I wait a moment before answering. It’s complicated and I don’t know if anyone else would understand my reasoning or agree with me on my decision.
“Sort of. We’re together, yes. I still love him, he still loves me, we’re working through the mess that happened. But we’re keeping things private for now.” It’s an honest answer, even if it isn’t the complete answer. It seems to be enough to satisfy Ella for now because she just nods.
We continue to enjoy our food and wine, our conversation moving on to how Ella’s husband Marcus is progressing with the new community he’s developing at the north end of the island. It’s going to be beautiful and integrate really well into Westmount Island. Ella’s been acting as a pseudo-liaison for the project, making sure the community meets our needs and attracts the right kind of people as residents. People who enjoy nature and a slower pace of life.
Eventually, the wine bottle and plates are empty and I realize far too late that I’m a little tipsy.
“Crap, I don’t know if I can drive home,” I state, surprised until I realize that those appetizers were the only real food I ate since breakfast. Salmon puffs were no match for half a bottle of wine.
Ella giggles. “Why don’t you call lover boy to come and pick you up?”
I snort inelegantly. “First of all, don’t call him lover boy ever again. Eww. Second of all, he’s helping his parents.” But I want to see Mac, even more now that Ella brought it up. My tall, muscled, sexy, Mac…
“I can get Marcus to drive you home,” Ella offers sweetly, but I shake my head.
“Nah, I can walk. It’s not far.” Which is true, nothing on the island is that far. My home is at most a three-mile walk. Easy peasy.
Ella waves at me from the front steps of the inn and turns to skip toward her cottage, conveniently located on the inn’s property. Once she’s inside, I head out down the long driveway, wobbling only slightly.
Halfway into my walk, I’m regretting my stupid decision. This trip might seem like no big deal in daylight, but when I’m drunk and wearing heels, it’s harder than climbing West Mountain.
I feel like an idiot. I’m so caught up in complaining to myself that I don’t notice the truck pull up beside me until it’s right there, startling me. The window rolls down and over the thunder of my racing heart, I hear the most amazing sound.
“Hey hot stuff, where are you headed so late at night?”
Mac’s teasing is filled with warmth and promises, and I eagerly open the truck door and climb in. I crawl over the bench seat and grab his face, pressing a kiss to his smiling lips.
“My hero.”
His chuckle fills the cab. “Happy to oblige, but why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t want to bother you.” I fasten my seatbelt, then look over at him, confused. “Wait, how did you know to come and find me? I thought you were with your parents?”
“Marcus called me from Ella’s phone. Seems like a nice guy. Went on about you two drinking lots of wine and you deciding to walk home. He didn’t like that idea, but didn’t want to leave Ella, so he called me. I guess Ella told him about us.”
“Yeah, she would do that. They’re so in love,” I say dreamily as my head falls back.
“That wine did a number on you, didn’t it, T?”
I nod slowly and giggle. “Yup.”
Chapter nine
Mac
I grin fondly at my tipsy girl. “Well, I’ll get you home and settled, then I should get back to Mom and Dad’s.”
Tawny pouts and I chuckle. She wants me to stay with her and I want that, too. But I do need to get back to my Dad.
“I’m glad I got to see you tonight.” I glance over at her and she turns her head to smile at me.
“Me too.”
I take her hand in mine and relish the feeling of her fingers wrapped between mine. The rest of the short drive is filled with an easy silence. Tawny sitting in my truck, holding my hand, brings back memories of when we were younger. How exciting it felt sneaking around, stealing moments together. I wish the secret felt exciting this time, but it just hurts. And if I’m honest, I’m worried it means she isn’t all in, like I am.
I pull into her driveway, only to realize Tawny’s fallen asleep, her head leaning against my truck window.
I gently untangle my hand and climb out, then walk around to her side. It isn’t easy, but I manage to get the door open and her seatbelt unbuckled without waking her up. Once she’s in my arms, Tawny lets out a little noise before nuzzling under my chin. I chuckle and walk to her front door. Since I don’t have a key, I realize I’ve got to wake her up.
