McCarthys of Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-3 (54 page)

“Have you applied?”

“I let Ohio State know I’m interested in taking them up on their six-year-old offer. I haven’t heard back yet.”

“What can I do?”

“Write me a new recommendation?”

“Done.”

“Thank you so much,” she said, relieved.

“You know I’ve been thinking about retiring,” he said tentatively. “But if I thought you’d be ready to go in a couple of years, I’d be willing to wait.”

“Wait? For
me
?”

“I’d love nothing more than to turn this practice over to you, Janey.”

She sat back in her chair, flabbergasted. “Wow.”

“You’re a natural. You’ll sail through vet school because of what you already know.”

“Thanks to you.”

“And you. You took advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow. I’ll write you the most bang-up recommendation letter they’ve ever gotten.” Full of fire, he got up to leave. “We’ll get you in. Don’t worry. Probably be next year, though.”

“I know,” Janey said. That was a long way off. “You’re the best for being so willing to help.”

Doc flashed an impish grin. “Won’t hurt that I’m also a generous alum,” he said on his way out the door.

He was the reason she’d chosen Ohio State in the first place. She’d worked at the clinic all during high school, first as an unpaid helper and later as the Saturday receptionist. Hearing his stories about the school and the program had made her want to go there, too.
 

As she gazed at the flowers Joe had sent, she wondered how she’d manage to have the two things she wanted. Her stomach ached when she realized it might come down to a choice. In the past, she’d chosen David over her own dreams. The one thing she knew for certain was she couldn’t do that anymore.
 

Never again would she put someone else’s dreams ahead of her own.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Janey looked up to find Mac standing in the doorway. “Oh, hey. What’re you doing here?”

He eyed the flowers on her desk. “Just wanted to see my sister. Is that okay with you?”

“That’s
all
you want?”

Shutting the door behind him, he dropped into the chair. “Are those from Joe?”

“Maybe.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to.”

A flash of hurt crossed his face. “Why?”

“Gee, let’s see. Could it be your propensity to overreact or maybe it’s your tendency to treat me like I’m twelve?”

“Janey—”

“I’m a grown woman, Mac. I can sleep with anyone I want to, and believe it or not, it’s none of your business.”

“You’re right.”

Shocked, she stared at him. She hadn’t expected such easy capitulation. “I am?”

“I hate the idea of anyone hurting you. When I first heard about what David had done, I honestly thought I could kill him.”

Hearing that, Janey softened. “You’re the best big brother any girl could ever have. You know I love you as much as I love anyone. But you’ve got to let me live my own life, even if it means I get hurt once in a while.”

“I’m trying.”

Janey scowled playfully at him. “Try harder.”

“So you and Joe. . .”

“Me and Joe.” Thinking of him brought a smile to her face.

“He’s had a big bad thing for you for years.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“You really didn’t know?”

“Maybe deep down. But when I was with David, I never let myself go there.”

“And it was really your idea to, you know. . .”

“Sleep together?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“It was all me. He tried to tell me it was a bad idea, that I’d regret it.”

“And did you? Regret it?”

“Not for one second. He’s amazing and sweet and he loves me so much, Mac. I’ve never had anything even close to what I have with him.”

“I guess that’s saying something in light of how long you were with David.”

“What I had with David wasn’t anything like this.”

“So you’re in love with Joe?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to be, but I’m not sure yet.”

Mac glanced at the flowers. “He’s not exactly being subtle, is he?”

Making a face at him, she said, “It would hurt me if this caused a rift between you and him.”

“It won’t,” he said almost reluctantly.

“He loves you so much, and he’s thrilled to have you living back here again. I couldn’t bear to come between the two of you. That would hurt me more than anything.”

 
“I needed to hear you say he didn’t take advantage of you when you were down.”

She got up and went around the desk. “He didn’t. And you already knew that because you know
him
.”

Mac stood and reached for her. He hugged her for a long time and then kissed her forehead. “Love you, brat. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m working on that.”

“Let me know what I can do to help.”

“Stop being such a buttinsky and forgive Joe.”

“I will.”

“And Maddie.”

“Already did.”

“Good. I adore her. She’s absolutely perfect for you.”

He smiled. “I agree. Do something for me?”

“Sure.”

“If I promise to not overreact and overwhelm, will you not keep me in the dark? I like knowing what’s going on with you.”

She went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m making some plans and decisions. As soon as I know more, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“I’ll look forward to that.” He checked his watch. “I’d better go. The boys are coming in on the one o’clock boat.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” she said of their three other brothers. “This will be a fun week, and at the end of it, you’ll be married. Hard to believe, huh?”

“Not anymore. I can’t imagine my life without Maddie and Thomas.”

“I hope someday I’ll be that certain.”

“Take your time, brat. Getting it right is well worth the wait.”

“So I’ve discovered.”

He hugged her tight against him. “I’m here if you need me.”

Janey’s eyes burned with tears as she clung to him. “I know.” She pulled back and looked up at him. “Have fun tonight.”

“Oh, I plan to,” he said with a wicked grin. “My last hurrah.”

“Hearts are breaking up and down the East Coast.”

Mac laughed. “Sure they are.” He left her with a wave.

Janey watched him go, knowing that even after he was married, he’d still be there for her. In the midst of chaos and upheaval, there were some things she could count on to stay the same. Her big brother was definitely one of them.

Chapter 20

Janey left the vet clinic and decided to take care of something that had been on her mind all day. Steeling herself for a fight, she walked over to Maddie’s former apartment, above her sister Tiffany’s dance studio. Janey knocked on the door and waited. And then waited some more. After several minutes, the door cracked open, and Francine scowled when she saw Janey.

“What do you want?”

“I’d like to talk to you, if you can spare a minute.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You’ve never even met me. How can you dislike me so intensely?”

“You’re one of them.”

“If you’re referring to my parents, I believe you’ll recall that my mother gave you ample opportunity to make restitution before she ever reported you. And she wasn’t the first to report you.”

“She took the most pleasure in it,” Francine grumbled.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about her. Or me. Or my brother. You haven’t given any of us a chance, yet you’ve decided we’re no good.”

“I know what I see—and what I hear.”

“And what’s that?”

“Your mother hasn’t exactly been good to my girl over there at that fancy hotel of hers.”

“And she has apologized for that. After she learned the truth about Maddie—”

“What truth? What’re you talking about?”

“When Maddie told Mac about what my brother Evan and his friends said about Maddie in high school, Mac made them all write letters of apology to the
Gansett Gazette
.”

Agog, Francine stared at her.

“Maddie was furious at first because he hadn’t yet told her about the letters. But they totally changed her life on the island. No one thinks poorly of her anymore, Mrs. Chester. My brother did that for her.”

“Well, your
other
brother caused the whole thing.”

“No, he didn’t. Darren Tuttle did, but Mac took care of him, too. Evan just went along with it because he was too stupid not to. His apology letter was the most heartfelt of the group. He said he’d always regretted what they’d done to her, and he welcomed the chance to apologize.”

“I don’t know what you want from me—”

“I want you to come to Maddie’s shower tomorrow at my mother’s house.”

“I most certainly will not!”

“You’d do that to your own daughter?”

“Don’t speak to me about my daughter! What do you know about it? What do you know about anything?”

“I know she’s the best new friend I’ve had in a long time. I know my brother loves her with everything he has and my family has fully embraced her and Thomas. Why would you want to force her to choose between you and us? Why does it have to be a choice?”

“She’s already made her choices,” Francine huffed. “What I think of it apparently has no bearing.”

“How can you say that? When the whole island thought she was no better than a tramp, she didn’t leave because you insisted on staying here after your husband left. Instead of going somewhere for a fresh start where no one knew her, she stayed here and put up with all the rumors and innuendo about her, because you wanted to be where he could find you.”

“
She told you that?
”

“I totally understand why you’d want to stay. I’d want the man I love to be able to find me, too.”

Francine sagged against the door frame. “He’s been gone twenty-five years. I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“Maybe not, but you have your daughters and your grandchildren, and next week you’ll have a new son-in-law who’d do anything for you, if only you’d give him a chance.”

“You’re asking an awful lot of me.”

“Actually, I’m really not. I’m just asking you to give him a chance. He’s going to be your grandson’s father. If you can’t do it for Maddie, maybe you can do it for Thomas.”

Francine crossed her arms. “I’m not going to your mother’s house.”

“You don’t have to decide that now. I wanted you to know you’re invited. That my mother and I, as well as Maddie and Tiffany, would love to have you there.”

“You’d love that, would you?”

“Maddie would, so that’s good enough for us.”

“You McCarthys like to think you’re better than everyone else on this island.”

“No, we don’t. My mother was big enough to admit she was wrong about Maddie. Maybe you can do the same for us?” Before Francine could answer, Janey turned to start down the stairs. “Two o’clock tomorrow,” she said over her shoulder. “I really hope you’ll join us.”

Based on the warm welcome Joe received from Grant, Adam and Evan McCarthy, he figured they hadn’t heard yet about his relationship with their sister. With dark hair and blue eyes, all four McCarthy brothers resembled their father as a young man. Only Janey took after their petite, blonde mother.

Evan, a singer-songwriter, had recently landed his first recording contract in Nashville. He was the first to notice Joe’s arrival. “Hey!” he said. “It’s the fifth McCarthy brother!” Embracing Joe, Evan lifted him right off his feet.

“Dude!” Joe said. “Put me down, for Christ’s sake!” Back on terra firma, Joe noticed that Luke had arranged tables and set out the food from Mario’s. The cards, poker chips and Cuban cigars Joe had dropped off earlier were sitting in the middle of one table, along with the beer he’d provided, which had been loaded into a huge garbage can and iced. Perfect.
 

Grant, an Academy-Award winning screenwriter who lived in Los Angeles, greeted Joe with a handshake and one-armed hug. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” Joe said, going with the truth. What the hell? They’d hear about it soon enough. “Good to see you, man.”

“You, too.”

Joe admired that Grant hadn’t let success turn him into an arrogant jerk. He had a cool, urbane way about him that dated back to high school and probably served him well in Hollywood.
 

“Can you even believe why we’re here?” Adam asked as he hugged Joe. A successful computer programmer who lived in New York City, Adam was six inches shorter than his brothers. They called him “Little Brother,” even though Evan was the youngest.
 

“Never thought I’d see the day, that’s for sure,” Joe said, his stomach twisting with nerves as he wondered if Mac was still pissed with him. “Where’s the man of the hour?”