“What do you think, Andie?” asked Angus with a twinkle in his eye.
“About?”
“About Boog doing that online dating stuff. Think he’d catch him a fish or two?”
I opened my eyes wide and moved them around vacantly, trying to picture what the ad would say. “I suppose there are women out here who wouldn’t mind dating …,” I looked sideways at Boog, “…a guy like him.”
“D’ya hear that, Boog?” asked Ian. “She says there’re girls out here who’d date Bigfoot.”
“Aw, come on now,” said Boog, dropping a bone on his plate. “You know I have a lot to offer the right woman. I’m just picky.”
I snorted and then hid my mouth behind a forkful of peas as the conversation carried on without me.
I felt light-headed and happy to be a part of the friendly, raucous meal until dessert, when I caught Mack’s eye again. And then the reason I was sitting at the table across from him came crashing back into my reality and erased the smile off my face. Instead of feeling light-headed now I was nauseous. He was, simply put, the most attractive man I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Part of it was his looks, obviously, but the other part was his family. Angus and Maeve were incredibly kind and welcoming, the type of people I’ve never known personally. Maybe it was a country thing to be so damn nice, but I’d always just assumed people like this lived only in the movies.
Bradley’s family were cold fish in comparison. They smiled but the warmth never made it to their eyes. I’d perfected the same smile myself, and that thought scared me more than anything else. Was Ruby right? Was Bradley a bad influence on me?
I shook my head, getting it out of the clouds. I had to harden myself to their charms and not get comfortable here in their little love nest. Mack himself was chock-full of flaws, and a pretty face meant nothing when you added it all up. He’s obviously an asshole deep down. He had to be. I mean, what kind of guy gets a girl so drunk she marries him, and then abandons her in a hotel room in Vegas? Not the kind of guy I want to be married to, that’s for sure.
Bradley was way better than Mack for marriage material. He was driven at work, upwardly mobile, competitive, and a socializing machine. Sometimes his schedule was even too full for me, but that was the price I had to pay to be with someone focused on moving up in the world and making a name for himself. Bradley was perfect for me in almost every way. No … every way. He’s perfect for me in every single stinking way.
I ignored the self-doubt that kept banging on the door of my thoughts, insisting it be let in so it could have its say. I moved back my chair so I could step out of the room to go call him. I’d hear his voice, tell him my plan to stay another day, and everything would be fine. I’d be back on track and focused on my goals.
Maeve put a big, thick apple pie down on the table, interrupting my inner dialogue and my exit. “You can have your pie with or without vanilla ice cream. I recommend with … I churned it myself this afternoon.”
I scowled at the dessert. Damn you, apple pie. Apple pie à la mode is my favorite dessert of all time. I’d been planning on making the call and going back to my hotel until she’d set it down and started all that crazy talk about home made ice cream. Who makes home made ice cream anymore? This could be my last chance to ever have it.
Maeve frowned. “You don’t like apple pie?”
My eyes bugged out, embarrassed I’d been caught staring daggers at her dessert. “No! I mean, yes! I love apple pie. Sorry … I was just thinking about how I don’t have time for a piece and have to go back to my hotel.”
She beamed. “Of course you have time. It’ll only take me a minute to scoop you out a piece.”
“She said she doesn’t have time, Ma.” Mack looked only at his mother, not me. It made me want to kick him under the table for some reason. I had to tense my leg muscles to keep my foot from striking out at him.
She frowned at her son. “Don’t be rude, Mack. She’s our guest. If she wants a piece of pie I’m going to make sure she gets it.” Turning to me, she flipped her frown upside down. “And besides, you’re welcome to stay here tonight.” She paused to look at her husband, “Isn’t she Angus, sweetie?”
“Well, of course she is. We have plenty of room here for family.” He nodded once, as if it was a done deal.
My face flushed with the idea of sleeping under the same roof as Mack. I’d done that once before and look where it had gotten me. “No, I couldn’t do that, but thank you so much for the offer. I have a … phone meeting later. I have to get back to my hotel for it.” Hopefully they wouldn’t ask me what time the meeting was since I had zero clue what time it was now.