother named David. That’s a nice name.”

“I think so, too.”

“Are you going to marry your David?”

Daisy laughed nervously. “We’re not talking about marriage yet.”

“My George and I knew right away that we’d get married. After the first time we went out, I told my mother he would be my husband.”

“That’s very sweet. You’re lucky that you knew right away.”

“We were lucky.” She looked directly at Daisy for the first time. “I think you know right away if a person is the one for you. At least I did. I can’t imagine what’s keeping my George. He’s always right on time.”

Daisy patted Marion’s hand, her heart breaking for Marion’s loss. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“It’s very kind of you to keep me company. What did you say your name is?”