Page 38 of Last Wish Wedding

Kelsey sat on the edge of the tub, smiling at his enthusiasm. “You’re learning so much.”

“Oh! And we found this old coin in the sand! Uncle Jason says it’s probably not from a pirate ship, but it’s still really old.”

“Speaking of ships,” Kelsey said, “I went out on Mac’s boat yesterday.”

“You did? Did you see any sharks?”

“No sharks, but he showed me where all those shipwrecks happened—you know, where the sea glass you’ve been collecting comes from.”

“No way! Mom, can we go out there when I get back? Maybe Mac could teach me about sailing!”

Kelsey’s heart squeezed. “I’m sure he’d love that, honey.”

“This is gonna be so cool! Oh, okay. We’re going to get ice cream. Love you, Mom!”

“Love you too, baby. Have fun.”

The call ended, and Kelsey stared at her phone, guilt and happiness warring in her chest.

Kelsey sank into her favorite armchair. It would be so easy to get used to having Mac in her life. He fit so naturally into her world, into Noah’s world. But there was something haunting about the way he lived, like he was just passing through his own life.

A knock startled her from her thoughts.

Amy stood on her porch, holding two cups from the coffee shop. “Thought you might need this after your... boat trip.” Her smile was knowing.

Kelsey felt herself flush. “Come in. And wipe that smirk off your face.”

“Can’t help it.” Amy handed her a cup. “So? How was it?”

“It was...” Kelsey searched for words that wouldn’t reveal too much. “Nice.”

“Nice? That’s all I get?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“That you had an amazing time? That Mac MacCormack is actually human under all that brooding?” Amy settled onto the couch. “Speaking of humans, I had the most interesting conversation with his grandfather yesterday.”

Kelsey curled deeper into her chair. “Oh?”

“After his massage and reiki session—which he pretends to hate but actually loves—we started talking about the mansion.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Amy smiled. “Right, not a surprise. But it was actually a little strange—he said his wife was really adamant about buying it because she didn’t want anyone living there.” Amy leaned forward. “Apparently, something about the place really upset her. The way the foundation that owned it had changed over the years, what they were using it for. She was determined to stop whatever evil was happening there.”

“Did she ever tell him what they were doing?”

Amy sipped her coffee. “That’s where it’s really strange. He said she’d told him once that people had been murdered. But there was no proof when he and the sheriff dug into it. By then, he said, he wasn’t sure if it was her dementia or the truth. But there wasn’t any evidence.”

Their subsequent gazes were an unspoken conversation of intrigue between sisters.

“Mac told me about a local legend of the widow of the sea captain that built the house. She can still be seen some stormy nights walking the widow’s walk, searching for her husband,” Kelsey said.

Amy paled. “That’s creepy. On top of the murders, if it’s true.”

“I know, right?”

“But let’s get back to you and Mac. Are you going to see him again?”