“So, what made you go into social work?” Mac asked.
“When I was in college I did an internship with a social services agency. It changed my life.” She dug her toes into the sand. “I’d always known that I’d wanted to be of service somehow, but seeing the lives of children improve and develop made the choice really easy. I love knowing that I make a difference.”
“It’s a noble vocation. I’ve benefited first-hand from social services. Frankly I don’t know what my fate would have been without those agencies.” He turned toward her and grinned. “So thank you, Delilah, for being one of the good guys.”
“What about you? Woodworking is such an intricate craft. How did you become interested in it?” Delilah asked.
“As a kid I needed to find something to absorb my attention. I wasn’t the most adjusted child.” He played with his thumbs and looked down. “Because of everything I’d been through before being adopted I was disruptive when I came to Breeze Point.” He let out a harsh laugh. “I’m not sure why Mom and Dad hung in there for so long. I had a lot of blow ups and I used my fists to do my talking for me. They hung in there. They stood by me.”
“Of course they did. They love you,” Delilah said. Her heart broke at the thought of all Mac had endured. Of course he’d been confused when he had arrived in Cape Cod. Abuse. Separation from his beloved sister. Passed from foster home to foster home. The murder of his mother at his abusive stepfather’s hands. It was a miracle Mac’s life hadn’t been demolished. It spoke incredibly well of his fighting spirit and his will to survive and thrive.
“I like you.” He blurted the words out.
Delilah let out a surprised laugh at his blunt statement. His gray eyes skimmed over her face. He was dead serious. She prayed that she hadn’t hurt his feelings by laughing.
“I like you too,” she admitted.
“The thing is, I don’t feel this way very often.”
“No?” Delilah asked as butterflies did pirouettes in her stomach.
“No,” he said in a firm voice. The expression on his face was intense. “I just wanted to let you know. I don’t want to scare you off, but I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Why would that scare me off? Most women love to hear that a man is thinking about them.”
“You’re not most women Delilah. Not even close.”
She knew the kiss was coming. It was almost as if she had willed it into being. That’s how much she wanted Mac to kiss her. A giddy feeling swept over her as he leaned over and placed his lips on hers. She let out a sigh as his lips moved tenderly over hers and she kissed him back with equal measure.
Oh, it had been a long time since a man had kissed her.
And never like this! Not ever. Mac placed his palms on her cheeks and centered her to the kiss. His lips were warm and sweet and it felt as if she would be perfectly content to let it go on forever. As the kiss ended Mac pulled back a little so that their lips weren’t touching but their foreheads were lightly resting against each other.
A buzzing sound interrupted the tranquility of the moment. Mac let out a groan. He pulled away from her and took his phone out of his shirt pocket. “Sorry, but I have to take this call. It’s Parker.”
For the next few minutes Delilah listened to a one-sided conversation. She had no idea as to whether Mac was receiving good news or not. When he finally concluded the call she was bursting to find out if Parker had made any progress in the investigation.
“Don’t leave me hanging. What did he say?” she asked in an excited voice, earning herself a grin from Mac.
“He hit a dead end with the photographer. He passed away five years ago.”
“I’m sorry, Mac,” she said. “That’s a tough break.”
Mac’s face lit up with a smile. “But there is good news. It’s Mrs. Worther. Parker has managed to track her down.” He wagged his eyebrows at Delilah. “It looks like I’m going to be taking a trip to New Hampshire.”
“Oh, Mac! I’m so happy for you,” Delilah cried. She reached out and hugged Mac, inhaling the fresh woodsy scent that hovered around him like a halo.
Mac was finally putting the pieces together and taking huge steps forward in his quest to find Callie. Reconnecting with Mrs. Worther was a step in that direction. At this moment Delilah felt extremely grateful to be part of the journey.
**
Mac looked at the clock on the dashboard as he adroitly maneuvered the winding curves of the back roads by Breezy Beach. He’d just delivered two of his Adirondack chairs to a new customer who had settled in to a beach house and had fallen in love with his work. Customers like Carson Steeves made him feel like a real craftsman. He felt incredibly blessed to be able to make a decent living doing what he loved most. But, in all the excitement about delivering the chairs, he’d forgotten all about boys’ night out with his brothers. He needed to talk to them about his trip to New Hampshire to meet up with Mrs. Worther and find out if any of of them might want to join him.