As tears slowly streamed down her face, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed straight for the sports shop. Charlie would be at work, but perhaps Lucy would be finishing up with school soon. As she made the short drive, she thought of Aunt Joan and Uncle Craig. She had intended to call them once she’d finished the dress. She didn’t want them to worry, but without her cell phone, she couldn’t stop to check in with them now.
She thought of Uncle Craig and how sick he was. He would now have to deal with her mess from the past. He was one of the most important people in her life, and as she faced Thorne again, he wouldn’t be around long to help her or protect her this time. She’d lose him and Charlie and Lucy soon enough. The realization hurt, but she didn’t have time to think about that. It was time to tell the truth—the whole truth—and fast.
* * *
CHARLIE GRUMBLED UNDER his breath as Mara popped a hand to her hip.
“What do you mean you’re going to the police academy?” she said, nearly spitting her words at him from across the counter.
“What’s so difficult to understand?” he said. “It’s a good opportunity.”
“Opportunity to do what exactly? What do you want to be a cop for?”
“I think I might like it.”
“You think? Don’t you know for sure?”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you trashing this? You haven’t even stopped to listen to me.”
“Fine,” Mara said, throwing up her hands. “Why do you want to do this?”
“I helped apprehend those kids last night—”
“With your plane.”
“So? With my plane or not, it was great. I want to do more of that.”
“What if you join the force and they don’t want you to fly your plane anymore? And what about murderers and thieves and...criminals?”
“I’ll deal with those too, but I’ll also get to help people.”
“You help people here.”
“In the shop?” Charlie said, wincing. “Selling life jackets and water skis?”
“Well...you do. And it’s safe.”
“Come on, Mara.”
Mara reached for his hand and cleared her throat to try again. “I’m worried you’re jumping in too quickly again.”
“Again? Why do I think you’re not just talking about the police force?”
Mara squeezed his hand. “Because I’m not. There’s Paige too. After Crystal...”
Crystal. How that name still stung whenever he heard it on anyone else’s lips. She had done him wrong more than any sad country song could ever express, and his bruised heart was all that was left in her wake. Well, his bruised heart and a plane he couldn’t afford. If he could salvage them both, he’d consider himself a lucky man.
“I could spend the next few years just bumming around this place, before finally working up the guts to pursue a new passion, Mara. I don’t want to be scared to try again.”
“Try what?”
“Try for a new career I love...”
“You love it already? You don’t know the first thing about it.”
“I do, Mara. I’m excited about this.”
She shook her head in defeat. “Then it’s been a busy week for you. Excited about the police academy...excited about Paige...”
“You’re not losing me, you know.” He pulled her into a hug and forced her face into his armpit. She squealed the way a baby sister would.
“Seriously, Charlie. I’m too old for this.”
“Aw, sis,” he laughed as Peter joined them from the back room. “I love you too.”
“What’s going on out here?” Peter asked.
Mara escaped from Charlie’s hold and smoothed her hair. “He wants to go to the police academy, Peter. The police academy.”
“It doesn’t sound odd to me,” Peter said, flipping through a store inventory binder.
“Of course not,” Mara said, clearly exasperated. “You’re all big dreams and great ideas but no details or planning.”
“That’s why I have you, baby cakes,” he said.
“Don’t butter me up. You still have a long way to go to make things up to me, you know.”
“And you won’t let me forget it,” he said, puckering a loud air kiss.
“Am I the only rational thinker around here?” Charlie joked.
“What’s irrational about your brother becoming a cop? I think it’s great, man,” Peter said, turning to Charlie. “I wouldn’t mind having a cop in the family. Could you get me out of a couple parking tickets?”
“You’re impossible,” Mara said. Charlie looked around the shop. It was empty aside from the three of them, but a quick glance at the front window showed Paige pulling up in front of the store.
“Paige is here.” He smiled. “I wondered when she’d arrive.”
“What does Ms. Wonderful think of your new career endeavor?”
“I’m not sure. I hope she’s supportive.”
“Any idea if she’s staying or not?”
Charlie shrugged. There was a lot about Paige he didn’t know yet. Her itinerary was the least of his concerns as of late.
“If I have to dig deep and really be honest, Charlie—”
“Please do.”
Mara sighed. When his eyes met hers, hers softened, conveying a genuine happiness for him. “I don’t want you jumping into things too quickly after awful Crystal but...” Mara tipped her head thoughtfully and watched Paige fumble her way out of her car. “Paige is lovely. It’s nice to see you happy again.”
“Even if that means becoming a cop?”
Mara groaned. “Are you really going to leave me after you’ve just gotten here?”
“Sis, I was only helping out until...”
“I know,” she said, following Peter into the back room. “I know.”
Paige pushed her way into the shop and beelined for Charlie, sewing machine under one arm. She slid it onto the counter before hurrying to him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said. “Business has been painfully slow.”
Paige scanned the shop before moving into his personal space. Her mouth opened as if to say something before snapping shut. Sensing she was upset again, he eased his arms around her. She melted, allowing him to enfold her into his embrace.
“Hi, Paige,” Peter called, strolling out to the counter. At the sound of Peter’s voice, Paige stiffened and pulled away.
“Peter,” she said. “I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
“Guilty as charged. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on.”
Paige looked up at Charlie as if searching for more clarification.
“Peter decided to sell his stake in the sports marketing business.”
Peter leaned against the counter, pausing before elaborating. “Believe it or not, Mara and I don’t usually bicker as much as you’ve witnessed. I’m sorry you’ve seen us fight at all. Ugly, isn’t it?”
“All couples argue.”
“Nah, not like this,” Peter said, crouching to retrieve a few files from beneath the counter. Charlie quickly nodded to Paige to punctuate Peter’s assertion. He’d never seen the two of them fight as much as he had in just the short time since he’d returned to Roseley. Their household was nothing but stressed to the max anytime he visited. But once Peter had announced he was quitting sports marketing, it was like a release valve had been loosened. Most of Mara’s hot steam had been escaping all day, thank goodness.
“I made a bad decision leaving the shop to start a new business,” Peter continued, standing. “Mara is so capable and hardworking I thought she could handle this place on her own. She was so supportive in the beginning, I didn’t take the time to consider if I should get into sports marketing. I was so happy working here with her, building this place from the ground up
with her. I’ve been missing that this past year. Being away from her and Lucy, being on the road a lot made me miss...my life. It’s a pretty darn good one.”
“What was that?” Mara said, beelining out of the back room and to the counter.
“Peter was telling Paige how much he missed you and can’t wait to work with you all day, every day,” Charlie said.
“Oh, you did not!” Mara howled. “You’ll be sick of me within a week.”
“Baby,” Peter said, “I’ve been in love with you since you were fifteen and sneaking out of the house to meet me by the boat docks. I could never get enough of you.”
Paige sighed, resting her head against Charlie. Maybe she was a romantic too, he thought. He lowered his gaze, sensing a sadness emanating off her. He would ask about her uncle when they were alone. He didn’t want to stir up painful feelings in front of anyone else. He kissed her on the top of her head, making her tip her face up to him and smile. As the afternoon light streamed in from the front window, it caught the flecks of gold in her green eyes. They were tear-filled, mesmerizing and...
Charlie pulled back slightly, readjusting his focus. Something about the shape of her eyes had him doing a double take. Her eyes widened under the weight of his stare as Mara babbled in the background about recent orders. It was Mara who finally made Paige pull her gaze.
“Did you want to tag along, Paige? Charlie promised he’d close up the shop for me, didn’t you, Charlie?”
“Tag along?” Paige asked.
“To pick up Lucy.”
Lucy.
Charlie released Paige, now examining her face with a cop’s intense suspicion. He checked the slope of her nose, the fullness of her mouth, the edge of her hairline. Did he see similarities because he now thought he should? Had he really seen something so familiar in those green eyes or was he only being paranoid? Had Mara’s talk about Crystal made him start looking for red flags where there weren’t any?
“We’ll grab her from school and hit the Water Dancers’ show,” Mara continued. “You really shouldn’t miss it, Paige. I look forward to it all week.”
Paige’s cheeks had begun to flush again, like they had the day she’d pitched copy to him and Mara. The deep, blotchy red marks were creeping up her neck to her chin and face. She brought her hand to her face as if to hide it, but now he saw it all. The missing pieces were rapidly falling into place: those eyes, her interest in Lucy, Dr. Bob’s phone call the other day.
“Get out of here, you two,” Peter called. “We’ll meet you for dinner on the beach. I have a hankering for a cheeseburger.”
Before Charlie could speak, Mara had whisked Paige out the door. He stood rooted in the middle of the shop watching them drive away, knowing Paige Cartman’s green eyes had once again thrown his world off-kilter. But this time it was in one of the worst ways possible.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PAIGE RODE ALONG as Mara clamored on and on about everything on her mind. She talked about town, pointing out shops that had been on Main Street for generations. She rambled on about the sports shop and Charlie and... Lucy.
Paige knew the best life for Lucy was anywhere but with Thorne, even if that meant living with parents who fought all the time. But what Peter had said in the sports shop sounded promising.
“Peter said I’d be seeing a lot more of him now.”
Mara smiled. “You will, thank goodness. That man finally came to his senses.”
“About?”
“His sports marketing business.”
Paige nodded, wondering if that translated to a better life for Lucy as Mara heaved a breath to explain.
“Things between the two of us became strained last year. Strained is putting it mildly. I’m sure Charlie must have mentioned something about it to you. He returned to Roseley for personal reasons, but I can’t say I was disappointed to see him. Things were so bad with Peter and me, I appreciated his moral support.”
“You and Peter don’t usually bicker?” Paige tried for the last word as delicately as possible.
Mara belted a laugh. “Now that’s putting it mildly. We used to be so happy. That’s why the past year has been so awful. When you know how great it can be but then it isn’t...ugh...”
“It must have been hard on Lucy.”
“Has it ever.” Mara’s eyes misted with tears. “My sweet little girl...”
Paige was grateful to see a tenderness in Mara she had been looking for over the last few days. Mara had been so anxious, constantly moving and working and doing. Seeing her now calmer and tender, especially at the mention of Lucy, felt reassuring.
“What changed?”
“When Peter came to me with the proposal to buy in to his friend’s sports marketing start-up, I thought it sounded like a good idea, and financially it was. The business looked like it would boom. I thought I could handle things at the shop on my own, and Peter promised to help me when he could. We had been a well-oiled machine until that point, partners in business, partners in marriage, and I convinced him he needed to give the start-up a try. We married so young, I always worried he didn’t get a chance to do anything adventurous. I didn’t want him to regret not trying it and resent me as a reason for playing things safe. But as his commitments with the start-up grew, so did my resentment.”
“What made him decide to quit?”
“Lucy had a meltdown last night, even after that episode about your driver’s license. I forgot another thing for her school. Again. And she accused me of not being there for her anymore. Then, of course, it made me have a meltdown. I called Peter and laid everything out on the table—I’m tired of this arrangement, it’s not working.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s been ready to quit for months. He misses us so much when he leaves that when he’s gone, all he does is daydream about being home. When I told him to get home as soon as he could, he said his bag was already packed.” Mara smiled. “Love that man.”
“Does Lucy know?”
“We’ll tell her tonight.”
“I think that’s wonderful, Mara.” Paige nearly whispered the words, the relief that things would improve for Lucy washing over her in waves of gratitude.
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I can tell Lucy is very important to the both of you.”
“Yes, well, we’re both so grateful to have her.”
“Tell me about adopting her.”
Mara’s face eased into a nostalgic smile. “We just celebrated her tenth birthday, but it’s hard to believe she’s that old. It seems like just yesterday we got the phone call.”
“Did you go through an adoption agency?”
“Initially. Peter and I always knew we wanted to adopt. We were high school sweethearts and discussed adoption earlier than most couples. I had a terrible illness as a child and afterward doctors discovered...well, they learned it would never be possible for me to conceive.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. Knowing from an early age sort of helped. Well, I guess it helped as much as it could, considering. Peter knew from the start, and we both decided we’d apply for adoption as soon as we were married. The process takes a lot longer than most people realize.”
“How did you get matched with Lucy?”
“We had been working with an agency for a couple of years and every time we thought we were getting a baby, something would fall through. The birth mother changes her mind sometimes. I can’t imagine how difficult a decision that would be for any mother.”
Paige closed her eyes and nodded her head, her empathy on display right alongside Mara. Mara really couldn’t imagine what it felt like to ease a sleeping infant into someone else’s arms forever. As she clasped and unclasped her hands tightly, she hoped Mara never knew what it felt like to hug a ten-year-old Lucy goodbye for what would be the last time.
&nb
sp; “A doctor we had worked with over the years contacted us one morning. We were still in bed when he called to say he’d be at our house in an hour. We thought we had everything prepared for a situation like that, but nothing really prepares you for the moment when someone hands you your child.”
“How did you come up with the name Lucy?”
“We didn’t. It’s standard to change a baby’s name when they’re so young, and we had had a few girl names selected. But when Dr. Hathaway placed her in my arms and told us she had been named Lucy by her mother...well, she looked like a little Lucy. Plus, it was the least we could do to honor her mother, considering what she’d done for her. And us.”
Mara stared at Paige, whose eyebrows lifted in curiosity. She wanted to hear Mara’s impression of what had happened. She wanted to know what Dr. Hathaway had told her all those years ago. What was the story they would eventually tell Lucy when she was older?
“What—what do you mean...for her?”
“Lucy was a rescue baby.”
“Rescued from what?”
“Dr. Hathaway didn’t have many details for us. He also felt the less we knew, the better. Her birth mother had gotten caught up in a very unhealthy relationship with the birth father and she was scared for her safety. She wanted to give Lucy a better life than she had had. To have that kind of courage...” Mara placed her hand over her heart as her eyes welled with tears again. “Well, how could I change her name after hearing that?”
“That was kind of you,” Paige said, wiping her own eyes.
“Do you think so?”
“I do,” Paige whispered, trying to muster the courage to segue into her confession. She needed to tell Mara that Thorne was coming for their girl.
“It’s the shop,” Mara said, pointing at the cell phone vibrating in the center console. “Would you want to go in and get Lucy for me? She should be waiting just inside the doors.”
Where the Heart May Lead: A Clean Romance (Harlequin LP Heartwarming) Page 17