Page 51 of My Dearest Mackenzie

“No.” Susie crossed her arms in front of her.

“I put a bunch of stuff together in my mind, figuring this Jimmy was an ex, one she was presumably ripped away from…”

“Her parents absolutely forbade it. When she told me, she said it was the darkest time in her life. She was also not surprised Jimmy wouldn’t see her. ‘He’s a good man,’ she’d said. ‘The best, and I’d expect nothing less from him than to be loyal.’”

“Sounds like she went into a lot of detail with you? To then turn around and hold it against you?”

“It was a weak moment on her part. That’s all I can chalk it up to.”

I still couldn’t believe Jimmy called Milly, and wondered if I should share that with Frances. I knew better than to mention Frances to Susie now. Susie would make assumptions about status and relationships, just like she had when it came to Milly. Granted, her heart might have been in the right place with Jimmy, but her judgment was off when it came to society.

But would Frances stay away from Susie? She was the type of woman who left no stone unturned. If she wasn’t satisfied with our findings, she might seek out Susie.

“After speaking the truth, Milly lost her mind. Told me it was her life, her story, her mistakes, and not mine to barge in and get involved. She spewed hatred over me visiting Jimmy. I was a foolish daughter, one who meddled in business that wasn’t hers. But I thought it was a sweet idea at the time.”

That, I couldn’t disagree with. But this wasn’t the time for my opinions.

Susie strode to the other side of the piano, wringing her hands. “Milly said it was my fault he called and opened old wounds. For him and her, she made note. Then she stressed how she’d spent decades packing Jimmy away, and I was never to speak his name again. Not to your dad or you. She said you were going to live your life without knowing of any more pain and suffering. And I was going to feel the hurt of stepping out of line.”

Susie didn’t cry or get emotional over the spat with Milly. She spit her words out laced with venom.

“She was protective of me.” It was a thoughtless thing to say, but in the moment I still didn’t want to divulge how much I knew, or how, or why. Let alone the other letters and meeting Connie. Why? Because all roads went back to Frances.

“Well, she was not protective of me. She made sure I was cut out of her life in many ways, not to mention the future of the family was all safeguarded for you.”

“I didn’t do that.”

“I know, but it’s hard not to resent you. The golden child with the clean slate, free from Milly’s past, forging into the future.”

“You’re the one who dredged her past up.”

“Well, now you know, so you can leave,” was all she said, and I was happy to do as I was told.

“I sure can. And in case you still wondered, I won’t be joining you for the Jewish holiday. None of this is my doing, Susie, and I can’t be blamed for others’ actions.”

I couldn’t be mad at Milly for protecting me and not wanting me to know the sad details of her past, but I could be mad at Susie for reopening old wounds for the only steady person in my life, whether it was born in a good place or not. Susie hurt Milly, and my love for my grandmother couldn’t handle the notion of that.

Big plans for Labor Day weekend?

Mack sent the text on his way home from Paris. He’d been gone for a few days, meeting with various lily oil suppliers. His factory was experiencing a shortage, and with the rollout of a new scent they couldn’t afford to be low. He’d explained this all over a quick brunch last week. We’d gone for a run together—which was awkward since running had always been a therapeutic time for me, not social—and then we’d hit up a nearby café, all sweaty and stinky.

I have a client tomo at noon, and then I’m off all weekend. Might binge a TV series.

I wasn’t fishing for an invite or a plan. Other than our running and brunch date, I hadn’t seen Mack. Well, he did leave for Paris that Monday, but he hadn’t offered to go out Saturday night or Sunday and didn’t seem inclined to jump into bed again. Since I wasn’t twenty-five, I didn’t mention any of this to Rachel or my sister when she’d called a few days ago. In fact, I didn’t mention much to Ashley, other than I was thinking about seeing Mom and Dad. She was still hopelessly in love, with no plans to return to the States. And to be honest, it didn’t seem like she cared about much other than herself.

As for me, I couldn’t stop thinking about the deep furrow in Mack’s brow. It felt as if there was an extra worry on his plate. He didn’t share, and I didn’t ask.

Any chance you’d binge the show with me? In the Hamptons?

I gulped my coffee and stared at the phone, thinking I might need to work on reconciling when a man was busy with work and not blowing me off. Clearly, it was a byproduct of Jeremy deserting me. I needed to make quick work of ditching the habit.

Maybe. What do you think of the British monarchy?

Nothing better…pick you up at 4 tomo?

Did this mean he’d resolved whatever was bothering him, or he planned to share it with me? There was no escaping that I wanted to see the man, so I replied yes and padded to my closet to see what I should pack. Later that night, I got a text from Corey asking me for a grocery list, stressing I didn’t have to cook, but if I wanted to, send him the ingredients.

Deciding on brunch foods, grilled fish with veggies, and an apple pie, I kept my order small.

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