Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(24)
“It lasted maybe a month for me and then Colin moved into town,” Maryann said, referring to her first boyfriend. “You liked Mack until he left for college.”
She’d liked him long after that, but Jessie kept her mouth shut. “I helped him out and we grabbed some dinner. People can do that.” She was an adult now with no time for old high school fantasies.
“Then why do you keep looking over at him?” Maryann asked raising an eyebrow.
The back of Jessie’s neck grew hot. She tried not to be obvious. “I looked over once.”
The corner of Maryann’s mouth twitched upward. “If you say so.” She glanced in Mack’s direction. “You know what I think?” Before Jessie could ask, Maryann continued, “You should ask him out. We’re all adults now.”
Ask Mack out? She’d rather have her hand cut off. “I’m not interested in him.”
“You’re a coward, Jessie. If you asked him, I bet he’d say yes. I noticed the way he was looking at you when I walked in.”
Jessie didn’t want to continue this conversation or encourage her friend, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity either. “And how was that?”
Maryann leaned forward. “Like he wanted to pull you in a corner and kiss you senseless.”
Why had she asked? “Oh please. Now I know you’re nuts. Come on. Let’s finish dinner so we can go shopping.” By this point they’d both stopped eating.
“Just think about it. You haven’t been out with anyone in a long time.”
Maryann’s words stayed with Jessie long after they left the restaurant. In fact, they still buzzed around as she got ready for bed. Regardless of how she’d felt about Mack as a teenager or even now, she couldn’t ask him out. She doubted she could ever ask anyone out, let alone him. And despite her friend’s insistence, she knew Mack hadn’t been looking at her with anything more than gratitude. She didn’t grab men’s attention. Although her grandparents and dad called her beautiful, it was only because they were related to her and they were supposed to say things like that.
Patting her face dry, Jessie glanced at her reflection. No, she wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t beautiful either. She considered herself average. The kind of person who could just blend into a crowd, not the type men fantasized about dragging into a corner to kiss. She was okay with that. Not everyone could be gorgeous enough to stop traffic.
Jessie switched off the bathroom light and went into her room. As for not going out in a long time, well, Maryann didn’t know the whole story. Jessie pulled her shirt off and tossed it into the hamper. As if pulled by an outside force, her eyes zeroed in on the scar on her side, a visible reminder of Jeremy. If Maryann or any of her friends knew the truth about her last relationship, they’d understand her reluctance to date now. None of them knew, and she liked it that way.
The oversized nightshirt she pulled on covered the scar, however, it remained crystal clear in her mind, as did the cold smile Jeremy had given her that day in the coffee shop. She’d called Sharon the day after the block party. When voicemail picked up, she’d hung up rather than leave a message. Perhaps she should try again. After all, if not for her friend, Morgan, who knew where she’d be now? But if she did that, though, one more person would know her secret.
If it helps Sharon get away from Jeremy without being hurt, it’s worth it. Tomorrow, she’d try again. If she got Sharon’s voicemail again, she’d leave a message this time.
Chapter 5
In less time than Mack expected, he and Grace fell into a regular routine. He’d wake her up after he ran on the treadmill in the basement and showered. As she got dressed, he prepared them breakfast, and then once they finished, he helped her brush her teeth and hair. In fact, after five consecutive days, they finished everything fifteen minutes early on Friday morning, allowing them time to read more of the book he’d started with her. Despite the easy routine they’d adopted since moving home and starting school, he was looking forward to the weekend. With nothing planned, he and Grace could do whatever they wanted Saturday and Sunday.
“Let’s go over this arrest plan one more time,” Bruce Conklin said late Friday afternoon to the other members of the squad gathered around.
Mack looked at Dakota seated across from him and shook his head. They’d already reviewed the plan for Monday’s early morning arrest. Everyone knew what was expected of him. They’d done enough arrests together that they worked like a well-oiled machine. However, no one argued with Bruce. They all realized this was Bruce’s first time as lead agent on an arrest and they’d all been in his shoes. Not to mention this case involved a high-profile suspect as well as several dangerous individuals who all had long criminal records. If all went according to plan, the suspects would be apprehended with no issues. To make the situation a little more challenging, however, other agencies were involved, including the DEA and the Massachusetts state police.
Settling back in his chair, Mack pushed aside all thoughts of his daughter and the weekend ahead as Bruce started at the beginning and worked his way through the detailed plan. Halfway through, another agent asked for clarification on a matter, but otherwise, Bruce got through the entire plan without any other questions or interruptions.
“I’ll see everyone at the staging point Monday at five-thirty,” Bruce said when he wrapped up the meeting.