Just a Memory (15 page)

"Hi, yourself."

No clue as to what he was doing beside her car. "Am I getting a parking ticket, or have you decided you can't face my cooking?"

He shook his head and tossed away the toothpick he'd been fiddling with. "No on both counts," he assured her with a grin. He took her keys and unlocked the car door. He held it open for her, handing her the keys as she slid in. Before he shut the door, he asked, "Any chance you'd want to give me a ride back to work?"

She looked at him for a long moment, thinking of all the clever things she could say about him declining a ride with Sandi. All she did though was smile and say, "Get in."

Carolyn was waiting for Mac to circle around to the other door and climb in when she heard the crunch of tires on the gravel in the parking lot behind them. A glance over her shoulder revealed a Lakehaven patrol car behind hers with Hines getting out from behind the wheel. "Looking for a ride back to work after your leisurely executive lunch, Chief Macdonald?" he said in a way that let Carolyn know he was kidding Mac.

Mac remained standing by the open door to the passenger side of Carolyn's car while Hines walked over to him. "Not anymore, thanks," Mac replied.

Surprising both of them, Hines dodged past Mac and slid into the front seat next to Carolyn. Blatantly, but teasingly, he looked her over, head to toe. "I'd say you made the right choice," Hines told Mac without moving his gaze from Carolyn. "Mrs. Blake, maybe you remember me from Monday in your store. I'm sorry we had to meet that way. The name is Hines and I'm glad we got this chance to talk under more pleasant circumstances." Hines extended his hand to her.

"I don't believe this," Mac exclaimed, hitting his forehead with his palm in mock disbelief. "You're hitting on her right in front of me!"

Carolyn shook his hand and tried not to laugh. "Of course I remember, Officer Hines. Anything connected with that day is hard to forget. Call me Carolyn."

"Sure. And you can call me Hines. Everyone does."

"No first name?"

"Not one anyone will ever find out," he responded. "I have nine brothers and sisters. Mama named all us kids after famous people, and I'm not fond of her selection at the time I was born. She was getting to the bottom of the barrel by then."

"Okay. Hines it is," Carolyn agreed with a laugh she could no longer stifle.

Mac stuck his head in the door. "If you two are done holding hands, I'd like Carolyn to drive me back to work now.
Some
of us do have to get back to work, you know."

Hines gave Carolyn's hand another shake before he released it. "Duty calls." With an exaggerated wink he was out of her car and heading for his own. "Be good, kids." With that, Hines drove out of the parking lot grinning.

Mac climbed in next to Carolyn and shut the door. He put his arm across the back of the seat. It had all been friendly jesting, but Carolyn began to feel an exciting swirl of warmth deep within her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun joking with men. And with two good-looking ones, no less.

Mac picked up her hand from the seat between them. Without taking his eyes from her, he pulled off the glove and raised it to his lips. Then he replaced the glove and propped her hand on the steering wheel, then turned deliberately to fasten his seatbelt. When finished he turned back to a stunned Carolyn and asked, "Can we go?"

A sound escaped from Carolyn that sounded very much like a giggle as she fastened her own seatbelt and proceeded to drive to the best of her ability to the police station. This would
not
be a good time to break a traffic law, she decided.

"I saw the greatest house this morning." Mac told her all about wanting to find a lake house he could use for vacations for years to come. "I really liked the one Sandi showed me today." He proceeded to describe it to her.

"It sounds wonderful, Mac," she told him sincerely as she tamped down her excitement at the idea of having Mac nearby, even just for a few weeks each summer when he came for vacation from wherever he was working.

"I can't wait to show it to you."

"I'd love to see it."

"Say, did you mean it about cooking dinner tonight? Or should we go to the restaurant like we planned?"

"Yes, Mac." She pulled up to the police station entrance and stopped her car. She looked over at him when he didn't move.

"Yes you'll cook or yes to the restaurant?"

"Both. I'll cook tonight and you can take me to the restaurant some other night," she responded with a smile. All at once serious, she put the car in park and killed the engine. She turned in her seat to face him. "Mac, it's been a long time since I've… But I guess you've figured out already that I'm not used to a man–or anyone for that matter–teasing me." She crossed her arms under her breasts. "I think you'll take some getting used to," she added, still holding his gaze.

Mac laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Does that mean you want to be around me enough to
get
used to me?"

All of Carolyn's insecurities came charging up to form a lump in her throat. She thought of the reasons why she didn't want to get involved with another man after Richard died, but she couldn't begin to explain all that to Mac. Having fun with him before he moved on would allow her to create a storehouse of wonderful memories to fill her long hours when she was alone once more after he was gone. With her gaze never having left his, she shyly smiled and nodded.

"See you at seven," he promised. He was gone without giving her a chance to speak–or change her mind.

"That's not the way you set a table, silly," Terri told Mac later that evening. "
Here's
the way the forks go," she explained.

Mac's table setting had turned out to be like a diner with all the silverware lined up on one side of the dish.

"At least my way we know where it all is when we need it," he told her.

Terri giggled. "You're funny."

"Hey, thanks a lot," Mac said. "I think."

Carolyn had thawed her homemade spaghetti sauce and added freshly sautéed green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. While that simmered, she cooked pasta and tossed the salad. Moments later they were seated around the small kitchen table enjoying the meal.

After they had exhausted the subject of what Terri had done in school that day, the lake house came up in the discussion. Terri loved the idea of owning a lake place. "You could swim or go out in a boat or fish any time you wanted if you lived there," she announced brightly.

"Don't tell me you know how to fish," Mac asked.

Terri shook her head. "No, I've never tried," she said sadly.

"Well, we'll have to go in the spring when the season opens."

Terri's face lit up. Just as quickly she wrinkled up her nose. "Will you put the worms on my hook?" She shuddered and made a face showing her distaste. "I don't want to touch them."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

Her face brightened again. "Goody." She looked at her mom and then back at Mac. "Could Mom come too?" she asked earnestly. "She could put her own worms on the hook, I think." Terri turned to Carolyn. "Could you, Mom?"

Mac stifled his laugh into a smile and answered Terri before Carolyn got a chance to. "I'll tell you what. I'll let her come whether she baits her own hooks or not."

"Wait until I tell Christie." Terri bounced in her seat. "I can't wait until next spring."

Terri's agile mind moved the conversation on to Judy's computer that Christie got to play with. While Carolyn listened, she still wondered if fishing together could ever become a reality. Spring was a long way off. A lot could change between now and then.

She decided to steer the conversation away from the joint activities with Mac. She didn't want Terri to get her hopes up only to have them dashed when the activity didn't take place because Mac had left town. One person out of two in her family feeling sad and alone would be quite enough.

Over dessert Terri learned Mac had never been cross-country skiing. "Mommy, we can take him with us, can't we?"

"We have to wait for enough snow to fall first," Carolyn answered vaguely, wishing again they could talk about something other than joint activities. Did she dare encourage one that might be possible in just a few weeks depending on the snow?

"We've had white Thanksgivings, but some years we have no snow by Christmas," Carolyn reminded her.

Terri groaned, showing her disappointment.

"But there's always enough snow by January for sure." Carolyn hated to see Terri disappointed and hoped two months or so wasn't too far into the future to plan something with Mac.

"I'm hoping to get new ski boots for Christmas," Terri said.

"You're hoping to get everything else you can think of, too," Carolyn teased.

Terri looked at her empty plate. Her expression was suddenly very serious. "There's only one thing that I
really
want for Christmas."

Carolyn stood up so quickly she almost toppled over her chair. She knew the one thing Terri wanted for Christmas–a father. She asked for one each year. Carolyn wasn't about to have her announce that wish to Mac. She cleared the serving dishes from the table. "How about bringing the dishes over to Mommy?" she asked Terri.

Terri looked at Mac and then at Carolyn's raised eyebrow. "O-kay," she agreed as she reluctantly obeyed.

Carolyn took the few things that didn't go into the dishwasher and put them in the sink. "Thanks for your help, sweetheart. Why don't you say good night to Mr. Macdonald and go get ready for your bath?"

Minutes later, Carolyn had just finished washing the glass tabletop when Terri called to say she was ready. "This will take just a few minutes. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Mac said as he stretched out his legs. "I'll have another cup of coffee." Carolyn turned to pour it for him, but he rose and laid his hand on her arm. "You go ahead and take care of your daughter."

Carolyn looked up at him for a moment and was relieved she could see no annoyance in his face. She hurried to the bathroom and checked the water temperature. While Terri bathed, she sat nearby chatting with her about what happened in school and in short order Terri was clean, dry, and in bed.

"Thanks for your help with dinner, Button."

"I'm glad to help fix dinner for Mr. Macdonald. He's nice."

"Yes. You've said that before." She leaned over and kissed Terri's cheek. "You go right to sleep now. Good night."

Terri had other ideas about going to sleep. "Mr. Macdonald didn't kiss me good night."

"Maybe some other night. Now you go to sleep so I don't have to leave him sitting alone in the kitchen any longer."

Terri looked up at her mother for a few moments and then said brightly, "Okay, as long as he'll come some other night, too."

Carolyn had to smile at the way her daughter's mind was working. She said good night again and hurried back to the kitchen.

Mac was leaning with one hip against the counter next to the sink. He'd rinsed out his cup and saucer and put them in the dishwasher already. Only the pots and pans were left to clean up. "You wash and I'll dry," he bargained.

Carolyn smiled up at the man who was so strong and yet so gentle and considerate. "That's an offer I can't refuse." She tossed him a dishtowel and started washing.

"I have to ask you something," Mac said after she had washed the first pan and handed it to him. "And I hope you can't refuse that either." He sounded hesitant but serious. He repeatedly circled the pan with the cloth long after it was dry. Then he seemed to be trying to memorize the design on the dishtowel that he held.