Waiting for Love by Marie Force Page A

for Grant.”
    “Thank you.” All at once, it was urgent Stephanie get out of there. “See you later.” She walked slowly and calmly into the restaurant. Once she cleared the doorway, she headed for her office and closed the door behind her. With her palms flat against the desktop, she focused on taking a series of deep breaths that were supposed to calm her nerves. Too bad it didn’t work. 
    Abby is home. She and Cal have broken up. Grant’s first love is free again. He’s refusing to talk about what happened to him in the accident. Stephanie’s mind raced through all the scenarios and implications, each more grim than the one before. Would Grant take one look at his old love and want her back?
    “No.” Stephanie ran trembling fingers through her hair. “That won’t happen.” But what if it did? What would she do?
    Why did it feel like everything was spinning out of control, and there was nothing she could do to stop it?
    “I’m so sorry to hear about Cal,” Laura said to Abby.
    “I’m sorry, too. What worked so well here didn’t work as well in Texas, unfortunately.”
    “That’s too bad. Are you okay?”
    Abby shrugged, refusing to cry anymore. Enough already. “I suppose I will be. Eventually.”
    “Well, I can certainly keep you busy if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. We’re waiting for Mac and Luke to finish the trim work in the store, but I can show you the space so you can get an idea of what’s available.”
    “Lead the way.”
    Maddie was curled up on the sofa feeding Hailey when Mac came in through the sliding door from the deck. With one look at his handsome face, she could tell something wasn’t right. But then again, nothing had been right since the accident. At first he’d been belligerent about being forced to stay quiet for a couple of days. Now that he was back to work, though, he was quiet, moody and withdrawn. 
    She was hesitant to broach the subject with him. Rather, she’d chosen to wait him out, hoping he’d eventually confide in her.
    “What’re you doing home?”
    “I live here,” he joked as he came over to kiss her and Hailey. “Is she asleep?”
    “I think so.”
    “Want me to put her down?”
    “That’d be great. Thanks.”
    Watching his big hands scoop up the tiny bundle with infinite gentleness nearly brought tears to Maddie’s eyes. She loved him more than life and hated that he was hurting and wouldn’t—or couldn’t—share his burden with her. 
    He took the baby upstairs for her nap.
    Maddie thought about waiting for him to come back down but decided instead to follow him. She fastened the nursing bra and straightened her top before going upstairs, running her fingers through her disorderly curls on the way up. Neither of them had been sleeping well in the last week, and the fatigue was wearing on her. She could only imagine how he felt.
    Mac emerged from Hailey’s room and seemed surprised to find her waiting for him. “Where’s Thomas?” he asked of their son.
    “Spending the afternoon with Tiffany and Ashleigh.”
    “That’ll be fun for him.”
    “Uh-huh.” Maddie reached for his hand and led him to their room.
    Though he came willingly, she sensed a hint of hesitation. “Where’re we going?”
    “In here.” Without releasing his hand, she stretched out on the bed and compelled him to join her. 
    He lay down next to her. Though he was close, he seemed a million miles from her, which made her ache with longing. The unusual distance between them was unsettling. 
    She reached for his hand. “What brought you home in the middle of the day?” she asked after a long moment of silence.
    He turned his head to look at her. “I wanted to see you and Hailey.”
    “We’re glad you came. Everything all right at the marina?”
    Nodding, he said, “Adam’s home.”
    “Oh, really? Did you know he was coming?”
    “No.”
    “You must’ve been glad to see him.”
    “Yeah.”
    The Mac she knew and loved was always thrilled to see