Carly wanted to cry with relief. “Thank you, Jessie. That would be perfect. In fact, I’m already starting to work on promoting the lodge, hoping to attract a buyer.”
“See. We think alike. I’ll get you the links and info you need first thing in the morning.”
After discussing her concerns about the lodge, Carly ended the conversation and sent up a prayer of thanks. With the help from the organization Jen had told her about and Mack’s offer, she might be able to breathe without thinking about losing everything.
Relief bubbled up and filled her senses. She went out onto the porch and stared out at the lake. The sight melted away much of her animosity and left her with a sweet memory of how much she loved the lodge and the life here. Watching the lake had always soothed her, grounded her, and it was starting to do that now. Maybe Mack was right. She should stop resisting so much and let the good memories resurface.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She whirled around to find Mack standing on the ground looking up at her. Words refused to form. He looked so handsome in the moonlight. His blue eyes held an appreciative sparkle and his smile added another degree of warmth to the night air. “Yes. It is. I’d forgotten how lovely.” She braced for a snide comment, but he only stepped closer to the deck railing, grasping it with his hands and smiling up at her.
“I’m glad you’re starting to remember. I know you won’t ever feel the way you used to. I can’t expect you to. Too much has happened, but...”
“But what, Mack?”
“I hope you’ll leave here without the hate and anger you brought with you and take only the good memories away, for your sake and Ella’s.”
His words pierced her heart unexpectedly and she leaned against the post. “I don’t know if I can. I’m not sure the good ones can overcome the bad.”
“Can you tell me what happened? I never understood. It was like everything blew up for no reason. I knew your folks were having trouble, but then all of a sudden your mom left, then she came back and you both left, and nothing was ever the same. Why?”
Carly weighed her options. If she told Mack the truth, his image of her dad would be shattered forever. If she didn’t, he’d always be studying her, trying to figure her out, and she didn’t think she could live with that for the duration of this situation. She set her jaw and faced him. “Because my dad cheated on my mom. Repeatedly, and she couldn’t take it anymore.”
Mack’s brows drew together and deep creases furrowed his forehead. “No. I don’t believe that.” He took the steps to the deck and stopped beside her.
Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, either. “My father wasn’t the good guy everyone believed he was.”
“No. You’re wrong.” He took a step back and ran a hand down the back of his neck. “Wade was the most honorable man I ever knew. He loved you and your mom. He would never be unfaithful. It wasn’t in his DNA.”
“Really? I have proof.”
“What kind of proof?”
“An earring left in his truck and it wasn’t my mother’s.”
“How could you know that?”
“It was a clip-on and she had pierced ears.”
Mack set his hands on his hips. “What does that prove?”
“There was another woman in my dad’s truck. My mom was right. He was seeing someone else.”
Mack shook his head and held up a hand as if to ward off the bad news. “No. I don’t believe it. He loved your mother. He never had a bad word to say about her. Even when things were heating up at the end, he always took the blame.”
“Because he was guilty.”
“Not in the way you mean. He’d blame himself for not making more money and for not being able to give her what she wanted.”
Carly glanced away. “He refused to find a house in town where Mom would be happy. She wanted a home, and she wanted to have a life and friends that didn’t involve strangers. She wanted sidewalks and neighbors, not pine trees and canoes.”
“And what was your father going to do for a living if he sold the campgrounds?”
“I don’t know.” She’d never considered that. Why hadn’t she?
“Exactly. Did you even think about that? Your father grew up here He turned this place into a thriving business and provided a good living for his family.”
Carly waved his comment away. “You don’t understand.”
“I think it’s you who don’t understand. You’re wrong about your dad. All you have is an earring. You don’t know who it belonged to or why it was in the truck. You don’t know if it belonged to some sweet young thing that your dad was attracted to or an elderly church lady he drove home on Sunday. Don’t you think you should find out before you condemn him?”
“I might’ve known you’d take his side. You worshipped him.”
“So did you.”
He was right. She had adored her father, which had made the truth even harder to bear. She started to defend herself, but Mack turned and retraced his steps down to the yard. At the edge of the drive, he glanced back.
“Carly, maybe you should find the truth. I don’t know what went on, but I know Wade and I know that isn’t something he would do. You’re not a kid anymore. Maybe you should take a closer look. With an adult perspective.”
She turned away and went inside the lodge. Mack didn’t understand. No one did. Her dad had been her hero, her knight in shining armor. To learn that he had feet of clay went far deeper than simple disappointment. It had struck at the core of her belief system and her love. At the time she’d been secretly glad when Mom had dragged her away from the lodge, and she could shove the whole thing to the back of her mind and start fresh.
Inside her kitchen she poured a glass of tea, then wandered out into the lodge. The Thompsons were gone for the evening, the large room empty. The silence settled heavily on her shoulders. Her dad was gone, the guests were gone, and soon the lodge itself would be gone.
Her heart clenched. Was that really what she wanted? To see someone else running Longleaf? Or watch it being bulldozed for a sleek upscale resort hotel?
The thought spiraled downward like a rusty screw into her spirit. But she had to remember the real reason she needed to be free of the lodge. There was no other way to get the kind of money she needed to pay off the hospital bills.
She had to face the fact that letting go wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d hoped.
Chapter Six
Mack strode away from the lodge late the next morning, heading toward the lake. The water always calmed him when he was troubled. It’s one of the things he liked about living on the coast. After his conversation with Carly last night, he had enough trouble to fill the lake twice over. Without thinking, he made his way to the swing under the live oak at the water’s edge and sat down. When he was younger he used to wonder why Carly spent so much time on the swing. Until he’d discovered how soul soothing the movement and the view could be to his troubled spirits.
He started the swing moving, his thoughts replaying his conversation with Carly yesterday. Everything in him rebelled against the idea that Wade had been unfaithful. The man had been a mentor, a surrogate father and his moral compass for half his life. He’d taught him about life, the Lord, the lodge and a myriad of things in between that he used every day.
Wade was a strong Christian man, and Mack found it impossible to believe that he would betray his beliefs by cheating on his wife. Carly had to be wrong.
“Uncle Mack.”
He turned as Lucy came racing across the lawn toward him. They’d spent last evening getting settled into the Thompsons’ house just a short way up from the lodge. He’d been concerned about intruding on their home, but the floor plan allowed for him and Lucy to have one side of the house to themselves. Thelma insisted on taking care of meals and Mack didn’
t argue.
Lucy loved the room she was in and promptly rearranged things to her liking.
Thelma had various craft projects planned for the girls every day. She was reveling in the grandma role.
“Hey, little princess.” He hugged her close as she climbed up beside him.
“I made you something. Ella and I made them for the people we love most, which is you. Ella made one for her mom. Thelma showed us how.”
She handed him a folded piece of red construction paper with a heart drawn on the front.
“Open it.”
Lucy wiggled with excitement. Mack unfolded the paper, and a heart covered in glitter and lace and tiny flower stickers popped up. He grinned. Lucy was always surprising him with little expressions of love, and he never felt more grateful for her presence in his life than when she did. “It’s beautiful. Maybe you could make one for your mom and we could mail it to her.”
The smile on Lucy’s face quickly faded. “I’ll do it later.” She rested her head on his arm. “Do you think Ella’s mom will like her card as much as you liked mine?”
“I do.” Was his niece starting to lose her connection to her mother? How long before she didn’t wait eagerly for the weekly phone call? What was his role in her life now?
“Good, ’cause I like Ella and her mom. Don’t you? Isn’t it nice that God put them in the lodge for us to be friends with?”
“Very nice.”
“Uncle Mack, would it be okay with you if I started calling you Daddy?”
A lump lodged in his throat. Was it possible to be touched and concerned at the same time. He chose his words carefully. “But I’m not your daddy, sweetheart. I’m your uncle.”
“I know, but I love you like a daddy so why can’t I call you that?”
He hugged her to his side, resting his cheek on her head. “How about we think it over for a little while?”
“Deal.” Lucy scooted off the swing and waved. “I’m going to find Ella. Can we go fishing later?”
“We’ll see. Maybe in a few days. I have lots of work to do at the cabins first.”
Mack fingered the pretty card Lucy had made for him, opening and closing it several times and smiling at the way the heart with all its embellishments popped up like a flag. If only he could get Carly’s memories to pop up as easily. Given what she’d told him, he was more discouraged than ever. She truly believed her father had been unfaithful. It was a notion that Mack could never accept.
He couldn’t say for a fact that Wade hadn’t wandered. While he adored the man and had learned many valuable life lessons from his teaching, he didn’t know the man. He knew the father figure, the boss, the mentor. They never discussed his personal life or feelings. It would have been inappropriate.
There was one person he could go to for the truth, though he wasn’t sure he’d be willing to share personal information. Mack stood and walked along the lake edge toward the work shed, tucked back in the trees out of sight to preserve the beauty of the landscape.
He found Dwayne at the workbench. He glanced up with a smile. “What you up to, fella?”
“I have some things on my mind.”
Dwayne chuckled. “That’s never good.” He wiped his hands on a rag, then gestured toward the colored paper in Mack’s hand. “What ya got there?”
Mack approached him, handing him the card. “Lucy made it for me. She and Ella have been doing crafts with Thelma.”
“You do know that my wife has shirked some of her duties around here because she’d rather play grandma to those girls.”
“And loving every minute.”
“I’ve never seen her happier. So what got your thoughts all tumbling like crawfish in a boiling pot?”
“I spoke with Carly last night. She told me the reason her parents got divorced was because Wade cheated on her mom more than once. She found an earring in Wade’s truck, and she believes it’s proof that her dad was unfaithful. I can’t believe he’d do that, but I know I’m not aware of the whole situation.”
Dwayne leaned a hip against the counter. “Her mother believed he was cheating. She threw it in his face every chance she got. But, no, I don’t believe Wade cheated. Despite their issues, he loved her, and he honored his vows.”
Mack started to speak, but Dwayne held up his hand. “But I wouldn’t swear to that on a stack of Bibles.”
“But you just said...”
“No one knows another person completely. He could have had an affair and I wouldn’t have known about it. The man I knew was too honorable, too strong in his faith to be unfaithful.”
“So what happened? Why is Carly so quick to believe the worst of her dad?”
“I can’t answer that. She was just a teen. She probably didn’t see things the way they really were. Maybe in time she’ll gain a better perspective.”
Dwayne patted his back. “In the meantime you need something to keep your mind off your troubles. Let’s see how much we can get done in cabin three. The plumbers are supposed to be here tomorrow and I don’t want anything in their way to slow them down.”
Mack retrieved his tool belt and joined Dwayne in the cart. He had a lot to think about. Maybe there was some way to show Carly her dad’s true character, prove that he hadn’t cheated. He had no idea how to go about it. For now, there was only one solution. He’d turn it over to the Lord and ask to be used in the process.
More than anything he wanted to give Carly peace.
* * *
Tuesday rolled around faster than Carly expected and she struggled to decide whether to go to the widow’s group or not. Deep down she sensed she needed the connection with the other widows, but her head kept telling her that she was fine.
Thelma settled the situation when she announced she was taking the girls for pizza at the Marina Village for supper. With no reasonable excuse to cling to, Carly drove into Hastings and the two-story brick building that housed Nina Johnson Sinclair’s office.
The moment she stepped inside, she immediately felt at ease and was glad she’d come. The women all smiled and greeted her. It was like a special club she’d joined. A couple of the ladies were missing and a new one had joined the group—an older woman named Martha who lost her husband in a diving accident a few years ago. She was looking to find courage to move on and try new things, but she was reluctant.
Carly let the conversations swirl around her, gleaning tidbits about widowhood and embracing little kernels of insight the others shared. A sudden need to ask a question surfaced and she spoke up as soon as she had the chance. “I was wondering if any of you have remembered things from your past that weren’t quite like you recalled?”
Several ladies nodded, making Carly curious. Martha spoke up. “You get a little distance and perspective on life as you age, and one day you look back and realize that your mom wasn’t strict because she didn’t like you—she’d been raised in a home without rules and boundaries and she compensated by being overly controlling.”
Donna nodded. “That’s so true. I remember reading a column in a local paper written by a humorist. She told a story about how each Easter, her mom took a ham, cut it in half and cooked it in two pans. So when the daughter grew up she did the same thing. Until one day she finally asked her mom why she cut the ham in half and used two pans. Her mom shrugged and said it was because she didn’t have a pan big enough.”
The ladies laughed.
Nina nodded. “Sometimes we go along with things and don’t even ask why. We tend to accept instead of searching for the reasons behind things. That’s especially true in relationships. Often we look on the surface and come to judgment without taking a closer look. The old adage ‘things aren’t always what they seem’ is true more times than not.”
The discussion that followed resonated with Carly on several levels, and she sorted through it in her mind as she drove home.
She pulled the car to a stop in front of the apartment. Was there more to her parents’ divorce than what she’d been told? Her mom had suffered greatly from her father’s infidelity. But Mack’s conviction that her father would never cheat couldn’t be ignored. Something in his tone spoke to his deeply held belief that her father was innocent.
There was only one way to find answers. Dig up the truth. The answers had to be here in the Marina community. And of course with her mother. But that wasn’t a path she was ready to take yet. Perhaps she should see what she could find out on her own. She wasn’t ready for that, either, but she had to know the truth once and for all.
* * *
Mack lifted a wiggly worm from the box and held it up. Lucy reached for it, but Ella drew back.
“Ew!”
Mack grinned. “I thought you girls wanted to learn to fish. First you have to put the fish food on the hook.” It had taken longer than he’d expected to arrange the fishing adventure for the girls, but today had been too perfect to let it slip by.
“I’ll do it.” Lucy took the worm between her fingers. “Will you help, Uncle Mack?”
“Sure.” He held the hook and attached the worm. “Okay, now put the line in the water and wait while I get Ella’s line ready.”
Ella still had her face scrunched up in disgust. “Do I have to touch the worm?”
“No. I can put it on for you.” She nodded and relaxed her expression. When it was ready, he handed her the cane pole and helped her settle in. He attended to his own pole next. “Okay, now we watch the bobber and when it goes under the water, then we pull up on the fishing pole and we’ll catch our fish.”
“I’m going to catch a big one.”
“Last time Uncle Mack and I fished all I caught was some twigs.”
Sandwiched between the two little girls, his spirits began to lift. It was a beautiful day, warm but not too hot. Perfect for sitting on the dock swinging your feet and waiting for the fish to bite. But the best part was simply spending time with his niece and Carly’s little girl.
Their Family Blessing Page 8
