Their Family Blessing

“You never did, kiddo.”

“What does that mean?”

Dwayne shrugged and grinned. “Wade left his life’s work to you and Carly. Think about it.”

Mack shook his head. He was in no mood to unravel riddles. Granted, Wade’s will was odd, to say the least, but Mack had always known his mentor would leave him something. Wade knew how much Mack loved the lodge, but he’d expected a sum of money or maybe a piece of the land to call his own. Dwayne’s comment suddenly loomed in his mind.

Why had Wade left the land to him and the lodge to his daughter? What was he hoping to accomplish? Mack had assumed it was his way of trying to remind Carly of her childhood here, the same way Mack was hoping to rekindle her love for Longleaf.

Could there be another reason? Nothing came to mind at the moment. Shoving the notion aside, he went in search of his niece to see if she’d recovered from the call from her mom. He found the two little girls on the yard swing under the giant live oak at the edge of the water. They had a book between them, oblivious to the world. He had a feeling Ella would be able to help Lucy more than he ever could.

It always helped to have a close friend who understood. Carly had been that friend for him after coming to work at the lodge. They’d enjoyed working together on the grounds and helping the guests in season.

All that mattered now was saving the estate. He had to get the Thompsons on board, and, God willing, the three of them could find a way to persuade Carly not to give up on the lodge.

* * *

Monday morning, Carly made an early escape from the lodge and headed out in her car. She needed to find some breathing space from all the memories and the pressure. Sunday had been filled with church and a nice dinner afterward. She’d managed to avoid everyone by taking Ella into Hastings for some mother-daughter mall shopping, then hiding in her room citing a need to catch up on work back home.

After putting on her blinker, she turned into the large parking lot of the Lake Hope Marina and parked her sedan. Situated five miles outside of Hastings, Lake Hope had become a thriving resort area. Along with the Longleaf Lodge and Campgrounds, there were rental cottages and fishing boats for hire. The Marina Village stores supplied not only the visitors but the local residents who lived and worked at the lake. Thelma had warned her the place had been completely redesigned and she hadn’t been joking. The rustic low-roofed building of old had been replaced with a charming multibuilding complex designed to resemble a small fishing village. Where the former structure had looked unsightly and unwelcoming, the new store invited everyone inside to explore and linger.

Carly started toward the main building, now named the Lake Hope Marina Store. She and Ella had been in Hastings four days now and if they were staying the two months required by the will she needed to do some shopping. She was hoping she could cut that time in half and get back to her life in Atlanta, though.

Mack had organized a meeting with the Thompsons last night, and they had started to lay out a plan for reopening the lodge. Dwayne and Mack would work on the outside, getting the livery up and running, and clearing the trails, while she and Thelma concentrated on preparing the lodge for guests. Carly was hoping to freshen up the decor, provided there was enough funds in the account her father had left. Thelma had already started contacting former employees and offering them their jobs back and calling vendors to get the kitchen restocked and operating.

A father and young daughter passed by as Carly neared the entrance of the store, reminding her of the moment yesterday when she had stepped into the main room of the lodge and seen Lucy sobbing in Mack’s lap. Ella had come to her, upset that her friend was crying. Her heart had ached for the child, but what had touched her most was Mack’s tenderness with the little girl. He obviously cared deeply for his niece. It was one of the things she’d always loved and admired about him. He had a huge heart for others and a gentleness that reminded her of her dad.

Maybe that was why Mack and her dad had become so close—because they were so much alike and held the same interests. Qualities she must have lacked. Why else would her father prefer Mack to her?

The store was brightly lit, and a quick glance around made it easy to find the different departments. A two-lane checkout positioned near the door made purchasing items simple, quick and easy.

Carly took a few minutes to wander the aisles before tackling her shopping list. Dry goods were on one side, food and fishing supplies on the other. Bait and tackle, formerly housed inside the marina store, were now sold in a separate little shop.

“Carly? Carly Porter? Is that you?”

She spun around and saw a somewhat familiar face. It took her a second to recognize her old school friend Ashley Jenkins. They both squealed in excitement and hugged each other. “I can’t believe you’re still here.”

“I can’t believe you’re back home.”

“Oh, it’s only temporary. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can sell my dad’s place.”

“I know. I heard about the quirky will he left. Weird, huh?”

Carly had forgotten how small towns operated, and while Lake Hope wasn’t exactly a town, it was a community, and news spread quickly among the residents. “I guess everyone knows then, huh?”

“Yep. How was it seeing Mack again? Any of the old sparks still there?”

“No. No sparks. There never was.”

“You’re kidding, right? There were plenty of sparks. Especially that last summer you were here.” Ashley fanned her hand in front of her face. “If you hadn’t run away, I was sure you two would have ended up engaged or something.”

“I didn’t run away. I had to leave suddenly.”

Ashley stared at her a deep frown creasing her forehead. “I’ve never known you to hide from the truth, Carly. What happened that summer? You definitely ran away. You didn’t even say goodbye to me.”

Carly’s stomach was churning and she wasn’t sure why. “I’m sorry. It was a difficult time.”

“Apparently.” Ashley smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up the past. I was sorry to hear about your husband. I know what you’re going through. My husband died around the same time. A boating accident. It’s been hard.”

“Oh, Ash, I didn’t know.”

Ashley waved off her concern. “You’ve been gone. But I’m doing all right. I belong to a widow’s therapy group. It’s actually more like a support group. It’s run by a psychologist, Nina Sinclair. She’s wonderful. The women are all like you and me.”

“I’ve already been through grief counseling.”

“This is different. This is for widows who are further along on their journey and struggling with life alone, or coping with children, and sometimes learning to let go and love again. Mainly it’s a place to go where we have others who really understand our situation. Here.” Ashley scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “I’ll tell Nina about you and if you feel you’d like to come, then give her a call.”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to be here long enough to get much out of it.”

“You might be surprised. Just think about it.”

They talked awhile longer, then Carly finished her shopping and left. However, the conversation kept replaying in her mind. Not only the mention of the widow’s group but the comments about her and Mack. There had never been anything romantic between them. Oh, when she was younger she’d idolized him, the older boy who helped around the lodge. They’d become friends; at times she’d shown him how to do many of the tasks around the campgrounds.

Later, when she was older, she’d had a crush on him, but she’d gotten over that. Hadn’t she? Carly slid behind the wheel of her car. Truthfully, her feelings for Mack had always been complicated. Her attraction and admiration had warred with her resentment and hurt. Her young heart had found him handsome and exciting, but when she’d realized her father seemed to prefer spending time with Mack rather than with her, her feelings turned sour even though she couldn’t completely evict him from her heart.

She’d come back that last summer, partly because she had to as a condition of the custody agreement, but she also wanted to see Mack again and sort out her feelings for him. He was the thread tugging her back, and she’d never be free of the lodge unless she could understand her feelings. But her visit had ended in more pain and confusion, and she’d hurried back to her mom and never looked back.