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“My two kids are here.”
He grunts. “Hang tight. I’ll organize a ride for the three of you back to town.”
“Thank you,” I repeat in a low whisper. I don’t know why it’s such a relief to not have to organize a taxi. It would be simple—one more phone call—but having it taken off my plate feels like a weight off my shoulders. Yes, I’m strong and capable, but I’m also stretched thin.
We hang up, and I slide back into the car.
“What’s going on?” Toby asks, his hand reaching to rest on the edge of my seat.
“The tow truck will be here soon.”
“A tow truck?” Toby asks, straightening. When I nod, a smile tugs at his lips. “Cool.”
Chuckling, I lean my head against the headrest and ask my kids if they enjoyed the wedding. Katie tells me about all her favorite dresses (Jen and Simone’s) and how she saw Grant crying when he spotted Fiona. Toby regales us, in great detail, with his thoughts on the food. We’ve barely been talking ten minutes when I see two sets of headlights coming from the direction of Heart’s Cove. The front car gives two little honks, and I smile when I see the tow truck drive past. Thank goodness.
The car behind it is a pickup truck, but I don’t get a chance to have a good look at it. The two vehicles pass us, then reappear a few minutes later heading in the same direction as us, having turned around somewhere safe down the road. When the tow truck pulls up in front of my car, I smile at the kids and tell Toby to open his door and step out.
“Katie, you go out on Toby’s side. I don’t want you walking out on the road.”
She shuffles across the back seat without protest, and pretty soon the three of us are standing beside the car as Remy exits the tow truck and calls out a hello. “Bad place to break down,” he says, heading for the back of the tow truck. The snow has changed to a misty, wet drizzle, the cold seeping in through my jacket.
“Tell me about it,” I answer, then put my hand on Toby’s shoulder. “Give Remy some space to work, honey.”
“But I want to watch!”
“Listen to your mother,” comes a different voice from behind me.
My eyes widen at the sound of it, and I freeze—but Katie doesn’t.
“Mr. Blair!” she cries. “What are you doing here? Our car isn’t working. It stopped right here in the middle of the road and Mommy called for the tow truck.”
Spinning slowly, I try to stop my heart from giving out.
Mac is striding toward us, a soft smile on his lips pointed at Katie. “I heard. I’m here to take you home.”
“You are?” Katie’s head tilts to the side, and she glances at me. “Why is Mr. Blair taking us home?”
My throat is drier than it’s ever been. I still have one hand on Toby’s shoulder, who’s busy watching Remy hitch the car up to the back of the tow truck. Katie’s hand is in mine, but she’s tugging at it to get my attention.
“Did you call Mr. Blair, Mommy?”
I shake my head. “No. He’s Remy’s friend. He’s doing us a favor.” Finally, I let my eyes climb up to meet Mac’s.
It’s been nearly three weeks since that parent-teacher conference, and I thought I was over him. I’d been so busy with the kids and school and the business that I convinced myself he was a rebound, and whatever happened between us was casual. Fleeting.
Well, it feels like the furthest thing from fleeting right now. It feels like my whole body has turned electric.
“You okay?” Mac asks softly, and I can hardly take it. That voice, when it’s sweet and caring, undoes something that I’ve always tried to lock in the depths of my heart.
Unable to make my voice work, I just nod. Then I clear my throat. “You didn’t have to come here.”
“I was at Remy’s place when you called,” he explains. “I wasn’t going to leave you stranded.”
“All done,” Remy says. “You got everything you need from the car?”
“Um…” I glance in the windows, then open the door to grab my purse. The back seat is empty, so I close the door and nod to Remy. “All good.”
“Come on, Katie,” Mac says, gesturing to his pickup. “Let’s get you home.”
