Chapter 39 - Dominic
I thought I’d go straight to Tim McCoy from Aiden’s last night, but when I drove into town my resolve wavered. Now I’m drinking my third cup of coffee as I stare at the stack of letters.
What if he doesn’t believe me?
What if he already knows?
What if he forgives her?
The more I think about this, the less certain I am. The more it seems like I’m destined to fail. What am I trying to do anyways? I have to convince Tim to turn against his wife, and somehow figure out what’s going on with Mara. Then, if I’m able to do all that, I have to get Mara back.
What if she doesn’t want to come back?
I shake my head and pull out my phone again. I read her text over and over until I’m sure she’s there against her will.
She doesn’t want to be there. I know her. I saw it in her eyes when she left. I saw it in the way she recoiled when Vincent touched her. I can see it in her text.
This isn’t her choice.
I push my mug aside and stand up. I tuck the stack of letters under my arm and stalk out the front door. I swing myself into the cab of my truck and start the engine, peeling down the driveway towards Main Street. I can hardly hear the sound of the engine over the beating of my heart. I’m staring through a tunnel, and all I can see is the McCoy hotel at the end of the road. I glance at the passenger’s seat at the letters, and I try to think of what I’m going to say.
Mr. McCoy, I…
Tim, I have something to tell you.
Tim, is there somewhere we can talk?
My breath is shallow and my vision is blurry around the edges. I pull up outside the hotel and jump out of the car, grabbing the papers and tucking them under my arm once again. I walk up the pathway towards the hotel’s main entrance and push the door open.
I breathe a sigh of relief when no one is at the front desk. My eyes scan the room, and I wonder where Tim McCoy could be. I turn down the hallway towards the office where we spoke.
My hand is trembling when I lift it to knock on the door. With one more deep breath, I rap my knuckles against the wooden panels of the door and wait for a response. I look up and down the hallway, praying that Margaret McCoy doesn’t appear around the corner.
I knock again.
Nothing.
My shoulders slump, and I turn away from the door when a voice calls out behind me.
“Can I help you with anything?”
I turn to see one of the housekeepers. I know her. We went to school together. I know pretty much everyone in this town.
“Katie!” I call out, trying to sound casual. “I’m looking for Tim McCoy.”
“Huh,” she replies with a smile and a frown. “Okay.”
She smiles at me and motions down towards the lobby. “He and Mrs. McCoy are having their breakfast in the dining room. I can show you the way.”
“No!” Her eyebrows jump up and I take a deep breath. I try to control my voice. “I can’t…” I pause, looking at Katie. “Can you get him for me? It has to be him. Only him.”
She frowns slightly but nods her head. “Are you okay, Dominic?”
“I’m fine. Please, Katie. Can you get him for me?”
She stares at me for a few moments and then nods her head. “Wait in here,” she says, pulling out a key ring and opening the office door. “I’ll be back.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. She looks at me for a long moment and after a pause, her lips curl up into a smile.
“You and Mara seem really happy together. I’m rooting for you.”
I open my mouth and close it again. I shake my head. “What are you talking about?”
She laughs. “Come on, Dominic. It’s a small town. Everyone knows. You guys seemed really happy, and I hope it works out. I saw her when she was leaving.”
“Do you know what happened?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. I overheard Margaret threatening her with something, but I couldn’t make out what it was.” She looks at me and smiles. “I’ll get Tim. Wait here.”
She closes the door gently and I slump into a chair, laying the stack of letters on my lap and putting my head in my hands.
The whole town knows??
I sigh and shake my head. Of course they do. Who were we kidding? Ethan could tell I was attracted to her the very first time I saw her at Harold’s bar. I remember the way my arm felt when she touched it, and the way every look she gave me sent a thrill down through my stomach. I close my eyes and think of that smile of hers.
I’m lost in my thoughts when the door opens. I jump up and catch the stack of letters as they start to fall off my lap.
“Dominic!” Tim says in a hushed voice as he closes the office door. “What’s all this about?”
Suddenly, I’m at a loss for words. I look at this man and see kindness in his eyes, and I hesitate. Do I really want to ruin his marriage?
He doesn’t give me a chance to change my mind. His eyes shift to the stack of letters and he frowns.
“What are those? Is that… is that Margaret’s handwriting?”
I glance at the stack of letters and take a deep breath.
“Tim, I… Mr. McCoy,” I start, my voice catching in my throat. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this…”
“Spit it out, son,” he says. His upper lip is trembling and the sides of his forehead are starting to get red. I feel the tension in his body from where I sit.
I stand up and show him the stack of letters. “Aiden found these when he was cleaning out the attic at our old house,” I explain. “They’re… They’re addressed to my father. From Margaret.”
Tim’s mouth opens as he looks at the letters. “There are dozens of them!”
I nod. “I’m sorry, Tim.”
I take the top letter off the stack and hand it to him. “This was the last letter. I think…” I pause again, swallowing. “My brothers and I think that it was the reason that Margaret took such a… uh… disliking to us.”
Tim McCoy grabs the letter and opens it up. The blood drains from his face as he reads through the letter, and then he slumps down into a chair. He puts his head in his hand and shakes his head.
“This…” His voice trails off and he looks at the paper again. “I’ve been faithful all these years, and…”
“I had no idea,” I say, sitting down across from him. “None of us did.”
He looks up at me, his eyes suddenly clear. “So her insistence on buying the trucking business… Her ridiculous hatred of you and your brothers… All if it…?”
I shrug. “It looks like it was because of this,” I say, motioning to the letter. “Because my father broke it off. I don’t know how it’s related to Mara, but I can’t help but think…” My voice trails off and I struggle to find the words the express myself.
He shakes his head over and over until a lump forms in my throat. I shouldn’t have done this. His face scrunches up and he keeps shaking his head back and forth, back and forth. I watch him slowly crumble in front of me until tears start streaming from his eyes. A pain goes through my chest as I watch him.
I shouldn’t have done this. I should have found another way.
We both jump when the door opens. Margaret appears in the doorway. Tim stands up. He pulls his shoulders back and stares at her with fire in his eyes.
“You heartless bitch,” he growls. I tense, staying immobile in my chair.
Margaret’s eyes swing from him, to me, to the letters. She goes pale, grabbing the door jamb for support before her eyes go dark and her mouth purses into a thin line.
“So now you know,” she snarls. “Well, it only took you ten years to put it together.”
“What else have you lied about? Why did Mara leave?”
“Oh, grow up,” she spits. “You should be thanking me for providing you with all this,” she says, sweeping her arm in a wide circle. “Without me you’d be broke and alone.”
“Where is my daughter,” Tim growls.
“She’s where she belongs, with her fiancé.” Her black eyes swing to me, and her lip curls into a snarl. “I’d rather die than let her date a Clarke.”
I stand up. Despite herself, she takes a step backwards. She looks so tiny next to my huge, six-foot-four frame, but she squares her shoulders.
“Where is she,” I growl. Her face relaxes and she smiles. A shiver passes down my spine.
“I told you: she’s with her fiancé. I gave her the choice: you, or him. She chose him.”
“I don’t believe you,” I growl. I take another step towards her but this time Margaret stands her ground.
“Leave us,” Tim says. I turn back to look at him, but his eyes are locked on his wife. He waves his hand at me. “Leave us,” he repeats. “I’ll be in touch.”
Something in his voice leaves no space for argument. I glance at the two of them before stalking out the door without looking back.