Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(40)

“I would’ve been here sooner, but I left work late and had to stop home.” She gave him another kiss, this one on his cheek.

“Jessie!” Grace called out from the stairs. “I’m going to Boston and staying in a hotel. Mommy said we can get room service.” She headed in their direction, Brown Bear in one hand and Bethany right behind her.

Next to him, Jessie stiffened, but her mouth curved up in a smile. “That sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve never had room service.”

While Grace added Brown Bear to her overnight bag, Bethany joined them. “I don’t think we’ve met.” Bethany gave Jessie a quick but definite once-over before she shot him a look that he couldn’t decipher.

Uncertain on how to label Jessie, he decided to make introductions as short and sweet as possible. While he might think of Jessie as his girlfriend, they hadn’t discussed their relationship in those terms.

“Bethany, this is Jessie Quinn. She’s a good friend of mine.” He nodded toward Jessie. “Jessie, this is Grace’s mom.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Grace is a great little girl.” Jessie smiled.

“She is.” Bethany looked over at Grace as the little girl rushed over to them. “Did you go to high school with Mack?”

Mack had an answer prepared, but Grace didn’t give him a chance to share it.

“Jessie is Daddy’s girlfriend,” she informed them, sounding rather pleased with the situation.

Bethany glanced at Jessie again and then sent him a strange look while Jessie turned as red as a tomato.

“I saw him kiss her on Wednesday.”

He’d never thought it possible, but Jessie’s face grew a darker shade of red.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” Bethany broke the uncomfortable silence. “Come on, Grace. Let’s go.” She grabbed the overnight bag from the floor. “I’ll bring her back around three on Sunday.”




She’d never wanted magical powers more than when Grace had announced she was Mack’s girlfriend. If she could have snapped her fingers and disappeared, she would have. While she assumed their relationship was headed that way, to have Grace blurt it out like that had been too much. If she’d said it in front of just Mack, it would’ve been one thing, but with his gorgeous ex-wife standing there, she’d thought she’d die. To make matters even more uncomfortable, something she’d believed impossible, Grace had said she’d seen them kissing. Even now, with Mack outside saying goodbye, her face burned with mortification.

Please don’t mention it. Perhaps if she launched a conversation the moment he walked in, Grace’s comments would slip from his mind.

“I think Grace is more excited about room service than the exhibit Bethany told her about,” Mack said when he came back inside.

“Room service does sound rather nice.” Jessie forced herself to look at him, and once again, she was struck by just how out of her league he was. A guy as handsome as Mack belonged alongside an equally beautiful woman… one that looked like his ex-wife.

Whether he sensed her discomfort or not, he didn’t say. Instead, he came over and put his arms around her waist. “You’ve never had room service?”

His show of affection and physical proximity made her senses spin, and any embarrassment from before disappeared. “I’ve only stayed in hotels a few times and I’ve never splurged on room service.”

He pulled her closer. “We’ll have to remedy that someday.”

Heat once again surged through her, although this time, it wasn’t caused by embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she searched for a safe topic. Right away, her thoughts turned to Grace. “Grace looks just like her mom. No wonder she’s such a beautiful little girl.” Standing in the same room with Bethany, she’d felt a little like one of the ugly stepsisters.

“Grace does have her mom’s physical characteristics. Thankfully, that’s all she got.” He gave her a short quick kiss than pulled away. “Let’s go figure out what we want to do tonight.”

In the end, they decided on dinner from the grill, followed by relaxing around the fire pit outside. Unfortunately, the rain forecasted for much later in the evening arrived early, extinguishing the fire before they could enjoy it. Rather than complain about their ruined plans, they moved inside where Mack built a fire in the fireplace.

Despite the change of plans, Jessie remained on cloud nine. Part of it came from the atmosphere. She’d always loved a fire, whether it was outside or in a fireplace. When she’d been growing up, her grandfather would often build a big fire in the fireplace and she and Charlie would cook hot dogs and tell ghost stories. On weekends, if her dad was home, he’d build a fire out back, and the two of them would roast marshmallows before camping out in the backyard. Some of her best memories with her dad involved those camp-outs.

Her companion for the night, though, contributed even more to her current state. All evening Mack had been an attentive listener and a perfect gentleman. Although neither had touched on Grace’s statement, they had discussed everything from his job to the workout regime her trainer had her on. And while Grace’s new label for her never came up, she couldn’t shake it as Mack went in search of a DVD.

“I couldn’t find the one I wanted, but I found these. Take your pick.” He handed her a heavy DVD case.