She regarded him skeptically. “Really? It’s already after one. What time were you supposed to go out?”
“We didn’t set a firm time. I’m waiting for her call.”
She frowned then. “You and Susie?”
“Of course. Who else?”
“I don’t know, Mack. You used to have a whole string of women at any given time when you were in Baltimore.”
“Times change,” he said.
“So, since I’ve finally accepted that it’s inevitable, when am I going to meet this wife of yours, the woman who finally managed to tame the wild and carefree Mack Franklin?”
“I’m sure she’ll be at the launch party this weekend,” he said. “I know she’s anxious to meet you.”
“Really?” Kristen said skeptically. “I wouldn’t be, if I were in her shoes. In fact, I’m not so sure how eager I am being in my shoes. I’m starting to get used to the idea of you being with someone who really matters to you, but it’s been difficult.” Her gaze narrowed. “Of course, I’m assuming she knows about our past. She does, doesn’t she?”
“We discussed it before I ever offered you the job,” he said.
“In the interest of full disclosure, of course,” she commented.
Mack frowned. “Kristen, what’s the deal? You’re sounding weird again, almost jealous.”
“Am I? How silly of me. I certainly have no right to be, do I?”
“No, you don’t. I thought you were going to get out and meet some new people.”
“How much time have you actually spent at Brady’s, Mack? There aren’t a lot of single men around, at least none who measure up to the one who got away.”
He ignored the veiled reference he assumed was meant to describe him. “Are you unhappy here, after all? Do you want to leave?”
She sighed and sat in the chair he’d vacated. “Not really. The job is challenging. I want us to become a huge success. I don’t like leaving anything half done.”
He thought he saw the real problem. She was in a new place with no friends and she was spending all her waking hours at work, with him. He needed to find a way to fix that. Hopefully the launch party would be the first step. She’d really get to meet all of the town’s movers and shakers. He had no doubt that she’d fit in, at least with anyone who wasn’t a suspicious O’Brien determined to protect Susie’s turf.
“You need to spend more time outside this office,” he said. “Once we get past the launch, you’ll have time to meet people and get involved in everything going on around town.”
“That’ll help, I’m sure,” she agreed, though without much conviction.
He looked up just then and spotted Jess in the doorway. “Hey,” he said. “What brings you by? I thought you were with Susie.”
“I was,” she said, then glanced toward Kristen with a frown. “I am. She’s in the car. She said something about the two of you having plans.”
“Why didn’t she come in?” he asked, then could have kicked himself for his stupidity. “No big deal. I’ll be right out. My car’s in back. If you brought lunch, you can transfer it into that. Susie has the key.”
Jess nodded, gave Kristen another hard look and walked back out.
Mack turned to find Kristen watching him curiously. “That was weird. Why didn’t your wife come in? And who was the avenging angel she sent in her place? If looks could kill, I’d be dead on the floor right now.”
“You’re exaggerating. And Susie wasn’t avoiding you, if that’s what you were thinking. Things are a little tough for her right now. She doesn’t always feel great.”
Kristen’s jaw fell. “She’s pregnant? Is that it? Please don’t tell me you’re having a baby already, Mack. You’ve barely gotten married. I didn’t think you’d ever do that, much less have children.”
“She’s not pregnant,” he said. “Look, I can’t get into this with you right now. Susie’s waiting.”
“Well, maybe you should explain before we cross paths at the launch party—that is unless you don’t care if I blurt out the wrong thing.”
“I assume you have better manners than to blurt out anything insensitive or inappropriate,” he said. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off. You deserve it.”
“Sure thing,” she said, an unmistakable note of bitterness in her voice. “There’s nothing that excites me more than the idea of doing nothing in a town with nothing to do.” She winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. “Sorry. That sounded awful. Just chalk it up to a bad day, please. I’m not usually such a bitch.”
“I know that,” he said. “That’s one reason I’m so worried. I don’t want this situation to turn you into one.”
She drew herself up, squared her shoulders and forced a smile. “Not to worry. I won’t let it happen. I’m tougher than that.”
Mack gave her another considering look, then left to meet his wife. Even though Kristen had made no overt passes, she’d made it plain that she was still available to him. Once again he wondered if bringing her here had been a dreadful mistake, just as everyone had told him it was from the beginning. He’d been so sure Susie could handle it, that he could. To be totally honest, he’d never even considered whether Kristen could.
But then he thought of the paper they were about to launch and knew that if it succeeded, in large measure it would be due to Kirsten’s digital talents. How could he possibly regret that?
When Mack opened the driver’s side door of his car and slid in, he tried not to look taken aback at his first glimpse of Susie with a colorful scarf wrapped securely around her head like a turban. The look made her eyes seem huge, her cheeks more well-defined.
“What do you think?” she asked tentatively, touching nervous fingers to the scarf and regarding him hopefully. “It’s not too awful, is it?”
He forced a smile. “It’s not awful at all. In fact, the look suits you. You look as if you’ve recently left a harem and are in a particularly seductive frame of mind.”
As he’d hoped, she laughed. “Yeah, that’s me. The ultimate temptress.”
He sobered at once. “You are, you know. I’m not sure I can wait till we get to Beach Lane to get my hands on you.”
She rolled her eyes at that. “You’re overplaying your hand.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she seemed to go perfectly still.
Mack tried to follow the direction of her gaze, but she turned so quickly, he couldn’t be sure what had caused the reaction. “Susie, what’s up? What just happened?”
“Is that her?” she asked. “Is that Kristen?”
Mack stilled. “Where?”
“At the back door. She was watching us. Tall, willowy blonde. That is her, isn’t it? I saw her once, but from a distance. She has quite a following at Sally’s. I hear none of the men can speak for at least five minutes after she’s picked up her lunch and left.”
He glanced toward the building, but the back door was closed. “Whoever it was has gone now. More than likely it was Kristen, though.”
“She was spying on us,” Susie said flatly. “Or trying to get a glimpse of me.”
“She was probably just making sure the back door was locked before she leaves,” he said, determined to put an innocent spin on it. He even believed what he was saying. Kristen wasn’t the kind of woman who’d spy on them. She was too sure of herself, too full of pride to risk being caught and made to look foolish or needy.
“If you say so,” Susie said, her doubts plain. “But if she turns up at Beach Lane, she and I are going to have it out. I may be sick, but I can still take her down.”
He was wise enough to hide his smile. Susie would definitely come out on top in any sort of physical confrontation. Kristen would never resort to rolling around in the mud the way Susie would. She’d be too worried about the dry cleaning bill for her designer clothes.
“You sound a little too eager, Susie,” he chided. “The woman’s done nothing to you.”
“She slept with you, didn’t
she?”
“A long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”
He laughed. “No, it doesn’t mean that.” He let his smile fade, then looked into her eyes. “I’m yours now, Susie. That’s the only thing that matters. The past is over and done with. You’re my present and my future.”
She sighed, but she didn’t look entirely convinced. “I remind myself of that every day,” she said. “You’re the biggest blessing in my life. Without you—”
Mack cut her off. “There won’t be a day without me,” he said adamantly.
She looked shaken by his vehemence. “You must get sick of me sounding needy. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. And you’re the least needy woman I know. You went for years showing me just how little you needed me. Frankly, it was tough on my ego.”
That brought a faint smile to her lips and put some color back in her cheeks. “It was an act, you know.”
He reached for her hand and held it, then brought it to his lips. “But a darned convincing one. From here on out we just have to remember that we need each other. No more games, Susie. Not ever.”
“No more games,” she promised.
Mack had to wonder, though, if it was ever possible to go through life without a game or two. For instance, there was the one he played every single day, the one in which he tried not to let Susie see how terrified he was of losing her. That was a game he couldn’t afford to quit. He kept hoping if he pretended he was confident and brave about the outcome of her cancer, sooner or later he’d actually believe the words he was saying.
So far, though, it wasn’t really working all that well. And seeing her just now with the scarf tied around her shaved head reminded him all too clearly of the stakes of this particular game he was playing.
17
Mack wasn’t entirely shocked when he arrived at work the next morning to find Jess waiting for him. Thankfully, Kristen hadn’t come in yet, because he had a sneaking suspicion she was the reason for Jess’s visit.
“This is a surprise,” he said cheerfully, unlocking the front door and letting her in. He flipped on lights and put his briefcase on his desk. “Let me get the coffee started, and you can tell me why you’re here.”
She gave him a scathing look. “You know why I’m here. I walked in on something yesterday, and I didn’t like it. I considered letting it go. I even told myself it was none of my business. I’ve never been a big defender of Susie’s because, frankly, she didn’t need it. Now I think she does.”
Mack met her gaze evenly. “Your point?”
“Is there something going on between you and that woman?”
Mack didn’t pretend not to understand. There was no point in insulting her intelligence. And this was what he’d wanted, wasn’t it? For Susie and Jess to get closer. He just hadn’t expected his best friend’s wife to get in his face about his marriage.
“No,” he said evenly, deciding that now was not the time to mention their past. It was, after all, in the past. “There is absolutely nothing between Kristen and me beyond our work.”
“Well, the tension in the air yesterday came from something else. I recognize sexual attraction when I see it. I swear to God, if you do anything that’s going to upset Susie when she’s fighting for her life, I will personally take you apart.”
Mack smiled. “It won’t be necessary.”
“That’s what Will said, but I didn’t believe him. I wanted to hear it from you.”
“And now you have,” he said. “What’s the verdict?”
Her gaze was assessing as she surveyed him. “Well, I’ve known you to play around, but I’ve never known you to lie. And my husband’s opinion counts for a lot, so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Thank you,” he said solemnly. “All of this is quite a turnaround coming from you. You’ve never been one of Susie’s biggest fans.”
“I had an epiphany yesterday. I realized she was never the enemy. I just needed someone on whom I could focus all my anger, and she worked for me. She was such a blasted paragon, you know? Smart as a whip, athletic. She did everything right.”
“And you didn’t,” he suggested gently.
Jess sighed. “And I didn’t.”
“You discovered all that while shaving her head? You did a good job, by the way. I like the look.”
“Me, too. She has the kind of face that can pull it off. I’d be jealous, except the reason for shaving her head sucks.”
“It certainly does,” he agreed. “Are we okay, Jess?”
“For now, but I’m keeping my eye on you at the launch party. If I see anything amiss, you and I are going out back for a little come-to-Jesus talk.”
Mack smiled. “I’d almost like to see that.”
Jess chuckled, but her own smile immediately faded. “Susie is going to be okay, isn’t she?”
“It’s what we’re all praying for,” he said. “We won’t know anything until after she finishes the treatments, though.”
“Are you doing okay?”
“I’m hanging in there. I’m not the one with the tough assignment.”
“I don’t know,” Jess said. “I think it must be awful watching someone you love going through so much. I know Will’s the shrink in the family, but I’m around to listen if you ever need a sounding board. No judgments, I promise.”
“Thanks, Jess, and thank you for coming over here to stand up for my wife.”
“You know I’m just the tip of the iceberg, right? If you get out of line, the O’Briens will nail your hide to a wall.”
“Believe me, I don’t need reminding of that.”
She nodded, looking satisfied. “Okay, then, my work here is done.” She crossed the room and kissed his cheek. “You and Susie should come over for dinner when she’s feeling up to it. Will and I would love that. It can be on a moment’s notice, whenever she’s having a good day.”
“We’ll plan on it,” Mack said, then watched her go.
No sooner had Jess left than Kristen appeared. “Is she gone?” she asked dramatically. “I assume she came over here to warn you away from me.”
Mack laughed. “How’d you guess?”
“I told you I saw murder in her eyes yesterday. Is she coming to the launch party?”
“Of course. She’s the owner of The Inn at Eagle Point. They’re catering the launch.”
Kristen winced. “I guess I’ll have to watch what I eat, then, won’t I?”
“Probably not a bad idea,” he admitted. “Now, let’s go over the story log for our first editions. We’ll have to allow for any breaking news, but I think we can nail down the features.”
“Sure,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “But first I want to apologize for yesterday. I know I forget about the boundaries from time to time, but I’ll try really hard to play by the rules from here on out. I don’t want to be the other woman, and it’s too late for me to be anything else.” She met his gaze, her expression wistful. “Isn’t it?”
“It’s too late,” Mack confirmed.
“Okay, then,” she said briskly. “Let’s plan that first edition.”
Mack had hired a high school student as a stringer to cover local school sports. He planned to write about professional sports himself, along with writing the editorials. His general assignment reporter would be on board this weekend, and he had three people who would contribute feature articles on a part-time basis. It was a skeleton crew, but he thought they could manage for the time being.
His sales team had been in place from the beginning, and they’d been drawing in more advertising than he’d anticipated. The first edition was going to be a healthy one, with two full sections jam-packed with ads and great articles. The website was interactive, so readers could comment, and allowed for video streaming of local events and important meetings.
As he and Kristen went over every detail for the launch issue, Mack’s confidence gr
ew that the Bayside Chronicle was going to work. He knew there would be challenges ahead, but he could envision doing this for a lifetime, becoming a part of Chesapeake Shores in a way he’d never imagined possible as the kid from a troubled home who’d desperately wanted to belong.
As they wrapped up the meeting, he met Kristen’s gaze and grinned. “I think we’ve done it,” he said optimistically.
She grinned back at him. “I think we have,” she agreed, and held up a hand for a high five. “We’re a good team, Mack.”
When she said it, though, the wistful note was no longer in her voice. It was clearly an acknowledgment of their professional accomplishment and nothing more.
At least, he hoped that was the case.
Susie was sick and tired of being sick and tired. The minute Mack left for work, she showered, dressed and headed for the real estate office. It was time she got back into her routine and reclaimed her life. It was one thing to fight cancer and conserve her energy. It was quite another to hibernate.
She chose a bright pink scarf she would never have dared to wear with her red hair, wrapped it around her head and studied herself in the mirror. “Daring,” she concluded, grinning. “It says I’m back.”
But when she walked into the office, her father took one look at her and paled. She’d forgotten he hadn’t seen her since she’d shaved her head.
“Hey, Dad,” she said jauntily. “I decided it was time to come back to work. Otherwise I’ll never straighten out the mess you’ve probably made of all my files.”
He blinked hard and tried to muster a smile, but there was no mistaking the tears brimming in his eyes. Susie walked over to him. “Don’t you dare start crying,” she commanded, hugging him fiercely. “I’m okay. It was just hair.”
“And you always hated it anyway,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
“That’s what Mack said.”
“It wasn’t as if your opinion was a secret. I always thought the real reason Jess chopped off your hair when you were a kid was because you begged her to.”
Susie laughed. “I most certainly did not, but I did ask her to do it this time.”
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