Before Hailey could respond, the woman grabbed Hailey’s drink and splashed it in her face.
Chapter 13
In retrospect, Hailey knew she should have seen it coming. But she’d always found it difficult to believe the ugliness that resided in some people’s souls.
Sputtering, eyes burning, she grabbed for a paper napkin off the table and wiped her eyes. Black mascara showed on the white paper. She spotted Mac’s beer. Without taking the time to think through her actions, she grabbed it and dashed it at the other woman.
Except said woman was now doubled over, overcome with a fit of the giggles. The beer went over her, making a direct hit right between Betty Sue’s eyes.
With a bellow of rage, Betty launched her considerable bulk at Hailey.
She never made it. Mac grabbed her and lifted her up and back as effortlessly as if she were Eli’s size.
“That’s enough,” he said, his voice cutting through the group, a double-sided knife backed by a large, muscular man. “Unless you want her to press charges for assault, I suggest you all leave and go home. Right. Now. And make sure the two who are drunk have someone to drive them home.”
When he released Betty Sue, she shook herself like a dog shaking off water. For a heartbeat, Hailey wondered if she would defy Mac and see how much more trouble she could cause.
But then she snarled, “Let’s go.” Her friends followed her away.
“Wow.” Still mopping up the sticky mess, Hailey wondered how much mascara she had under her eyes. No doubt she looked like a raccoon. A particularly bedraggled one.
“Here, honey.” The waitress appeared, holding a wet bar rag and a dry towel. “These are clean. The restroom is over there if you want to go get cleaned up. I’ll take care of the table. And two new drinks are on their way, on the house.”
Though the last thing she felt like doing was sipping a drink, Hailey thanked her. Grabbing her purse, she made it to the ladies’ room. As soon as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she knew it was just as bad as she’d feared. Luckily, she carried a few makeup items with her, and after washing her face with hand soap, she did her best to repair the damage. Her hair had mostly escaped unscathed.
Her sodden shirt was another story. She didn’t have a change of clothes. She blotted as much as she could with paper towels. Nothing to do but march back to the table and sit back down. Poor Mac. He’d tried so hard to make this a date she’d never forget. And she wouldn’t, though for all the wrong reasons.
When she got back to the table, Mac held up a brand-new T-shirt. “I got this for you,” he said. “Now you have something dry to change into.”
She stared. The purple T-shirt had The Trinity Room emblazoned across the front of it. “They sell T-shirts now?”
“Yep. And they’re a steal at only twelve dollars.”
Accepting the shirt, she eyed him. “Thank you.”
Though he shrugged, his pleased smile sent warmth through her. “I didn’t want you to have to ride home on the bike, with all that wind. A wet top will make you feel cold.”
Sweet. Nodding, she returned to the bathroom and changed. After taking off the soaked blouse, she used more paper towels to help dry her bra, then slipped on the new shirt. Much better. She rinsed out her other blouse and wrung it out over the sink. After drying it as best she could with paper towels, she returned to the table.
“Even though they comped our drinks,” Mac said. “They wanted me to relay their sincere apologies for the terrible misunderstanding in their establishment.”
Though Hailey nodded again, she thought of the couple other situations she’d witnessed when with Mac. “Are people awful to you everywhere you go?” she asked, not even attempting to stifle her outrage.
“Some are, some aren’t. It’s a lot better than it was right after Dad was arrested.” His rueful smile was, she knew, an attempt to tell her not to worry. “Of course, I was only a kid then and not so good at defending myself. At least that part has changed.”
Still... She hated that people felt they had the right to judge him. And her, for being with him. Her family had been the one wronged; her family—and his—had suffered. She wished she could figure out a way to publicly let the entire town know how hurtful their actions were.
“Are you ready?” Gray eyes flashing with humor, Mac stood and held out his hand. As she took it, again she felt that click of recognition, of connection.
“What would you like to do now?” he asked as they walked outside to his bike. “We still have a little bit of time left before I need to get back so Dolores can go home.”
She thought of the kids, wondering if Aaron had yet brought them to the house. “It’s been an eventful day,” she told him, barely stifling a yawn. “I think I need to get back.”
Clearly disappointed, he nodded. “Maybe we can do this again sometime.”
“I’m sure we can.”
He took her directly home. As they pulled up to her house, she felt relieved to see her car parked in front of the garage. When Mac cut the engine, she climbed off and handed him her helmet. “Thank you for a memorable day,” she began.
Unsmiling, he regarded her. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Aaron and the kids are home,” she began, and then stopped.
His gaze locked with hers. “Are you ashamed of me, Hailey?” he asked, his quiet voice letting her know how important her answer was to him.
“No, of course not.” She bit her lip, finally deciding he was right. “You know the kids are going to tease me, don’t you? Please, I’d love for you to come in and meet the rest of my family.”
His grin made her entire body heat. “I’d like that,” he said. “Lead the way.”
Inside the house, it seemed awfully quiet. Usually, the kids would be parked in front of the television watching whatever show they could find, but the TV was silent. The door to Aaron’s bedroom was closed.
“Wait here,” she told Mac. Heading up stairs, she found all the other bedroom doors closed, as well. Knocking first on Tara’s, she peeked in and found her sister cross-legged on the bed, earbuds in place, listening to music. When she caught sight of Hailey, Tara pulled the buds from her ears and jumped down to envelope her in a fierce hug.
“How was your day?” Hailey got out. “Did you catch any more fish?”
“Yes. But, oh, my gosh, I heard about how close that tornado came. I’m so glad you’re all right.”
They chatted for a few more minutes. “Where are the boys?” Hailey finally asked. “And where’s Aaron?”
“I don’t know. Last I heard, everyone went to their own rooms. Have you checked there?”
“No.” Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, but unable to figure out any other way to handle things, Hailey blurted out the news. “Mac’s here.”
“Here?” Tara squealed. “In the house? Where?”
“In the living room.” Hailey barely got out the first word before Tara squealed again.
“I can’t wait to meet him.” She tore off, clattering down the stairs.
Resigned, Hailey went to fetch the boys. At least Eli had already met him.
Once everyone—except Aaron, still in his room—had clustered around Mac, peppering him with questions and talking over one another in their attempts to be heard, Hailey went in the kitchen. Might as well start dinner. Since Mac was already here, she figured he could eat.
While she sautéed chicken and veggies and cooked rice in the microwave, everyone migrated into the kitchen. Though the kids were still talking a mile a minute, Mac handled himself well. They showed him the fish they’d caught, now filleted and bagged in the refrigerator. They’d made Hailey promise to cook it for their dinner tomorrow. Once or twice, Mac caught her eye, grinning. Her heart swelled with joy. Maybe, just maybe, the
two of them might have a chance at a future together after all.
And then Aaron wandered into the kitchen. One look at him and Hailey could see he’d been drinking heavily. Hadn’t June said he was sober? Hailey was shocked June had lied to her, but hopefully, he hadn’t gotten started until long after he’d brought the kids home.
“I got the job,” he proclaimed, grinning. “I only had to interview over the phone. I start work Monday.”
“Really?” Hailey couldn’t help but wonder if he was telling the truth. “They do their hiring on Saturday?”
“Apparently, this company does.” He narrowed his eyes. “Janitors have work weekends, too, you know.”
She nodded, aware that everyone watched them silently. “Where will you be working?”
“I think they said the elementary school. But first I’ve got to check in at the headquarters to fill out paperwork.”
Since when did elementary schools allow convicted felons? She made a mental note to check on that. So help her if he was lying. She’d had enough lies to last a lifetime. “Well, congratulations then.”
“Thank you.” He leaned over to see what she’d made. “Why didn’t you cook the fish?” he asked Hailey, slurring only slightly. When he moved closer to her, too close, as far as she was concerned, she could smell the strong odor of rum. She knew it well, as it was one of her mother’s preferred libations.
He also didn’t appear to notice Mac, sitting quietly at the table with his back against the wall. She felt safer with him there, aware he’d jump to her defense if need be.
“I’d already planned to do the chicken,” she answered, turning back to the stove. “We’ll fry up the fish tomorrow.”
“No. I want fish tonight.” He moved even closer, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She knew enough from dealing with her mother that he was spoiling for a fight.
The kids’ eyes went huge and round, clearly sensing trouble. She hid a shudder, not wanting Aaron to know how badly he was creeping her out.
And then Mac cleared his throat and stood, the sound of his chair scraping back loud in the too-quiet room. “You must be Aaron,” he said, his voice pleasant. “I don’t know if you remember me from back when Hailey was in high school. I’m Mac. Hailey’s...friend.”
Clearly startled, Aaron jerked away, his mouth falling open before he snapped it back into place. “Who...what?”
Mac stuck out his hand. Aaron blinked, belatedly realizing perhaps he’d better move farther away from Hailey. After sizing Mac up and no doubt noting that Mac had a good six inches on him, Aaron walked forward to shake it. Only Hailey noticed the muscle working in Mac’s jaw.
Somehow, Mac got everyone settled and seated at the table, perfectly playing the host even though it wasn’t his house. Keeping an eye on Aaron, who sat cradling his face in his hands, Hailey dished up the food. This chicken was one of the kids’ favorite meals, and they all dug in. Even Aaron, who kept shooting longing looks toward his room, but sipped the tall glass of ice water Mac had gotten him.
After dinner, she sent the kids off to do their own things. When Aaron started to get up, she motioned him back to his seat. She pulled up a chair across from him, glad to have Mac’s solid and reassuring presence there to back her up.
“Aaron, we need to talk.” She kept her back straight, her chin up and her gaze firm. Across from her, Aaron slouched in his seat, looking for all the world like an aging, disgruntled teenager. “I’ve dealt with Mom’s alcoholism for ten years. I can’t—I won’t—deal with it with you now. Do you understand me?”
“I don’t think you’re in the position to make any rules,” Aaron responded. “You live in my house, drive my wife’s car.”
Suppressing a flare of anger, Hailey calmly nodded. “That may be true, but I’m the only one around here with a job. I keep your children fed, and I’ve taken care of them for most of their lives. So believe me when I say I make the rules around here.”
“I just told you. I got a job.” Yawning, the gesture sent a nauseating wave of alcohol breath her way. “And I’m going to be needing the car to get to work.”
“Or I can drive you. Unless of course, you want to start taking the kids to school every day and picking them up.”
She held her breath, hoping her bluff would work. Actually, there was no way she’d let Aaron drive the kids anywhere every day. Not until she was 100 percent certain he wouldn’t drive drunk. With that thought, something else occurred to her. “Do you even have a driver’s license?”
Narrow-eyed, Aaron stared her down. “No, but I plan to try to renew it next week. Give me a break. I’m trying to get back on my feet and earn a paycheck.”
“You’re not touching the car again until you’re legal to drive,” she pronounced. “I’ll be happy to drop you off at work every morning and possibly pick you up at night.”
Without repeating herself, she again let him know she intended to continue making the rules. As far as she was concerned, he hadn’t proven himself yet. Behind her, Mac stood silently, her own personal bodyguard. She briefly wondered if Aaron would be so amendable once Mac was gone. One thing was for sure, she’d find out soon enough.
“Fine,” Aaron finally said, dragging his hand across his bloodshot eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. Getting out of prison and coming home ten years later is hard. Everything has changed. And with June gone...”
Hailey exchanged a quick look with Mac. Aaron sounded sincere. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out okay.
“I understand.” Hailey too softened her tone. “But the kids have seen enough drunkenness in their young lives. I get that you might occasionally feel the need to drink. But, please, don’t let the children see you drunk again.”
After a moment, Aaron nodded. “I don’t have a drinking problem, you know. Once June gets out and comes home, I probably won’t drink at all.”
The probably in that sentence worried her.
When she didn’t respond, Aaron pushed to his feet. “Thanks for the meal,” he said. “And for letting me have the kids to myself all day. We’ll talk before Monday once I know where and when I have to report for work.” Then he headed toward his bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Hailey let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “That was weird,” she said, still unsettled. “I sure hope he doesn’t drink around Mom once she’s recovered.”
“Me, too.” Putting his arm around her, Mac pulled her close. “But, Hailey, you can’t take the weight of all the world on your shoulders. You’ll never survive. Your mother—and Aaron, too—is an adult. They’re responsible for their own choices.”
Standing in the comforting circle of his muscular arms, Hailey nodded. She knew he was right. “I know. But I have to protect the kids. If I don’t look out for them, no one will.”
And therein lay the crux of everything. Sometimes, she allowed herself to pretend she and Mac could start a life together. In fact, she was only deluding herself. She could never leave here, not until the last of her siblings was grown. Eli was only eleven. She’d be living in this house a long, long time.
* * *
The next day had long been her favorite day of the week. On Sundays, she always let the kids sleep in, allowing Hailey to enjoy a little quiet time with the Sunday paper and a cup or two of coffee. From what she’d seen of Aaron in the past few days, he wasn’t an early riser, so she should be free to enjoy her Sunday morning like she usually did.
At ten, she always cooked a huge breakfast, something different than the usual. Today, she made biscuits and sausage gravy, which she hadn’t fixed in a while. This meal had the benefits of being inexpensive, easy to prepare and tasty. A win-win, as far as she was concerned.
As usual, Tom, Tara and Eli appeared right at ten. She’d just removed the flu
ffy biscuits from the oven and the sausage had already been cooked and crumbled in the white gravy. They all sat, and she poured them each a glass of orange juice. Then, eyeing Aaron’s still closed door, she shrugged and served her siblings their breakfast before finally sitting down to eat her own.
Aaron finally wandered in from outside just as she’d finished washing the dishes. “I walked to town,” he told her. “I’ve been walking a lot lately, to get my strength back up.”
“You have?” She eyed him, not sure he was telling the truth. “When?”
“Early mornings. I know you think I sleep in, but I’m usually gone when you take the kids to school. I also walk at night, after everyone goes to sleep. I can already feel myself getting stronger.”
Impressed, she wasn’t sure how to respond. “That’s great,” she said finally. “Healthy, too.”
“I’m thinking I can walk to work as long as it’s on this side of town.”
Again he’d managed to surprise her. Maybe, just maybe, she needed to give him more credit than she had until now. Slowly, she nodded. “If that’s what you want to do. That’s your choice. Just remember to let me know if you need a ride.”
“I will. Is there anything left from breakfast? I’ve worked up an appetite.”
She’d made sure to save him some and quietly made him a plate before retreating to her room.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. She caught up on housework, enlisting all three of her siblings’ help by assigning them rotating chores. When they’d been younger, they’d complained, but these days they did what she asked without a single word.
Lunch consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Aaron didn’t move from in front of the TV, and she didn’t offer him one.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the new normal. The idea depressed her, but when Eli came running in to show her the frog he’d found outside, she banished that thought. Always, she had to focus on the kids.
Despite falling into her comfortable routine, Hailey thought often of Mac, considered calling him, but in the end she decided against it. They’d shared a fun Saturday along with some crazy-good sex, but since it could never be more than that, she knew she needed to have a long conversation with Mac before continuing anything else.
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