“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 forgetting 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.”