Just a Memory (14 page)

"Will do. And Ms. Houseman is here for you. She says you have a date–" Through the intercom, Mac could hear Sandi's voice correcting Ellie, but without much conviction. "I mean, ah, an appointment. To show you a house."

Mac didn't bother to depress the button to respond. He grabbed his uniform jacket and coat and strode out, pulling them on. He would ask Carolyn about the banquet at dinner tonight. Right now he hoped this house was the one he was looking for. He needed to have his own space to start living his own life.

With a smile on his face at the thought of living on the lake, he went to greet Sandi. He quit smiling when she brightened as if his smile was all for her.

They drove back along the west side of the lake. This time, instead of passing the point Mac had noticed the last time, she turned and headed down the blacktop drive entering the woods there. The lake views could only be described as spectacular.

With plenty of land around it for privacy, the house rambled on one floor, with a wide deck across the lake side. The view from there was fantastic enough to convince him to buy it even if the insides were a shambles, but the house was in nearly new condition. He poked through every nook and cranny before he walked out to the point where he stood at the water's edge. He could see up and down the lake from this vantage point. He drew in a deep breath.

He felt like he'd come home.

His decision was the easiest one he'd made since coming to Lakehaven. "When can I move in, Ms. Houseman?"

"I knew you'd like it. If you've seen enough, let's go to the Lake Inn and have lunch. I'll tell you all about what the owner's son told me. And please, you must call me Sandi. No one's that formal here in Lakehaven."

Mac nodded and followed her to her car. This house looked perfect. There would be plenty of good exercise for his bum shoulder by cutting the deadfall in the woods. When it was too cold or wet to work outside, he would enjoy installing wall cabinets in the den. Yeah, living in Lakehaven was turning out to be not half as bad as he once thought it would be.

"I spoke to the owner's son this morning and I feel we can do business."

Sandi beamed at the smile that spread across Mac's face. She never stopped talking about the house all the way to the restaurant. Mac listened carefully this time because he wanted to learn all he could about the place. Sandi was certain the owners wouldn't mind talking to him directly. Mac planned to call them the minute he got back to the office.

All the time they talked in the car and at the
Inn
after they ordered lunch, Mac found himself planning to bring Carolyn out to the point to see the house.

Funny, but it seemed important that she like it.

"Well, thanks anyway."

Carolyn replaced the receiver in the cradle and flopped back in her desk chair. She'd just called nearly every one of the Merchants Association members for suggestions for programs for their meetings during the coming year. They were quick to criticize some past programs they didn't like, but they couldn't think of much they wanted beyond the Chief's appearance next week. It was a good thing she had begun an idea list as soon as she was elected last month.

The phone ringing so close made her jump. "Isn't this the week you wanted to get together and bounce around program ideas, or have you got them all set already, Ms. Efficiency?" Susan, owner of the craft shop, asked.

Leave it to Susan to come through. While they weren't close personal friends, Carolyn had a good professional relationship with her. They had worked together well on Merchants Association committees before, and each had learned she could depend on the other. Neither held any petty jealousies of the other's successes the way some businesswomen did.

"You make a great committee of one, Susan. Your timing is perfect. I've spent the morning phoning my list. Just finished, in fact. When can we get together to compare notes?"

"I'd love to do it real soon. The 'getting ready for winter' buying season is here. My customers want to have craft projects on hand during the long winter days. This may be the only week I have time to help you."

"This week is perfect," Carolyn agreed. "How about using it as an excuse for lunch?"

"Fantastic. I do miss going out to lunch now that I have to work through the
noon
hour so often. Why not do it today?" Susan asked brightly.

"And treat ourselves to lunch overlooking the lake at the
Inn
?"

Susan was all for it. She had to be back at her store by one, but that should be time enough, they agreed as they ended the call.

Carolyn gathered her notes into a pile. One look at her watch sent her rushing to the front door to hang out the "Back at One" sign.

She liked the fact she could be casual about her hours during the slack times. A week and a half after Halloween was definitely slack time in a costume shop. Carolyn believed worrying about slack times was still a lot better than working eight hours every day for someone else. Then she would have to worry about after-school care for Terri as well.

Susan was already at the
Inn
when the waitress took Carolyn to their table. "I come here so seldom that I forget how beautiful the view of the lake is," Carolyn said as she sat down.

"Wouldn't it be something to be able to look at that view from your living room each day?"

"I'd love it, but it won't happen in this lifetime," Carolyn remarked with a laugh.

They both ordered the fresh fruit salad, a delicious out of season splurge. The waitress left them each a hot cinnamon roll fresh from the oven. After enjoying this delicious trademark of the coffee shop, they turned to the business of program speakers. With efficiency and thoroughness, they reviewed and analyzed both their lists and then composed a list of their best suggestions for Carolyn to work from. By the time their salads were finished, the list looked quite promising.

As they relaxed over a cup of herbal tea, Carolyn surveyed the now busy room. Her glance swept the lake view and the tables in the bay when the same face that had kept popping into her mind all morning came into the center of her field of vision. Not only that, but Mac was looking right at her as if he'd been waiting for her to look up.

Their gazes locked. His smile made her arms feel so weak she almost dropped her teacup. It clattered as she set it back down in the saucer. Her heart sped up, but she could feel the blood draining from her cheeks. All the while, she couldn't look away from him.

"Carolyn, what is it?" Susan's voice showed concern. Susan turned to see what was commanding her attention. "Oh, that's Chief Macdonald, right? Isn't he a hunk? Can you see who he's with?" Susan leaned over in her seat to see him better. "Oh, isn't that the realtor, um, Sandi something or other?" Susan turned back to Carolyn and added excitedly, "I wonder if they're dating?"

Carolyn had already been forced to admit that unwelcome possibility to herself, but she couldn't say that to Susan. There was no reason why Mac shouldn't be dating Sandi. No reason at all, she thought, feeling unaccountably sad.

"I…I don't know," she offered weakly.

Mac and Sandi rose to leave their table. Embarrassed at having stared at him, Carolyn wanted to crawl out of the restaurant without being seen. Seeing no way to accomplish the feat, she kept her eyes on her teacup.

With a very visible jump, she responded to the warm hand that suddenly squeezed her shoulder. Her teacup forgotten, she looked up into his gray eyes and realized her vivid imagination hadn't even come close to remembering their depth.

"Carolyn. Nice to see you again so soon."

That smile of his. Her voice evaporated.

Susan wasn't bashful. "Chief Macdonald, isn't it? I'm Susan Kline. I own Gifts and Crafts."

The warm hand left Carolyn's shoulder and shook Susan's hand.

"Susan is my program committee of one," Carolyn managed to say. Feeling better now her lungs were working again, she went on, "We're planning the other speakers for the Merchants Association monthly meetings." Carolyn hoped no one would notice she'd spoken with a voice that didn't sound like her own.

Sandi finished whatever she'd been saying to the waitress and walked up next to Mac. Everyone turned to her, but after only the briefest of nods to the seated women, she directed her comments only to Mac. "It was a lovely morning. Such fun having lunch with you. You're
sure
you don't want a ride back to the police station?" She didn't wait for an answer other than the shake of his head from Mac. "I do hope I'll hear from you real soon."

She was expecting hers to be the last word when Mac spoke in a deep voice that cut through her flourish like a hot spoon through whipped cream. "Thanks for showing me the house, and for lunch, but I don't need a ride. I'll enjoy getting myself back to work." Her exit spoiled, Sandi nodded curtly and spun around, leaving quickly.

It had not been a lunch date. Carolyn smiled and couldn't deny feeling relieved, though she had no right to.

The warm hand rested on her shoulder again. "I have some things I'd like to discuss with you, Carolyn."

"Ah, I have to be at the shop the rest of the afternoon, but–"

He interrupted her again like yesterday, but she didn't notice because she didn't know what more to say. "Oh, that's no problem. We can talk about it over dinner tonight. I'll see you at seven."

Carolyn's eyes widened and she smiled again. He'd just gone to such lengths to let them know the lunch with Sandi was strictly business. Now he was talking about their dinner date in front of Susan whose face, Carolyn noticed, reflected her envy and surprise. These were moments Carolyn savored, all the more precious to her because they were such a rarity in her small-town life.

"And I promise it will be something nicer than pizza this time."

Was there no end to the surprises in this man? "No, it's
my
turn," she insisted suddenly. "Instead of going out, how would you like a home-cooked dinner?"

His smile told her he would. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "But give me some extra time to get it together, say, seven-thirty?"

"How about seven and I'll help? Terri and I can set the table," he suggested with a laugh. "And we'll check out that other restaurant this weekend." Carolyn smiled. "Nice to meet you," he added to Susan and with a goodbye to them both, he left the restaurant.

Susan erupted the second he was out of earshot. "Why didn't you
tell
me? Aren't you the sly one! He just walks right up and talks about your dinners together. And here I sit, wondering out loud who he dates, calling him a hunk, and you just let me go on and on–"

"That's okay. He
is
a hunk." Carolyn joined in Susan's laughter and it felt good, but it sharpened her realization that recently she'd felt weighed down by her responsibilities and felt old despite her age. Mac's attention would do nothing to lift the burden of being alone, making her own way in the world, and providing for her daughter, but it made her feel…well…young and almost carefree again.

Their bills paid, Carolyn thanked Susan for her help and they headed for their cars. Life felt better than it had in a very long time. Much better.

Digging out her keys from her purse, Carolyn rounded her fender and headed for the driver's door. Because she was looking down, the first thing she saw were his powerful legs encased in the uniform dark blue and posed in a comfortable wide stance. Her gaze rose quickly across the belt and over the white shirt, exposed by the hand inside the jacket on the hip, to the loosened tie. She had to swallow before looking up across his full lips curling in a smile that flashed all the way to his eyes. Their gazes locked.

"Hi." She didn't sound like a mouse squeaking this time, thank goodness.