50 Harbor Street - Debbie Macomber [126]
Her husband was silent for a long time. Finally he stood up and walked away.
“Jon?” she said when she saw that he was returning upstairs. “Where are you going?”
“To make a phone call.”
“To whom?”
He turned and looked over his shoulder. “I’ll contact my family, Maryellen. It’s what you want me to do, isn’t it?”
She didn’t answer him.
“Do I have a choice?” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry!” she choked out. “But it’s not my fault—I didn’t make any of this happen, so don’t be angry with me.”
“It’s what you want, though, isn’t it?” he persisted.
It was, but only because it made sense to give his father and stepmother an opportunity to rebuild their relationship with Jon, their only living child. And because Maryellen needed the help. Jon did, too.
He sighed and wiped a hand down his face. “They can’t stay with us, understand?”
She nodded.
“And they’re only welcome until the baby’s born.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re going to tell them that?”
“Damn straight I am. I don’t want them anywhere near me. This isn’t for me, Maryellen. The only reason I’m doing it is for you, and for our daughter and our baby.”
Tears streamed down Maryellen’s cheeks. She hated being this emotional. “Call them if you want,” she managed to say between sobs. “Only don’t be upset with me. I can’t bear it if you’re angry. I just can’t bear it.”
Jon came back downstairs and was immediately at her side. He gathered her in his arms and let his shoulder absorb her tears. “I’m not mad at you,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m furious with myself.”
“But why?”
“Mostly because I can’t be the man you need me to be. You think I should forgive them for what they did. Hard as I try, Maryellen, I can’t.”
Her arms went around him and they clung to each other. Somehow, they’d get through this time, with or without his parents’ help.
Roy McAfee stood in front of the charred rubble that had once been The Lighthouse restaurant. It made him sick to his stomach. His son stood on one side and Gloria on the other.
“Sheriff Davis told me the arson investigator says the fire was deliberately set,” Gloria said, hands on her hips as she surveyed the damage. Slowly she shook her head, as if it was difficult to take in the scene before her. Roy felt the same way.
Arson. Roy hated to hear that. This wasn’t the sort of thing you expected to find in a quiet community like Cedar Cove. The article in The Chronicle reported that the Gundersons were in shock and that no decisions had been made yet. They didn’t know at this point whether or not they were going to rebuild.
“Is there a suspect?” Roy asked his daughter.
Gloria nodded. “A person of interest—a high school boy. He started a fire a few months back and was recently let go from the restaurant.”
“The shed in the park?” Roy remembered reading about that, but the boy’s name had been kept out of the paper.
Gloria nodded again.
“Does he have a motive?”
“Sheriff Davis seems to think so. The money box is missing, too.”
Roy tried to remember what he’d heard about the tool-shed fire. “What does the kid have to say?”
“He’s a runaway,” Gloria informed him.
“Dad,” Mack said, “didn’t you have a teenager visit the office last Monday?”
Roy nodded. His son had connected the dots even before he had. “The Coxes’ daughter wanted to hire me,” he murmured thoughtfully, “to find her boyfriend.” The high school girl had been saving for a vehicle, but was willing to lay down every penny if Roy could locate the missing boy. Roy had been touched by her devotion—but not once had she mentioned that this boyfriend was in a heap of trouble. Well, she should save her money. The law had far better resources than he did. If she insisted on spending her money, he’d suggest a good attorney.
“The kid’s name was Anson Butler,” he said.
That got Gloria’s attention fast. “Butler came in to see you?”
“No, his girlfriend. He’s the one who’s missing.”
She held his look. “He’s also the one who’s wanted for questioning about the fire.”
Raising