What’s your favorite snack?”
“Cookies.”
“Then that’ll be your pet name. Cookie.”
Ella nodded and smiled. “We’re Cupcake and Cookie, that’s cool.”
Lucy entered the room and hurried toward the new arrivals. “Hi. I’m Lucy. You wanna come play with me on the swing set?”
Ella glanced up at her with a hopeful face. How could she refuse? Besides, she needed to run off some energy after the long drive to Mississippi.
“Go ahead, sweetie. But don’t wander off. Stay close by.”
The girls dashed toward the back door as Thelma slipped her arm in Carly’s and led her toward the hall off the registration desk. “I have the apartment all ready for you and Ella. All your daddy’s things have been packed up and stored for when you’re ready to go through them.”
Carly stopped in her tracks. There was no way she was going to stay in her father’s home—the section of the lodge that had been designed for her family. Too many bad memories. “No. We’ll just stay in one of the guest rooms. We won’t be here that long.” She slanted a glance at Mack, who had been standing at the desk silently, studying her with his piercing blue eyes filled with confusion and a bit of disgust, no doubt. Her only goal now was to convince Mack to sell the property as quickly as possible. Surely he had a life elsewhere?
Thelma exchanged looks with her husband. “Well, of course, dear. Right this way.” Thelma led her to the other side of the lodge, settling her in the corner room with the best view. No memories here.
“Well, I’ll let you get settled. You know where everything is, but if you need anything you let me know.”
She gave the woman another hug. Dwayne and Thelma had been the two constants in her life. The dear aunt and uncle she’d never had. Her dad was always busy running the campgrounds and keeping the place in order. Her mom used to manage the lodge but stopped when things became strained between her and Carly’s father. Dwayne and Thelma, however, had never changed.
“I was sorry to hear about your husband.”
“Thank you. I miss him.” No more than at this moment. Troy always knew the right thing to do.
It took her only a few moments to unpack the few belongings she’d brought. If they were going to stay here for any length of time she’d have to go shopping soon. Her gaze drifted to the large window that looked out over the lake and the long sloping lawn. Age-old oaks, sweetgums and longleaf pines, for which the lodge took its name, swayed in the late-spring breeze. Farther along the back, tucked in a pine grove, was a small worship center.
A yard swing hanging from the branch of a massive live oak at the edge of the water was still there. Swings were a symbol of the lodge. Her dad had them everywhere. They were on each porch around the main lodge; each campground had a swing, and picnic tables and swings were scattered around the pool area. There was a private one on their apartment porch. But the one by the water had always been her favorite. Her dad said swings were the perfect place to think, reflect and relax.
And now two little girls were enjoying the swing set her father had built for her closer to the lodge. Lucy, with her curly blond hair and blue eyes, and Ella, her brown-eyed, brown-haired treasure. It was nice to see her daughter with a friend. She’d been without any for a long while.
Stepping into the hall, she glanced up to see Mack at the top of the stairs. She braced for a barrage of questions about her not staying in her dad’s rooms. He wouldn’t understand her feelings. He had always been her dad’s ally.
“Your daughter is adorable.”
His comment caught her off guard. “Thank you. She’s my whole life.”
“I understand that now more than ever.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m Lucy’s guardian. She came to live with me six months ago. I’ve had a steep learning curve on fatherhood.”
Mack, a dad? She hadn’t expected that. She’d assumed he was watching his niece, not raising her, though she remembered he’d always been good with the kids who came to the lodge and campgrounds. “Where’s Valerie?”
He took a long moment to respond, and she could tell by the shadows in his eyes something was wrong.
“She got into some trouble. She’s in prison for the next decade.”
Her heart clenched. “Oh, Mack.” She reached out and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Valerie had always been troubled, even back when Carly first met Mack. She’d run away from home, and Mack and his mom had been sick with worry. His dad had walked out on the family when Mack was a toddler.
Mack laid his hand on top of hers, sending a strange current along her nerves, leaving her with a conflicted desire to pull away and remain at the same time.
“She tried to turn her life around, even got a good job on the coast and moved Mom down there to help with Lucy, but after Mom passed away, she fell back into her old ways. Thankfully, she arranged for me to have Lucy.”
“So you live on the coast now?”
“Gulfport for the time being.”
She pulled her hand from beneath his, rubbing it slightly to dispel the lingering sensation of his broad palm. “You’re moving?” A wry smile moved his lips.
“I’d like to raise Lucy here at the lodge. She needs a family, and between me and the Thompsons she could have a good life.”
A long-forgotten memory flashed into her mind of a childhood spent outdoors, hiking, canoeing, climbing trees and sitting around campfires. It was quickly overshadowed by other memories of shouting and anger and betrayal. She squared her shoulders. “If you’re trying to play on my sympathies, it won’t work.” She stepped past him and started down the stairs.
“I’m only telling you what I want for my niece. She deserves a real home, and I can only give her an apartment and part-time father.”
Carly stopped. She was in a similar position, raising her daughter alone without a father. She understood his concerns. Looking over her shoulder, she met his gaze. “Lucy is very fortunate to have you, Mack.”
“I’m the fortunate one. She’s changed my life.”
A thread of empathy fluttered along her nerves. “Children can do that.” Her mind bloomed with a bouquet of sweet memories from childhood until the last one scrolled by, shading all the others in a dark cloud. She moved away toward the stairs.
“Carly, I was sorry to hear about your husband.”
She spun around. “How did you know about that?”
“Your dad told me.”
“How did he know? I never told him.”
A deep frown creased Mack’s forehead. “Why wouldn’t you tell your father that your husband died?”
“A better question might
