Fear crept up his spine as Mac took the keys from his father. “Where is she?”

“She took off about twenty minutes ago.”

“Where was she going?”

“Didn’t say.”

Mac strode toward the truck.

His father trailed behind him. “Son, wait.” With his hand on Mac’s arm, Big Mac stopped him. “Don’t go off half-cocked. Take a breath.”

“I need to find her, Dad. I’ve got to fix this.”

“You might want to give her some time to figure out that your heart was in the right place.”

“Everything will be fine. I just need to see her and explain.”

Big Mac patted his face. “Call me later? Let me know you’re all right?”

Mac nodded, got into the truck and raced into town. Wondering if she might refuse to see him, he broke into a cold sweat. “She has to. We have to work this out.” The alternative was simply unimaginable.

He pulled into Tiffany’s driveway and generated a cloud of dust on his way back to Maddie’s. Pounding up the stairs, he stopped short at the sight of his backpack and running shoes sitting on the deck. “She can’t be serious.”

After a deep breath to slow his racing heart, he knocked softly on the door. “Maddie. Honey, open the door. I need to talk to you.” He tried the door and was astounded to find it locked. “Baby, come on. Let me explain.”

“She isn’t going to talk to you—now or ever—so you should probably get your stuff and go,” Tiffany said from the bottom of the stairs.

Mac spun around. “This is none of your business, Tiffany.”

“Who do you think mops up the mess every time she gets crapped on by a guy?”

“I didn’t crap on her.”

Tiffany shrugged with indifference that infuriated him. “Seems to me if you knew her at all, you’d get that being the center of attention in this town is the last thing she’d ever want.”

“Even if it means restoring her reputation?”

“You’re so clueless. You think you can come in here, wave your magic McCarthy wand and make everything all better. I hate to break it to you, ace, but it doesn’t work that way for the rest of us.”

“This is between me and Maddie. I’ll wait to talk to her about it.”

“She’s not here.”

“Where is she?”

“Even if I knew, you’d be the last person I’d tell.”

He sat on the top step. “Then I’ll wait for her. She has to come home eventually.”

“Suit yourself, but it won’t do any good. Once Maddie sees a guy’s true colors, she doesn’t give second chances.”

“Good to know.”

Tiffany turned, crossed the yard and disappeared into her house.