Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(17)

“Did you remember to set everything up with the school?” Erin asked.

“All taken care of. The bus will drop Grace off with you everyday.

Erin sighed and frowned. “I still can’t believe they’re both starting kindergarten on Monday.”

Mack shared his sister’s sentiment but kept the thought to himself. “Soon you’ll have another baby in the house, Erin. How are you feeling?”

Erin’s frown disappeared, and she ran a hand over her belly. “Good. I go back to the doctor next week.”

For several minutes he hung around catching up with his sister, but eventually she stood. “Marcus and I are going to the movies and dinner with friends. I’ll see you on Sunday, Mom.” She picked up her purse before addressing him. “Mack, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“I’m going to head out, too. Big plans myself with the couch and television tonight.” He expected a comment from either his mom or sister. Over the past six months, they’d been encouraging him to date more. Tonight, no such comment came from either of them.

“Good luck with painting tomorrow. I know you want to get that done and the house in order, but don’t work all day,” his mother said.

Mack dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Trust me, I won’t. After Jessie and I finish painting, I’ll call it a day.”

He didn’t miss the glance between him mom and sister.

“I wasn’t serious when I asked her, but I guess she didn’t know that. Besides I could use the help.”

“And Jessie can never say no when someone asks her for a favor,” his mother said.

“If you say so. Anyway, if you need me, just call.”

“We’ll be fine. I’ll bring Grace back home on Sunday.” His mom patted his arm. “Have a nice quiet night.”



***



Jessie dragged a brush through her wet hair, her upper arms protesting at the movement. Her personal trainer, Mary, had put her through a vigorous upper body workout that morning. She’d started seeing Mary once a week about nine months ago. The first month or so Mary had taken it easy on her, but then she’d started to push her more and more. To be fair, Jessie had told Mary she needed someone to push her, to keep her on target. Thanks to Mary’s workout routines and her own dietary changes, she now liked who she saw in the mirror. In fact, she’d shed twenty-five pounds and now fit into the same size clothes she’d worn her sophomore year of college.

Yup Mary’s butt-kicking workouts were worth a few sore muscles. Using the elastic band from her wrist, she tied up her hair in a short ponytail with several of the shorter pieces coming free. That was the only downside to her shorter hairstyle. Still, it would do for a day of painting. Jessie shook her head as she zipped up her bag. Why the heck had she even agreed to help him? Talking with him at the store wasn’t a big deal. Neither was a conversation at the block party where other people and his daughter had surrounded them. But stuck in a room with just him was another story. Already anxiety zigzagged through her body. Evidently, even though she was now an adult, Jessie still was affected by Mack as much as she’d been in high school.

“How long can it take?” Jessie asked her reflection in the mirror. Grace’s bedroom couldn’t be that big.

When Jessie stepped from her car, she spotted Mrs. Mitchell outside, pruning the rose bush near her front door. As anxious as she felt about the task ahead, Jessie didn’t want to put it off by getting into a long conversation.


With just a friendly wave in her former piano teacher’s direction, she crossed the lawn. Before she managed to place a finger on the doorbell, Mack appeared in the living room gesturing for her to come in through the screen door. Much like the day he’d moved in, he wore faded jeans with a small hole above the knee and a t-shirt so old she could no longer read the logo on the front. He also wore a baseball hat, this one sporting an emblem for a team she’d didn’t recognize.

“Make yourself comfortable. I just need to finish up this call.” Mack pointed to the phone near his ear and headed out of the room.

She’d never stepped inside the old house before, but she’d passed by it her whole life. She’d even gone trick-or-treating there. From the outside, the house looked small, but the living room was much larger than she’d expected. A couch took up the longest wall while two armchairs and a coffee table sat in front of the windows. A large flat screen television hung over a stone fireplace and in front of the fireplace a doll house that almost reached Jessie’s waist sat open with each room set up and the dolls positioned.

“Sorry about that.” At Mack’s voice, Jessie looked away from the dollhouse. “Work stuff.”

She gripped her hands behind her back. “No problem. I’m ready to start if you are.”

Mack gestured that she should follow him. “I managed to get the furniture covered and taped most of the trim.”

She followed him up the stairs. A few unopened boxes, some with the word Toys written on them, had been left in the hallway.

“Ignore the mess. I made Grace wait to unpack her stuff until I painted.” He pointed to the boxes as he pushed open a door. “As long as she has the doll house downstairs and Mr. Whiskers she’s happy.”

She assumed Mr. Whiskers was some kind of stuffed toy since she saw no evidence of a live pet anywhere.