Heartache Falls (9 page)

Divorce? Mac’s gut clenched. “What?”

“I guess I should be glad that I learned from Serena rather than cable news,” Charles continued. “I hear your name a lot these days, since the Sandberg case is on every channel.”

“You heard wrong, Charles. No one has said anything about divorce.”

“Alison has left three messages on my machine in the past two weeks. She talked about a lot of things, but she never mentioned the fact that she’s left Denver and you. Do I have that fact wrong?”

Mac couldn’t believe this. He’d thought for sure that Alison would have called her father. In fact, he’d been counting on it. He’d thought Charles might talk some sense into the woman.

“Mackenzie?”

“We’re just going through a rough spot.” Mac stood and brushed the dirt from the knees of his jeans with a little more force than was necessary to get the job done. Divorce. That was nothing but law office gossip. Somebody had heard about Ali’s new project and … Mac frowned. How had anyone at the firm learned about Ali’s new project? He hadn’t told a soul.

“Who started the rumor at the firm? Has someone been talking to Ali?”

His father-in-law shrugged. “I believe she contacted Bob Renwick’s sister. She is—”

“Ali’s favorite interior designer,” Mac concluded with a sigh. He’d hoped Ali would come to her senses and come home before the news got out. So much for hope.

“Who is her lawyer?” Charles asked.

The question caught Mac off guard. “Bob’s sister’s?”

“Alison’s.”

Mac’s chin came up. “I’m her lawyer.” When Charles chastised him with a look, he added, “She doesn’t need a lawyer. Look, any talk about divorce, even legal separation, is premature.”

“I suspected that would be your response. Just so you know, I’ve retained Walt Prentice on Alison’s behalf.”

Mac sucked in a quick breath. Prentice was the best divorce attorney in Denver. If Mac were in the market, Prentice was the man he’d choose. The fact that Charles had hired the lawyer for Ali didn’t make him
angry. It was what he’d expect—if Ali needed a divorce lawyer, which she didn’t. Still, he was surprised at his own reaction to the news. He was … hurt.

His relationship with Charles Cavanaugh was complicated. He figured if he ever landed on a psychiatrist’s couch, the doctor would rack up big bucks on that subject alone. Since the day Ali introduced them, Mac had worked to earn Charles’s approval. Then, professional interests had driven him. He’d wanted access to Charles’s connections in order to land a prime clerkship. Later, he’d wanted a position in the firm and eventually a partnership.

Just when his desire to please became personal, he couldn’t say, but somewhere along the way he’d developed a desire to make Charles proud. Was it because Mac had never had a father of his own in his life? Or was it due to the fact that he admired Charles more than just about any man he’d ever met? Whatever the reason, Mac had waited to hear the words
I’m proud of you
from Charles for more than twenty years.

It had finally happened at the reception following his swearing-in ceremony. Almost, anyway. While he’d been accepting the congratulations of family and friends, he’d overheard Charles tell the district attorney,
Yes, we’re proud of him
.

So proud that he’d hired a divorce attorney based on office gossip.

“Fine. You do what you feel like you need to do.”

“I will.” Charles Cavanaugh used the hoe lying nearby for balance as he climbed to his feet. “You know, Mac, when I gave you an opportunity at the
firm, my daughter asked me to refrain from inserting myself into your private life, and up until now, I have done so.”

Mac couldn’t hold back a snort at that. Charles Cavanaugh had never resisted the opportunity to butt into Mac and Ali’s personal life. Oh, he did it subtly, Mac would give him that, but the fact remained that the man had managed to make his opinion known on subjects as wide-ranging as where Mac and Alison should buy a house, attend church, and shop for groceries to what video games the boys were allowed to play when they were young and what brand sneakers Caitlin should wear while running.

“However,” Charles continued, “in light of this recent development, I felt compelled to act. That’s why I also hired a private investigator to look into your affairs.”

That bit of news hit Mac like a punch to his gut. An investigator? Holy hell. How far back would the guy go?

Bristling with anger and a measure of fear, Mac snapped, “For God’s sake, Charles. Why didn’t you just call and ask me? I don’t have affairs. I’m not cheating on her. I never have. You should know me better than to think that.”

“I didn’t know what to think, and I’ve been a lawyer too long to take anybody’s word about anything. I wanted to know if you were running around on my girl or hiding assets, or if you had committed some other nefarious act that might damage my daughter or grandchildren if it became public knowledge.”

His blood running hot, Mac folded his arms and glared at the older man. “So, tell me. Just what did your investigator learn about my … 
affairs
?”

Please, God, don’t let him have looked all the way back
.

“Apparently you don’t have any, not that the investigator could find, anyway.” Charles harrumphed. “It was a relief to me, I must say. I hated to think I had misjudged you so completely. I admit I had my doubts about you at first. The fact is, I resented you. You took my Ali away from me.”

Mac blinked. This was as frank a talk as any he’d heard from this man, and it took him aback.

“Intellectually, I knew that was the way of it, but emotionally, I didn’t handle it well. After we lost her mother, all we had were each other. I depended on her as much as she depended on me. When you came along, she began shifting her allegiance to you, and I didn’t like it.”

Mac opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say.

His father-in-law continued, “Oh, I wanted her to marry and have children. I expected that. What I didn’t anticipate was that she’d find a man who suited her as well as you did. When the two of you became a couple, you became a unit. A unit in which I had no place. I was jealous of you. And selfish.”

This shocked Mac. “Charles, I don’t know what to say. I just—”

The older man shook his head. “Let me finish. I seldom put my pride on the chopping block like this, so allow me to get it behind me. When Alison asked me to offer you my professional support, I wanted to
refuse, but as you undoubtedly know, I’ve seldom been able to refuse my daughter anything, so I grudgingly gave you my backing. Right from the start, you proved worthy. You were smart, hardworking. Your peers respected you. You became a damn fine lawyer and an asset to the firm. I know you’ll be an exceptional judge.”

Mac’s mind was spinning. Just how had they gone from an investigator delving into his bank accounts to a pat on his judicial back? He dropped his arms to his sides, then slipped his hands into his pockets. “Uh, thank you.”

Charles drummed his fingers against the garden hoe’s wooden handle and continued, “More important, you’ve been a good husband to Alison and an excellent father to her children. I’ll also admit that you’ve been a fine son-in-law to me. I want to see you and Ali work this thing out. Unless …” He paused and cleared his throat. “Has Allison done something unforgivable?”

Yes. She left me. Months ago, she left me
. “No, Charles. Like I said a few minutes ago, we’re just going through a rough spot.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Mac rocked on his heels. This whole exchange was a bit surreal, and it had left him at a loss for words. On one hand, he was overwhelmed at finally hearing praise from Charles Cavanaugh. On the other hand, he was annoyed to hear it now. Why did it have to take Ali leaving him to drag a kind word out of the man’s mouth? And while he was glad to have his father-in-law’s support, it chapped his butt to know
that he’d had him investigated. How was he supposed to respond?

Finally he settled on the truth. “I appreciate the offer, Charles, but right now I don’t know how you could help. The kids have asked the same thing. The fact is that Ali and I created the problem, and Ali and I are going to have to fix it.”

If they both wanted to fix it, that is. He couldn’t forget that somehow the word
divorce
had entered the picture. Could Ali be thinking along those lines already?

“Very well, then. Know that I’m here if you need me.”

Mac’s mouth twisted wryly. “You and Walt Prentice?”

Charles shrugged. “She’ll always be my baby girl.”

“Fair enough.” Mac drew a deep breath, then exhaled in a rush. In the bare-your-soul spirit of the moment, he decided to lay it out as plainly as possible. “Look, Charles, I don’t know what’s going to happen with me and Ali. I’m not sure what I want to happen, and I don’t know what’s best. Neither of us has been happy for a while now. Could be that Ali was right to leave. Maybe we need this time apart.”

“How does being apart solve anything?”

I’m not as lonely
.

It was true. Somehow it was a whole lot less lonely to be apart from her physically than to be with her in the same room while being emotionally light-years away. “Maybe you can ask your daughter that question next time the two of you talk. In the meantime, I need to be going. I have a pile of work waiting for me on my desk that I want to get through today.”

He was halfway across the lawn when Charles called out, “Just a minute, Mackenzie. There’s one thing I’d like you to think about. When you get to be my age, you begin to realize just how short life really is. Don’t waste the time you have. Don’t let this situation drag on too long, but also don’t settle for less than what life should be. If you love my daughter, then love her with your whole heart and demand the same from her. But if the two of you can’t make each other happy anymore, then be honest with yourselves and let each other go. If Alison doesn’t have the guts to make that break, then you need to man up and do it for her. For both your sakes.”

Mac replayed the strange conversation in his mind as he drove home. Charles Cavanaugh had certainly surprised him. He’d given Mac more compliments in a twenty-minute conversation than he had in the past twenty years. As he pulled into his driveway and parked the truck, he wished Ali were home so he could tell her about it.

But Ali wasn’t at home. No one was home. He was alone. Totally alone.

With that thought, Mac’s throat went tight. Dear Lord, he was tired of this. Feeling lonely. Feeling empty. Feeling old and used up.

He shifted into park and switched off the motor. Shutting his eyes, he let his head drop back against the headrest. He thought he just might cry. He hadn’t cried since Judge Roscoe Whitcomb sentenced his mother to jail the first time, but here in his very own driveway on a sunny Saturday in springtime, tears were welling up inside him. How pitiful was that?

Screw this
.

He sat up straight, twisted the key, and started the engine once more. If he wasn’t mistaken, the animal shelter was open until two. “I’m gonna go get me a dog.”

FIVE

May

On a day during Ali’s third week in Eternity Springs, she awoke to birdsong and sunshine, a to-do list about a million miles long, and a phone call from her eldest. “Hello, Stephen.”

“Hey, Mom. How are you doing?”

“Pretty good, actually,” she said, glancing at the bedside clock. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah, I have a bit of a problem. Do you have a few minutes?”

She thought of all she had waiting for her and stifled a sigh. “I always have a few minutes for you. What’s up?”

After ten minutes of advising her son about wardrobe choices for an upcoming round of interviews, she showered, dressed, and grabbed a bagel on her way out the door. Her spirits were light as she traversed the stone path, looking forward to her workday. So far, she loved her job. She was busy from morning until night.

Ali now agreed with Celeste’s declaration that the fire could be considered a blessing. Fast action by Zach and the Eternity Springs Volunteer Fire Department
had prevented serious structural damage, but cosmetically, the place had been a mess. This had given Celeste an excuse to completely remodel the restaurant, which gave Ali the opportunity to outfit the space with what she believed to be the best. She was having too much fun.

Each morning she met with Celeste at Cavanaugh House to go over the previous day’s accomplishments and plan upcoming tasks. They’d spent days on restaurant design and development, and more days after that hashing out a list of staff positions to be filled along with a projected start date for each of them. Ali realized soon into the process that a primary part of her job would be keeping Celeste’s feet on the ground when it came to her wishes for the new Bristlecone.

The woman dreamed big. While Ali supported big dreams, she also believed that laying one brick at a time made for a stronger structure. She continually reminded Celeste that Rome hadn’t been built in a day; neither had Sedona, Arizona. Eternity Springs needed a restaurant that served the needs of local people like Zach Turner, not just well-heeled visitors from around the globe.