Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(12)
After knocking on the door, he waited. He heard a deadbolt turn and then the door opened.
“Hey, Mack. Come on in,” Jessie said, stepping to the side. “Grace is asleep on the couch.”
He entered a rather large kitchen, considering it was an apartment, and the faint smell of popcorn lingered in the air. “Sorry it’s so late.” Mack closed the door behind him. “You never got in touch with my parents?”
“I got your mom about ten minutes ago, but they were still in Portland.”
His mom loved to go shopping there. Most of the time, she took his sister with her, but if Erin was not available and his dad couldn’t come up with a good excuse, she’d drag him along. “I owe you big time.”
“Honestly, Mack it was no big deal. We had fun. After we left the store, we stopped at the playground. Grace met another girl who’s starting kindergarten this year. Then we came here and had some pizza. Afterwards, we made popcorn and put some movies on. Grace fell asleep about halfway through the second one.”
His stomach gave a little rumble again. “You still saved me big time. If I can help you out in any way, just let me know.”
Jessie waved a dismissive hand in his direction, letting him know she didn’t expect anything in return. “Grace is in here.” She walked into the next room.
As often happened after a long day like today, the sight of his little girl filled him with so much love it helped him remember why he did the job he did. Bending down, he scooped her up, careful not to wake her. With some luck, he’d get her into the car and buckled without disturbing her too much. Cradling her against him, he noticed the pigtails he’d fashioned that morning had been replaced by some fancy braids.
“She’s always begging me to do something different with her hair. Ponytails and pigtails are all I can manage. She must have loved when you did this.”
Jessie shrugged. “She wanted her hair to look like Heather’s, the little girl she met at the park.”
Mack carried Grace back to the kitchen door, Jessie following close behind. “By the way, how much do I owe you for the pizza?”
“You don’t. I planned on ordering pizza tonight anyway.”
He wanted to press the issue, but didn’t want to get in an argument either. “If you say so, but you’ll have to let me buy you dinner sometime. Thanks again.”
Before he could reach for the doorknob, Jessie pulled it open for him. Her arm brushed against his and his body picked that moment to remind him how long it had been since he’d had sex.
“Anytime, really. We had fun.” Jessie’s voice pulled his thoughts away from the discomfort he suddenly felt. “Oh, and before I forget, she picked out the decals she liked the best. I put them aside for you to see. She was worried someone would buy them.”
“I’ll stop in later this week and get them.”
Mack managed to get Grace into the car without waking her, but the second he stretched the seat belt across her lap her eyes popped open.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said, her unfocused eyes a clear sign she wasn’t awake.
Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. “I love you too, buddy.” No sooner did he say the words than Grace’s eyes drifted closed again.
He didn’t hear another peep as he drove home. She did open her eyes once when he lifted her from her car seat, but otherwise, he got her tucked into bed with no trouble.
After locking his gun in the safe and dropping his wallet and handcuffs on his nightstand, he went in search of food. He’d polished off the leftover pizza last night. He’d intended to hit the grocery store after their trip to Quinn’s that morning, but the call from work had killed that, which meant he had few options. Grabbing a box of cereal, he poured himself a bowl and slapped together two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Tomorrow he’d try to leave work early and shop. Back in Watertown, there had been a large chain grocery store that would deliver groceries right to his door; a service that came in handy after Bethany had left. His ex-wife hadn’t been big into helping around the house, but she had always kept the kitchen well stocked.
Unfortunately, the grocery store in North Salem provided no such services, so he’d have to fit food shopping into his weekend routine.
***
Dressed in her favorite t-shirt and shorts, Grace sat across the table from Mack bright and early the next morning.
“What do you feel like?” With such limited options at home, he’d decided to stop for breakfast at Masterson’s Restaurant before heading into Boston.
“A waffle and chocolate milk.” She didn’t look up from the picture she colored on the place mat.
After giving their waitress his own order, he turned his full attention on his daughter again. “Jessie said you picked out the decals you liked. We can pick them up on the way home tonight.”
At the mention of her decals, Grace looked up, the end of one long braid brushing the table. That morning she’d insisted that he leave her braids alone, and since they looked neat despite a night in bed, he hadn’t touched them. “Can we go now?”
“You know I have to work today.”
“I wish you could stay home. Then we could stay home together and I wouldn’t have to see Noah,” she said, referring to a boy at her day care center. Ever since Noah had started there this winter, Grace complained about him.