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Liam shrugged. “It’s okay.”
Mac gritted his teeth as a wave of anger washed over him. For Christ’s sake. If he had to hear Liam say everything was “okay” one more time, he was going to lose his shit. It wasn’t okay. None of this was fucking okay.
Mackenzie pulled into the pharmacy and told Liam he’d be back in a minute. He walked inside and instead of wasting time looking for God knows what, he headed for the main counter up front. Mrs. Borstrano was just applying her lipstick when he stopped at her register. The woman had manned number one for as long as Mac could remember, and surely she would know what he needed to buy for a bad sunburn.
“Good morning, Mrs. B.”
Her pale face broke open into a wide grin, as she gazed up at him. She was a petite little thing, with soft brown eyes, an easy smile, and long, dark hair most women half her age would kill for. It fell down her back just the way he remembered. Heck, back in the day, every single boy in Crystal Lake had a crush on Mrs. B.
“My goodness. Mackenzie Draper. Son, you are just what every woman should see first th
ing in the morning.”
He winked. She’d always been a flirt. “Damn, Mrs. B., I only have time to visit one woman this morning, and it happens to be you.”
“Well, it sure is nice to see that pretty face of yours, Mackenzie.” She leaned forward. “Though I hear you’ve been stepping out with Lily St. Clare.”
Mac smiled. “She’s a friend.”
Mrs. Borstrano’s eyes softened a bit. “She’s a real nice girl, Mackenzie. You best treat her nice, you hear?”
Mac didn’t quite know what to say to that so he got right to the point. “I need some cream for a bad sunburn.”
Mrs. Borstrano gave him the once-over. “Is this for you?”
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s for my nephew, Liam.”
“Ah,” she replied. “Follow me.”
Mrs. B. led him all the way to the back of the store, and he waited patiently while she picked out a tube of cream. She shoved it into his hands, a frown on her face. “Liam, isn’t that Becca’s little boy?”
“Yep.”
They were back at the cash register now. “I heard she’s in town staying with your mother for the summer.”
Mac handed over a twenty-dollar bill. “She is.”
“Huh.” Mrs. B. pursed her lips as she gazed up at him.
Shit, here we go.
“Just her and the boy?”
He nodded.
“I also heard she’s banged up a bit. Was she in an accident or something?”
An accidental fall into her husband’s fist.
Any lightness he felt disappeared, though he was able to keep his cool. “She’s doing alright.”
Mrs. B. held his gaze for a bit and then sighed. “She’s a good girl with a good head on her shoulders. She’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s hope so,” Mac replied as he grabbed his bag. “Thanks for this.”
“No problem, Mackenzie. It’s so nice to have you back in town.”
Mac ran into Pastor Lancaster as he headed out to his truck, but he didn’t afford him anything more than a wave. At this rate, he was never going to make it to work. He checked his cell, but there were no messages, and with a grimace, he shoved it back into his jeans before hopping into the truck.
