by Force, Marie
“You’re a good friend to feel that way. She’s lucky to have you.”
“We’re lucky to have each other. We’ve been through the fire of hell together and come out on the other side, stunned and altered, but we survived.” She wiped her face and laughed. “How do you get me to tell you these things? I don’t even know you.”
“Pilots and bartenders,” he said, making her laugh again. “What do you want to know about me?”
“Did your mother name you Slim?”
“No, my grandfather did, actually.”
“I don’t mean to be insulting, but you aren’t exactly super skinny or anything.” He had the muscular build of a man who took good care of himself.
“Is that a fat joke?”
“Hardly! And you know it.”
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling, “I know. I was a skinny kid who had the same name as my dad, so my gramps started calling me Slim, and it just sort of stuck long after I wasn’t a skinny kid anymore.”
“What’s your real name?”
“Was your brother’s real name Toby?”
Surprised by the question, she said, “No, it was Tobias, after our grandfather, but he hated that name and always went by Toby. Why?”
“My real name is Tobias Fitzgerald Jackson Junior.”
“It is not.”
“It is, too.”
A sob hiccupped from her chest as disbelief warred with hope. Was it possible that her beloved Toby had sent a new Toby to her? Did things like that even happen? Who was to say they didn’t?
“I almost said something the other night when you told me his name had been Toby, but I wasn’t sure if I should.” In a cajoling tone, he said, “I can show you my license if you don’t believe me.”
“I believe you,” she said softly.
He reached up and took hold of her hand. “It’s kind of cool, right?”
“It’s way cool. I’m glad you told me.”
“In light of this incredible coincidence, you’re going to have to have dinner with me soon.”
Laughing despite the tears that continued to cascade down her cheeks, she said, “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Not on something worth fighting for.”
And here she’d thought Alex’s surprise wedding had been the romantic grand gesture of the day. Slim was giving him a run for his money.
“Does anyone call you Toby?”
“Nope. I’ve never gone by that. I was Tobias to my mother a few times during my reckless youth. Otherwise, I’ve always been Slim. But you could call me Toby if you wanted to.”
“Would you answer to it?”
“Probably not the first few times. I’d come around eventually if it meant getting your attention. So about this dinner you promised me. Still a yes?”
“I believe it is.”
“Really?”
His reaction made her giggle like the girl she used to be. “Really.”
“When?”
“I’ll let you know.”
He groaned. “You’re going to make me work for it, aren’t you?”
“A wise man once told me that anything worth having is worth fighting for.”
“That man needs to be stoned.”
Erin dissolved into a fit of laughter that morphed into a gasp when he ran his lips over the back of her hand. A jolt of awareness traveled up her arm that sucked the breath from her lungs. She’d never reacted to any man that way—ever.
“I’ll do the work if you promise it’ll be worth it in the end.”
“Define ‘worth it.’”
“Dinner, of course. What’s your dirty mind thinking?”
“Dessert. Does this dinner of yours include dessert?”
“It comes with whatever you want.”
“In that case, do your worst.”
“Game on.”
Chapter 19
Big Mac McCarthy entered the bar at the Beachcomber and took a look around, locating his younger brother at the far end of the long bar.
Chelsea, the bartender, caught his eye. “Thanks for coming, Mr. McCarthy.”
“I’m glad you called, sweetheart. How long has he been here?”
“Couple hours now.”
“Is he talking?”
“Not much. Just drinking. I told him no more after the last one.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Big Mac moved to the far end of the bar and slid onto the stool next to Kevin’s, nudging his brother. “What’s up?”
“What’re you doing here?”
“Same thing as you.” He accepted an icy bottle of light beer from Chelsea with a smile and a wink for her.
“Did she call you?”
“Nope.” He’d never toss Chelsea under the bus for doing the right thing.
“So you just happened to turn up out of the fog? Total coincidence?”
“No fog tonight. Beautiful clear night out there. You want to get out of here and take a look?”
“Nah, I’m happy here.” He noticed his glass was getting low and scowled. “Or I was until she shut me off.”
Despite having consumed a lot of alcohol, Kevin sounded remarkably sober. “You must’ve been here awhile for that to happen.”
Kevin’s shoulder lifted into a shrug. “Nothing else to do.”
“You coulda come to my house. I wouldn’t have shut you off. Lots of empty bedrooms upstairs if you ever need one.”
“You and Linda don’t need your miserable little brother underfoot.”
“Hate to see you this way, Kev.”
“Hate to feel this way. All these years I’ve spent counseling other people on how to save their marriages, and mine went up in flames right before my eyes. And the best part? I didn’t even see it coming. How’s that possible?”
“You didn’t think you had anything to worry about.”
“So I slacked off. I didn’t pay attention. Look at where that got me.”
“Have you talked to her at all?”
“Here and there. Mostly logistics about the house and the bank accounts and filing papers.”
“No talk of reconciliation?”
“Nope. She’s done, and with hindsight, I guess I don’t blame her. She got a better offer with a younger guy, of all things.”
“Is that what bugs you most? That he’s younger?”
“The whole thing bugs me.”
“Do you know the guy?”
Kevin shook his head. “Someone she met through work, I guess. She swears nothing happened between them until she left me, but she’s talking physically. She’s been having an emotional affair with him for a while now.”
Big Mac signaled to Chelsea to bring Kevin one more drink, pointing to himself to let her know that he’d take responsibility for him.
A short glass of bourbon landed on the bar in front of Kevin.
He looked up, seeming surprised. “How’d that happen?”
“It’s all in who you know around here, my friend.”
“Another one of your groupies?” Kevin asked with the first hint of amusement Mac had seen in him.
“I like to call them friends.”
Snorting, Kevin said, “You always were popular with the ladies.”
“We’re not talking about me here. We’re talking about you and how we’re going to get you out of this funk you’re in. Your sons are worried about you.”
That got his attention. “They are? How do you know?”
“They’ve told me so. You haven’t been yourself since things went south with Deb. They’ve noticed it. We all have. I told them you’re grieving the end of something that meant a lot to you, and in time you’ll be back to your old self. I suggested they give you a little space to work things out.”
“Is that what you’re doing? Giving me some space?”
“I’m making sure you don’t do something stupid like get behind the wheel of a car after you’ve been here for hours.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Good to know.”
“I take my responsibilities seriously,” Mac said with a grin. “What can I do, Kev? How can I help you through this?”
“Damned if I know.”
“It’s going to take some time, but you’ll get past it. We’ll make sure of it.”
“What would you do if Linda suddenly up and left you for a younger guy?”
The very thought of it was like an arrow filled with fear landing in the vicinity of Big Mac’s heart. “I, um…”
“Sorry,” Kevin said. “That was unfair. She’s not going anywhere. She’s as crazy about you today as she was the day you married her a long-ass time ago.”
“Gonna be forty years this Christmas.”
“I remember. I was twelve. Had my first beer at your wedding. Did you know that?”
“How’d you get that by Dad?”
“I waited until he’d had at least six and wasn’t paying attention anymore.”
Big Mac laughed at the memory of their late father. “He did love a good party.”
“And that was a great party. I remember it vividly. My first time in a monkey suit, too.” He ventured a sideways glance at Mac. “Mom and Dad thought you were too young to get married. Did you know that?”
“No, I never knew. Really?”
“Yep. They had fights about it. Dad thought twenty was way too young to tie yourself down for the rest of your life, but Mom said you always knew what you wanted and how to go after it. She told him it was your life and he should butt out.”
Big Mac grunted out a laugh. “I can picture it.”
“You’re just like him with your kids, you know.”
“And you’re not with yours?”
“True.”
“Let me give you a ride home, Kev.”
“Okay.” He pulled a twenty from his wallet and left it on the bar for Chelsea.
Big Mac did the same, in part to thank her for looking out for a member of his tribe.
“Despite her ratting me out to you, she’s really cool,” Kevin said of Chelsea.
“Yes, she is. She’s the best. I keep trying to hire her away from the Beachcomber for the Tiki Bar, but she’s been here forever and doesn’t want to leave.”
“Loyalty is a nice trait to have.”
The double meaning wasn’t lost on Big Mac, who steered Kevin in the direction of where he’d parked his truck. “Deb was loyal to you for a long time, Kevin, and she handled this the best way she could from all reports. People change. Shit happens. The most important thing for you to remember is she’s the mother of your sons. That’ll never change. No matter how bitter you may feel, keeping it cordial with her is in their best interest.”
“I know. And I’m not really bitter. I’m just sort of wrecked that it happened in the first place. How could I not know she was that unhappy?”
“You can go over and over it a thousand times and never find the answers you’re looking for. Or you can accept that she’s made her decision and try to find the way forward. You can also try to learn from it so if you’re ever in a serious relationship again, you remember to pay attention.”
“The thought of starting all over with someone new makes me nauseous.”
“Frankie would tell you there’s a lot to be said for starting over.”
“He’s happier than a pig in shit.”
“I’m sure he’d love that description.”
“It’s true.”
“Yeah, it is, and he’s waited a long time for it.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Kevin said. “I’m happy for him and Betsy. She’s great.”
“She really is. You’ll find your Betsy, too. When you’re ready.”
“You sure about that?”
“Absolutely. And my family would tell you I’m always right about these things.”
Kevin groaned. “And you wonder where Mac gets his blowhard tendencies.”
“I don’t wonder at all.”
Kevin laughed harder than Mac had heard him laugh in a long time.
Big Mac pulled into the driveway of the house Kevin had rented from Ned Saunders for himself and his sons. The light was on over the back door.
“Check it out,” Kevin said. “They left a light on for me for a change.”
“They do grow up, even when we think it’s never going to happen.”
“They’ve been great through all of this,” Kevin said of Riley and Finn.
“Have they talked to Deb?”
“Here and there. I’ve told them there’s no point in holding a grudge, because I’m not going to. And if I’m not going to, they don’t need to hold one on my behalf. Like you said, shit happens. People change.”
“Like you, they need some time to absorb it. They’ll be fine, and so will you.”
“Thanks for coming tonight when Chelsea called you.”
“She didn’t call me.”
“Whatever. You always were a terrible liar.” Kevin opened the passenger door to get out.
“Hey, Kev?”
“Yeah?”
“Come to me the next time you think it’s a good idea to tie one on, okay?”
“Will do. Maybe you can actually get me drunk enough to forget why I wanted to get drunk in the first place.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Laughing, Kevin shut the door and headed for the house, turning to wave before he went inside.
Poor guy, Big Mac thought as he drove home. He’d never seen Kevin so low. As the baby of the family, Kevin had been the joker growing up, the one who always made them laugh. He’d grown into a serious, well-respected doctor who still made his brothers laugh when they were together. Until recently, anyway. Big Mac decided to keep a closer eye on his “little” brother over the next few weeks to ensure he was coping with the ringer life had thrown his way.
He also couldn’t stop thinking about the question Kevin had asked him. What would you do if Linda suddenly up and left you for a younger guy? The very thought of it gave him chills.
Big Mac pulled into the driveway at home, killed the engine and went inside, eager to see her, to make sure she was still there and had no plans to be anywhere else. Ever. Bounding up the stairs, he pulled off his jacket and went into the bedroom, where she was in bed with her e-reader.
Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of her, he started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Hey,” she said. “How’s Kevin?”
“Not great, but we had a good talk.”
“Am I allowed to say that I’m so mad at Deb for doing this to him?”
He sat on the bed to kick off the boat shoes he wore year-round. “Yeah, you are, because I am, too. But he’s not. More than anything, he’s upset that he never saw it coming.”
She held out a hand to him, and he took it, bending to kiss the back of it. “Be right there, love.”
He went into the bathroom to use the facilities and brush his teeth, leaving his jeans in a pile on the floor near the hamper, which would give Linda something to talk to him about in the morning. He crawled into bed with her, putting his arm around her waist.
She covered his hand with hers but didn’t stop reading.
Sometimes he hated the attention she paid to that e-reader, but other times the books she read put her in an “interesting” mood that benefited him. “What’re you reading?”
“The usual.”
That meant romance. His wife was a sucker for a good romance. “Is it one of those hot and sexy ones?”
“Maybe.”
“Hey, Lin?”
“Yeah?” she asked, but her eyes continued to dart over the screen.
“Do I pay enough attention? To you and to us?”
The e-reader fell to her lap, and her head turned toward him. “What?”
“You heard me. Do I pay enough attention to you?”
“Mac… What is this really about?”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes, of course you do.” She glanced at him. “D
o I? Pay enough attention to you?”
“Except for when one of those romance novels gets you by the throat,” he said in a teasing tone.
“You like when my romance novels get me hot and bothered.”
“Yes, I do. I like that very much.”
“Where are these questions coming from?”
“Something Kevin said had me thinking about it. That’s all.”
“What did he say?”
“It’ll make you mad.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“He asked how I’d feel if you suddenly left me for a younger guy.”
“What did you say?”
“I was so shell-shocked by the thought of it that I didn’t say anything. And then he apologized for even suggesting it.”
“Good,” she said. “He should apologize, because that’s never going to happen. Ever. Where would I ever find a younger guy with your stamina?”
He stared at her, momentarily shocked that she would say such a thing.
Then she smiled, her eyes dancing with glee at having shocked him. “What in the world could I ever want that I don’t have right here with you?”
“I don’t know,” he said gruffly. “And that’s what scares me. That maybe there’s something you want that I don’t know about.”
She laid her hand on his cheek. “There’s nothing I want that I don’t have, Mac. I have everything as long as I have you.”
“So there’s no younger guy lurking around the hotel trying to lure you away from me?”
“I couldn’t be lured. What about you with your girlfriends you call ‘sweetheart’ all over the island?”
“You’re my only girlfriend and my only true sweetheart. The others are my friends. Big difference.” He pushed himself up onto his elbow so he was looking down at her. “In more than forty years, I’ve never wanted anyone else. I swear.”
“I know. I haven’t either.”
“Not even kinda?”
“Not even kinda.”
He smiled then, relieved by the affirmation of what he already knew. “That makes us pretty damned lucky.”
“It certainly does.”
“We ought to do something big for our fortieth this winter. Have a blowout or something.”
“The kids will do it, and we’ll act surprised.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m Voodoo Mama. I know everything.”