With Dean holding her tight, caressing her back, Mack finally felt herself warming up. “I’m okay, Dean. Just upset, and I guess frustrated. I still don’t know what happened the night Rose died.” She sighed. “Thomas told me he’d watched Rose sneak out, and that shortly after she left, Richard showed up. He told Richard she was gone, and then Richard followed her. A short while later, Richard returned to tell them she had gone over the cliffs.”
“Mack, I’m sorry you still don’t have closure.”
“I won’t have until I know what actually happened, and I’ve told your grandfather.”
“I’ll arrange that soon, okay?” Dean continued as he stroked Mack’s back, not wanting to let her go.
“Thanks, Dean. There is one more thing. Richard is still alive.”
“What?”
“Apparently he’s in a nursing home and needs round-the-clock care, but he has a daughter who works at the yellow coffee shop in town. So, I was thinking, maybe after lunch we could take a trip down there and, with luck, get her permission to talk to him.”
“Okay. I’ll make us some sandwiches, we’ll go drink coffee, and then hit the supermarket, where you can load the cart to your heart’s content, and I’ll pay.” Dean planted a kiss on her lips to stop her protesting. “I’ve eaten here practically every mealtime since I’ve been in Cape Elizabeth so I’m paying. If it bothers you that much, you pay next time.”
With her forehead resting against his, she looked into his eyes. “I love you. It’s never happened to me before, and I’ve only known you a short time, so it’s kind of frightening.”
“What I feel for you, Mack, frightens the hell out of me, but instead of running, I’m not going anywhere because you belong to me. Is that okay?”
“Most definitely!”
“Now that’s settled, lunchtime, I think.” Dean walked over to the refrigerator to retrieve some cold meats and salad vegetables.
Watching him work, Mack found it a real turn on. She watched the rippling muscles across his back when he moved. Oh boy, what a view she had when he dropped a tomato and bent down to pick it up.
“Yummy!”
Dean turned to look at Mack, raising an eyebrow in question as he wondered what she was up to. When he saw the direction she was looking, he laughed out loud. “You like what you see, babe?”
“Mmm, I certainly do.”
He pointed the butter knife at her. “Control yourself. Lunch is ready in a minute. You can nibble on that for now.”
“Spoil sport!”
“Who’s a spoil sport?” Lucas asked, running into the kitchen and sitting on Mack’s lap.
“Dean is. He won’t play,” she pouted.
“You’re no good on the Wii so that’s probably why he won’t play with you.”
She tried not to laugh. “Dean’s making lunch, and then we’re going to head into town for a short while. After that, we’re going to the supermarket, where under no circumstances do you get involved in a water fight again.”
“Water fight?” Dean queried.
“Please, don’t ask.”
The coffee shop in town was a small wooden structure, painted in yellow with white trim. It had a large corner window that faced toward the ocean. They had tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk, underneath white canopies with an amazing view of the ocean.
Inside, there were a few people already drinking and busy chatting away. Lucas had chosen his seat, in the corner where there were toys to play with, so Mack and Dean joined him.
“Mack, Lucas, what would you both like to drink?”
“Vanilla latte for me, please. Lucas, would you like a chocolate milk?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, back in a few minutes.”