Crowned and Moldering

I beamed at her. “Thanks, sweetie.”

“You’re welcome. It’s not fair that you’re doing all the work.”

“I don’t mind at all, but it’s always more enjoyable with others around.”

“Back at home, I don’t get to help in the kitchen, and I totally love cooking—or trying to, anyway. So this is fun for me.”

Not to be left out, Mac grabbed a head of fresh romaine, broke off the leaves, and washed them in the sink. Moving in next to me, he tore the leaves into smaller bits and added them to the salad bowl.

“Would you feel uncomfortable sharing the same information with me that you shared with Eric?” he asked.

I thought about it and concluded that all I’d really given Eric were names of people who’d been around back then. Names that Mac could find by himself, if he had a week to scour old yearbooks in the library. That would be a waste of his time. “No. I’ll be happy to share the information with you.”

“Did Eric reveal any confidential police evidence to you?”

Boy, did he ever, I thought, then frowned at Mac. Was I transparent or what? “Why do you ask?”

“Because you seemed troubled at first, and if it’s not about the information you gave him, then I’ll bet it’s about the confidential stuff he told you.”

I had to play back what he’d just said twice before I understood it. “Okay, yes. You’re right.”

“So now I understand your initial hesitation. Believe me, I won’t ask you to betray Eric’s confidence.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t do it.”

He gri

“Fine, but please don’t tell him I said anything. Just leave my name out of it. He already has enough of a problem trusting me.”

Mac laughed and slung his arm around me. “Don’t panic, baby. I’ll keep your secrets, just as you’re keeping his.”

“Thank you.” With him smiling down at me and his arm around my shoulders, it felt . . . cozy. Warm and wonderful. I really did enjoy spending time with Mac and, let’s face it, he wasn’t hard to look at.

“Besides, I don’t know what his problem is. You’re the most trustworthy person I’ve ever met.”

I stared at him for a long moment. “Thank you.”

He touched his glass to mine. “No. Thank you.”

Callie had been gazing back and forth at Mac and me, until she looked as if she were at a te

“That’s what grown-ups do,” Mac said, winking at me.

“I don’t think so,” she said, looking a little confused. “Karl and Mavis mostly just grunt and swear around each other. Unless I’m in the room, and then they pretty much clam up.”

Mac tried to hide his amusement. “They have their own special way of reaching consensus.”

I turned away from both of them to make up the dressing for the salad. I could barely breathe after hearing Mac call me . . . what he’d called me. Baby. I exhaled slowly. It didn’t mean anything; just another one of those words of endearment people tossed around. But then to hear him say he thought I was trustworthy? That was better than a declaration of love. Especially after enduring Eric’s suspicions for so long.

Was I blowing it all out of proportion? Was there something wrong with me? Why would having someone say he trusted me mean so much to me? Wouldn’t I rather be adored for my looks or my intelligence or my business savvy than my trustworthiness? It sounded so dry.

But it wasn’t dry at all. Trust was important.

The water was about to boil over, so I set those questions aside for the time being. Eventually I would have to figure out just how much Mac Sullivan meant to me and what I pla

I stirred the linguini into the boiling water and listened to Mac and Callie teasing each other. Their voices faded to the background as I went back to pondering my strange love life—or lack thereof. If I were being truthful, I would admit that I’d recently considered taking things with Mac to a new level. But as I gazed at his niece now, I saw that my rather shaky plan would have to be put on hold.

Callie was a sweet girl, but she was going to be a handful for as long as she was staying with Mac. He was completely responsible for her right now, and I knew that it scared him to death like nothing else ever had. Okay, maybe not scared as in terrified, but he was at least worried. And he should be. Taking care of a teenager was going to be a lot of work, and I wasn’t all that sure Mac was used to having to share his time.

I gazed at Callie’s big blue eyes and the long blond hair streaming down her back. The boys at school had to have fallen halfway in love with her by now. That would be a challenge for any parent—or uncle, in Mac’s case—but doubly so for one with a beautiful girl like Callie. No wonder he’d expressed so much worry the other night.

What am I going to do with her? he’d probably wondered. I love her, but what do I know about taking care of a teenager?

And suddenly, in my mind’s eye, I was staring at Lily’s face. She had been a beautiful girl, too, and half the boys had been in love with her, as well. What a difference it might have made if her parents had been there for her, supervising her dates more carefully and worrying over where she might’ve been spending the night.

Time flipped back to the present. What would happen if there was someone like Cliff Hogarth in one of Callie’s classes? What if he developed an interest in Callie? Would she be able to distinguish the creeps from the good guys? Sometimes it was hard to tell. What if she ran into trouble? What if some smooth-talking boy lured her to some dreadful place, like the deserted lighthouse mansion? I hated to think of anything happening to Callie. And I hated to think that my beloved little town might have more tragedy in store for it.

I blinked and noticed Mac and Callie staring at me.

“Where’d you go?” he asked, amused.

“Sorry.” I grimaced. “Guess I zoned out for a minute.”

“It’s because you work so hard,” Callie said sympathetically.

I busied myself with dressing the salad and putting the bowl on the table, then turned and smiled. “Speaking of work, I’ll be working at the high school every day for the next week or so. That means I’ll be able to give you a ride in the mornings and drive you home each night.”

“That’d be great, Sha

Callie was happy, but Mac was looking at me like I’d gone a little crazy. I didn’t care. I knew Mac would be there for her, and so would I. And nothing was going to happen to her on my watch. Not in my town. Never again.

Chapter Eleven

Early the next morning, I spent some time on the phone with Carla and Wade, reconfiguring our crew once again in order to work around my new obsession. Namely, Callie. For the next five days, I would be working with Wade, Sean, and Douglas on the parking-lot project. Carla would be swinging from site to site, mainly supervising the lighthouse-mansion crew and two of our other big rehab jobs. We had several smaller jobs, as well, and Carla would make sure they were completed by one of the other guys within the next week or so.

“I was thinking,” I said. “I might work on the parking lot in the mornings and shoot over to Mac’s or Emily’s place in the middle of the day to help out for a few hours. I just need to be back at the high school by four-ish.”

“Sounds good, boss,” Wade said.

Was he placating me? Was I turning into an eccentric diva? I hoped not. I was just a little obsessed with Callie’s safety, but it would pass. As soon as she was back home with her bodyguards.