Title: What Now
Chapter 29
JAG Headquarters
Two months later
Harm’s office
Mac stood waiting in Harm’s doorway while he finished on the phone. Things had gone well for the couple. They’d managed to somehow mix Mac’s traditional taste in furnishings with Harm’s more modern taste to come up with an attractive new eclectic décor. The venetian wall that had separated the bedroom was replaced with a row of bookshelves facing the kitchen for all of Mac’s library. On the bedroom side, they’d placed one of Mac’s dressers. Her decorative screen was strategically placed behind the dresser to hide the back of the bookshelves. An armoire to give Mac some more closet space was purchased and placed beside the dresser.
Although they hadn’t resolved the issue of a bedroom door, Mattie had once again reverted to her habit of calling before popping in making privacy less of an issue, for now.
Much to their relief, the closeness they’d developed on their honeymoon had remained basically intact upon their return. The absurd idea that intimacy was reserved solely for the purpose of procreating had fallen by the wayside in Puerto Rico and stayed there. Although the reality of work and daily responsibilities precluded indulging in more playful activities as often as they had in the Caribbean, the two managed to find time for fun as often as possible.
There was another advantage of being together, not getting pregnant seemed easier to handle. Mac had missed two more cycles and was beginning to see her possibilities for motherhood fading fast. Occasionally, this brought out the worst in her Marine disposition. Parallels could easily be drawn at certain times of the month between Mac and a bear awoken too early from hibernation. The only thing keeping her from losing it all together was the constant support she was getting from Harm.
“Yeah, right, no problem. I’ll stop by at lunchtime. Thanks, Ed.”
“Anything wrong?” Mac asked, still standing in the doorway.
“No,” Harm waved at the chair. “It seems they’ve gotten over the first hurdle and will be ready to announce the plan publicly.” Harm straightened a few papers setting them in a pile to his left.
“When’s that going to be?”
“They’re setting up the press releases for 30 days from now.” Harm reached under another pile and pulled out a plain file folder.
“So this is it?” Mac’s eyebrows rose asking the unspoken question ‘are you sure?’
“Looks that way. You know who I’ve been thinking about all day?” He paused for a breath. “Corporal Wexel. Remember him?”
Mac shook her head no.
“He commandeered a tank when he thought his drug using wife was going to get custody of their baby.”
“Now, I remember. You stood in front of a moving tank to stop him.” Mac wished he hadn’t reminded her of that.
“It occurred to me, if there’d been a firm like what we’re setting up for him to turn to in the first place, he probably would never have gotten so desperate. I’m sure there are more Corporal Wexels out there that I’d like to help before the situation becomes explosive.” His eyes widened momentarily in a gesture that answered, ‘yeah, I’m sure.’
“I’ve got to run over to the site. It seems there’s a major debate over the new plans and what I told the foreman to expect. I need to be there before the engineers leave.” Harm added hurriedly.
Harm had called Ed the day he and Mac had gone to see the offices for the first time. He informed Ed he’d take the job on one condition. Ed was so eager to have Harm on board, he probably would have agreed to giving him the moon. He was relieved to discover all Harm wanted were some design changes to the office structure and final approval of all architectural and decorative plans.
Harm had already calculated, by adding one wall, and moving another non load bearing wall, he could stay in the corner office allowing him to view his wife’s work place. The remaining space intended for his office would become a conference room. In turn, this would leave the space originally intended for a conference room free to expand the law library.
In the end everyone was happy with the final plans. Harm had made it a habit to stop by the site at least once a day to ensure progress was coming along according to his specifications. Much to their chagrin, the construction crews learned the hard way to make sure it’s done right the first time or they’d have to do it over. A time or two, Harm had stopped by after work, found something wasn’t done to his standards, and the crew would come in the next morning to find studs knocked out. They only needed him to remove the wiring once before they learned their lesson permanently. When the foreman noticed the new plans required shifting certain walls somewhere other than where the Commander had told him, he wasn’t about to lift a finger until the Commander signed off on the changes.
Looking at the folder in his hand, “I’ll give this to the Admiral today.” Harm stood to leave, taking a deep steady breath.
Short while later
Mac’s office
“Colonel MacKenzie.” Jen’s cheerful voice flowed through the intercom.
“Yes.”
“The Admiral would like to see you in her office.”
“On my way.” Mac was already up and out of her seat.
Harm was closing the door to the Admiral’s office just as Mac walked up to Jen’s desk.
“How’d it go?” she whispered.
“As well as could be expected. I suspect it’s safe to say I’m not going to win any popularity contests around here.” Harm sprouted a low watt smile to ease his wife’s concerned expression. He felt bad about leaving JAG again, but he was sure this time it was for the best.
Inside the Admiral’s office, Mac stood at attention.
“You wanted to see me ma’am?”
“Yes, Colonel.” She didn’t offer Mac a seat.
“You’re husband, my chief of staff, has just given me his request for terminal leave.” The Admiral didn’t look very happy. “Apparently our little arrangement hasn’t been satisfactory.”
“No, ma’am. That is, it has been satisfactory but due to it’s temporary nature, we, the Commander and I, felt it best if one of us took the best opportunity that presented itself for one of us to transfer. This is an excellent opportunity for the Commander.” She stood rigid in front of her CO.
“Yes, that’s what he explained.” It was obvious she had hoped to keep her two lead attorney’s longer than only the few months since she had taken over command.
“Seeing as how I am in need of a new chief of staff, I’m offering you the opportunity to resume the position.” She was staring intently at Mac.
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you ma’am. I would be honored to return to my previous duties.” Mac allowed a small smile to curl the edge of her lips.
“Very well, the Commander will turn his responsibilities over to you in 30 days when his leave begins. Dismissed.” Without waiting for a reply, the Admiral resumed perusing the paperwork on her desk. ‘At least he’d given her time to find a suitable replacement,’ she sighed inwardly.
Closing the door to the Admiral’s office, Mac stood for a moment, and took a deep breath. It looked like they were both going to emerge from this new phase unscathed.
“Everything alright, ma’am?” Jennifer broached carefully.
“Yes, Jen. For once, I think it is.” Mac strode away quickly. Things really were going unusually well for Sarah Mackenzie. She just hoped there wasn’t another shoe waiting to fall somewhere.
Chapter 30
Harm and Mac’s apartment
Three weeks later
“There’s going to be a ribbon cutting ceremony on the 21st,” Harm said wiping the counter top one last time.
“Mm,” Mac uttered from the desk.
Mac had been pretty quiet through most of dinner. Much of what she had said was limited to two syllable responses, often filtered by grunts. Harm had gotten pretty good at keeping track of Mac’s time of the month and was pretty sure by the current cold front, the time had come with no good news.
“I’d like you to be there with me. Do you think you can arrange with the Admiral for the afternoon off?” He knew he probably should wait until a better time, but he also knew the sooner she spoke with the Admiral, the more likely she was to get the time off. Ed was pushing hard for Mac to be there, good for public relations. Harm just wanted Mac there because he did.
“What do you need me there for?” Mac snapped.
Well, at least he’d gotten a complete sentence out of her.
“You’re my wife, Mac. What is so odd about wanting to share a big day in my life with you?” Harm realized the minute the words came out, they were the wrong ones.
“Why would you want to share ANY day in your life with me?!” Mac screeched from across the room.
Harm’s eyes flew wide, he knew she was testy, but he wasn’t expecting this.
“Come on, Mac. You don’t mean that.” Uh oh. That didn’t come out right either. Damn! For a good lawyer he was suffering from foot in mouth disease tonight.
“Don’t tell me what I mean! You should never have married me! This isn’t going to work. I’M NO GOOD FOR YOU!” Mac jumped up with such force the chair fell back behind her. Storming into the bedroom she yearned for a door to slam. Damn! She couldn’t even hide in the privacy of the bathroom. Why couldn’t they live in a normal house!
Hurriedly, Harm followed her up the steps. “Mac…”
Before he could say another word, Mac was pulling a small bag out of the closet.
“MAC! Don’t. PLEASE!” Harm was panicked. My God what had happened? Lurching forward he grabbed Mac, his hands firmly stilling her arms, stopping her from putting anything into the suitcase.
“Talk to me, Damn it!” Harm hollered.
“WHY! It won’t change anything. I should never have agreed to this! I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have… have done this to you!” Mac struggled to pull away. She had to be strong, she had to do this for him.
“Done what? Mac the last few months have been the best months of my life. You walk out that door now and you might as well put a gun to my head and shoot me because my life won’t be worth crap without you!” Harm was getting desperate.
“STOP IT! Stop lying! You don’t need me. I’m no good for you. This will never work!” Mac was frantic trying to get away from his tight grip. A single tear slowly began to drip down her cheek.
“Damn it, Mac, it IS working. It’s perfect. Have I done something so awful? Tell me, I’ll change, I’ll stop. I promise, just… don’t run!” Harm was not letting go of her. He had to keep a tight grip, even if it hurt.
“Don’t you see, it’s not you, it’s ME! I can’t do it! No matter how hard we try, I’ll never be able to give you want you want most, what you deserve.” Mac had eased her efforts to escape, she was tiring, her emotions too much for her.
“All I want is you, Mac.” Harm lowered his voice. He had to make her believe him.
“NO! You were meant to be a father, a real dad with children that look like you, that think like you. I can’t do that for you. I TRIED! She screamed, holding back more tears.
“Don’t you get it? I Love YOU, with or without a baby. It’s always been you. I wouldn’t have made the deal in the first place if it wasn’t always you.” Harm searched her eyes for some recognition of what he was saying.
“If all I needed was an attractive friend, I could have called Meg or Kate, hell I would have just married Rene when I had the chance - It’s always been you.” Harm’s voice was low and desperate.
Mac closed her eyes. She couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted all this to be true. She loved him so much. It never occurred to her she could love him anymore, but the last few months had filled her heart with so much love for Harmon Rabb that she needed him as much, if not more, than the air she breathed.
“Sarah, please believe me. I love you more than life itself. Please?” The fight in her finally gone, Harm gathered her closely into his arms. “ I love you Sarah MacKenzie, with all my heart,” he whispered into her ear, his hand slowly stroking the back of her head. He didn’t dare kiss her, not now. He had to convince her first.
Emotionally drained, in the midst of a PMS tizzy, Mac pulled back just far enough to look into Harm’s eyes.
“Say that again,” she said softly.
“I love you Sarah, I’ve always been in love with you.” He waited, praying she believed him.
A thread of sanity snapped in Mac’s mind. Suddenly every misunderstanding and stupid decision ever made over the last eight years was flashing clearly in her mind like a terrible old movie.
Harm’s heart dropped out of his throat when he saw the light of recognition go off in her eyes.
“I love you Mac,” he repeated for good measure.
“I love you Harmon Rabb, I always have.” Slowly, she pulled him in for the most loving, honest kiss they’d ever shared.
Echo Oil Building
Harm’s new office
One week before ribbon ceremony
“Excuse me,” a voice traveled from Harm’s doorway.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re not open for business yet.” The ribbon cutting was only the beginning, just a photo op to go with the press release. It wasn’t until the official announcement that they would begin interviewing and hiring the support staff and complete the final phases of decorating.
“I know but I don’t know where else to go,” the man replied, his voice cracking, his struggle to maintain composure obvious.
“Okay, sit down and tell me what’s wrong. Maybe, I can suggest someone to help you in the meantime.” Harm gestured to the chair across the room.
Pulling the chair closer to the desk, Mr. Reidy began his story.
“Two days ago Kathy, the woman everyone thought was my wife, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack. She was only 45.” The man took a deep breath, his emotions obviously hanging by a thread.
“Kathy had been married to a doctor. They had a story book romance, young nurse falls in love with nice doctor. Only the reality of life wasn’t so nice. While he became a hot shot cardiologist, she stayed home having babies. She loved the kids and the role of the doting housewife. The only problem was her husband loved the role of the handsome doctor chasing after the pretty young nurses. To make a long story short, after years of weight gain, emotional abuse, and even some physical abuse, Kathy dumped her philandering husband.” Again, the man had to pause to maintain his composure.
“We met almost two years later. It was magical.” The man smiled. “She was the nicest, happiest, most caring person I’d ever met. That moron’s loss was my gain. Six months later we moved in together. Tom was 6 and Patty was almost 3. Because of alimony, and the house, and other financial and emotional issues, we agreed we didn’t need a piece of paper. We’ve raised those kids together for the last ten years. They’re good kids too. Never gave us any trouble, no drugs, or any of the other problems some of the parents run into.” He paused again. Harm poured him a glass of water and waited for him to continue.
“At our age you just don’t think you need a will.”
Harm forced himself not to wince. Why do so many people make the same mistake?
“She didn’t even have anything written down naming me guardian if anything happened to her. Yesterday, her ex shows up on the doorstep. The house is in Kathy’s name, she got it in the divorce settlement. The kids and him don’t get along. He doesn’t even see them once a year, and most of the time the kids can’t even remember what this new wife’s name is. He’s an arrogant, self centered, ass.” He paused again rubbing his hand across his face.
“Anyhow this character tells me that he guesses it’s his turn to start raising the kids. He’s so clueless, he hasn’t even noticed they’re already raised! Tom told him to his face there was no way he was going with him, and Patty ran out of the room crying that she wouldn’t live with that man either. Most of her life, I’m the only man she’s ever called Dad.”
“What do they call their biological father?” Harm asked, choosing his words carefully.
“Mostly – him. Since they only talk on the phone once a year and hardly ever see each other in person, it’s never much of an issue. If they have to refer to him by name, they call him John.”
“Let me see if I can pick the story up from here. The house will belong to the kids as next of kin but in the meantime a guardian needs to be appointed, and John has decided that should be him, and he’s asked you to leave,” Harm concluded.
“Pretty much. Can you help?” The pain in the man’s eyes almost broke Harm’s heart.
“Do you know who John’s lawyer is?”
“Yes.’ He handed Harm a business card.
“I think this will be pretty easy to deal with. If what you say is true, and John has had little contact with the kids through the years, I suspect his lawyer and I can come to some agreeable terms.” Harm took the man’s phone number and some other personal information before letting him leave.
Sitting back in his chair, he thought about Mattie and what if her father had abandoned her at three and not returned till now, how would he feel. He was definitely going to see to it that this family stayed together.
Chapter 31
Harm’s office
One month later
Everything was humming along. They’d just about finished with the last details of the decorating. Harm had won almost every major battle. He never thought he’d see the day when it would matter to him if someone installed marble or hardwood floors, but it seemed important this time, he and the hardwood won in the end.
Harm had personally interviewed all the potential legal candidates, and chose one bright young attorney to assist him, as well as one legal secretary for them to share. He surprised everyone at Ed’s firm by choosing an older former schoolteacher for the receptionist. Harm just shook his head at Ed and reminded him, there’s no substitute for experience. I don’t want green troops on the front lines. He figured any woman who could teach in the public school system for over thirty years was prepared for what ever baggage a family law practice would attract.
Harm was taking a last minute walk around checking everything was in place for opening day on Monday when he heard footsteps behind him.
“Well, I’ll be! What are you doing here?” Harm said excitedly, extending his hand.
“Well, sir. It was my time to come home,” Gunny smiled.
“First of all, I’m not in the service anymore Gunny, it’s Harm, not sir,” Harm started.
“Yes, sir. You’re wife told me. That’s how I found you, and for the record sir, I’m not in the service anymore either.” Gunny gave a rueful smile.
“Injury?” Harm asked glancing casually to see if perhaps some injury such as Bud’s might have derailed his career.
“No, sir. It was just time.” He tried to hold the smile.
“Decided not to up again, huh?” Harm started walking back towards his office and waved at Gunny to follow.
“Voluntary separation, sir.”
“You wanted out early, why?” Harm was a little confused. Gunny had wanted very badly to fight in this war and he never hesitated to get in the thick of things wherever he was needed most.
“Well, sir. Let’s just say, this is a younger man’s game now.”
Harm could tell something was seriously troubling Gunny but he wasn’t sure it was his place to press him.
“Have you got plans for dinner, Gunny?” Harm decided a broad smile and change of subject was in order.
“No, sir. Can’t say as I have,” Gunny replied, his familiar grin spreading across his face.
“Then you’re invited to dinner. Let’s go home and surprise my Marine.” Harm walked into his office and grabbed his briefcase.
“Wow, sir. Nice place,” Gunny nodded, looking around. “But are you sure you shouldn’t call the Colonel, it’s not usually smart to surprise a Marine.” His grin spread a little further across his face.
“You may be right, Gunny. You just may be right,” Harm chuckled, pulling out his cell phone to give Mac a heads up.
Rabb apartment
1910
“You have no idea how happy I was when Harriet tracked me down and said you two were getting married,” Gunny grinned. “I really wished I could have been here for that.”
“You were missed Gunny, you were most definitely missed,” Harm said getting up from the table. “ Up for some dessert? We’ve got strawberry ice cream and Cherry Garcia.”
“I’ll take the Cherry Garcia, sir.”
“Would you like some coffee to go with that?” Mac asked.
“No, thank you. Just the ice cream will be fine. This has to have been the best meal I’ve had in a very long time, ma’am.”
“Gunny, you’re going to have to drop the sir and ma’am routine.” Harm came up next to him and set the bowl of ice cream on the table in front of him.
“I’ll work on it si…. Harm.”
“So what are you going to do now?” Harm asked
“Thinking of going home to New Mexico?” Mac added.
“Haven’t made up my mind yet.” A serious expression instantly clouded his previously pleasant disposition.
“What happened, Gunny?” Mac asked.
Gunny glanced at Mac and considered shrugging it off. Seeing the look of concern in her eyes and remembering what she’d gone through in Paraguay, Gunny knew instantly, if anyone would understand, this Marine would.
“Well, ma’am, we’d been looking for this one terrorist who was supposedly responsible for organizing some of the ambushes that had taken out several good men. My team had been tracking him for weeks when we got some intel saying where he was hiding. It was supposed to be current, so we made our way to the village. All our recon showed the intel was right. Not only was the bastard we were after held up in the house, so were his two top henchmen. It was a sweet deal.” Gunny paused, fidgeting with the spoon in his hand; Harm and Mac were unable to read his emotions.
“I don’t know what went wrong ma’am. The family who owned the house were good people, they were pro USA and the new Iraq. None of our surveillance showed they were anywhere near the house. We just assumed the terrorists had taken over and the family had fled.” Gunny paused again, shaking his head slightly, staring off into the distance.
“When the bullets started flying, we could hear the children’s cries. We took cover as best we could, but no one wanted to shoot the kids. We couldn’t tell where the cries were coming from. I couldn’t see. My team was counting on me for instructions and I had none. Two of my best men went down. It was bedlam. When all was said and done, I lost two good men, two children, and three of my men had to be medivaced out of there. If that wasn’t bad enough, we got the henchmen, but that bastard is still out there.”
There was a long silence, Harm and Mac weren’t sure if Gunny wanted to say anything else. Neither one of them was sure if maybe they should say something when Gunny spoke up again.
“Ma’am, we all know the risks when we put on the uniform. When I go into an op like that, I’m fully prepared to not come out, but ma’am, innocent children aren’t part of the plan. I saw the look on the five-year old’s face when the stray bullet hit. I’ll never forget it ma’am. Never.” Gunny’s fist was clenched tightly, banging slowly on the table with every mention of children. His eyes still staring at some unknown point beyond where Harm and Mac were sitting, forcing the pain to remain locked away.
“Gunny, none of that was your fault,” Mac encouraged, placing her hand gently on his forearm.
“I know ma’am. But I’m no good to my men if I can’t think on my feet, and I can’t think on my feet if I’m haunted by children.” He wasn’t making any excuses, he was just stating the facts. “I know we’ll never see the day again when citizens chant ‘baby killer’ to the troops coming home, but it won’t change the way I feel. It’s time to move on.”
Suddenly focusing on his two friends again, Gunny forced a small smile. “So HARM, tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into?”
Harm told Gunny the whole story, from the first phone call to the argument between leather or chintz for the sofas. At least he didn’t have to spend his workday looking at pink flowers.
“If you’re interested Gunny, we could use a good investigator / office manager. There won’t be much of either to do at first, but you’ll be paid well for it.” Harm shrugged with a slight chuckle.
“I don’t know about that. You’ve already handled your first case before the carpet was down in your office.” Mac pointed out.
That was another battle, someone had the bright idea he needed to have off white carpet in his office. If he worked in Japan where everyone took off their shoes, maybe, but in DC where you have winter, sleet, snow and pollution, a darker color to hide the dirt was in order.
“You’ve already had a client?” Gunny reiterated.
“Yeah, he sort of wandered in and I didn’t have the heart to turn him away.”
“What happened?”
“He got to keep the kids, the biological father doesn’t have to pay child support, and everyone is happy,” Harm oversimplified. Once Harm had spoken to the good doctor’s attorney, he was pretty sure from the history that agreeing to rescind the order for child support would be the ticket to a speedy resolution. It was. Mr. Reidy was perfectly capable of supporting the two children without their mother or father’s help. It was affording an attorney with enough clout to battle the doctor’s hot shot lawyer that was the problem.
“So what do you say Gunny, want a job?” Harm smiled his mega watt smile.
Chapter 32
Two weeks later
Everything was falling into place, well, except for one thing. Since that horrendous outburst Harm and Mac seemed to have added a new dimension to their relationship, unwavering trust. They’d always trusted each other with their lives. That was never in doubt. Their hearts were always the problem, one they tried to forcibly overcome by getting married, but trust can’t be forced even contractually.
Since that night’s outburst, they finally felt secure in each other’s love. All they needed now was to resolve the baby deal. Having waited almost six months, Harm and Mac agreed, for sanity’s sake, Mac would go back to the doctor to start on medication.
Despite some mild protesting from Mac, Harm insisted if fertility treatment didn’t help shortly then they should just adopt and put the entire controversy behind them. He knew how much he could love a child that wasn’t his biologically, and Mac finally knew he loved her more than life itself, so she agreed and made the appointment.
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Gynecology offices
Mac sat quietly waiting in the exam room for the doctor. The nurse had already come in and taken her temperature and blood pressure, and now Mac was just flipping through a magazine, waiting for her turn.
“Good morning, Colonel,” the doctor said, smiling brightly.
“Morning,” Mac responded politely.
“I understand you feel it’s time to give nature a little help?”
“We think so, yes,” Mac replied softly.
“Well, considering all the factors, including your age, I won’t disagree. I would have preferred to give it a little while longer but I will concede that six months was a good effort.” The doctor flipped through some papers before listening to Mac’s heartbeat.
“You’re feeling fine otherwise?”
“Mmn hmm.”
“No abdominal pains, unusual cramping?”
“No. It’s nice not to have the back pain anymore.”
Just then the nurse came into the office and handed the doctor a piece of paper before stepping back, allowing the doctor to continue her exam.
“Well, Colonel, it seems we have a slight change of plan.”
The hair on the back of Mac’s neck stood up. Things were going really well, this was no time for an added complication.
“Nothing serious, I hope?” she asked timidly.
“Not unless you consider being pregnant serious,” she smiled. “Your urine test just came back positive.” She paused to give Mac a few minutes to absorb the news.
“But, this week is the middle of my cycle. How can I already be pregnant?”
“Well, there’s no law that says ovaries can only release an egg on a prescribed schedule. There’s always the possibility you ovulate more than once a month. Whatever the reason, you’re going to have a baby.”
Slowly, a face splitting grin inched its way across Mac’s surprised face. Her eyes twinkling brightly as she considered the look on Harm’s face when she told him.
On her way back to the office, Mac stopped by the specialty chocolate shop at the mall. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to contain the good news until she saw Harm that night.
Legal Choice Offices
Falls Church
1215 hours
“Hello, Mrs. Rabb. Does he know you’re coming?” Mrs. Kearney smiled as Mac came through the large double doors, her instincts telling her something was up. Harm always informed her when he had plans to be out of the office with his wife. This had surprise written all over it.
“No, just thought I’d stop by and see if I could catch him. Is he very busy?” Mac was having a horrible time containing her excitement. She’d barely made it out of the mall before she knew she couldn’t possibly wait until tonight to tell Harm.
“You know he always has time for you, Mrs. Rabb.” Mrs. Kearney loved working for Harm. It was so nice to see a hard working man so devoted to his job and somehow even more devoted to his wife.
“Excuse me, Mr. Rabb,” Mrs. Kearney said into the phone. “Your wife is here.”
“Send her right in.” His enthusiasm could be heard clear through the phone line, bringing a smile to both Mac and Mrs. Kearney’s face.
Mac had barely made it through the office door when Harm had come up and swept her into his arms.
“How did you know I needed you?” Harm asked, holding her tightly.
“Rough day?” Mac asked, still wrapped in his embrace.
“A beaut.” he said, regretfully letting go of her.
“Want to tell me about it?” Mac took a seat on the small sofa, patting it so Harm would sit next to her.
“It’s Lara Jones.”
“The woman whose husband was abusing their daughter?”
“Yeah. She took off yesterday with Allison and hasn’t been heard from. We’re pretty sure she’s gone underground. ” Rubbing his forehead in frustration, “First I have to find her, then I have to try and undo the damage.” Sighing, “I guess I can’t blame her for being scared they’d give that animal custody. I’ll never understand how a man could hurt any child, never mind his own flesh and blood.”
“Is Gunny on it?” Mac knew he would be.
“Yeah.”
“Well, then maybe this is a good time to take a break. You up to going for lunch?” Mac suggested.
“I can’t.” He reached for her hand. “I lost too much time this morning on Lara, I’ve got to get working on Mrs. Jenson’s problems.” He shook his head. Mac had been right, the doors were barely open when cases started piling in. There was no shortage of people needing low cost legal help. They’d already hired an additional attorney, secretary, and two paralegals.
“Well, then. I guess I’ll have to give you this now.” Mac reached into her bag and pulled out a nicely wrapped rectangular box with a plain blue ribbon.
“What’s this for?” Harm asked, accepting the proffered gift.
“Open it and see.” She bit her lip trying to hold back her excitement.
Harm began slowly unwrapping the box. Discarding the paper, his brow wrinkled curiously at the sight of a cigar box.
“I thought you hated it when I smoked cigars.” Harm commented, lifting the lid on the box. Taking out one of the cigars, he grinned when he saw they were made of chocolate, but he was still obviously confused.
“Read the card.” Mac urged.
Harm took the card from the box, pulling it out of the pale yellow envelope. ‘Every kid thinks their dad is the best.’ He glanced at Mac before reading the inside. ‘I KNOW mine is! Thanks for being you.’
Harm looked up at Mac. “I guess the doctor’s prognosis was good?” Harm was still not catching on.
“Keep reading.” Mac was really getting impatient.
Looking to the opposite side of the card, Harm noticed Mac’s neatly handwritten note. ‘To be handed out sometime around August 10th to announce the arrival of the first addition to the Rabb Family.’
Harm was speechless. His eyes frozen on the words, reading them again and again.
“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Mac asked, the grin on her face as wide as the Potomac.
“You’re pregnant?” His voice trembled.
Mac almost violently nodded her head yes.
“Really?” A hint of excitement was creeping into his voice, and a gleam was beginning to form in his eyes.
Again, Mac nodded.
“You’re sure?” The corners of his mouth began to twist upward.
“Doctor says no doubt.” Her already large grin grew just a little brighter.
Harm swiftly pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Then suddenly, pulled back.
“Oh, are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?” Cautiously he placed his hand on her stomach.
“No, we’re not breakable,” Mac laughed loudly. We, what a nice thought that was.
“Mrs. Jensen will have to wait,” Harm beamed. “I’m taking my family out to lunch.” Walking over to his desk chair, Harm grabbed his jacket before reaching for Mac’s hand and practically dragging her out to the reception desk.
“Mrs. Kearney, I’m happy to announce you are the first person to know Mrs. Rabb and I are expecting.” He tightened his grip on his wife’s waist, pulling her a little closer to his side.
“Congratulations! That’s wonderful news.” She was honestly delighted for them. They were such a nice couple. She had wondered privately why they didn’t have children.
“If we hurry, we can probably catch Bud and Harriet at lunch and tell them,” Mac suggested.
Disregarding the few people scattered about the waiting area Harm kissed his wife soundly.
“Anywhere you want to go Princess. Anywhere you want to go,” Harm repeated before wrapping his arm around his wife and heading out the door.
Chapter 33
Rabb apartment
0630 hours
The next few weeks went smoothly for all concerned. Everyone at the office was so excited for them. Harriet had of course led the mission to inform all of JAG about her condition. Even the Admiral sported an unusually broad grin when Mac told her the news.
Harm was having a difficult time not bringing his work home with him, but he knew for Mac’s sake, he had to do it. His instincts had been right, he was loving his job, he just had to pace himself. Some of the cases were pretty straight forward, any decent lawyer could handle it. Then there were those cases, as in Lara Jones, that could easily consume him if he allowed it to. Much like Annie and Darlyn Lewis had many years ago.
Harm was stepping into the bedroom when he heard Mac in the bathroom. Overcome by an enormous sense of frustration at being unable to relieve the discomforts of morning sickness, Harm did the same thing he’d done for her every morning since the nausea had started.
Already armed with a plate of peanut butter and crackers, and small glass of ginger ale, Harm set them down on the nightstand before going to Mac in the bathroom. Standing behind her, he squatted down to rub her back in delicate swirling motions.
“Any better yet?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m just thankful this doesn’t happen often during the day.
“I’m sorry.” He kissed her temple gently. “Think it’s safe to go sit yet?” Harm began wiping her forehead with the cool wash cloth he’d grabbed on his way into the bathroom.
The cool towel was so refreshing after everything. Harm’s warm touch was such a comforting contrast to the cold tile floor. The baby was reason enough to go through this little inconvenience, but Harm’s tender care was icing on the cake.
Helping her up from the floor, Harm walked her back to bed, handing her the crackers and drink.
“I don’t think these are doing any good,” Mac mumbled through a mouthful of crackers.
“Maybe not, but so far it seems to be the only thing you can eat for breakfast that doesn’t come back up. Harriet swears by the protein in the peanut butter.” Harm continued wiping her forehead with the small towel. His eyes cloudy with concern. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Mac added with a small smile.
Finishing a few more crackers and her glass of ginger ale, Mac considered carefully what she’d been wanting to talk to Harm about.
“I know how much you love this apartment, but, I think we need to seriously discuss moving someplace a little bigger. This place can barely hold the two of us and it’s going to be time soon to start stockpiling things for the baby. Unless you plan on letting it sleep in a drawer, we need a bigger place.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Harm sighed, patting his wife’s hand. “You’re right. I do love this place, but I can love another place just as easily. I actually have been thinking about it.”
“Really?” Mac was delighted that she wasn’t going to have to convince him.
“I’d have to be pretty dense not to notice there’s no room for a baby.” Harm hoped Mac didn’t think he was that thick.
“So what conclusions have you come to?”
“Other than the obvious, we need to move? I considered buying Mattie and Jen’s place and combining the two into one large place.”
“That could work,” Mac interjected.
“It could, but then when the kids are older I’d want them to have a yard to play in. If I’m going to have to put a lot of time and work into remodeling, I don’t want to have to move again.” Harm picked up the empty plate from Mac’s bedside before continuing.
“Moving into a house from the start makes the most sense to me,” Harm said, standing up to take the dishes to the kitchen. “Would you like some more?”
“No, thank you, and I agree a house would be nice too,” Mac smiled, shifting to get up.
“You sure you’re alright? You’re still looking a little green around the gills,” Harm smiled.
“Yeah, I think it’s passed. Let’s get a real breakfast going before Mattie gets here.” Mac followed Harm into the kitchen carrying her glass of ginger ale.
“So. When and where do we start looking?” Mac took a seat at the table.
“That’s what I’ve been working on. I haven’t had much time, but I’ve done a little research on school districts and things. Believe it or not, where Bud and Harriet live is an ideal neighborhood if you don’t ever want to move again.” The banging about of pots and pans practically drowned out what he said.
“It is a nice neighborhood,” Mac nodded, her eyes bright with interest.
“A year ago I wouldn’t even have considered it, but now it wouldn’t be a push at all.” Harm stopped stirring the food to look at Mac.
“You’re not expecting me to argue are you?” Mac chuckled. “Cause, I won’t. I think Bud and Harriet’s neighborhood is great.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll have Mrs. Kearney help me find a good realtor who specializes in that neighborhood.” Covering the eggs to wait for Mattie, Harm went to join his wife at the table.
“I’ll let Harriet know to keep an eye out for us too.” Mac took the last sip of her drink when she heard Mattie knock on the door. The only time Mattie didn’t call was on school day mornings, but she would always knock and wait for someone to open the door for her.
JAG Headquarters
Break Room
Later that day
“I think a house is a great idea. You remember how crowded Bud and I were in our apartment when little AJ was born. People with children were meant to live in houses.” Harriet poured a cup of chamomile tea for herself and Mac. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”
“We didn’t discuss it, but I think something with at least three bedrooms would be good. Maybe four so we can have a guestroom for when Harm’s mom comes to visit. We’d probably need an office for us to work out of too. What I want most though is a big yard.”
“Where are you looking?” Harriet opened the refrigerator and took out a chocolate covered donut.
“I thought you gave up sweets this pregnancy?” Mac asked, amazed at how quickly Harriet was shoveling down the donut.
“I did, but the babies have other ideas,” she replied sheepishly, wiping some chocolate off the side of her mouth. “So where are you looking?”
“Well, that’s the other thing I needed to tell you. Harm thinks your neighborhood would be perfect.” Mac was unprepared for the emotional outburst as Harriet flew towards her pulling her into a hard hug despite the obvious obstacle created by the twins.
“Oh ma’am, this is so exciting.” Harriet stepped back against the counter again. “Large yards are pretty standard in our neighborhood, and I don’t think any of the houses have less than four bedrooms. The Commander, I mean, Harm, is right. We’ve been very happy there, and the elementary school is wonderful. We had considered putting AJ in private, especially after all his attitude issues last year, but the local school has been great for him. You’re going to love it too, I just know it.”
“I think so, from what little I’ve seen visiting you, I’ve always thought it was an ideal family neighborhood.” Mac decided to peek and see what other donuts were hiding in the fridge.
“And the nice thing ma’am, is the houses are close enough together that you can get friendly with your neighbors, but not so close that you can pass a cup of sugar through the windows. There are also a lot of teenagers too, you can never have too many babysitters available.” Harriet shifted her weight to the other foot.
“I’ll tell all my neighbors. Sometimes they know who’s putting a house on the market long before I found out.” Harriet poured herself another cup of tea. “ I mean, once I’m home full-time, I’ll be able to keep better in touch with what’s going on in the neighborhood.”
“By the way, shouldn’t you be home resting by now?” Watching Harriet shift her weight back and forth, Mac couldn’t help wondering. Harriet was due any day now and she looked ready to pop. Mac had always assumed twins were guaranteed to come early and that it would be necessary to be extra careful. Apparently, Harriet was working right up to the end as she had with AJ, and the twins had no intentions of making an early arrival.
“No, ma’am. I’m going to take advantage of every possible day here I can.” Harriet affirmed with a determined nod. Taking her cup and walking towards the door, “But I do plan on doing as much of it as possible sitting down. Excuse me,” Harriet smiled and headed for her desk.
Chapter 34
Washington Mall
Dec 24th 2200
Winter had been kind to Washington DC this year. Although the children may not have appreciated a snowless Christmas, the commuters were delighted with the unusually warm temperatures and frequently sunny days.
Despite the late hour, it was a balmy 48 degrees. The bitter wind that usually blew past the Black Granite wall was next to nonexistent. Harm stood still staring at the letters etched in the dark stone. He had made this visit every year since he was transferred to DC. Every year his heart ached for the lost years with a man he barely remembered. He had always longed for a father son relationship, now he was finally destined to have one. Although, from a different perspective. He was now to be the father to a son or daughter.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been running his fingers over the name Harmon Rabb when he heard his own voice. “Dad, I have some news this time. Big news. You’ve already met my Sarah. Must be something about great women named Sarah and the Rabb men.” He smiled to himself. Harm and Mac had stopped by the wall to properly introduce Mac to his dad on their way to the wedding reception. In a small way it helped make up for his dad not being there to share the day in person.
“I’ve got someone else in my life now too. We don’t know yet if you’re going to have a granddaughter or grandson, but either way, it’s about time I made you a grandfather.” Stepping back slightly, he reached behind him for Mac’s hand. She’d been patiently waiting for Harm to have his time with his dad. In all the years they’d known each other, this was the first time Harm had wanted her to come to the wall with him on Christmas Eve. It had always held such a special meaning for Harm and family. It was here that Clay had brought Harm’s brother back from Chechnya, and here that Mac had brought Mattie after the disappointing court appearance. It only seemed fitting that from now on they would come to see Harm Sr. as a family.
Rabb apartment
Near Union Station
2310
Mac loved doing up Christmas. Even though she lived alone, she had always decorated her apartment to the hilt. This year was no exception. After visiting the wall, she and Harm returned home to brightly colored lights, red ribbons, Christmas carols, and like Harriet’s - lots of mistletoe.
Mac barely had enough time to get her coat off when Harm came up behind her, closing his arms around her, he began gently kissing her neck.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had. I love you,” he whispered between kisses.
Enjoying his attentions, but a little tired, “Could we maybe move this somewhere I can sit down?” Mac urged.
“You tired?” He pulled back, suddenly remembering how easily Mac tired now that she was pregnant, and how long he’d kept her standing at the wall. He could kick himself for being so thoughtless.
“A little,” she hummed, moving him towards the sofa.
“You sit down and rest, and I’ll go make us some hot chocolate, it’ll help you warm up.” He stepped back towards the kitchen when Mac’s arm shot out grabbing his hand.
“You were warming me up just fine, sailor.” Mac tugged on his arm so he’d follow her to the couch.
Harm swung her around into his arms, practically lifting her off the floor, as his lips fell tightly against hers. The tenderness and passion not only took her breath away, she completely forgot all about wanting to sit. Pulling back with a smile on his face, Harm nudged Mac to go take a seat.
“You need your rest, mama. I’ll fix us that hot chocolate and then we need to tuck you in bed or Santa won’t come.”
Harm smiled, watching Mac relent and make her way over to the sofa. He was constantly amazed at how much better everything was with Mac. Now that they were on an even keel, and all the confusions and misunderstandings were gone, life was as close to perfect as humanly possible.
“Here you go.” Harm handed Mac a warm cup of cocoa loaded with whipped cream and miniature marshmallows.
“Oooh, I rank both whipped cream and marshmallows. Not bad.” Mac blew into the steaming mug.
Snuggling up close to her, Harm placed a light kiss on her cheek.
“You rank a lot higher than that in my book.” He kissed her once more before turning his attentions to his own drink.
Just then Eartha Kitt’s unique voice filtered through the room in her own rendition of Santa Baby. Humming at first, Mac shifted slightly, her pointer finger drawing swirls freely over Harm, she began singing along.
“Santa Baby, just slip a sailor under the tree for me. Been an awfully good girl, Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.”
Harm burst out laughing when she altered the words from sable to sailor. He loved her so much. This was all so perfect. Before she could sing the next verse, he gathered her into his arms, his lips stilling hers with a tender caress. Engulfed in the warmth of their love, the music faded, and the hot cocoa was forgotten.
They’d gone straight to bed from the sofa, never turning off the lights or the stereo. Harm was the first one to wake up to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald singing Santa Clause Got Stuck in My Chimney. He couldn’t help but smile at the recollection of Mac singing Santa Baby. Although Mac was normally the early riser, now that she was pregnant, it was unusual for her to wake up before him.
Slipping out from under the covers, he quietly took a small box wrapped in bright red paper from his dresser drawer and placed it under the brightly lit tree. By the time he’d cleaned up the mugs from last night and made his way back to the bedroom, Mac was stirring.
“Morning sleepy head.” Harm set a tray of crackers and ginger ale by the bedside. “Thought maybe it might help to eat before you get out of bed.”
Pulling herself up to a seated position, Mac reached over for the glass. “Thanks.”
“Do you want to try and have a real breakfast, or do you want to see what Santa brought first?” Harm tried to hold back his excitement. He couldn’t wait to see what Mac thought of Santa’s gift.
“I think the crackers will be fine. No sense breaking with tradition,” she smiled, rolling her eyes. “Besides, I want to see if Santa left me a platinum mine or a ’54 convertible.”
Shaking his head, Harm helped Mac out of bed. The two of them giggled their way down to the tree like a couple of kids.
“Too bad Mattie couldn’t be here this morning,” Mac lamented, squeezing Harm's hand offering silent support.
“I know, but it was the right thing for her to be with her dad today.” Harm knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier. “You go first.” Harm handed her a pile of boxes.
“It looks like Santa got a little gift happy this year,” Mac nodded, handing Harm his own stack of gifts.
“Well, next year all the attention will probably be on the baby, this year is for us,” Harm shrugged.
They eagerly opened a variety of gifts, some new perfume, the latest best seller. Mac tried not to blush when Harm opened the box with a sheer red negligee in it. At the time she thought it was a cute idea, she hoped she hadn’t been wrong. If the shit eating grin on his face was any indication, she’d done good.
Finally, Mac reached behind the tree and pulled out a large rectangular box wrapped in Gold paper with a large Green bow.
“It looks like Santa left one more.” Biting her lower lip, she laid the package in front of Harm.
Carefully, Harm peeled back the miscellaneous pieces of tape, and slid the box out from it’s covering. Setting the box down on his lap, Harm eased the lid up and pulled back the tissue paper.
“Oh, Mac. Wow.” Picking up the framed parchment, Harm scanned the names neatly scripted throughout the paper. “How did you do this?” Harm turned to look at his wife.
“Grams helped a lot. I stumbled across this company that specialized in family trees. When I told Gram about it, she told me your granddad had started one and so she had a good deal of the information. They told me if we take it back once the baby is born, they’ll add his or her name.” Mac smiled brightly. She had hoped Harm would like the gift but she hadn’t expected him to react so strongly.
Rubbing his fingers across his dad’s and granddad’s name, Harm swallowed back the lump in his throat. This was one of the nicest gifts he’d ever received. Taking a deep breath, he set the frame down and reached under the tree.
“Here, you’ve got one more too,” Harm smiled, holding out the small red box.
Admiring the lovely box, Mac slipped the ribbon off the gift. Ripping the paper, Mac gasped softly at the sight of a black velvet jewelry case. Flipping the top open, she stared in awe at the beautiful cameo.
“It’s been in the family for generations. My great grandfather David was the first Rabb to give it to his wife when she was pregnant with my grandfather Peter. From there the tradition has continued on to Grams with Dad, and Mom with me.” Harm watched Mac delicately fingering the small broach.
“It can also be worn as a pendant,” Harm added, waiting impatiently for Mac to look up.
Mac finally set the box down and flung herself at Harm. Tears slowly streaming down her cheeks.
“Harmon Rabb Jr. that is the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you!” she whispered in his ear, hugging him with everything she had.
Gently patting her back. “You’re very welcome.”
Turning his face to kiss her cheek, he whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
Chapter 35
Rabb apartment
Same time
Still wrapped in the warm embrace, Harm and Mac were forced to separate when the phone rang.
“Rabb.” Harm tried not to sound too annoyed at the interruption.
“Hi, Harriet, Merry Christmas. Yes, just a minute.” Harm put his hand over the mouthpiece waiting for Mac to come to the phone. “It’s Harriet. You’d think with newborn twins, she’d be too busy to be making phone calls on Christmas day,” Harm whispered at Mac.
“Be nice,” she hushed back at him, smacking his cute six as she reached for the phone.
“Morning, Harriet. Really? Wow. Yeah. Of course.” Mac’s eyes moved back and forth with each response.
Harm was beginning to feel guilty for picking on Harriet, unsure if maybe something was wrong.
“Just give us about an hour and we’ll be on our way.” Mac hung up, gazing at the phone a moment longer before turning to Harm.
“You won’t believe this.” Mac shook her head.
“Nothing’s wrong with the babies?” Harm asked, a sense of panic starting to take hold.
“No, nothing like that. Harriet makes banana bread every year for her neighbors at Christmas. She isn’t very friendly with her backyard neighbor, but they take the old woman bread every year anyway. This year Bud and the boys made the rounds without Harriet. It turns out the old woman is moving in with her son and is going to put the house on the market. She told Harriet if we were interested, to come on over and look.”
“I thought you said Bud went without Harriet?”
“They did, but when Bud told her about the house she went over right away to talk to her,” Mac explained further.
“So we’re going house hunting on Christmas day?” Harm sighed.
“We were going to do Christmas dinner over there anyway so Harriet wouldn’t have to cook. We’re just going over a couple of hours early that’s all. Do you not like the idea of being neighbors with Bud and Harriet?” Mac asked, suddenly concerned.
“No, not at all. It’s just not what I had planned for us to do this morning.” Harm pulled Mac into his arms for a soft kiss. “I’ll adapt,” he grinned, kissing her once more.
Roberts Home
1000 hours
“Wow, you guys made it over faster than I expected,” Harriet proclaimed, opening the front door to let her friends in.
“Anticipation is a great motivator,” Mac replied, following the sounds of a fussy baby. “Where are you hiding the girls?”
“Bud’s got them in the nursery.” Harriet led the way to the kitchen. “I thought I’d try and get a head start on a few things.”
“Harriet, we agreed. Harm and I do the cooking, you do the relaxing,” Mac scolded.
“I know, but the kids were all pretty settled and I couldn’t resist.” She tilted her head sheepishly.
Harm followed the two ladies into the kitchen just in time to catch AJ as he barreled around the corner.
“Did you bring me a present?” AJ asked eagerly.
“Present?” Harm teased. Instantly pained by the crushed look on AJ’s face, Harm did a speedy about face. “You only want one?” Harm was immediately rewarded with a bright grin and tight hug.
“First you have to help your dad and me bring some things in from the car.”
“Okay. But then do I get to open my presents?” AJ asked, practically bouncing off the walls.
Smiling, Harm nodded at the young boy as he hurried him out the front door.
“Tell us about this neighbor,” Mac spoke, maneuvering her way around Harriet’s kitchen while Harm and Bud brought the dinner fixings in from the car.
“Well, she’s lived there for about thirty years. When her husband died several years ago she began slowly remodeling the house. She replaced all the old windows with Pella windows about three years ago. She added central air conditioning, and a new roof. She redid the kitchen with hardwood floors and granite countertops. She painted it inside and out, and updated the wallpapers about two years ago.”
“If the house is in such great shape, why is she selling?” Harm interrupted.
“She’s diabetic. About two years ago her son was transferred to Colorado. The last year or so, she’s been having trouble with blackouts and her memory. When the police brought her home a few months ago after passing out at the supermarket, one of the neighbors called her son and told him how bad she’s been. She looks perfectly healthy if you don’t know, but she just shouldn’t be living alone anymore. I guess he finally convinced her to move in with him,” Harriet shrugged.
“I thought you didn’t get along with her. How did you get all this information?” Mac was curious.
“Oh, she’s very nice. She and I get along fine, she just doesn’t like kids, and usually we come as a package deal. I do my best to keep them away from her and her yard, which means I stay away too.”
Carrying a fussy infant on his shoulder, Bud walked up to his wife. “I think the feeding frenzy is about to begin.”
“Is Kay still sleeping?” she asked.
“Mm hm”
Rebecca and Mackenzie Roberts, or Becky and Kay, had finally made their appearance bright and early on December 10th, one week later than expected. Harriet easily fell into the rhythm of caring for twins. She actually made it look easy.
“Good, I’ll get them both fed and happy then you can watch them while I take Harm and Mac over to Camille’s,” Harriet announced walking out to the living room with Becky rooting at her mother’s breast.
Camille’s House
1045 hours
Although it was an easy stroll between yards, it was actually a rather large block to walk around, so the three friends chose to drive over to the house for the sake of expediency.
The large circular drive and neatly trimmed landscaping, immediately impressed Harm and Mac.
“Harriet, this place looks huge. How big is it?” Harm asked, his head turning from side to side as he scanned the property.
“I think she said something around 4,000 square feet.” Harriet rang the doorbell oblivious to the shocked expression on Harm’s face.
Camille was indeed a gracious woman who appeared the picture of good health. She gave them a detailed tour of the home, pointing out all the recent updates. In addition to the list Harriet had given them, Camille had also remodeled the master bath, installed a laundry shoot, and replaced the old tiled entry with patterned hardwood. Her choice of colors had been tasteful. Harm and Mac were pleased with every turn.
“Now, my mother in law passed away over twenty years ago so we only use this space for storage now,” Camille mentioned as they followed her through the garage. Opening what they thought was a closet door Harm and Mac were surprised to follow Camille up a flight of stairs.
“Because of zoning there’s no stove, but I still use the fridge for extra storage.” Camille pointed as she walked across the large room towards what was once a kitchen.
“The bathroom is on the left and the bedroom to the right.” Camille waved her arm in the direction of a narrow hallway. “A lot of these older homes came with quarters over the garage. Just a bedroom and bath. We decided to build out and make it into an apartment for my mother in law. It’s funny how things work out. I guess that’s why my son doesn’t think it’s strange to have his mother move in with him after all these years.” She chuckled to herself.
Harm and Mac turned to look at each other, both thinking the same thing. With a little touch up, this space would be perfect for Jen.
“Do you think you might be interested?” Camille had taken a liking to the couple, they reminded her of her husband and herself a long time ago.
Harriet and Camille watched with amusement as Harm and Mac held a silent conversation.
“Do they do this a lot?” Camille asked Harriet out of the side of her mouth.
Blowing a spurt of air, as if trying to remove a nonexistent strand of hair from her face, Harriet mumbled back. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Tightening their hold on each other’s hands, Harm and Mac nodded in agreement.
“We’d like very much to make an offer,” Harm smiled, releasing his grip on his wife’s hand and easing his arm around her waist.
Mac and Harriet made their way back to the Roberts’ house while Harm and Camille talked price. Since she hadn’t hired a realtor yet they were already saving six percent of whatever Camille was asking. There hadn’t been much need for negotiating. After thirty years, Camille could afford to sell the house for next to nothing and still make a tidy profit. She liked Harm and Mac. It made her feel good to know her home would be well taken care of. By the time the deal was done, Harm pretty much knew if he wanted to, he could have turned around and sold the house for a 100,000 dollar profit easily. Of course, neither of them wanted that.
Taking a shortcut through the backyard, Harm found Mac waiting for him by the back door.
“Well?”
“We’ll probably want to cut back some of those shrubs, make going back and forth easier,” he smiled.
“Really?” She tried to hide her excitement.
“Really.”
Mac practically fell into his arms. Their lips drawn together in a sweet kiss, oblivious to their audience.
Watching her friends through the window, Harriet turned to her husband. “Don’t hold me to this, but I think we have new neighbors.”
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