92 Pacific Boulevard - Debbie Macomber [79]
Chapter Twenty-Three
Linc Wyse was not in favor of this idea of Mary Jo’s. If his sister wanted to move out of the house, fine; she was free to do so whenever she wished. That said, in his opinion the timing didn’t make any sense.
As a young mother, Mary Jo needed to be home with her baby. It went without saying that she resented his attitude—but then that was par for the course. He knew that by today’s standards it was perfectly normal for a mother to return to work three months after giving birth. Their own mother had been a stay-at-home mom and he had strong feelings on the subject. Okay, maybe that wasn’t a popular stance and it certainly wasn’t one his sister shared. When he became a husband and father—he instantly dismissed that thought. Marriage wasn’t likely to happen for someone like him, not with his old-fashioned views. That saddened him but he might as well accept reality.
He’d found it more difficult than he would’ve believed to watch Mary Jo pack up and move across Puget Sound. Despite that, he rather liked Cedar Cove. He’d driven all around the area on Christmas Eve, searching for Mary Jo, and—for the most part—he’d had a good impression of it. His recent visits had confirmed that. It was a nice little town, welcoming and friendly. The only drawback was the distance. In the past week alone, he’d made four trips to the Kitsap Peninsula to see his sister and the baby. To check up on both of them.
According to Mary Jo, not a single one of those trips had been necessary. But Linc wouldn’t sleep at night if he hadn’t personally seen to his sister’s and niece’s well-being. He’d always taken family responsibility seriously.
It only seemed right that he visit Noelle on her very first St. Patrick’s Day. Their family background—like that of so many Americans—was motley, with English, French and German that he knew of. He was sure there must be some Irish in there, too. Just in case, he’d bought her a plush leprechaun doll. But he had an even better excuse for this visit; he’d located a new sofa and chair in a closeout deal. He’d wanted to bring them himself, which saved delivery fees. The truth was, he looked forward to surprising his sister.
Mary Jo had him pegged as some sort of ogre and that just wasn’t true. He hoped this peace offering would help.
When he parked in front of the duplex, he saw Mack McAfee on a ladder, cleaning out the gutters. Linc hadn’t quite made up his mind about McAfee. Mack had been with Mary Jo during the most critical time of her life. Still, having him live right next door was a little too convenient. Linc wasn’t sure he approved.
He’d made the mistake of voicing his concerns, and Mary Jo had nearly bitten his head off. He’d kept his trap shut ever since. Apparently, when it came to McAfee, his sister didn’t care for Linc’s advice. Fine. He’d keep his opinions to himself—and keep an eye on McAfee.
“Hey, Linc,” Mack called out. He climbed down from the ladder and thrust out his hand, which Linc willingly shook.
“I don’t suppose my sister’s home?” Linc already knew the answer. He asked because he wanted to know how closely the firefighter kept tabs on his little sister. This was one of those catch-22 situations. He wanted Mack to watch over her. At the same time, he wanted to be sure the guy wasn’t paying her more attention than warranted.
It was a thin line, and Linc planned on being around often enough to see that Mack didn’t cross it.
“Mary Jo’s home.”
“Good.”
“I see you brought her some furniture.”
Well, at least he was observant, Linc thought a little sarcastically.
“I think she’ll be pleased with the sofa,” Mack was saying.
Linc hoped so. Hard to tell with Mary Jo. Or with any woman, he realized. He simply didn’t understand women or know how to communicate with them. Over the years he’d had a number of relationships, all of which had come to an abrupt end. The way he figured it, the fault must lie with him. Mary Jo had often told