Page 24 of Comeback
“I work out a lot.”
“Training for your big NHL comeback, right?” I joked.
He popped the last hunk of steak into his mouth and swallowed it down with an audiblegulp. “Heh. Yeah, right?”
Something about the way those rumors made him so nervous got my hopes up. Part of me wanted to entertain the idea that there might a nugget of truth to the rumors—but that wascrazy,right? Then again,wasit crazy? I didn’t know anything about him. If nothing else, it was easy to see how the rumors about him had spread—he did a horrible job of denying them and letting you know who hereallywas.
Jack paid the bill and dinner was over. I asked Mackenzie if she’d like to go to the park for play time and she enthusiastically answered, “Oh, yes!”
I wasn’t surprised when Jack asked if he could come with us, but it made me happy.
On the way out of the restaurant, those bleach-blonde tourist girls gave me the stink eye.
Oh, get over yourselves,I thought, shooting them a nasty stare right back.
Chapter 12
Jack
Outside, the evening air had cooled, and tiny Bayfield was bustling. A bicycle zoomed past, ringing its bell. Window-shoppers strolled the streets. Families roamed, discussing dinner options. A group of young men traded banter as they headed for the pub.
The three of us walked to the park. Mack was in better spirits after eating, and she walked on her own, holding her mom’s hand. Soon, she reached for my hand, too. I did what came naturally and showed her how much fun it was to be swung through the air with each step.
“One, two, three—jump!”
“Weeeeeee! Bwahaha!”
Mack’s delightful squeals gnawed at my broken heart. She was as cute as a button. And in Emma, I saw a glimpse of something I’d given up hope of ever finding.
Yeah, these girls were growing on me fast.
I still couldn’t believe someone had been dumb enough to walk out on them. I wanted to ask, but I knew it wasn’t my place. Besides, she wanted to know things about me thatIwasn’t ready to talk about, either.
We made it to the park. Mack made a beeline to the jungle gym, her little twig legs carrying her as fast as they could. Emma and I sat on a bench nearby and kept watch, cheering her on as she went up and down the slide over and over.
“You know, you really don’t have to do this,” Emma said, speaking softly. She looked vulnerable, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped snugly around them.
“But I want to,” I said.
“Yeah, but why?”
I stared at her. I didn’t know how to answer without making her think I was crazy.
“You’ve been amazing today,” she said, breaking the silence. “But I need you to understand that I’m in an extremely delicate situation here. Mackenzie is young, Jack. Young and impressionable. I don’t want to hurt her any more than she’s already been hurt. Trust me when I say that you wouldnotbe here with us right now if it weren’t for a problem she’s been having.”
I didn’t follow. “What problem?”
Emma sighed. “Back at the cafe, I told you that she’s been having separation issues.”
“Right. I remember.”
“Well, that’s only half the story. Since we moved to Bayfield, she’s really withdrawn into a shell. She won’t talk to anyone but me—not even Nicole. Not a single word.”
I made a face. “Wait, really?”
“Yeah. It’s called selective mutism.”
“But she talks around me.”
