Page 40 of Save the Last Dance (Take the Backroads #1)

Chapter Sixteen

“ I ’m not leaving.” Mack sat at his mother’s kitchen table across from his brother late that morning.

After visiting Vince’s grave, he’d gone back to the field manager’s quarters to sleep for a few hours after he got home, then knocked on his mother’s door shortly before noon, resolved to make his peace with his mother.

Instead, he’d found Scott brooding over a plate of pancakes while Mom sat beside him with a big pile of pill bottles and a weeklong dispenser case.

She counted out pills quietly while Mack and Scott argued.

“Mack, you came down here to take some things off my plate and help me save my marriage.” He shoved the pancakes around an antique plate with stabs of his fork.

“I’m admitting defeat and telling you—go home.

Let me take over the festival. I need something to do now anyway so I don’t lose my effing mind. ”

Their mother glared at him. No words needed.

“I said effing, ” Scott clarified .

“Thanks so much for repeating it at my table.” She adjusted her glasses higher on her nose and went back to counting out red capsules into the compartments of the case.

“You tell me, then,” Mack demanded, trying his best not to get in his brother’s face. “What exactly did you do to save your marriage? How have you made an effort with Bethany since I’ve been here?”

The scent of sweet maple syrup and the smell of lavender that permeated the old house was giving him a headache. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep. Or perhaps it was his fury at his stubborn brother who couldn’t see how stupid he was being to let Bethany walk away without a fight.

“I asked her to leave town with me when you told me to, back when you first got here.” Scott pushed his plate aside, the fork rattling against the china as it scraped along the tile tabletop.

“Did you book a hotel? Flash airline tickets? Pack a bag?” Mack ground his teeth, wondering what in the hell was wrong with his brother.

“Why would I do that without finding out if she wanted to go first? She didn’t seem interested.

Then all the sudden she wanted us to leave last night on a moment’s notice.

As if I could duck out on all my responsibilities here.

” Scott leaned forward, elbows on the table.

“Our daughter is in a bad way. We can’t just leave her. ”

“Do you even know where Ally is right now?” Mack’s mother asked him.

The steady click, click of pills halted.

He hesitated. “Sleeping upstairs.” Then, straightening, he looked up the staircase where the guest bedroom door was visible and obviously wide open. “Or else she went to sleep at home.”

Mack said nothing.

“Where is my daughter?” Scott’s fingers curled into a napkin and squeezed the ever-loving hell out of it.

“She’s at the hospital, sitting with a girl who needed a friend,” Mom explained gently.

“Mack came on the scene of an accident last night. The girl was a teenage driver who was scared and asked for Ally to be with her. Mack came to pick her up after you went to bed. Ally has texted a few times since then and she should be home in about—” Mom checked the homemade clock on the wall “—fifteen minutes.”

“Nice of you all to let me know. I’ve gotten used to her not speaking to me.”

Mom’s eyebrows shot up, but she went back to pill counting.

Mack was only too glad for his turn at his brother.

“Dude, if she doesn’t speak to you, and you’re not working to change that, then I don’t think she can be your excuse for not working things out with Bethany.

But pick a relationship—any relationship—and start working on it, or you’re going to find yourself alone. ”

“Do you really think you’re the one to pass out advice on being a husband and father since you’re neither?” Scott said with biting accuracy.

Mack bit back the urge to snap at Scott. Kicking his brother when he was already lower than down would accomplish nothing. “I’m sorry. Just offering my observations and input, for what it’s worth.”

Ever since the spring, Scott had been spending more and more time with their mother, and Mack had assumed it was because of Mom’s failing health.

Or to help their mother through her grief for their dad.

But now, he’d seen for himself who was making pancakes and doling out advice, versus who couldn’t get out of his own way across the table from him.

And even as he thought as much, another possibility hit him like an oncoming bus.

What if Scott suffered some of the same issues their mom did? That Ally had already shown signs of? He filed that away to mention to…he didn’t know who. But he was pretty sure this wasn’t the right time or place for that particular observation.

Mack decided to ease off the tough talk, rethinking what kind of help Scott might need. His brother had been there for him through a lot, after all. The least he could do was offer the same.

“Look.” He stood, hearing a car in the driveway. “That must be Ally now. She had a rough night but she was really a stand-up friend.”

In fact, he had to admit that despite her personal problems and the emotional issues that had made a scary appearance last weekend, Ally had impressed him with her composure on their ride to the hospital.

She hadn’t hesitated when he’d said Rachel needed Ally, even though, apparently, the girl hadn’t lived in town for long. Clearly, Ally’s priorities were solid.

Which had him wondering…who would have shown up at the hospital for Rachel if Scott had made the same decision about not having kids as Mack?

A sharp pang of shame heated the back of his neck even though, damn it, he could love his niece without wanting to put a kid through the battles she faced.

Still, when the screen door opened and Ally stepped through, Mack couldn’t shake an absurd sense of guilt. There were shadows under her eyes, but she smiled. He noticed the bandages on her wrists were gone, as were all the friendship bracelets she’d worn before the scratching incident.

“Morning.” He clapped her on the shoulder as he headed for the door himself. “How’s your friend doing?”

“Pretty good. Her doctor said the surgery went well. She should be able to go home Saturday. She has to be able to go through the straw maze, right?”

“Definitely. We’ll make sure they keep it up after the festival, just in case.” Mack waited for Scott to jump in. Ask a question.

Why wouldn’t his brother ask Ally about her night and tell her she’d done a great job being there for her friend? Ally deserved some recognition for being a good kid.

Especially considering the obstacles in her path.

He reminded himself not to push and he was about to excuse himself when his phone rang, his cell phone showing Nina’s number.

“It was great of you to be there for Rachel, Ally,” Mack told her, needing to be certain she heard it. “I’ve got to take this, okay?”

“Bye, Uncle Mack.” She gave him a wave and dropped into the seat he’d vacated at the table.

Mack pressed the button to take Nina’s call as he walked outside, envisioning how she’d looked the night before during their video call, her hair sleep-tousled and sexy. He’d wanted to drive out there and slide under her sheets with her.

“Nina.” He spoke her name into the phone as he answered the call, wishing she was there with him right now, or at the very least, wishing they were using FaceTime so he could at least see her. “I’ve been thinking about you. ”

“Well.” He could hear the smile in her voice on the other end of the phone. Also, some traffic in the background. “That’s a very attractive way to answer my call.”

“Call more often. I’ll bet I can top it.”

She laughed, a rich, joyful sound that chased away all the dark inside him and made him want to haul her back to his place for a few hours.

“Am I still going to see you tonight?” He had a surprise for her—he was bringing down a cover band from Nashville that had originally been booked to play at Finley’s for the weekend.

He’d gotten a substitute for the bar and was importing the bigger-name group here for the weekend.

The announcement would be in the morning paper.

Maybe if he showed Nina a glimpse of the fun life he led away from Heartache, she’d be more inclined to join him.

He’d suggested she open her shop in Nashville as a way to keep her closer to him.

He wasn’t sure what kind of future they could have, but right now he couldn’t imagine a future without her.

“Absolutely. I’ve got one more property to look at and then I’ll be in the kitchen at the fairgrounds, baking. Why don’t you just meet me there when you’re done with your duties?”

Mack paused in the driveway. “Find anything promising yet?”

He tried to keep his voice light, but the thought of her buying shop front before he had a chance to make his case definitely worried him.

“I’ve got some interesting possibilities, that’s for sure. I’ll tell you about them tonight.” She sounded happy and lighthearted in a way that she hadn’t been when she first arrived in town.

Amazingly, something about Heartache was really agreeing with her. He wished to hell it was him.

“I can’t wait to see you.” He’d never been the kind of guy to wear his heart—or any deep emotions—on his sleeve.

But with his departure around the corner, he couldn’t afford to hold anything back.

“Hearing your voice last night after that accident…it put a lot into perspective for me, Nina. I realize I’m not the easiest guy to get along with?—”

“Don’t even go there.” She lowered her voice, turning serious. “We were friends before everything else, right? No matter what else happened between us this fall, I’m grateful we’ve found that again.”

Friends. Right.

They were. But that lone word didn’t come close to summing up the complexity of emotions churning through him at just the sound of her voice. Nina was…everything.

Hell. He slumped against his car, phone clutched in a tight fist.