“So,” she asked once they were settled. “How do you like Covendale? Is it everything you’d hoped for and more?”
Chapter Nineteen
~ Nick ~
He liked that playful twinkle in her eye and smiled, silently appreciating the fact that she was the ‘and more’ and didn’t even realize it. “Definitely. It hasn’t changed much.”
“You’ve been here before?”
He nodded. “I grew up here.”
“Is that why you came back? To be around your family?”
“That’s part of it,” he answered. “My sister still lives in town, but she’s currently on her honeymoon.” The knowledge still rankled. “My parents retired to Florida years ago.”
He liked that she was asking questions. He sat back and let her take the lead, pleased that she seemed genuinely interested in his answers. Her attention was solely on him, not roaming around the café.
“What about friends? Is it weird, reconnecting with people you haven’t seen for a while? Like a class reunion that never ends?”
He laughed. Fortunately or unfortunately, he hadn’t met up with many old acquaintances since he’d returned. After Annie died, he’d withdrawn from everyone and everything, and most of those connections had been severed before he’d even left.
“I’ve lost touch with most of the people I knew then. Right now, in fact, you are on a very short list of people I want to hang out with.”
“Me?” Her widened eyes and genuine surprise were adorable.
“Yes, you.”
She raised her mug and sipped her tea. He remained silent while she wrapped her mind around that. Then she cleared her throat and quietly said, “Same.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal but it was to him. It definitely felt like a much-needed check in his win column.
He barely had a chance to celebrate that minor victory when she followed up with, “So why’d you leave? Small town life not exciting enough for you?”
Unlike her sister, Mack hadn’t gone digging. She didn’t know about his tormented past. If only he could have kept it that way for a little while longer. He tried to keep his smile when he replied, “Just the opposite.”
He must not have done a very good job of it, because her teasing smile faded and she cast her eyes back to her tea. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”
Nick didn’t like talking about what happened, but if he was serious about wanting to pursue something with her (and he was), he wanted her to know.
“No, it’s okay. A simple Google search will tell you everything you want to know.”
She wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. “Cyberstalking isn’t my style. Besides, it’s not like you can believe everything you read on the internet.”
“You’re a wise and special woman, Heather MacKenzie.”
Her eyes opened wide at the deliberate use of her first name. Then she smiled. “Touché, Detective. I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who ratted me out?”
“A good detective never reveals his sources.” He winked. “As far as why I left...”
Mack put her hand over his and looked him in the eye. “You don’t owe me any explanations, Nick.”
Two things registered in that moment. One, she was touching him, and that simple contact infused him with a warmth and comfort he hadn’t felt in a very long time. And two, she had called him by his first name.
He looked down at her hand, trapping it when she tried to pull away. “I know. I want to tell you. Covendale is a small town, so it’s bound to come up eventually. I’d rather you hear it from me.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“About ten years ago, my fiancée was killed in a car accident. She died believing that I was unfaithful.”
“That’s awful!”
“It is,” he agreed. “I was at a holiday party. She worked second shift at the hospital and was supposed to come later after she got off work. But someone slipped something into my drink and set it up so that when Annie showed up, it looked as if I had cheated on her with someone else.”
Mack’s brows drew together. “A jealous ex?” she guessed.
“Jealous, yes. Ex, no. I was never interested in Eve Sanderson. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn’t mutual and she didn’t like taking no for an answer.”
Mack’s lips thinned. “Sounds like an entitled bitch.”
“In a nutshell.”
“Wait... Eve Sanderson. She was just in the news not too long ago. She roofied a local man and tried to blow up his girlfriend.” Her eyes widened as she connected the dots. “Oh my God. Nick, I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. It happened a long time ago.”
“Grief doesn’t punch a time card.”
“Spoken like someone who truly understands.”
She shrugged. This time when she tried to pull her hand away, he let her. “I lost my mother a long time ago, too, but it still hurts. I still miss her. So yeah, I get it.”
The conversation had taken a dark turn. Nick didn’t like the sadness in her eyes, and he didn’t want to talk about Annie anymore. Maybe someday he’d feel comfortable revealing more, but the subject was too heavy for their first coffee date.
“What about you? What brought you to this tiny hidden valley in the middle of nowhere?”
Her expression cleared slightly. “I like the natural beauty, I guess. Mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes. The unpredictability of four distinct seasons.”
“Outdoorsy type, huh?”
“Definitely. Give me a mountain trail over a paved road any day.”
“A woman after my own heart. I knew I sensed a kindred spirit.”
She smiled, her features softening into that comfortable, relaxed look she’d had earlier before it grew wistful.
“I like the small town vibe, too. It reminds me of where I lived as a child, before my dad moved us to the west coast.”
“And what about Seize? Life-long dream?”
“Not exactly. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I joined the Marines after high school, found my focus, and the rest, as they say, is history. Did you always want to be a detective?”
“A Marine, huh? That’s impressive.” She beamed. “To answer your question, no,” he told her with a serious face. “When I was seven I wanted to be a famous race car driver. Or Batman.”
She laughed and the mood lifted again. Talking with Mack was so easy, as if they had known each other for years instead of hours. They covered a variety of topics including music, movies, and food choices. Unsurprisingly, they liked many of the same things.
Before he knew it, it was midnight. As much as he didn’t want the night to end, they both had early mornings ahead of them.
“Thanks for having coffee with me tonight, Mack.”
“Thanks for asking.”
“Maybe we can do it again sometime.”
He held his breath as her eyes lifted and met his. In that moment, the rest of the world faded away. Nick felt a new level of connection fire to life between them, something deeper and stronger than the simple pull of attraction he’d felt before.
“I’d like that,” she answered softly.
The urge to kiss her was strong. To pull her close and put his lips to hers. To feel her body pressed against his, knowing she would fit perfectly.
Then she broke eye contact and the moment was over.
Nick mentally kicked himself for not taking advantage of the moment, but perhaps it was better that he hadn’t. Anticipation was supposed to be a good thing, right? Next time, however, he wouldn’t hesitate.
They said goodnight. He watched her drive away, feeling better than he had a couple of hours earlier. Not much had changed. He was still going home to an empty house. He still had to deal with the fact that the Necromancers were selling drugs to kids. His precious Shelby belonged to someone else and his sister had gone and gotten married without him knowing. But inside, he
felt ... lighter.
And it was all because of Mack.
She was an excellent listener. Beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken, strong. Passionate about what she loved – and didn’t. And he’d only scratched the surface. He couldn’t wait to dig deeper, discover more. Now that he’d taken that first step, he was anxious to keep going.
The same instincts that made him a good detective suggested that Mack was interested, too, but he wasn’t sure he could trust that. He’d been out of the game for a long time. It was also possible that his own wishful thinking was influencing his perception. The one thing he did know for certain was that he wanted to see where this thing with Mack would lead.
He thought about texting her when he got back to his place. Nothing quick, just something quick to confirm that he’d enjoyed the evening and wanted to see her again. Then he was going to do a thorough background check on Miles Grayson, his new brother-in-law.
He’d no sooner walked in the door, however, than his cell phone went off.
“Nick? Sam Brown. I need you to get over to the hospital. It’s Jesse.”
Nick turned around and got right back into his car, his stomach clenching into a knot. “On my way. Is he okay?”
“I’ll fill you in when you get here.”
Nick made it to the hospital in record time. He found Sam Brown waiting for him. “What happened?”
Sam’s face was grim. “Apparently, Jesse Sr. isn’t willing to let go so easily. He sent some of his club brethren over to the house to remind his wife of that. Jesse Jr. tried to show them the door, got a few broken bones and some nice bruises for his troubles. Luckily, the mother called 9-1-1 the moment she saw them at the door and help arrived before they could do any worse. She’s with Jesse now.”
“Jesus. The attackers?”
“Got two of them in custody, but I don’t know how long they’re going to stay there. The club’s got some slick lawyer already pushing to get them out. More restraining orders are being drafted as we speak, but...”
Chief Brown didn’t have to finish that statement. They already knew what the Necromancers thought of restraining orders. From his research, Nick knew the club had their own set of laws, and those were the only ones that mattered. Among them: women and children claimed by patched members belonged to those members to do with as they pleased, period. It was misogyny at its worst.
“We’ve got to get them somewhere safe until we take care of this. Somewhere off the grid where the Necromancers won’t be able to get to them.”
“Agreed.” Sam rubbed at his jaw, now covered in thick, reddish-brown stubble. “I’ve got a hunting cabin up in Potter County.”
“That’ll do. I can take them up as soon as the doc releases Jesse.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll call Gail, have her gather up supplies to take with you.”
Chapter Twenty
~ Mack ~
Mack stared at the screen and exhaled. She wasn’t proud of what she’d done. Was this what her errant female hormones had reduced her to?
She blamed Nick. Ever since their coffee date she’d been thinking crazy things. Like maybe she’d actually found a guy (besides Jay) who enjoyed her company. Someone who she liked, as well. Someone with whom a friendship might blossom into something more.
She’d thought that guy might just be Nick Benning.
That was days ago. Now, she wasn’t quite as hopeful as she’d been. She’d thought their ‘date’ had gone well, but Nick hadn’t called since. He hadn’t texted. They hadn’t crossed paths at Seize. Mack had to be realistic and consider the possibility that Nick was simply a nice, friendly guy who didn’t share the same powerful attraction to her as she had to him.
It wouldn’t be the first time. Some women were just meant to stay in the friend zone, what Mack liked to refer to as the ‘always a bridesmaid’ phenomenon. Except in Mack’s case, she didn’t have a lot of female friends so she had never been (and probably never would be) a bridesmaid, either.
That realization, along with a sprinkling of self-pity and a few glasses of wine, had prompted her to take action.
“I’m home!” Mack startled at the sound of Jay announcing his arrival, Thank God it was him and not Dee. If Dee saw her on a singles match site she’d never hear the end of it.
Then again, Dee hadn’t been around much. She’d been keeping herself scarce ever since Mack officially fired her. That conversation hadn’t been as satisfying as she’d imagined, because Dee told her that she’d already received a call back from Tish and was planning on quitting anyway. That was okay with Mack. She no longer had to worry about Dee harassing clients or screwing things up and making everyone else’s job harder.
Another bonus: since Mack spent most of her time at Seize, her interactions with Dee were limited and more easily managed. Dee was no longer expected to rise at the ‘ass crack of dawn’ (as she’d put it), so she slept in and stayed out late, which further minimized face time. The less time, the better, in Mack’s opinion.
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
Mack looked at the dark, silent phone next to her. She’d been keeping it nearby, ‘just in case’ Nick happened to text. “It didn’t ring.”
Jay came over and took a look. “That’s because it’s out of charge again.”
“Can’t be. I haven’t even used it.”
He scowled, tapping and swiping the screen. “Jesus, Mack. You’ve got like fifty-two open windows and six apps running. Don’t you ever close them down?”
“I thought I did. I just press the home key, right?”
He shook his head. “No, genius. You’ve got to actually close the windows. You know, ‘x’ marks the spot? That’s what is running down your battery.”
Huh.
“And what the hell, Mack? Why are you using my wireless charger as a coaster?”
She looked over at the small black disk, the one her empty wine glass was now sitting on. It sure looked like a coaster. Or maybe a mug warmer, since there was a wire coming out the back of it.
Jay snatched up the glass, putting her phone in its place, glancing at her laptop screen in the process. “Hey, what is that, a dating site?”
“Yeah.”
He frowned. Mack didn’t know why he would, though. He often encouraged her to be proactive with her love life (or glaring lack thereof). “Any luck?”
“Oh, yeah. Loads,” she answered. Even her sarcasm was laced with defeat.
“Do tell.” Jay sat down on the couch next to her and got comfortable.
“Well, okay. Let’s start with Tom, here.” She touched the screen and a picture of a lanky man with poker straight hair cut into a style that had gone out with grunge. “He’s employmentally-challenged and looking for a strong woman who’s not hung up on stereo typical male-female roles.”
“Translation: he’s a mooch.”
“Bingo. But he’s a prince compared to this guy.” A swipe of her index finger took her back to a previous profile. Stylishly-short blonde hair hung artfully over the left side of his forehead, stopping just above mossy colored eyes so green they had to have been Photoshopped.
“This is Chad. He was captain of his high-school gymnastics team, and proudly counts himself among the gifted one percent of the human male population that is sufficiently well-endowed and flexible enough to suck his own dick.”
“Lucky bastard,” Jay murmured. “What does he need a woman for?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“That’s all you got?”
“Nope, one more.” She tapped the tablet and brought up a clean-cut, nondescript guy with dirty blonde hair, medium brown eyes, and an awkward, forced, really-hate-having-my-picture-taken constipated smile.
“He doesn’t seem too bad,” Jay said charitably, tilting his head one way and then the other, as if that would make the image better.
“He kind of looks like a douche, don’t you think?”
“Maybe that’s just his resting douche face
.”
“His what?”
“Resting douche face. It’s like a resting bitch face – you know, when a woman looks like a total bitch even when she’s completely chill? Except this is for guys who are actually really nice and just have the bad luck to look like a douche.”
Mack considered this briefly. “Or he really is a total douche.” She squinted at the accompanying bio. “He’s forty-two, a tax accountant, and still lives with his mother.”
“Jesus, why would you put something like that on your profile?” Jay shook his head in disbelief. “It makes you wonder what he’s not telling you. Seriously, Mack. Why are you even looking at this crap? You can do so much better than this.”
Mack closed down the site with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, they’re beating down the doors.”
He patted his leg in invitation. After only a moment’s hesitation, she set aside her laptop and crawled into his lap. His sculpted arms wrapped around and held her. Jay was the only one she allowed to see her weakness. The only one she trusted enough.
“What about the detective?”
She shrugged. “We went for coffee.”
“And?”
“It was nice. But then he said he’d call and didn’t.”
“Maybe he’s been busy.”
“I’m sure he has,” she agreed. “But before we went for coffee, we’d run into each other nearly every day, you know? I even had this crazy idea that he might be seeking me out.”
“And now?”
“Nothing. Nada. Zip.”
That heaviness in her chest intensified. Why couldn’t she find someone who liked her for who she was? She was a good person, or at least tried to be. She wasn’t Dee, but she wasn’t exactly hideous, either.
“Have you tried texting him? Maybe doing a little path-crossing of your own?”
She shook her head. This was one instance where she didn’t want to take the lead.
Her mind went back to their last heart-to-heart, when Jay had suggested she embrace her femininity more. She’d been thinking a lot about that over the last couple days, especially since being around Nick had made her feel more like a woman than she had in a long time.
Seizing Mack: A Contemporary Love Story (Covendale Book 3) Page 10