Snowfall on Haven Point(32)
For a moment, she thought he might smile, but he merely nodded. “I guess you need me to get out of your way.”
On so many levels, she thought. “That would help.”
He pivoted on the crutches—not an easy undertaking—and swung his way back into the kitchen. Andie picked up the tree and carried it through the doorway and into the living room before she returned to the porch for the boxes of ornaments.
“Guess you found what you needed.”
“Wyn had a tree and some ornaments, right where she told me they would be. I locked it again and here’s this.” She pulled the key from the pocket of her coat and set it back in the drawer.
“And now, I believe you were about to offer me an apology.”
He leaned back against the small island in the kitchen, the black orthopedic boot outstretched in front of him, and studied her with that same unreadable look. “You already may have figured this out,” he finally said, “but I’m not very good at being needy.”
“Yes. I believe I’ve noticed,” she murmured.
“This damn broken leg is bringing out the worst in me, I’m afraid. It’s tough for a guy like me to be dependent on others, but that’s no excuse for me to be mean about it, especially when you’ve been nothing but generous and helpful. I’m very sorry I took my bad mood out on you. I’ll try not to let it happen again. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.”
Andie blinked as the last vestiges of her temper fizzled to nothing but embers. As far as apologies went, that one sounded sincere and heartfelt. She had a feeling apologies weren’t any easier for a man like Marshall Bailey than accepting help, yet he had done it with a graciousness that completely disarmed her.
“Thank you. Very nicely done. I accept your apology.”
He looked slightly amused. “Thanks. I guess.”
She looked around the kitchen, remembering other times she had sat here with his sister and talked for long hours. “Did Wyn ever tell you how she and I became friends?” she asked suddenly.
He shook his head. “Knowing her, I don’t imagine she gave you much choice in the matter.”
“True enough.” She smiled a little, remembering the events of early in the summer and how Wynona had pushed her way into her life.
“I came to Haven Point with one goal in mind. I just wanted my children to be safe, comfortable and happy and I planned to keep to myself as much as possible.”
He raised an eyebrow at that, no doubt because it had to be obvious to him how that particular objective had gone down in flames.
“The first day I moved here, I met your sister. And, you’re right—she didn’t give me any other choice. The kids and I were exploring the neighborhood a little and headed across the bridge and along the Mount Solace trail when I sprained my ankle.”
“That’s a weird coincidence.”
She gestured to his boot. “I didn’t break anything. It wasn’t really serious, just painful. But there I was, sprawled out on the trail and trying to catch my breath while trying to comfort my frightened kids when your sister and Young Pete came down the trail in the other direction.”
“It’s always been one of her favorite evening walks.”
“And mine. When she found me, Wyn insisted on helping me all the way home, even though I told her firmly that I didn’t need or want her help. After...everything we left behind in Portland, the last thing I wanted was a busybody police officer pushing herself into my business.”
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly before he met her gaze. “Wyn has always been good at doing what she wants, no matter what anybody says. You should have known her twin. She and Wyatt were definitely cut from the same cloth.”
The clear affection in his voice made her a little sad, both for his loss and for the siblings she had never had.
“Not only did she all but carry me home that day, but the next day she showed up with enough meals for two weeks, provided by the Haven Point Helping Hands.”
“Again, sounds like Wyn.” His mouth softened into an almost-smile that lightened his austere features. If he ever gave a full-on smile, the man would be devastating.
“She didn’t stop there. She spent the entire next day helping me unpack boxes while I was stuck on the sofa doing nothing. It was very hard for me to watch, but I learned something important that day.”
“Not to stumble on the Mount Solace trail when Wynona Bailey is around?”
That was nearly a joke. She smiled, even as she shook her head. “That was one of the luckiest days of my life. I cherish my friendship with your sister, something I might not have had if I had continued in my isolationist stubbornness. No, what I learned that day is that none of us who shares this planet can claim to be completely independent. We need each other, plain and simple. The trick is accepting it’s a zero-sum equation. Sometimes you’re on one side of that equation, giving help. That’s the side most of us are most comfortable with, I think. It makes us feel magnanimous and generous, like we’re good people. But just as we have to be willing to help others, circumstances sometimes place us on the other side of the scale. The needy side. Those are the times we also must learn how to accept help when it’s graciously offered, as hard as it is.”