MAC CARRIED HIS cup of coffee to one of the booths in Marian’s Bonniest Bakery, but bonny was the last thing he felt. Shrugging off his rain-soaked leather jacket, he hung it over the edge of the seat and pushed his damp hair back from his face. He sat and stared through the window on to the street, searching through the gloom for Kate. Although, considering he’d arrived three-quarters of an hour earlier than their agreed-upon time, he hardly expected to see her.
He leaned back and picked up his coffee, glancing toward Marian as she cleared cups and plates, chatting with a young couple and their little girl sitting at one of the tables. With her steel-gray curls, rosy cheeks, bright smile and almost comedically buxom bosom, it was hard not to warm to the woman. Once a person heard her voice and her laughter and witnessed her care for the community, it was darn near impossible.
Not to mention how Kate felt about her. He couldn’t think of anyone who had Kate’s instinct about people. She’d had him pretty much spot-on within ten minutes of meeting him.
Marian waved the couple and their daughter off before her focus landed on Mac. He quickly redirected his gaze to the window. The comforting smells of sugar and cinnamon preceded Marian to his table.
Mac took a deep breath and turned. “Hi.”
She beamed and put the loaded tray she carried on to his table. “Hi, yourself. Can I tempt you with something to eat with your coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
“I make a mean brie and cranberry panini. Great comfort food for a wet and windy day like today.”
He lifted his coffee cup and tried to ignore the sharp pang of remembrance that jabbed at his gut as he noted the crinkles identical to his father’s at the corners of her eyes. “Coffee’s good.”
“Mind if I sit down?” Her smile faltered, and her eyes shone with curiosity. “I didn’t feel we had time to get properly acquainted the other day.”
He struggled for an excuse to stop her sitting with him. He wasn’t ready for more than a casual hello. “I’m kind of waiting for someone so...”
“So I won’t sit with you for long.” She sat and pushed the tray to the side. Leaning her forearms on the table, she clasped her hands together. “I understand from Kate that you were quite the lifesaver at her fund-raiser the other night.”
Deciding to play dumb in the hope it would deter any questions about him and Kate, Mac frowned. “Kate?”
She laughed, her soft brown eyes twinkling. “Harrington. You can’t kid a kidder, Mr. Orman. A man would have to be half-blind to not notice a girl like her. As it is, you appear to have two working eyes, so don’t go acting the innocent with me. I won’t buy it.”
A smile tugged at his lips even as his gut knotted. His father had used the exact same “you can’t kid a kidder” line whenever he wanted the truth out of Mac or Dana. Mac leaned back and crossed his arms. Now alone and face-to-face with Marian, why waste the opportunity to dig a little deeper?
“So, what do you want to know about me?” He raised his eyebrows. “I get the impression you’re fond of knowing something about everyone around here.”
“Ah, the observant type. Do you write?”
“What?” Mac frowned, completely thrown by her unexpected question.
“In my experience, the observers of this world are prone to pick up a pen or play at the keyboard. So, do you write, Mr. Orman?”
“It’s Mac.”
She smiled. “Mac.”
He looked away from her soft, attentive gaze. “Songs. I write songs.”
“I knew it.” She chuckled. “A comrade-in-arms then.”
He returned his gaze to hers. “Pardon?”
“When I was around about your age, maybe a little older, I wrote songs. Swapped songs for a diary as I got older, but I consider myself a writer all the same. I use my diary to remember the good times. The bad times. The pain.” Her expression grew shadowed before she blinked and smiled again. “But especially the good times. That’s what is important.”
Mac’s heart thumped as he tried and failed to not be moved by her words and the knowledge his grandmother had written out her miseries and elations through music, just as he did. He took a sip of his coffee. “I gather you had some fun and games on your holiday.”
She laughed. “You heard about that, did you?”
He smiled, unable to resist her homey charm. “I was in here the other day when your shop girl was chatting with you on the phone.”
She grinned. “Ah, George’s swimming trunks.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “I laughed so hard, I nearly busted my bra strap. Oh, lordy! What an eyeful those poor holiday-makers lying around the pool would’ve had if my bikini had let me down that day.”
Bikini? This woman wore a bikini? Mac stared, all too aware his eyes were wide.
She slapped her hand on the table, her body shaking with her laughter. “Look at your face! Hey, I may be the wrong side of sixty, but my George likes nothing more than to see a bit of flesh. Who says we have to stop wearing bikinis at a certain age or size? No one will ever tell me what to do. Not anymore.”
Curiosity shot through him, and Mac leaned forward. “Not anymore?”
She stared at him, consideration clear in her eyes. “Another time, maybe.” She stood and held out her hand. “It was nice talking to you, Mr... Mac.”
He hesitated. Skin to skin contact was dangerous. This was his father’s mother. His grandmother. Lifting his hand, he reached for hers.
“Mac! At last. This town might be small but, my God, I thought I was never going to find you.”
With his hand in midair, Mac turned and the breath left his lungs. “Dana? What the—”
Marian stepped forward, her arms outstretched. “Oh, my word. And who are these adorable babies?”
Mac watched in slow-motion horror as Marian stepped forward and clasped his five-year-old niece by the hand. “You’re as pretty as a picture. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
The little girl beamed. “I’m Lily, and this is my little brother, Mac. The same as Uncle Mac.”
“Well, aren’t you two the cutest pair of buttons I’ve ever seen?” She looked to Dana. “I assume these beauties belong to you?”
Dana arched an eyebrow at Mac before planting on a smile and facing Marian. “They certainly do. These are my children. Mac’s niece and nephew.”
“You’re his sister? Well, that’s lovely. Welcome to the Cove. How about I leave you two alone for a moment and take these two angels to choose an iced bun each?” She looked to Lily and little Mac. “Does that sound good?”
Mac’s stomach clenched with bitter nausea. “I really don’t think Dana is staying—”
Dana clasped his shoulder, her nails digging through his T-shirt. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”
“Mum says yes!” Marian leaned down and expertly lifted little Mac on to one ample hip before taking Lily’s hand again. “Come on then, let’s see what I can find for you, shall we?”
Mac stared in shock as Marian walked away with her great-grandchildren as though she was already their proud Nana who saw them every day. Slowly, he turned to look at Dana. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need to leave. Now.”
Dana frowned and looked from Marian and her kids standing at the glass display counter to Mac and back again. “What’s the problem? She’s great.”
“Yeah. She’s just terrific.” Mac swiveled and pulled his jacket from the back of the booth. “We’re getting out of here. What possessed you to turn up here without warning? Why didn’t you call first?”
Dana slid into the booth opposite him and glared. “Because I can’t believe what you’re up to, that’s why. Mum’s staying with Aunt Beverly for a few nights, so I packed up the kids and brought them here to try and talk some sense into you. You cannot keep up this futile search, Mac. It’s not fair to Mum, and it’s not fair to us.”
He looked back at Marian, who had sat Lily and little Mac on the counter, crooning and fussing over them as if she knew they were family. Things had just gotten way out of his control.
He faced Dana and tilted his head toward the door. “Let’s go. Now.”
She gripped his arm. “Not until you tell me I’m not too late. That you haven’t already done something you can’t undo.”
“Me? You’ve just managed to jump ahead at least one Christmas, if not two,” he hissed. “Why here, Dana? Why the hell did you have to find me here?”
She frowned. “What are you talking about? I got off the train, the kids were hungry, and when I spotted this bakery—”
“Did you spot the name of this bakery?”
“No. Why?”
He swiped a printed napkin from the metal holder beside him and slapped it in front of Dana. “There.”
She dropped her gaze to the napkin. Slowly, her eyes widened. “Marian? As in Marian Ball?”
“The one and only.”
“Oh, my God.” She turned around and stared at Marian, currently stabbing straws into the lids of two cartons of juice. “That’s her? That’s our grandmother?”
Mac blew out a breath. “Yes. Now can we leave?” He stood and swept from the booth. As he strode toward the counter, he forced a smile and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He addressed Marian’s turned back. “Um, we’re leaving. Could you tell me how much my bill is, please?”
Marian turned, her eyes shining with happiness. “So soon? Your sister only just arrived. Why not take your time? I can make you a sandwich, or I have cake or pies. I bet a man like you loves a good steak and ale pie.”
“Sorry. Things to do. Places to be. If I had my way my sister wouldn’t be here.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Well, I hope to see you in here again sometime soon. Be even nicer if you saw to it that a certain Miss Harrington accompanied you next time. Don’t you think?”
Mac froze. Kate. How could he have forgotten? “Um, if Kate arrives, can you tell her something came up and I had to leave?”
Marian beamed. “So you were waiting for Kate? Not your sister? Well, that is good news.”
“Uh-huh. The bill?”
“I’m sure Kate would love to meet your family.”
“Maybe, but if I’ve got anything to do with it, my sister will be on the next train out of here”
She let her gaze roam languidly over his face. “It’s on me this time.” She lifted Lily and then little Mac from the counter. The moment they were on solid ground, they raced to Dana, holding their treats. “You know something, Mac? You really need to work on that attitude of yours. Family’s important. Family should be cherished. Not disregarded, nor taken for granted. Not ever.”
She brushed past him, and Mac swallowed back his retort. Family? What did Marian Ball know about the meaning of family? Hackles raised, and fear his very shaky plan to speak with Marian on his own terms could be upended by Dana’s arrival, he slapped a ten-pound note on the counter. “Keep the change.”
Turning, he held out his hand to Lily as he reached the table where Dana and the kids waited. “Let’s go.”
* * *
KATE PUSHED OPEN the door of the bakery and shook off her umbrella before stepping inside. She put her umbrella in the stand by the door and glanced around as she unbuttoned her coat. She frowned. She was running a little late, sure, but fifteen minutes past their agreed time and he’d already left?
She walked to the counter. Maybe he was running late, too.
“Hi, Marian.” She smiled at the older woman. “Could I get a latte?”
“Sure.”
Kate slid some coins on to the counter and looked around the bakery again. Nope, he definitely wasn’t here.
“If you’re looking for Mac, he bolted.”
“What?”
“Mac. He was in here a few minutes ago.” Marian raised her eyebrows, her mouth briefly pursing with disapproval. “Are you sure you want to go down that road with a man who runs as easily as he seems prone to do?”
“Wait, Mac was here, but he left?”
“Yep.”
“Why? Did he...did you two have words?”
“Us?” Marian picked up Kate’s money and turned to the espresso machine. “Why would we have words? His disappearing had nothing to do with me. When his sister walked in here—”
“His sister?” Kate froze. “His sister was here?”
Marian turned, her gaze turning misty. “With the most gorgeous little girl and boy. Mac’s niece and nephew, apparently. Did he tell you he has such a beautiful family?”
Kate’s heart beat fast. “Oh, no. This can’t be good.”
Marian’s smile vanished as she pushed Kate’s coffee toward her. “What can’t be good? His family seemed thrilled to see him...although I can’t say he seemed in any way pleased to see them. Is something wrong?”
“No.” Kate’s cheeks burned. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Kate Harrington...” Marian glared, her fingers busy at the cash register as she rang up Kate’s order and dropped her payment into the drawer. “Since when did you start telling me mistruths? Why wouldn’t Mac want his family here?”
Kate opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “He’s...she’s...” She sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Hmm.” Marian glanced over Kate’s shoulder. “I’ve got customers coming through the door, but this isn’t finished, my girl.”
Kate swallowed. “Do you know when his family got here?”
“Just a while ago, I think. They had their bags with them, so I assume the bakery was their first stop. You know, I get the distinct feeling that man has something he wants to say to me. You wouldn’t have any idea about that, would you?”
“Me?” Kate huffed a laugh. “Why would I?”
“Because I know you and you’re looking mighty on edge about something.”
Dread unfurled in Kate’s stomach. “What makes you think Mac has something to say to you? He barely knows you.”
“Well, for one, every time I’ve seen him in here, he’s glancing my way. Now why would a man on his own, a sexy singer, no less, want to spend his time sitting in a bakery, studying its aged owner over and over when he thinks she’s not looking? So, you tell him to either ask me what it is he wants to know or quit coming in here and then fleeing every time I speak to him.” She nudged Kate’s coffee forward and looked past her to the next customer. “Hello, lovely. What can I get you?”
Feeling numb, Kate picked up her coffee and took a seat at one of the pine tables in the middle of the bakery. Her mind raced with what-ifs and maybes. What was she supposed to do now? Mac’s sister and her kids were in town? The last thing she wanted was to be prematurely introduced to the family of a man she really liked, especially when it was anyone’s guess how things would pan out between them.
A niece and nephew? Her heart kicked.
Her phone beeped from inside her bag, and she quickly retrieved it. Mac.
Dana has turned up with my niece and nephew. I’m going to do my best to get them on the next train out of here, but God only knows if she’ll cooperate. I shared a few words with Marian and she said some things to make me realize there’s every chance things could end up a lot different than you and I hoped. I’ll be in touch. I’m sorry x
Kate stared at the kiss, and trepidation whispered through her.
There’s every chance things could end up a lot different than you and I hoped.
Her heart raced as she glanced toward Marian. What did Mac mean by that? Did he intend saying something that could upset Marian, after all? Kate glared She’d warned him. She’d told him if she couldn’t trust him with Marian’s feelings, Kate would speak to Marian herself.
Did he think she’d lied? Not brave enough? She narrowed her eyes.
Could she really trust him to do right by her friend? The disconnection between Kate and her family made it extra difficult to watch anyone go through the same thing...though Mac’s situation was entirely different than hers. That didn’t mean she’d stand by and let him poison her beautiful friend.
Frustration coursed through her.
Had he been lying to her when he’d admitted he’d hoped Marian might pull him out of his sadness? Was Mac a fraud? Another Dean?
She had to think about Marian...and herself.
Kate glanced at Marian again. The bakery was filling up. She couldn’t speak to her now.
Kate felt entirely alone, and suddenly her sister drifted into her mind. She and Ali had been so very close once.
Could she try to rebuild her relationship with her sister? Kate stared through the window. How much longer could she deny how much she missed not having Ali to talk things over with? Having them share their problems with each other again might take time and a whole lot of healing, but she needed to at least try to reconnect with Ali. She had to be there for her only sister on her wedding day. Had to try to get past what Ali had done with Dean. Maybe Mac hadn’t been sincere in wanting to move on, but Kate was.
How could she ever really give herself to anyone again if she continued to wallow in the hurt her sister and ex had caused? How could she hope for a happy life when she continued to feel guilt and remorse that her body hadn’t kept her child safe?
Pain rolled through her. To think she’d even considered telling Mac about that part of her life. But she’d wanted to.
Tears burned and she quickly typed a reply to Mac.
I’ll never forgive you if you hurt her.
She pressed Send and stood.
Maybe she couldn’t do anything about the baby she’d lost, but she could do something about Ali. One step at a time. Kate picked up her phone, stomach twisting.
Meeting Mac, seeing his anger and resentment and how hard it had gripped him, had shown her that these things affect the person suffering far more that the person you were angry with.
Ali had moved on...was getting married. Kate took a deep breath. And she wanted to be a part of that. Ali was her sister. How could she not be a part of her happiness? Did she really want to have another regret added to her already overwhelming pile?
She quickly dialed Ali’s number. It went straight to voice mail, and Kate slowly exhaled. “Ali, it’s me. Mum visited a few days ago. I am so happy you’ve decided on a date for the wedding. You must be so excited and I want to be there for you. I want to help make your day as wonderful as possible. Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.”
There was nothing else she could do now but wait for Ali’s call...if it ever came.
She glanced around at the people milling around the bakery, taking coffees to go or sitting at tables. Templeton was where she belonged, but every now and then, she got tired of having no family here, having no one who’d known her a long time to confide in. She had Marian and Izzy, of course, but the older Kate got, the more she wanted something more. Someone more.
Mac’s face filled her mind’s eye.
She felt a strong connection to him, no doubt due to their mutual difficulties with their families, but she didn’t want to be with someone who couldn’t control his anguish. She’d dealt with kids in despair, and they’d shown more forgiveness to those who’d hurt them than Mac had.
Abandoning her coffee, she put on her coat and made for the door. The rain still came down, and the clouds had grown darker and more ominous. She grabbed her umbrella from the stand and ducked outside, then hurried along the street to her apartment block.
Once there, she let herself in just as her phone rang in her bag. She dumped her rain-drenched umbrella in the sink and quickly pulled out her phone. “Hello?”
“Kate? It’s Ali.”
Kate gripped the counter. “Hi. How are you?”
“Good. Happy. Excited. You name it, that’s me.”
“Great.” Kate’s eyes burned with tears. Ali sounded so happy and open to speaking with her. Kate blinked. She’d been a fool to let things stew between them for so long. “So the wedding date’s set, huh?”
“Yes, June seventh. I’m so happy you want to be there. I wasn’t sure with what happened between me and...well, that’s all in the past now, right? We can move forward and try to get back to the way we were before.”
“Dean. His name was Dean.” Kate inhaled and slowly released her breath. “I think we need to clear the air before we try to do anything else, Ali. What happened, happened, and you hurt me. Deeply.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Truly. I was a different person back then. Denny’s changed so much in me, Kate. He makes me...me. Does that make sense? I don’t have to try harder or be better when I’m with him. I just have to be.”
Longing squeezed at Kate’s heart, and she swallowed. “Well, that sounds pretty amazing.”
“It is. And I want the same for you.”
“Believe me, I’m trying to find it.”
“Only trying?”
“What else is there? I need to get past the hurt, Ali. Past the lack of trust I now feel. About guys in particular. I wasn’t that way before you and Dean, and I’m tired of it. I thought I’d met this really great man—”
“But that’s great. What’s his name?”
“His name doesn’t matter. The point is, I wanted to try with this guy. I really did. So...” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to do all I can to rid myself of this horrible distrust I have. This horrible reluctance to move toward anything intimate. I figure the way to start that process is to be fully on board with your wedding...and with you.”
“Oh, Kate.” Ali’s breath caught. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. Shall I come to the Cove?”
“Not yet.” Kate closed her eyes. She might be trying to move forward, but the prospect of Ali meeting Mac was too much too soon, even if her relationship with him was doomed. She didn’t want Ali discovering how close Kate had come to falling in love with another self-serving man. Her sister’s pity wouldn’t fix anything.
She opened her eyes. “I have a lot of work on right now, but why don’t I come to you one weekend? I could stay for a couple of nights.”
“Oh, my God, that would be fantastic. I can’t wait for you to meet Denny. He’s the greatest guy. You’re going to love him.”
Kate swallowed. For Ali, the business with Dean was over. For Kate, it still stung. Maybe not as cruelly as it once did, but hurt still lingered like an unhealed wound. “I’m sure I will. Give me a call next week, and if there’s anything you want me to do online for the wedding in between, let me know.”
“I will. It’s so great to hear your voice. I’ll speak to you soon. Okay?”
“Sure. Speak soon.”
Kate hung up. Progress had been made. Now she just needed to speak with Marian before Mac did.