The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(48)

“Unfortunately your mother and Aunt Lou don’t exactly get along.”

“It’s better this way,” Lou said. “We’ll avoid any silly disagreements if I’m just not here. It’s okay—you can tell me all about it later.”

“Are you still mad at her?” Ryan wanted to know.

Lou took a breath. “I don’t want to be and I’m not going to act like I’m mad, but I was angry that she left and didn’t call to check on us. I’m working on being forgiving, but I might be too old and mean.... But until I get to the forgiving part, I intend to act like I’ve forgiven her. And hopefully she’ll act the same way toward me. Just not tonight, apparently. Now eat some pizza.” And with that, she took a big bite herself.

“I’m not hungry,” Eve said, leaving the table without permission.

“Eve,” Mac began.

Lou held up her hand. “Let it go. Understandably there’s tension. The pizza will keep.”

Mac had never, in his life, felt an hour and a half stretch interminably. At six he went to his room, showered and put on a fresh shirt. He even splashed a little aftershave on his cheeks. He yelled in the direction of the other bedrooms. “Fifteen minutes, kids.” No one answered. He hoped he wouldn’t have to pry them out of their rooms. He got himself a cup of coffee from the kitchen and went to the living room, where his three children were lined up on the couch. They were looking spit and polished even though they were all still wearing their jeans. And they were sitting very close together, Eve in the middle. “Has Lou left?” he asked.

They nodded in perfect sync and he couldn’t help but laugh at them. “It’s not an execution! It’s your mother, finally come to visit and see how you are. Try to make this a happy occasion. I’m sure she’s not planning to stay long so take this opportunity to ask her anything you’ve wondered about.”

“Why now?” Eve asked.

“Well, honey, she said she’s missed you and wants to make amends,” Mac said. “All you have to do is be polite. Once she’s gone, I’ll warm up that pizza.”

The doorbell rang and all three kids stiffened as if they had heard a gunshot. Mac put down his coffee on the side table. “I’m sure that’s just Sidney, our lawyer.” He opened the door to two beautiful, elegant, richly dressed women. Cee Jay’s attorney was a knockout. She was a blonde, a stark contrast to Cee Jay’s dark hair. But here they were, young and beautiful and sexy, looking as if they came from the same world, as if they belonged to the same tennis and golf club.

The lawyer put out her hand. “How do you do, Mr. McCain. I’m Antoinette LeClair. Please call me Ann.”

He frowned. She looked very familiar. “How do you do. You’re a little early.”

She laughed and looked at her watch. “My apologies. Mrs. McCain was, understandably, very anxious.”

“Do I know you?” he asked, frowning. “Do you practice around here?”

“I’ve been up here a time or two, but my office is in San Francisco.”

He leaned a little closer and spoke quietly. “It’s Deputy McCain. And it’s not ‘Mrs.’ Cecilia Jayne and I have been divorced a long time and the kids haven’t seen their mother in ten years. Don’t be presumptuous.” And he watched as Cee Jay bit her lip and turned teary eyes away. Sadly, he thought about how jaded he was. He just couldn’t give her the benefit of the doubt. He felt sure her emotions were an act.

“Come in,” he said, standing aside.

Ann let Cee Jay enter ahead of her. She stepped into the living room, covered her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks and said, “Oh, my beautiful babies! Oh, my God! Look at you!”

Mac winced visibly. This was going to be so confusing to them—their mother gone for so long and then returning with all that gush!

Cee Jay sat in the chair that Mac usually occupied, his cup of coffee sitting next to her on the side table. Once again, she looked rich...and powerful. She had a large diamond ring on her right hand, a diamond bracelet on her left wrist, diamond stud earrings as big as peas in her ears. And her clothes were chic, no other way to describe her. Elegant. Sitting on the edge of Mac’s old, worn recliner, the contrast couldn’t have been greater. With impressive skill she implored her children, “Tell me everything. I want to hear what you’re doing. I bet you’re so smart in school.”

They were clearly uncomfortable; so stiff and shocked and intimidated. It was a long moment before Ryan said, “I play ball. Baseball.”

“Do you?” she said excitedly, swiping the tears from her cheeks. “Your daddy played ball in high school!”

“And football. With Pop Warner,” he added in a quiet voice.

There was a knock at the door and Mac let Sidney in. “Early,” Mac explained.

Sidney gave a nod and merely stood inside the door as a witness. But what he was seeing was Cee Jay’s passion for her children.

“I take dance class,” Dee Dee said, so softly she could barely be heard.

“Oh, I knew it! I used to dance! And what else do you do, my darling?”

“Piano,” she added. “Why can’t Aunt Lou be here? She’s the one who takes care of us. With Daddy.”

“I’m afraid I was a disappointment to your Aunt Lou,” Cee Jay said smoothly, looking down, looking ashamed. “We were close once, but not anymore.”