“Holy cow.” She leaned forward, one hand on the dashboard. “How many people live here anyway?”
“Mom and Dad.” The white frame two-story farmhouse was lit from porch to rafters and surrounded by dozens of cars, trucks, and few motorcycles. At least a dozen people were sitting on the porch swing and steps. “What does that banner say?
“Oh my God.” She gulped so loudly he could hear it before reading aloud. “Congratulations Mac and Tina.”
“That’s what I thought it said.”
“See that white paneled 1957 Studebaker station wagon over there on the left? That’s my mother’s car, and I just talked to her yesterday on the phone. She asked what’s new? I said nothing. She’s going to kill me.”
“Not before my mom kills me.” He considered turning the car around and making a break for it, pretty sure Tina would be fine with that, but one of the people on the porch noticed them and set off an alert.
She laid a hand on his as he parked next to the Studebaker. “Why will your mom be upset? Because you didn’t keep her updated on your dating?”
“Nah,” he said, patting her hand before getting out and coming around to open her door. “She doesn’t expect her sons to do that. I’m dead because I don’t have a ring to give you.”
Chapter Six
Tina stayed put in the seat until Mac took her hand and guided her to stand. She felt completely out of her element and out of control. The huge wraparound porch now teemed with people. Some she recognized, many she didn’t.
Mac laid his arm over her shoulder and, together, they strolled toward the house. “Smile,” he said, “and just go with the flow.”
“We can’t let them think we are getting married. Did you tell anyone?” But she peeled her lips back from her teeth in what she hoped looked like a pleasant expression rather than a grimace of terror. “Because I didn’t.”
“Just your boss. And we asked him not to tell anyone.”
The screen door pushed open and Angela emerged, along with her beauty parlor ladies. “I went to the House of Beauty yesterday afternoon and they were all acting very strangely. Two ladies under the dryer were laughing for no reason. I think they already knew.”
“And now that you mention it, the guys at the firehouse were way too into us going out. They were joking and acting like it was something real exciting.” He darted a glance at her. “Not that it’s not. For me. But why should they care?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I have a feeling Tim overheard, and between he and Mr. Harrell, who is standing with my mother like they are the best of friends, everyone in Cedar Valley is here to cheer us on toward our wedding. Welcome to our engagement party. What are we going to do?”
“How about, for tonight, we go with it? Lots of couples get this far and don’t cross the finish line, right? And if we say something now, you’ll lose your job, my mom and yours will be very embarrassed, and our friends will be sad. You don’t want to make them sad, do you?” He stopped and drew her close to him. When she looked up to meet his eyes, he swooped down, dipped her, and planted a big enthusiastic kiss on her parted lips.
The crowd hooted, cheered, and surged onto the path to escort the happy couple into the house. The inside was decorated with white streamers, balloons, and even a white honeycomb wedding bell suspended over a huge bowl of red punch next to a chocolate frosted sheet cake. As Tina stopped to admire the pastry—which bore the big pink roses her mother crafted for all cakes she baked for special occasions—Mac was swept away in a group of guys she guessed were from the firehouse. Each one was bigger, taller, more handsome than the last, although none of them were as good-looking as her guy. He’s not my guy. But it says he is right on the cake. Mac and Tina Forever. Forever was such a long time. Quite a commitment for a day and a half of acquaintanceship no matter how far they pushed the envelope.
“Like the cake, baby girl?”
She’d spent half her life trying not to hear her mother’s voice in her head and the other half glad to see her. “It’s beautiful, Mom.”
“I know chocolate frosting isn’t traditional for engagement parties, but when I learned your fiancé shares your passion for chocolate, I couldn’t resist.”
“Thank you.” He liked chocolate. Good to know. They stood side by side, admiring the cake for a long moment before Tina couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “How did you find out about…?”
“About your engagement?”
She nodded.
“Well, I didn’t hear it from my daughter, that’s for sure. Your cousin called me. Angela said she heard you were coming over here today to announce your happy news to the MacKays. One of the teachers at your school told her.” She took Tina’s arm and led her to a loveseat in a quiet corner. “I’m a little hurt.”
“It really was very sudden, Mom.”
“At work yesterday?”
“Yes.
Her mother pushed Tina’s bangs out of her eyes. “You are hiding your pretty face, dear. Now, when I spoke with you late yesterday afternoon and you said nothing was new…. I’ve always tried to teach you honesty, dear.”
Tina watched Mac move around the room, chatting with people, accepting congratulations, following an older woman, who must be his mother, out of the room then returning tucking something into his inside jacket pocket. He started toward her with a smile on his face, but another group of friends surrounded him and a cluster of women, including Angela and her staff, joined Tina and her mom, giggling and joking and offering their congratulations as well. Her mother gave her the look she knew meant they’d talk later and wandered off to chat with Mac’s mother over by a buffet table laden with enough food for a crowd at least twice as big. They’d never made it out to breakfast, she’d slept through lunchtime, and she had to scramble to get ready when she finally woke up. No food all day. People walked by her with plates filled with ham and baked beans and coleslaw and Jell-O salad and big fluffy rolls. The people of Cedar Valley had brought out their finest dishes and everyone, it seemed, but Tina was eating them.
Every time she made a move to head for food, someone else came into the little group in the corner and trapped her into making small talk again. The laughter and chatter became a dull roar in her head.
Finally, Mac managed to make his way to her and held out a hand. “Ladies, may I steal my fiancée for a moment? I have a little something for her.” And she was on her feet, holding his hand, and walking right past the table with its burden of delights.
She dug her heels in. “Mac, I’m hungry.”
He kept moving, and it was as if she had not slowed at all. “Me, too. All I had was a burger this afternoon on my way home. And fries and a shake.”
Her mouth watered. “If I can just grab a bite?”
“Absolutely, as soon as we do one thing. I’m asking you to forgive me in advance.”
They arrived at the front of the room by the cake, which she was ready to stuff into her mouth with both hands. A fleeting hope had her thinking it might be time to cut the cake. Sure, it wasn’t real sustenance, but it would keep her going for a while. Then she saw her mother and Mac’s mother standing off to the side, smiling at each other and then at her. A bad feeling prickled up her back. “Forgive you for what?”
“You’ll see.”
An older man moved to the center of the floor in front of them and tapped a spoon on a glass. “Gather around, everyone.” He was almost as tall as Mac but a little thicker in the waist and when he turned to her and smiled, his twinkling blue eyes were a giveaway. “Welcome to the family, my dear.”
“Th-thank you, Mr. MacKay.”
He bent and kissed her on the cheek. “Call me Pops. All my kids do.” When he faced the guests again, her eyes blurred with tears at the simple offer of a father in her life. One she would not be able to accept. “Everyone, quiet. My son has left us out of his love story so far, but we’ve convinced him to do one very important thing while we are all here to cheer him on. Son, the f
loor is yours.” He joined his wife and Tina’s mom to beam proudly at the two of them and it was all she could do not to admit their lie and race out into the night. But she couldn’t do that to her mother or the MacKays even if it wouldn’t be the end of her career as a teacher. She’d have to stay the course, leave as early as possible, and think how to set groundwork to undo the web of lies that bound them together.
He’d said just enjoy the evening, don’t ruin anyone’s good time…but her mother reminded her she’d been raised to be honest. From the very first moment, everything between her and Mac had been based on lies.
But, for all that, when he faced her, she couldn’t see anything or anyone in the room but Mac MacKay. And when he dropped to one knee in front of her and reached inside his jacket to withdraw a burgundy velvet box, elegant but with worn spots from age, her throat tightened until she couldn’t breathe. No one else was talking, either. The silence in the room was as thick and soft as deep pile carpeting. He opened the box to show a square cut emerald set in white gold with little diamonds halfway around the band.
“Tina Marie McIntosh, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” And, for that moment, everything was real. Her heart opened the rest of the way to welcome him in.
“You know my middle name,” she murmured.
“Your mother told me.” He still held the ring out to her, a hopeful smile on his lips. “So is that a yes?”
“And you found a ring.”
“I did. My grandmother’s. You don’t have to keep it if you don’t like it, though.”
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered.
“The color of your eyes.” He arched a brow. “Everyone is waiting to see what you’ll say.”
What did she have to lose? “Yes, Mac MacKay, I will marry you.”
When he slid the ring onto her finger then rose to take her into his arms, it was everything she’d ever dreamed of and written off. She accepted his kiss and the hugs from everyone else. Her mom, cousins, and some friends she hadn’t seen since high school who were green with envy at her dream man. The love of family and friends and one special man who prized her above all others. In fact, it would have been perfect if not for two things.
First, the everything-based-on-lies thing. Nothing could be this perfect. Her mother was right. She’d waited to have sex, long past when her girlfriends did. Most of them had married right after high school. And she would not deny had been worth the wait, but now that it happened and they were going through this charade, she’d be so much more alone than before. Especially since everyone here tonight would pity her. Even if she said she broke it off, nobody would believe it, and she’d be a piteous figure in Cedar Valley.
Second, as soon as she stepped back from the hug, her knees buckled and she collapsed to floor in a heap while blackness filled her vision. She had fainted before, once or twice when she went too long without eating, but usually in less humiliating situations. This time, when her eyelids fluttered open, she lay on the little loveseat in the corner, with a cool cloth on her forehead and worried faces all around. Struggling to sit up, she was gently urged back down. Everyone discussed her passing out, and everyone had an opinion.
“It’s the excitement.”
“It’s too warm in here.”
And the ever popular, “She’s in the family way. They’ll have to have the ceremony soon.”
“Yes, that must be it.”
Nobody seemed to consider that she hadn’t had so much as an oyster cracker since she arrived. They’d all think she was preggers.
Chapter Seven
The party ended quickly after that, at least for Tina. Someone brought her some punch and that helped her feel better. A little. She really wanted something to eat. A sandwich maybe? But instead, her mother dragged her outside to the station wagon and drove her home over the bumping roads, after assuring everyone it was just too much excitement. Nobody believed that, however. And for sure they wouldn’t buy that she could not possibly be pregnant because she’d only met Mac the day before and made love for the first time in her life that afternoon—with a condom for safety.
As they turned onto the highway, Tina lost it. She’d had at least twenty minutes of her mother railing at her about being pregnant before her wedding and how she’d end up just as unhappy as she had, and how she’d not raised a daughter to be a tramp and embarrass her in front of the entire town.
Tired of insisting she was not pregnant, she spilled the whole story and, to her astonishment, her mother burst into hysterical laughter. Then called her a liar. Everyone knew they’d been dating in secret for months. People at the party had reported seeing them all over town together, sneaking around. Exhausted, confused, and still terribly hungry, she clammed up and stopped defending herself.
When her mother stopped the station wagon outside the apartment complex, Tina jumped out and slammed the door after telling her mother she’d talk to her tomorrow. The injustice of the accusations rang in her ears. Sure, she’d slept with him. But she hadn’t slept with anyone before now. And she’d been very careful to make sure no pregnancy occurred. Unlike her mother who had gotten in the family way, married a guy with no job and no prospects, and then been abandoned so her daughter could be a pariah as the daughter of a divorced woman.
Her mother was right, though. It was better to stay single than to get mixed up in affairs of the heart. Tina might have sped up the process of life ruination, but the final result was pretty much the same.
As she closed the door to her unit, she smelled smoke but didn’t see any signs of fire. The walls in this place were so thin, you could see, hear, and smell everything every neighbor did. The guy in the unit marked 4D—something he’d done himself as a joke—in particular had odd, sweet smoke coming from his place a lot.
Stripping out of her beautiful new dress, she hung it in the closet with a sigh and set the boots underneath it. Dressed in a nightgown and slippers, with her hair pulled into a ponytail, she padded into the kitchen to finally find something to eat. Tomorrow, she’d start to unravel this mess. Her one foray into romance had left her confused, upset, and hungry. Also, according to the rest of the town, an unwed mother.
Mac would feel he had to marry her now. Nobody would ever believe she hadn’t been pregnant and he came from a good family. But he’d resent her for trapping him and probably grow to hate her.
She couldn’t bear the thought of that. They may not have stood a chance, but at least she’d have a great memory of this afternoon and hoped he would feel the same He sure wouldn’t if he was pushed into marrying her.
Chewing the peanut butter on white bread sandwich that tasted like sawdust, Tina watched all of her hopes and dreams swirl into oblivion. Despite the surreal nature of her life since she’d met him, some part of her had hoped what was between them could grow into more. She’d never have slept with him if she hadn’t thought so. But, for his benefit as well as hers, she’d have to tell Mac to go away. She’d lose her job on moral reasons once word got around town that she was pregnant. So that already happened. Maybe she could join the Peace Corps. Did they have morals clauses, too?
She had no idea, but she was sure her life as she knew it was over. Destroyed in a day and a half.
Without even the energy to brush her teeth, Tina flicked off the light and crawled into bed to cry herself to sleep.
Mac managed to extricate himself from the party about an hour after Tina was dragged off by her mother by simply walking out the back door and strolling around the outside of the house to his car. With all the excitement going on inside, nobody would miss him anyway, but the crowd by the front door had been too thick to get through with any expedience. He floored it and winced when gravel sprayed Betsy, but he had to get to Tina’s place as soon as possible so they could figure out what to do.
The despair on her face as she glanced over her shoulder before disappearing out the door would scar him forever. How had a quick kiss for a pretty girl turned into this mess? He�
�d never met a girl who affected him the way she did, and what they’d shared that afternoon had been incredibly special. Engagement special? Maybe not yet, but in the future, could be. If they could straighten out what happened tonight.
Turning onto the highway, he considered the best ways to accomplish that. First, they could convince everyone she wasn’t pregnant by setting a wedding date way out in the future. Maybe a year from now. They could just let the fiction ride while they got to know one another properly. And maybe save her job. A pregnancy rumor could definitely end that. He hoped it wouldn’t. She was great with the kids.
Mac was deep in thought as he turned down her street to see a sight that chilled him to the bone. Flashing lights surrounded her building. Flooring it, he screeched to the side of the chief’s truck and jumped out. “What’s going on?”
Chief Carmichael looked up from his discussion with two firemen to shake his head. “Grass fire behind the apartments spread to the building. Went up like a match. We’re just trying to keep it from going any further.”
His stomach clenched. “Did you get everyone out?” He scanned the crowd of pajama and robe clad tenants standing across the street but didn’t see a sign of her red hair. “I don’t see Tina anywhere.”
“Tina?”
“The teacher, Tina McIntosh,” he said, craning his neck to get a better look at the situation. Through the archway into the courtyard, he could see one side was completely involved, unsalvageable. It was the one opposite hers. “She lives here.”
“We knocked on all the doors,” the chief said. “What unit was she in?”
“She lives in 3A and she should have been back here an hour or so ago.”
“Bob,” the chief called out. “You were the one who checked those third floor apartments. Anyone in 3A?”
The tall Scandinavian shook his head. “Nope. We did get that guy out of the one marked 4A though. What’s with that anyway?”
Dallas Fire & Rescue: MacKay's Fire (Kindle Worlds Novella) (MacKay Destiny Book 2) Page 6
