Chapter 35 - Dominic
I know Mara. I’ve known her my whole life, and I’ve gotten to know her very well over the past few weeks. At least, I think I know her.
I know that I’ve never seen her look like that. When that arrogant asshole Vincent touched her, she almost recoiled in disgust. The look on her face was pure despair. I watch them drive away and feel something inside me die.
She’s gone.
Just like that. No warning, no goodbye, no word from her at all.
I shift my gaze to her parents, and for a moment I meet Mr. McCoy’s gaze. His eyebrows are drawn together, and the tip of his nose is bright red. He’s grinding his teeth together as he looks at me, and then he looks back towards the road where Mara disappeared.
I watch him tuck his chin into his chest and stomp back into the hotel. Margaret McCoy appears by my side and starts inspecting the furniture I’m delivering. She’s got that fake smile plastered over her face and she says things I don’t hear.
I couldn’t sleep last night, and I stayed up all night finishing the pieces. She nods approvingly and clicks her fingers towards the two waiting hotel workers. My lip lifts in disgust as they jump forward and start unloading the furniture. She doesn’t even treat them like people.
I grab a corner and help them load the furniture up into one of the newly renovated rooms. I look around the room at the fresh paint, the hardwood floors and the simple rug that Mara chose. I see her in every detail of the decor – from the wall sconces that she chose to the way the furniture fits perfectly with the style of the hotel.
She’s talented.
She’s gone.
I clear my throat to try to stop myself from tearing up. I help place the new furniture and leave the two hotel workers to their work, going back down to my truck. On the way out, I catch a glance of Tim McCoy in Mara’s office. He’s standing there, looking at her empty desk as if she’s going to appear in front of him. I glance over my shoulder and when I see I’m alone, I walk over towards him.
He turns around when I clear my throat.
“Dominic,” he says, turning towards me. He extends his hand to shake mine. “I’m so impressed with your work. You’re a true talent.”
“Thank you,” I respond. He clears his throat and avoids my gaze. We stand in front of each other, waiting for the other to speak. Finally, I take a deep breath.
“Mara…” My voice trails off and Tim shakes his head.
“Something’s not right,” he interrupts. He glances at the door and moves to close it. When we’re alone in the office, he looks out the window and then back to me. “Something’s not right about this whole thing. Mara didn’t want that.”
My heart starts thumping as he looks at me. I knew it. I’m simultaneously elated that she didn’t want to go with Vincent, and horrified that she did.
“What the fuck is going on, then?”
Tim McCoy stares at me for a few long moments. His eyes narrow and he looks into my eyes until I have to force myself to maintain eye contact with him. He finally nods.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“It was me what?” I ask. My heart starts beating a bit harder.
“I thought Mara was seeing someone. She was so happy.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “I should have known. Why else would she keep you a secret? She’s always told me everything.”
“I…” I look at Tim and finally take a deep breath. “I care about her.”
“I can tell. I could tell by the way you looked at her when she was getting in the car. I’m telling you, Dominic, something isn’t right.”
I look at the man that has been on the other side of this stupid feud for ten years, and I remember the letters on Aiden’s kitchen table. How would he react if he knew that his wife had been cheating on him all those years ago? Did he know?
When I think of Margaret McCoy’s face when she watched Mara leave, all I feel is disgust. Disgust for her, and disgust for my father for ever having been involved with her. Was she always this evil? What did my father ever see in her?
Tim McCoy is staring at me and I take a deep breath.
“What do you think is going on?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d say my wife has something to do with it. Mara said something to me a few weeks ago. Something funny. She said that we’d sold her off as a bargaining chip in a business deal for the new hotel. I told her she was wrong, but now…”
“You think it was Margaret?”
Tim’s face scrunches together and he shakes his head. “I don’t think she’d be capable of something like that. She’s always been a good woman. A good wife. A good mother. Why…?”
A pang goes through my chest and the words are on the tip of my tongue. I want to tell him about his wife. I want to tell him about what she did, and why she took our business, but I don’t know how. Tim sighs and shakes his head.
“I’ll get to the bottom of this.” He looks up at me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Dominic, don’t tell anyone about this conversation. Can you do that?”
I nod my chin down once. “I won’t. If there’s anything you need… I mean, if Mara is in trouble…”
Tim’s lips curl up into a sad smile. “I wish it was you she was running away with. I’ve wanted to bury the hatchet between our two families ever since that business with the trucking company happened. I want you to know –”
“Tim, stop,” I interrupt. “It’s okay. There are no hard feelings. Not anymore. Mara…” I take a deep breath. “Mara showed me what kind of person she is. If you have one tenth of the heart that she does, then there’s no need for us to be fighting.”
I see Tim swallow and nod his head. His eyes look bright when he looks away. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath before grabbing the office door handle and opening the door.
“Right. Well. Let’s get this thing figured out.”
We nod at each other and I walk out of the hotel. It’s not until I’m in my truck and driving back towards my house that I let out a huge sigh.
I knew something was wrong. I don’t know what it is yet, or how to fix it, but I do know one thing: Mara didn’t want to leave with Vincent.
That thought carries me all the way home. She didn’t want to leave with Vincent. She wanted to stay with me. Whatever it was that was pushing her to leave, I’m going to figure it out.
Something inside me wakes up. It’s the familiar anger that carried me through the past ten years. It’s the anger that led me to light the new hotel on fire and burn it to the ground. It’s the anger that Mara started to mend. I don’t want to be an angry person, but right now I can use that anger for good. I can get Mara back.