“I enjoyed my visit with your father last week. His spirits have improved since the last time I stopped by.”
“He has good days and bad.” Mac laid his fork on the rim of his plate. “Thank God, the good days come more frequently now.”
“He’ll keep improving.” Dad forked a bite of noodles. “My uncle had a stroke, and he surprised everyone with his recovery. Your dad’s tough. I bet he’ll be back to work by spring.”
“Don’t tell Mom that unless you want an earful.” Mac’s subtle smile left Phoebe to wonder if he was serious or not. Thelma Banfield was a force to be reckoned with when she had her mind set on something, but Phoebe also knew how Thelma longed for her husband’s full recovery.
A special weather report cut into the radio programming near the end of the meal. The meteorologist predicted a foot of snow to fall by midnight, with an additional one to two inches in the early morning hours.
Mom stood up. “Would anyone like seconds?”
When they all declined, she gathered the empty plates from the table.
“I’ll give you a pair of my pajamas to sleep in tonight.” Dad pushed away from the table and patted his belly. “They’ll be large on you, but better than nothing.”
Mac glanced down at his outfit. “You don’t have to go out of your way on my account. I can sleep in my clothes.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mom chided him, returning to the table. “There’s no reason for you to be uncomfortable all night.”
“I’d be grateful for them.” Mac graced her mom with one of his full smiles.
Dad cleared his throat and stared at Mac. “Why do you decline my offer and accept my wife’s?”
All four of them laughed.
Mac looked her dad straight in the eye. “I’ve known Mrs. Bonnie since I was a toddler and learned quickly she won’t take no for an answer.”
Mom squeezed his shoulder. “That’s my boy.”
Watching the interaction between Mac and her parents squeezed Phoebe’s heart. He fit in well with her family, and it would be too easy to imagine him as part of it. Why couldn’t she stop wanting that to happen? She’d prayed for God to take away her feelings for Mac, but they always came back.
How would she make it through until tomorrow with Mac spending the night in the same house? She needed distance, not closer proximity.
Chapter Eight
Mac laid the buffalo plaid pajamas on the neatly made bed. He looked around the bedroom that once belonged to Hunter. Old posters of luxury cars and sports players still hung on the walls. A navy blue area rug matched the striped bedding.
He sat on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. If he ever wrote a book, he’d have the perfect plot, only it was so unbelievable no one would believe it.
Who agreed to date one of the world’s most famous actresses and then got stranded in a snowstorm on his way home—at a house that just happened to belong to the parents of the girl he’d been half in love with since he could remember and with said girl also stranded at her parents’ home?
Too bad he couldn’t hide out in the bedroom all evening. Phoebe had convinced her parents to watch a Christmas movie, and they had invited him to join them. He couldn’t very well say no after the hospitality they’d shown him. Besides, what else would he do? His phone had a limited battery life, and he didn’t have a charger with him, or any other distraction to keep him occupied. When he’d set out that afternoon, he’d had every intention of returning home.
He called his mom and gave her an update, so she wouldn’t worry about him. Fortunately, she hadn’t heard the news about Deena yet, but that wouldn’t last long. By tomorrow morning, word would reach her, and she’d hound him until he gave the details. Hopefully, he’d have time to talk to Deena tonight and work out what he’d say, but that meant conserving the phone battery he had.
The salty aroma of freshly popped corn wafted up the stairs, enticing Mac to leave his hideout. Mrs. Bonnie knew his weakness. There were few snacks he appreciated more than a big tub of popcorn with butter melted over it.
Following his nostrils, he left the room and ran into Phoebe at the top of the staircase. They stared at each other during an awkward silence. Was it his own feelings that made the scene uncomfortable? Judging by her rocking heels and hands in her pockets, it went both ways, but what reason did she have to feel uncomfortable?
Unless she’d heard about Deena. Shehadmentioned an unfavorable first impression of the actress. His girlfriend? No, that didn’t sound right. He wouldn’t put a label on the relationship while it was still in the birth stages.
Man, how confusing.
When in doubt, stick with neutral topics. “Strange weather, huh?”
“A little.”
They’d never had problems making conversation before. This stilted dialogue didn’t sit well with him, but he didn’t know how to fix it. Instead, he gestured down the stairs. “Ladies first.”
