A date with Mac. The very thought of it caused a giddy feeling to glide straight through her. She’d spent some time daydreaming about it late last night when she had been unable to sleep. Tossing and turning had led to thoughts of Mac. What would it be like, she wondered to be courted by him? To be the woman in his life? Something told her the reality would be much better than any dream.
She wasn’t the type of woman who could ask a guy out, even though she would love to hang out with Mac. It just wasn’t her style. She was old fashioned in that regard.
Delilah walked toward the front door, wrenching it open just as it pealed for a second time. Mac was standing there, filling up the whole door frame. Zoey immediately began to sniff Mac like crazy and slobber all over him.
“Hey Delilah. How are you?” Mac, dressed in a pair of dark washed jeans and a forest green T-shirt looked handsome and relaxed. A pair of sneakers completed the causal look. He paused to give Zoey the attention she craved by nuzzling her under her chin.
“I’m good. Come on in,” she said, inviting him inside with a wave of her hand. “Go play outside for a bit, Zoey.” She scooted Zoey outside to her fenced-in yard.
He walked over the threshold, immediately filling up her bungalow with his strength and strong presence. “Thanks for allowing me to come over today. I can’t say that I slept a wink last night though. Too much anticipation.”
“I can’t say I blame you. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging,” Delilah said. She felt badly about dangling the information in front of him yesterday. Knowing he’d been on edge about it all night made her feel guilty.
“No worries. You didn’t leave me hanging. It almost felt like the night before Christmas and not being able to go to sleep because I knew something great was waiting for me under the tree.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s a wonderful feeling. Why don’t we head into the living room? I have my computer on the table.”
Mac followed behind her. “By the way what happened to Betty?”
“Sadly, she’s beyond repair.” She tossed the words over her shoulder. “I’m on the lookout for a gently used car if you happen to know of anything.”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Mac said. “One of my buddies over in Chatham might have something at his lot.”
When she turned back toward him he was looking around her living room. “Your place is beautiful, Delilah. You’ve done a lot of renovating, I see. It looks really different than the last time I was here.”
She shot him a puzzled glance. “You were in here?”
He sank down on to the couch next to her and nodded his head. “The previous owner, Judd Banks, was a friend of mine. When I was a teen-ager I used to do odd jobs for him around the place. He suffered from MS, so as his condition deteriorated I helped out more and more around the place. I always loved this house. Do you know it was one of the first bungalows built in Breeze Point?”
“No, I didn’t know that. I do remember Mr. Banks though. He was an amazing painter. His works depicting Breezy Beach are masterpieces.” The bungalow had been a part of Mr. Bank’s estate after he passed away. Sadly, she’d never had the opportunity to meet the owner of her house, although she had purchased one of his paintings through his estate.
“He was really talented. Remy says that Judd making a living at painting inspired him to reach for that dream himself.”
“That’s really wonderful. Kids need people to look up to. I see that a lot in my job. Kids searching for role models.”
“I have to confess, I almost made an offer on this house myself.” Mac had a twinkle in his eye as he made his statement.
Delilah laughed. “No you didn’t.”
Mac smiled and nodded his head. “I’m not kidding. I always loved this house.”
Learning this information made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “What a coincidence. I have to say I’m pretty happy you didn’t. I love my little abode.”
“I’m actually living at Layla’s cottage now over on Harbor Lane. She’s selling it to me now that her and Nick are married. It’s small, but I’m going to put an addition on and build up the place. I’ve already done a few things to the façade. Plus, it’s right near the beach which is a huge bonus.”
“That’s exciting. I’m not an expert by any means, but I did a lot of weekend warrior stuff. I’ve been pretty impressed by all those home improvement shows. Ripping down walls and then building it back up. I have a friend who flips houses for a living and she helped me out with some of the really hard stuff. This house hadn’t been updated since it was built.”
A look of disbelief was etched on Mac’s face. “Wow. That’s pretty impressive. I’ve done a bit of home renovation work because of my profession. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
She cared what Mac thought about her home. It had been a long time since she’d cared what a man thought about her. In the aftermath of way too many disastrous relationships she’d come to the decision that she would go out of her way not to care. That way she could keep her heart intact. Suddenly she felt stirrings inside her soul. All because of Mac.
At the moment he was staring at her with a questioning look in his eye. She wondered if he had any idea she’d been sitting here thinking about him and her growing feelings for him. No way! She reassured herself. She was pretty good at masking her emotions. So far she’d been nothing but casual and friendly toward him.
“Thanks,” she replied in an even tone. “I surprised myself by being able to dig in and get the work done. In the end, I had such a feeling of accomplishment. And an updated house.” She rubbed her hands together. “So, why don’t I pull the picture and the article up on my computer?”
“Ready when you are,” Mac said. There was a slight look of tension on his face. It must be a little bit scary to be confronting your worst nightmare head-on, she imagined. With her background as a social worker she would be able to support Mac if he had any adverse reaction to the article. One never knew what memories could be triggered by references to a painful past.
Delilah leaned forward and logged into her computer. She pulled up the article from two decades earlier and pushed the computer toward Mac. She leaned back into the couch as Mac began reading the article. She watched his face in profile as he scanned it. A groan escaped his lips.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is it Callie?”
He swallowed hard. “I’m just reacting to the first picture of me standing with the policeman. That’s me.” He reached out and touched the screen. It was a tender gesture, Delilah thought. It was as if Mac was being transported back into the past and, in the process, reconnecting with his childhood self. The sound he emitted was no doubt due to memories of that horrible night. Just reading Mac’s foster care file had gutted her. The abuse he had suffered at the hands of his stepfather had been horrific. And his mother had stood by and allowed her husband to abuse her children. In a million years she would never be able to understand such a hideous betrayal.
It was no wonder Mac had always been a little withdrawn and closed off.
“Callie.” Mac said the name as if it were sacred. She leaned over and saw the photo of Mac sitting in the back of the ambulance. Callie was standing off to the side in the photo. “I have a vague memory of Callie wanting to get in the ambulance with me, but they wouldn’t let her. There was a woman there…she was holding Callie by the wrist and she was crying and calling out my name.” Mac winced. “I kept telling her that I would see her soon.” His features twisted as he shook his head from side to side. “She must have thought I lied.” He pushed the computer away and sank back into the couch. He ran a shaky hand across his face.
She reached her hand out and touched his arm. He practically jumped at the contact. “Mac. Are you all right?”
He met her gaze. His gray eyes flickered with emotion. A sheen of tears misted his eyes. “For so long I shoved this down into a deep dark hole. In order to survive I had to move on. And part of moving on was forgettin
g all about this night.” He reached out and tapped her computer screen. “This right here proves that Callie existed. And I knew that…I’ve always known that. But reading this article brings back all the pain and loss associated with that nightmarish time.” He placed a hand over his heart. “It hurts.”
“Oh Mac. I’m so sorry. I hope this makes sense. What you’re going through now is almost like post-traumatic stress disorder. The events that took place two decades ago were traumatizing. From all accounts you handled it stoically. You never really dealt with the loss of Callie because you had to stuff your grief down where it couldn’t be seen or judged. No one really allowed you to mourn the loss of Callie because no one knew that she really existed. She was truly a ghost.”
Mac looked down and heaved a giant sigh. “That’s right, Delilah. I feel like there’s this huge weight on my chest. It seems as if it’s a hundred pounds. And it’s Callie. I feel the guilt of not acknowledging Callie weighing heavily on me.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Mac. You were a child. One who was doing his very best to survive an abusive home life and move forward in the foster care system. You have to forgive yourself.”
His eyes flared with anger. “The only way I’m ever going to forgive myself is by finding my sister. I need to look her in the eye and make sure that she is happy and loved and protected. Then and only then will I be able to move on with my life.”
Callie nodded. She understood Mac’s anger and confusion and pain. He was still grieving the loss of Callie. He had been doing so for the past twenty years. And even though he loved every single member of his Donahue family, it still didn’t dull the ache of loss. It still didn’t make up for the void created by Callie’s absence. It still didn’t make Mac whole.
“Where does the investigation go from here, Mac?”
“My cousin Parker is a PI. He’s committed himself to helping me track down both Mrs. Worther and Callie. That picture might help him since it’s the only existing picture of my sister.”
Delilah frowned. “How can this picture help? She couldn’t have been more than six years old at the time. It’s too much of a long shot to think anyone will recognize her from a childhood photo.”
“There’s lot of programs these days that can take a picture and do a rapid age progression. Parker has that capability so I need to get him a copy of this article and the photos.”
“I can get a copy of this for you. It might be better if I scan a copy that you can give to Parker. It’s probably best to have the clearest image possible.”
“Agreed.” Mac stood up from the couch. “I should be on my way. I’d like to pass this information on to my cousin as soon as possible.”
“It will just take me a few minutes to scan and print the photo. Would you like a glass of lemonade or some soda?”
“A lemonade would be great.”
Delilah led Mac to the kitchen where she poured him a glass of frosty lemonade. She pulled out the batch of chocolate chip cookies she had baked earlier. “Help yourself while I go print the picture.” Within minutes Delilah had the black and white pictures in her hand along with a manila envelope. She took a moment to write down the name of the photographer on a piece of paper. Tracking Dirk Grazio down might be important.
When she returned to the kitchen Mac was seated at her kitchen counter wiping his mouth with a napkin. There was something almost comical about seeing Mac sitting on her dainty kitchen stool. He was all arms and legs and muscles. She had to admit he added an interesting element to her kitchen. It was amazing, she realized, what a little testosterone did to the atmosphere of her home.
“Those cookies are dangerous. I had a few more than I should have,” he admitted.
“Better you than me,” she laughed. “Chocolate chip cookies are my Kryptonite. I’m glad you’re sharing with me.” She placed the photos in the envelope, then slid it across the counter toward Mac.
“Thanks, Delilah. For everything,” he said as he reached for the envelope and stood up. He patted the envelope. “This may very well turn out to be a game changer.”
She smiled at Mac, pleased by being able to help with the search for Callie. “I’m happy to help, Mac. If you need anything more, don’t hesitate to ask.” She looked up at Mac, suddenly feeling tiny compared to his height and strength.
“I’ll keep you in the loop with any updates, if that’s okay.”
She led him down the small hallway toward the front door. She turned toward him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.
“Oh I’d love that. I’m really curious about where this journey will take you.” She opened the front door. “I’m praying for a happy ending.”
“Me too,” he said in a low voice as he crossed the threshold and left her house. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Delilah.”
“You too, Mac,” she said as she stood at the door and slowly closed it behind him. Once the door was closed and Mac was no longer in view, she leaned against the back of the door and let out a sigh. Suddenly, she felt restless. Mac had left a huge void in his wake. She had to wonder whether this was truly about Mac’s presence or an indication that there was something missing in her life. She wasn’t one of those women who always felt a need for a man in her life, although she had dated frequently in the past. With every step she took toward leading a faith driven life, Delilah was discovering that she had always tried to fill the voids in her life with men. Was that why she couldn’t stop thinking about Mac Donahue?
She would like to think there was something more going on then what she’d been guilty of doing so many times before. Now, as opposed to the past, she knew the difference between feeling empty and being fulfilled. Although she felt a tad lonely at times, she enjoyed her life. She was content. Her feelings toward Mac weren’t based on filling a hole. It was based on something infinitely more solid. A connection. Something simmered in the space between them whenever they were together. Delilah couldn’t ignore it even if she tried. It tantalized her and frustrated her. At times she wondered whether she was imagining the whole thing, while at other times she wanted to explore the connection more.
To add another layer to her feelings she also felt an overwhelming urge to help him with his quest to find Callie. Based on everything he had told her and from what she’d sensed, finding Callie would be the only surefire way for Mac to obtain closure.
Mac deserved peace. And a happy ending tied up with a bright red bow.
Dear Lord, she prayed. Let Mac find Callie. Allow this wonderful man the healing he so desperately needs.
**
After leaving Delilah’s house, Mac sat in his truck outside and made a quick call to Parker asking him to meet him at his house. Parker was crashing at Wyatt’s beach house while he was in town. He couldn’t wait to show his cousin the photograph and the article. It felt as if he was about to take a giant step forward in the search for his sister. Hope shined inside him like a beacon. He prayed it would lead him home—to Callie. She was as much a part of him as his parents and all six of his brothers. He could no more give up the search for her than he could abandon any member of his big bustling Donahue family if they ever needed him.
Callie needed him. She always had. And he needed her too. Desperately. The ache of losing her was still there, like a drumbeat thrumming inside his chest.
He glanced over at Delilah’s bungalow. There weren’t many places in this world that Mac felt completely at home. It was one of his many quirks. It was one of the reasons he had been through so many foster families until he found his forever family with the Donahue clan. No home had ever felt right until then.
Delilah’s home had felt soothing and natural to him. The feeling shocked him since he wasn’t used to feeling that way when he first entered someone’s home. He knew it was all tied up in his past and his feelings about finding a place to call home. And he was fairly certain his favorable reaction to the house had everything to do with the woman who owned the bungalow house. Delilah Dalt
on. She intrigued him. Whenever he was around her he felt a little bit tongue tied by her sweet, soulful vibe. He had no clue how such a beautiful, centered woman was single in a town like Breeze Point. He knew a dozen guys or more who would love to take her out. Parker was one of ‘em. At the moment, according to Blue and Sarah, she was single. Temptingly footloose and fancy free.
He had an opening to pursue something with Delilah. As someone who found the whole dating scene daunting, he wondered whether he could bite the bullet and ask Delilah out on a date. It wasn’t as if this was new territory for him, but it had been a while since he had dipped his big toe in the dating pool. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, Delilah’s ties to Blue and Sarah put extra pressure on the situation. Hadn’t that been the main reason he hadn’t taken her out in the first place?
By the time he made it over to his house off Cove Road, Parker was just pulling into his driveway right behind him.
“I like what you’ve done to the place,” Parker drawled as he exited his car, took his dark sunglasses off and looked the cottage over.
Although the cottage was a work in progress, Mac had already made major changes to the façade and he was working on remodeling the kitchen. An addition would come further down the road. One day soon he would like to invite Delilah over to see his place. Since she was good friends with his sister-in-law, Layla, he knew she must have been a visitor at the cottage prior to him having moved in. The symmetry of it made him shake his head. He had been a visitor at her bungalow due to his relationship with Mr. Banks. Likewise, she knew the lay of the land of his cottage due to her relationship with Layla. Either this relationship was meant to be or the two of them were too entwined in each other’s worlds. Time would tell, he thought with a chuckle.
He looked Parker up and down. “You look like a movie star in those shades. Is that a Florida thing? Or an undercover PI thing?” Mac teased. He had always admired Parker’s confident air and swagger.
When A Man Loves A Woman (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 7) Page 7
