Page 47 of Mack

“Alright.” She stood on her toes and kissed him back, which made him grin.

He touched the brim of his hat, waited for a break in traffic, and crossed the street. He jogged up the courthouse steps and pulled the door open, then looked back.

She was still there, watching him through the glass. She raised her hand, then turned and disappeared into the shop.

Mack stood there a few seconds longer, then went inside.

****

Mallory stared at her reflection. Mack had told her not to dress up, jeans were fine, so she’d gone with a soft pair and a black sweater. She just needed to get her hair up.

She smiled when she heard T.J. coming down the hall at full speed.

“Timothy Joseph.”

“‘Kay, Mama.” He ran into the bathroom anyway. “I dressed,” he announced proudly.

She looked down at him and pressed her lips together. “Your boots are on the wrong feet, baby.”

She crouched down, switched them, and stood back up. “Go get your coat. We don’t want to keep Mack waiting.”

“Can I take Blue?”

“Of course. What about Rex?”

“He’s tired.”

“Alright. Coat. Go.”

“‘Kay.” He disappeared back down the hall at the same speed he’d arrived.

She was reaching for her hairbrush when the knock came at the front door.

Her stomach dropped.

She wasn’t ready. He was going to be annoyed. She knew it before she even got to the door, that sick anticipatory brace of waiting for the edge in someone’s voice, the tight jaw, the pointed silence that was somehow worse than being yelled at.

She pulled the door open already talking. “Come in, I’m not quite ready, I just need a few more minutes, I’m sorry—”

His hand wrapped gently around her arm and she stopped.

“Hey.” His voice was easy, unhurried. “You look great. I’m early. Take all the time you need.”

She searched his face for the annoyance she’d been bracing for.

There wasn’t any.

“I need to put my hair up,” she said, still half waiting for it.

“I like it down.” He said it simply, like it was just a fact and not a negotiation.

She exhaled slowly without meaning to. “I still need to brush it.”

“Go.” He nodded toward the hallway. “T.J. and I will be fine.”

She looked at him for a moment longer than necessary, then T.J. came barreling back into the room coatless with Blue in hand and launched himself at Mack.

“Can I bring Blue?”