by Marie Force
Surprised to hear that, Mallory said, “Who else?”
“Who was the other person who should’ve been told?”
Mallory stared at him for a long, charged moment. “Dad?”
Kevin nodded. “He would never, ever speak poorly of your mother, not to you or anyone. But I know he’s wrestled with why she didn’t tell him. It’s been hard on him, too.”
“He’s never said that to me.”
“He wouldn’t. He’d never burden you with something you had nothing to do with.”
“He wouldn’t be burdening me.”
“That’s how he would see it. He aches over what he missed with you, Mallory. Please don’t think for one second that he doesn’t. And I’m not speaking out of turn here. He’s spoken to me about this as his brother, not as his doctor, and I’m telling you this as my niece, not my patient.”
“I understand.” She wiped her face with the tissue he handed her. “Is it normal, after something like this happens, to feel disconnected from your life?”
“It’s normal, after losing your mother, finding your father and a family you didn’t know you had and then losing your longtime job—all in one year—to feel extremely disconnected. Nothing about this new life resembles the old life, and it’s only natural that it’ll take some time for the new to seem normal to you.”
“I’ve been offered a job here.”
“On the rescue? I heard. That’s wonderful.”
She shook her head. “That’s a summer job. There’s no budget for the off-season. The job I’ve been offered is director of nursing at the healthcare facility Jared and Lizzie James are opening this fall.”
“That’s amazing! Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to feel wanted after the way I was unceremoniously dumped by my former employer.”
“Why do I sense there’s more to this than you’re letting on?”
“Because you’re good at this, and because there is.” Mallory sighed. “The offer came from the man I’m seeing, Dr. Quinn James, the facility’s medical director.”
“Ahhh, sticky.”
“Right.”
“Would he be your boss?”
“He says no, that we’d be colleagues and could set it up so I’d answer directly to his brother and sister-in-law.”
“That would seem to negate any potential conflict of interest issues.”
“It does.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The relationship with him is new, and the worry becomes what happens at work if things go south between us. His brother owns the place. He’s not going anywhere.”
“Which is a reasonable concern.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“I can tell there’s more you’d like to say. Speak to me as my uncle and not a therapist.”
“As your uncle, I’d remind you that you’re a highly qualified professional with impeccable credentials who could probably land the job of your choice in any city in this country. If things go south with him personally, and it becomes untenable to work with him professionally, you leave.”
“You say that as if it’s simple.”
“It is. You’re still in that early career mind-set of having to hold on to a job at all costs because you might not be able to find another. We both know the shortage of qualified nurses would make you a hot commodity anywhere you chose to go. So go into the new job with the new man holding your own set of cards. Play them as you see fit.”
“You’re good at this. You might want to consider a career.”
Kevin’s ringing laugh made her smile. “If only I were as good at sorting my own crap as I am with other people’s.”
“Are things okay with Chelsea?”
“Things are great with her, other than everything being on hold until my divorce is final at the end of the summer.”
“What then?”
“We’re waiting to talk about it when I’m free and clear.”
“And that’s driving you nuts.”
“Little bit. She’s the one, you know? Took me more than fifty years to find her, and I worry all the time that I’m going to lose her.”
“I’ve seen you two together. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Still… I’ll be happy when we can make it official in some way or another. Stuff like this, what I have with her… When you live long enough, you know it doesn’t come along every day, which makes it that much more urgent. Does that make sense?”
“It does. I’ve experienced some of that myself in recent weeks.”
“With your doctor friend.”
She nodded.
“So it’s something special with him?”
“Could be. I’m taking baby steps.”
“If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to grab something that feels special and hold on with everything you’ve got. I spent thirty years in a mediocre relationship that I don’t regret because I got my amazing sons from it and we had a good life. But I can tell you there’s absolutely nothing like the real thing.”
Mallory already knew that to be true and had begun to realize that her feelings for Quinn were similar to what she’d felt for Ryan. He hadn’t been gone so long that she’d forgotten the thrill of being truly in love. “Thank you for your wisdom,” she said as she got up to leave.
He stood to give her a hug. “I’m here for you as a therapist or an uncle or a friend, any time you need any of the above.”
“That means the world to me. You have no idea.”
“We’re all happy to have you as part of our family, Mallory, and I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason. Maybe if you’d known your dad as a child, you wouldn’t be here now, and you wouldn’t have met Quinn. It’s possible this was how it was always meant to be.”
“You’ve given me plenty to think about.”
“Then my work here is finished.”
“I’ll see you at Dan and Kara’s wedding?”
“Yes, you will.” He walked her to the door and opened it for her. “Be kind to yourself, sweetheart. You’ll figure out the path that works for you when the time is right.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Appreciate it.”
“My pleasure.”
Chapter 25
Mallory went down the stairs and walked slowly through town, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling ferry landing and enjoying the heat of the warm sunshine on her face. The town was decidedly less busy now that Race Week was over, but islanders expected busy weekends and weeks of madness once school let out.
She crossed the street to a bench that overlooked South Harbor and watched one of the big ferries arrive with a small number of people onboard, but it was full of cars as well as fuel and mail trucks.
From her vantage point looking down at the harbor, she could see that Joe was at the controls of the arriving ferry, and she watched, fascinated, as he turned the huge vessel around in the small harbor and backed it into port.
“Quite somethin’ to watch, t’isn’t it?” Ned Saunders asked as he took a seat next to her on the bench.
“I could never do that.”
“We all have our gifts. That’s one a’ Joe’s.”
“What are his others?”
“Painting.”
“What kind of painting?”
“Landscapes. He’s got a gift fer it.”
“Every time I think I’ve heard it all, there’s something more to learn about my family,” Mallory said with a sigh.
“Yer doing just fine, gal.”
“You really think so?”
“Course I do or I wouldn’ta said so.”
She smiled at his adorable bluster. “I feel like I’m constantly playing catch-up. I don’t get the jokes. It’s like being the new kid in a school full of kids who grew up together.”
“Ya’ll catch up. Gonna take some time, but ya’ll git there.”
“I hope so.”
“Yer daddy is t
ickled pink that ya’re here for the summer. Got his heart set on keepin’ ya here for longer.”
“Does he?” Mallory asked, amused and pleased to hear that.
“Ya know it. Ya probably got him figured out by now. A big softie, he is.”
She couldn’t think of a better word to describe her father. “For sure.”
“Best guy I ever known. He woulda been there fer ya. Every step a the way. Hope ya know that.”
A sudden lump in her throat made it impossible to do anything more than nod.
“Fer what it’s worth, I hope ya stick around, too.”
“That’s very nice of you to say.”
“Ya can’t be in on the joke if ya ain’t where they are.” Seeing that people were beginning to disembark from the ferry, Ned stood. “Gotta get back ta work.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Have a nice day now.”
“You, too, Ned.”
She watched him walk away, whistling as he went, and thought about what he’d said about how she couldn’t be in on the jokes in her family if she wasn’t with her family. Between what Kevin had said and Ned’s words of wisdom, it was abundantly clear that her move to Gansett Island needed to be longer term than just the summer. Three months wouldn’t be long enough to learn the tiny details she yearned to know about each of her family members.
Mallory wanted to know them the way they knew each other and learn to speak their language. Janey had told her she could rent the house for as long as she wanted and had hinted that she hoped it would be longer than the summer.
She had a home, a job offer, her wonderful family all around her and a guy who wanted her to stay. Mallory laughed out loud at the simplicity of her decision when framed in the proper context. She’d asked for the summer to make up her mind, and here it was, early June, and she already knew what she was going to do.
Rising from the bench, she headed home, eager to tell Quinn the news.
*
Blaine and Tiffany took the three-o’clock boat off the island for the meeting with Jim. They’d brought Blaine’s truck and would drive to the state attorney general’s office in Providence, where the meeting would take place. It had taken a couple of weeks to hammer out the conditions for the meeting.
At first, Jim had refused to meet with Tiffany if Blaine was with her. Blaine had been adamant that she not go alone. They’d compromised, agreeing that he would accompany her to the meeting but not be in the room when she spoke to Jim. Blaine had agreed reluctantly, and things had been tense between them ever since.
Tiffany totally understood why he was upset, but all she could think about was trying to put this situation to rest for Ashleigh’s sake. Protecting her daughter was her only goal.
Blaine stood by her side at the rail as the ferry approached the breakwater at Point Judith. “If he touches you in any way, I’ll be through that door so fast, he won’t know what hit him.” Those were the first words he’d spoken since they left the house.
“Okay,” Tiffany said, knowing it was pointless to object. He had to feel like he could protect her, or he wouldn’t be able to handle being relegated to the observation room.
Blaine wrapped his much bigger hand around hers. He didn’t say anything else, but the tight squeeze of his hand said everything for him. When the ferry pulled into port on the mainland, he led her down the stairs and helped her into the truck. After he was settled in the driver’s seat, he reached for her hand again and held it all the way to Providence.
Sam Rhodes met them in the lobby and escorted them upstairs to the room where the meeting would take place. He showed Blaine the door to the observation area where he’d be able to see and hear everything.
“I’ll give you a minute,” Sam said to Tiffany. “When you’re ready, you can join us.”
“Thank you,” Tiffany said.
Sam stepped into the conference room and shut the door.
Tiffany looked up at Blaine, noting the dark circles under his eyes and tension that clung to him. She reached up to caress a pulsing muscle in his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Protect yourself in there, Tiffany. Don’t let him say or do anything to harm you. I mean it.”
“He’ll be on his best behavior with the prosecutors in there, and I’ll be fine because I know you’re right outside the door, watching out for me.” With her hand on his neck, she brought him down for a kiss. “Let me get this over with so we can get on with our lives, okay?”
Nodding, he returned her kiss and let her go with what seemed to be tremendous reluctance.
She smiled reassuringly at him and left him in the observation area. Outside the door to the conference room, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever might happen. Jim meant nothing to her. Not anymore. But he was and would always be Ashleigh’s father, and there was nothing Tiffany wouldn’t do for her little girl, including face off with the man who’d disappointed her so profoundly.
Tiffany had taken care with her appearance, and the effort paid off in the wistful way in which Jim studied her as she walked into the room and sat next to Sam, across the table from Jim and his attorney. Jim wore a light blue dress shirt, and unlike the last time she’d seen him, he was well groomed, the way he’d always been before he went off the rails.
Tiffany folded her hands and made sure her diamond engagement and wedding rings from Blaine were prominently displayed.
“You asked for this meeting,” Jim said in the snide tone she’d become accustomed to from him in the last few years of their marriage. “What do you want?”
“I would like for you to consider accepting a plea to spare your daughter the humiliation of a trial.”
He snorted. “She’s four. What does she know about humiliation?”
“She’ll be five soon and going to school with other kids whose parents will be talking about how, in a drunken stupor, you pulled a knife at an engagement party and assaulted Dan. Is that what you want your daughter to be confronted with on the playground in kindergarten?”
To his credit, Jim had the good sense to seem chagrined. “No, that’s not what I want.”
“Take the plea, Jim. Spare her the embarrassment and ridicule of having your sins thrown in her face. We live in a very small town. This will stick to her forever as it is. Why make it worse than it already is?”
“What about your sins? Will those stick to her, too?”
Tiffany stared at him, determined to remain calm and not take the bait. “I’ve never committed a felony or been intoxicated in public.”
“No, you just sell dildos for a living.”
“Jim,” his attorney said, the warning clear.
“Which is perfectly legal,” she said, remaining calm.
The two of them stared at each other across the table, and in that uncomfortable silence, Tiffany made a decision. “Could we have a minute alone, please?” she asked the lawyers.
“Umm, that wasn’t the plan,” Rhodes said.
“I need one minute,” she said.
Jim nodded to his attorney, who got up and left the room with the prosecutor.
Tiffany knew that Blaine would be furious, so she spoke quickly. “I’d like to ask you one more time to tell me what it was that I did so wrong that led to all this. And I want to be clear that I’m asking for Ashleigh’s sake. Someday my daughter is going to ask me what happened between Mommy and Daddy, and I’d like to be able to tell her, because I don’t have the first clue.”
Jim stared mulishly across the table, his jaw set in the stubborn expression she knew all too well.
“I was a good wife to you, Jim. I worked two jobs to put you through law school. I took care of everything so all you had to do was study. When we moved home to Gansett, I ran two businesses while keeping our home and taking care of the beautiful daughter I gave you. I’d really like to be able to tell Ashleigh something other than I don’t know, not if she asks, but when she does.”
He was quiet for so
long that she didn’t think he was going to answer her.
Tiffany was about to give up on him when he finally said, “It wasn’t anything you did.”
“Then what was it?”
“It was me,” he said with a sigh. “I was dissatisfied with everything once we got back to Gansett. I don’t know why, but things changed for me after we moved home. It was… a letdown to be back there where nothing ever changes.”
Tiffany stared at him, her mouth agape. “So you threw away your marriage and family and the career we’d both worked so hard to give you because you were bored?”
“Not bored so much as disappointed. I kept asking myself, is this it? For the rest of my life? This is all there is?”
Wondering if she’d ever known him at all, she sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “You’re a fool.”
His eyes flashed with emotion. “Do you think I need you to tell me that? I’ve had nothing but time to think about the many ways I fucked everything up.”
“So you get now that it was you who fucked it all up? Not me or Dan or anyone else. It was you, Jim.”
“I get it,” he said on a low growl.
Hearing him take responsibility for the mess he’d made was, she realized, the best outcome she could’ve hoped for. “You took everything we had when you left. Why did you do that?”
“I was so angry.”
“At me?”
“At you, at myself.”
“I did everything I could and more than I probably should have to keep our family together. I deserved better than to be treated that way, Jim, and so did Ashleigh.” After a long pause, she said, “Take the plea and make it go away for all of us. Do the right thing for once.” She got up and headed for the door.
“Tiffany.”
Stopping, she took another breath and turned around. “What?”
“I love Ashleigh. She’s the most important person in the world to me. I want to be better for her so I can be part of her life.”
“I want that for her, too.” With nothing left to say, Tiffany exited the room and ran smack into her husband, who’d been standing right outside the door. She curled her hands around his arm. To Sam Rhodes, she said, “I did what I could.”
“Appreciate you coming in. We’ll be in touch.”
