Mack Daddy(8)

“When?”

“You tell me.”

“Thursday at four. The Gourmet Bean in Chestnut Hill,” I quickly said before I could change my mind.

He was beaming. “I’ll be there.”

After I agreed, Mack walked over to Jonah and mussed his son’s hair before saying goodbye. Jonah didn’t look amused, although he’d handled Mack’s storytelling without needing to flee the room; I was really proud of him for that.

Later that afternoon, once the students cleared out, Lorelai snuck up on me as I was getting my things ready to leave.

She crossed her arms. “You need to spill. Right now.”

“What?”

“What’s going on between you and Mack Daddy? I was watching you two interact. I nearly had an orgasm.”

“What did you say? Mack Daddy?”

“Yes. Mack Daddy. It’s what everyone calls him around here. You didn’t know that?”

“I guess it fits.”

“He’s the talk of all the moms at drop-off. There are quite a few looking to dig their nasty, gel-manicured paws into him, including me, if I’m being honest. His voice alone is enough to make me come. I swear, if I had one of those little tape machines reporters use, I’d record him reading and play it at night.” She tilted her head, examining my expression. “That bothers you.”

Shaking my head dismissively, I said, “No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes, it does. You’re hiding something.” She squinted. “Are you seeing him?”

“No.”

“But something is going on. You guys know each other.”

“We used to.”

“I knew it! You used to date him?”

“We were roommates years ago.”

“You f*cked him.”

“No.”

“Damn. No? Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s a shame. But something happened…”

“Our relationship was very complex. When we first met, we couldn’t have been more opposite from each other.”

“But you know what they say about opposites?” She flashed her teeth.

“That they attract?”

“That they have amazing sex. And with him…I bet it would’ve been more than amazing.”

Yes. I’m sure it would have been.

“Well, again, I wouldn’t know. And you need to lower your voice.”

“I think you’re lying about the no sex thing.”

“Why?”

“Because your face is totally red right now, Francesca. You look guilty.”

“Like I said, we have a history. It wasn’t exactly the stuff fairytales are made of, though.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I went after him? Because I think he’s really hot and sweet, and I heard he’s not with the mother anymore.”

“I don’t care what you do,” I lied, despite burning up with a frantic jealousy. It felt more like panic.

“Great. Now your eye is twitching. You’re so full of shit,” she said.

“It’s just been stressful seeing him again. What do you want from me?”

“I want to know what happened. Were you in love with him?”

I sat down and placed my hands on my forehead. “I thought I was. But it doesn’t matter, because he didn’t love me back. And honestly, I should be mature enough now to accept seeing him again. I’m really pissed at myself. I thought I’d done a good job over the years of moving on from this, but all of the feelings have come flooding back. Not to mention, I’m in a serious relationship.”

“Maybe you just thought you were moving on, but maybe you were just blocking it out.”

“You’re not helping, Lor.”

Lorelai took a few steps toward me. “We all have that one person. It’s not necessarily someone we end up with. But it’s that person who, for whatever reason, gets under your skin and stays there. You can move on, but parts of them are always with you. Sometimes, if things never had a chance to develop, if feelings are still unresolved, that person becomes an even more powerful force in your life, even in absentia.”

“So, you’re saying that because Mack and I have unfinished business, I can’t let him go.”

“Yes. Unfinished business between two people who are clearly attracted to each other is like an eternal case of blue balls.”

“Ah, the things you can learn within the walls of a parochial school.”

“Are you gonna tell me the story or what?”

“Now?”

“Well, it’s almost time for happy hour at that bar in Brookline.”

After this day, I could definitely use a drink.

I grabbed my purse. “What the hell. Let’s go.”

Lorelai teased, “Don’t say hell. It’s a Catholic school.”





PAST


“I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Are you sure your roommate won’t mind me shacking up with you guys?”

“Nah. I spoke to Mack about it. He’s cool with the whole thing. We needed another roommate anyway. Saved us the trouble of having to list the room online.”

Moses showed me around the three-bedroom apartment. Through the window facing the street, I could see the famous illuminated CITGO sign in the distance.