ChapterNineteen
Lucas awaited Mallory outside the gas station on the western edge of Edgartown, en route to her desk at the Sheridan Law Offices. He stood outside his red pickup truck in a blue cap and a collared shirt. Recently, he’d had a haircut, trimming himself in the pursuit of a promotion at his job, and he’d lost weight and gained muscle, a result, he said, of hours at the gym.
Mallory parked next to his pickup. In the backseat, Zachery babbled happily. “Daddy!” he called, joyous at the sight of the man who’d once seemed to care very little about him. It was funny what time did. It was funny how, very quickly, people found the strength to grow up for the ones they loved.
“How’s it going?” Lucas greeted Mallory with a side-hug, careful to keep a respectful distance.
“Not bad.” Mallory searched her heart for some semblance of attraction to Lucas, yet found nothing there anymore. He was just her parenting partner, a man she’d once loved and now could rely on. “It’s been a weird couple of days, I guess. Mom, Nancy, and I found some of the stolen items at the antique place outside of town.”
Lucas gaped. “That’s insane. Did you call the police?”
“We did,” Mallory said with a shrug. “But without relevant paperwork and a very vague report from the woman at the antique shop, it’s sort of a dead-end. The cops couldn’t find any prints, either. Mom’s thrilled to eventually get the antiques back, though. They’re little pieces of our family’s history.”
Lucas weaved his fingers through his thick hair and ducked forward to greet Zachery through the window. “There’s my guy. How’s he doing? The past couple of days has been killer without him.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it? When you have him, I feel like one of my arms has been cut off.”
“Yeah. But also, this co-parenting thing has forced me to organize myself in ways I never thought I could,” Lucas offered thoughtfully.
“It’s certainly given me time to think about my future,” Mallory said. “For the first time ever.”
Lucas nodded. “Me too.” He gave a wry laugh as he added, “Why didn’t we ever consider what we wanted to be when we grew up?”
“Maybe we thought we never really would grow up,” Mallory tried. “But against all our best efforts, it happened anyway.”
Lucas unbuckled Zachery from his car seat and lifted him against his chest. Zach pattered his hands across Lucas like a drum set, overjoyed at their reunion.
“I’m teaching him about music,” Lucas explained. “Give him another ten years, and we’ll start that rock band I’ve always dreamed about.”
“Father and son,” Mallory said. “I’ll be your biggest fan.”
“Maybe you’ll be up for driving the tour bus,” Lucas countered.
“Nah. I’ll be too busy with my criminal lawyer profession by then,” Mallory shot back playfully. “If you two get into any trouble, smashing up hotel rooms or getting into messy brawls with other rock bands, give me a call.”
Lucas’s grin was crooked as he adjusted Zachery back in the car seat he’d purchased for the back of his pickup. Previously, Mallory and Lucas had had to swap the same car seat back and forth in different vehicles, an act that had annoyed Mallory to no end. Things were different now.
“We’re headed to the beach today,” Lucas explained, although he didn’t have to.
“Beautiful day for it.”
“Going with my family,” Lucas said, tilting his head. “They say hello, by the way.”
“Mine, too,” Mallory offered, although she couldn’t remember the last time Elsa had said anything positive about Lucas.
“I know that’s not true,” Lucas shot back.
Mallory rolled her eyes and lifted her hand in goodbye. “See you in three days?”
“Three days,” Zachery said, bowing his head. “We’ll enjoy every minute. Guy time!”
* * *
Susan caught Mallory staring into space at the law offices, a pencil poised about an inch above the lined notepad.
“Mallory? Earth to Mallory?”
Mallory erupted from her strange mental space, shaking her head violently. “Oh. Hi! Sorry. What can I help you with?”