Hometown Love (Love on the North Shore #2)(56)
For the most part, he shared little about his ex-wife. While Jessie understood that, she still wondered about the reasons behind their divorce. Mack was everything a woman could want in a husband and Grace was a great little girl. Jessie couldn’t understand why anyone would leave them. “Can I ask you something?” In the past, it had never seemed the appropriate time, but now felt right.
“You can ask me anything.”
Careful not break the omelet, she flipped it before she said another word. “Why did you get divorced? Was it because of Bethany’s job in New York?” Something like that didn’t strike Jessie as enough of reason, but who knew? Some people got divorced over sillier reasons.
Mack didn’t hesitate. “That didn’t help, but it wasn’t the reason. A bunch of things contributed to our divorce.” He accepted the plate she offered him before he continued. “Our relationship changed after she got pregnant. I started to notice things about her that I’d either missed or just overlooked before.” He took the second plate and carried them over to the table. “Things went downhill after Grace was born. She complained how it was Grace’s fault she now had stretch marks and couldn’t shed the last five pounds she’d gained while pregnant. She missed going out with her friends or us just taking off for the weekend at the last minute.”
The woman he described sounded more self-absorbed than Jessie had first thought. How had Mack ever fallen for her in the first place? She didn’t sound at all like the type of woman he’d want.
“Before we got married, I only saw the fun we had together. Only afterward when I saw the real her, did I realize we were wrong for each other. We started couples’ therapy right before she got the offer for the job in New York. That finally killed our marriage.” He stated it as if their breakup was a simple story, without bitterness or disappointment.
“Bethany agreed that I could have sole custody before we ever stepped in a courtroom. She’d never wanted to be a mother so she was content with visitation rights. Then, about six months after we separated, she moved in with someone she met in New York.”
A mother who would willing give up custody told her a lot about Mack’s ex-wife. “I think Grace is better off without her mom around much.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Mack reached over and squeezed her hand. “Let’s talk about something more enjoyable.”
He didn’t need to ask twice. With her curiosity satisfied, Jessie squeezed back. “Tell me more about this trip we’re going to take. Did I tell you I’ve never been to Florida? Actually, I’ve never been any farther south than Virginia.”
Mack latched onto the topic and ran with it. Just by the way he discussed the parks and what he remembered as a child, she could tell he was looking forward to the trip and not merely because Grace would enjoy it. The more he told her, the more excited she became as well. In fact, by the time they finished breakfast, she wanted to hop on a plane and fly down today.
Chapter 12
The week dragged on. In fact, Jessie couldn’t remember the last time a week took so long to end. Part of it stemmed from issues at work. Two large special orders—one for Phil Larson and another for Brendan Michaels—came in damaged. Thankfully, Phil was a regular customer and easy to work with, but still, dealing with the manufactures had been a major pain. Brendan, on the other hand, was—and always had been—a jerk, and when he’d discovered the problems, he’d stormed into the store pissed off. Then, on Wednesday, her assistant manager, Ty, had come down with the flu and she’d been forced to cover his hours in addition to her own.
All of that would have been bad enough, but on top of it, she’d seen Mack only once. And it was only for a short time. Tuesday, her only day off, he’d called around six and asked if she could pick Grace up at his sister’s house. Some case he was involved in had made it impossible for him to leave work before Erin had to leave for her moms’ night out with friends. By the time he arrived home that night around eleven, Grace had been tucked into bed, asleep, for hours. She and Mack had talked for a few minutes, but then Jessie had left for her place. Since then, they’d only talked on the phone.
Today, they both had the day off, and in another hour, Grace’s birthday party was due to start. As Jessie searched through her closet, her own excitement grew. When Grace found out what they had planned for her, she was going to go crazy. What little girl wouldn’t? A whole week in Florida, including lunch with her favorite fairy tale characters. Jessie was ecstatic about the trip herself.
She grabbed the plain yellow top, held it up, and then tossed it back onto her bed. She loved the color, but it didn’t love her. Any other day, she might not care how it looked on her, but Mack’s ex-wife would be there today. Bethany had called Mack during the week to confirm she’d be at the party. With Bethany there, Jessie wanted to look her best. She skipped over the striped shirt and the bright orange one she’d picked up for Halloween. The last thing she wanted to look like was a giant pumpkin. Then her gaze settled on the dark gray sweater she’d grabbed on clearance at the end of last winter. This will do.
Jessie finished dressing and then spent a few extra minutes doing her hair and makeup. Most days she only wore a touch of eyeliner and lip-gloss. Today she added some blush and eye shadow. When she was satisfied with her appearance she drove to Peggy Sue’s.