“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“Hey, so listen. I’m going to be off-island a couple of days next week. Is that okay?”

“When are you going to stop asking us for time off?” They’d made Luke a partner in their business more than a year ago.

“Old habits die hard,” Luke said with a chuckle.

“I hope you’re going somewhere fun before the madness begins with the season.”

“Not fun, exactly, but a step in the right direction. Syd’s having a reversal of her tubal ligation.”

Mac grimaced. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means, you jackass, that we might be able to have kids of our own. If it works.”

“Hey, that’s cool. Kind of a big step for her, huh?”

“A very big step. It took me a while to convince her that what happened to her kids couldn’t possibly happen again.” Sydney lost her first husband and young children to a drunk driver. “She’s worried she’ll be a crazy overprotective mother who never lets the poor kid out of her sight.”

“You couldn’t blame her for that.”

“No, but I told her I’d be there to keep her from going too far overboard. Of course that’s if it even happens. There’s a chance the surgery won’t work, and even if it does, she may not conceive.”

“I’ll be hoping it goes your way. We all will.”

“Thanks. Like I told her, if it doesn’t, we’ll adopt. There’re other options, and we’re keeping them all open.”

“Good plan. Let me know how it works out, okay?”

“I will. We’re keeping it kind of quiet. Syd doesn’t want everyone asking questions.”

“No one will hear it from me.”

Luke crooked a skeptical eyebrow.

“What? I said I won’t say anything, and I won’t.”

Laughing at Mac’s indignation, Luke went back to work.

Mac thought about Grant for a long time, wondering what had his brother so upset and wishing there was something he could do about it.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A steady thump, thump, thump woke Laura from a sound sleep. Even though she’d been asleep for hours, her eyes didn’t want to open. Exhaustion clung to every inch of her.

“Laura? Princess, are you in there?”

Only two people called her Princess. Was that her dad? What was he doing here? Laura pushed aside covers Owen must’ve put over her and crossed the room on wobbly legs to open the door.

“Did I wake you?” Frank McCarthy asked. As always, he was impeccably dressed with every one of his silver hairs in place. “I’m sorry. Owen thought you’d be awake by now. He sent me up.”

Thrilled to see him, Laura stepped into his embrace and held on for dear life. “What’re you doing here, Dad?”