Page 57 of Save the Last Dance
Ally wanted to tell her they still had a long time together, but a sharp rap at the door almost scared her out of her seat.
“Who is that?” she started to ask, hopping to her feet, but the side door was already starting to open.
Gram looked unconcerned.
“Can I come in?” a man’s voice called a second before Ally’s dad peered around the door into the living room.
“Geez, Dad. You scared me to death.” Ally picked up the popcorn bowls and empty glasses to bring into the kitchen while her father stepped inside with one of Ally’s floral tote bags under his arm.
Luce, Gram’s lab, followed him inside, tail wagging and thunking against the fridge.
“I brought you some stuff your mom packed for you.” Dad’s voice was weird and awkward whenever he mentioned her mother lately. Like Mom was some alien creature who didn’t live with them. “And some mail I thought you might want to see.”
He shouldered the bag off his arm and flashed a white envelope with the University of Kentucky logo. The college was one of many her mom had insisted Ally add to her list of places to apply to.
“Probably just another ad for the school.”
Dad squinted at the envelope. “It’s from the Education Abroad program.”
“Scott,” Gram called from the living room. “Come in here so I can hear what you’re saying.”
Ally took the envelope without reading it and followed her father into the living room. “Why were all the lights on at our house when I went by earlier?”
She’d been too upset about Ethan to stop in before, but she was curious what was going on at home. Plus, now that she noticed, Dad had another bag under his arm.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, tugging on the duffel while Luce nudged the back of Ally’s knee with her head.
She reached down to pet the dog, scratching her behind the ears.
“Actually, Ally.” He paused near her grandmother’s chair. “I’m sorry to crash your sleepover, but I might need to stay here tonight.”
“What?” Why tonight of all nights did Dad decide he had to be here?
“I don’t know where else to go.” He sucked in a deep breath and Ally realized that he looked like hell. Unshaven. Shaggy. Tired. “Your mother asked me to leave.”
Chapter Thirteen
“This is almostas good as a cupcake.” Nina took another bite of the poached egg on an English muffin that Mack had made her for a late-night snack.
She had been starving, but she was also grateful for the distraction of the food after the intensity of what had happened between them earlier. Her body still hummed with pleasure and her nerve endings continued to buzz with feel-good vibes. But her heart and her head were both struggling to make sense of the way she and Mack connected. Was it just the natural resurrection of old feelings that the sex had stirred, Feelings that were just ghosts of the love they’d shared as teens? Or was it more than that? Either way, she wasn’t ready to sort through it just yet. Besides, she was supposed to be living in the moment and not overanalyzing things.
“It never occurred to me I should buy flour this week.” Mack polished off his water. He was seated next to her at the built-in banquette in the old field manager’s quarters that had been seriously upgraded since the last time she’dbeen there. “Or sugar. Or anything else you tried to find in my cabinets to make cupcakes.”
She snuck peeks at him while he ate, remembering touching his bristly jaw and kissing his lips. Running her fingers through his hair. He’d felt familiar and new at the same time. Being with him had been so natural and so easy. There hadn’t been any of the awkwardness that had plagued her with other guys.
“At least you had eggs. This hits the spot.” Of course that could also have something to do with the fact she’d worked up an incredible appetite the old-fashioned way. All of her senses were singing. She adjusted the rest of the egg to center it on the remaining muffin. “But I seem to recall you always had some cooking skills.”
“Eggs? Does that count as cooking?”
“Poaching is an art.” Even the muffin had been toasted to the perfect degree and then slathered with real butter. “The longer I bake, the more I appreciate the simple recipes. Fresh ingredients and the right preparation are the foundations of great food.”
“Well, I can do simple. Once Mom started checking out on childcare on a regular basis, someone had to step up in the kitchen.”
“That seems an unlikely role for the youngest in the family,” she said, treading carefully as she always did around conversations about his mother.
And after their conversation in the boat, she knew she had to be careful about the subject of family and kids as well. Her heart hurt for him that he’d isolated himself from any hope of a deeper connection with his mother or with kids of his own. “We all had our strengths.” As usual, Mack didn’t give much away when it came to his family.
Settling back against the banquette’s gray cushions, Nina made an effort to draw him out. The more time she spent with him lately, the more she wondered how well she’d truly known him while they were dating. Clearly, his mom had been aware that he hadn’t wanted children, even as a teen. Why hadn’t Nina understood how serious he was about that?
