Tipping Point, page 20
It turned out that the four of them were getting food at the moment, which was good. That way they wouldn’t have to compete with the sounds of a game.
“Hey, guys. We’ve got something to talk to you about.” Mac barely managed to get the words out. Her mouth went dry as they all turned around to look at her. She’d never made a personal announcement in quite this way before. She usually just told her daughter stuff in private. Doing it this way made it seem huge and life altering. Which, of course, it was. Thankfully Neil took over the next bit.
“In fact, we’ve got more than one piece of news to deliver, but we’ll start with the happy stuff.”
“We’re getting married on Monday,” Mac blurted.
“Uh, okay, right.” Cameron rolled her eyes and assumed it was all a joke. Billy, however, was smiling.
“She already said yes, huh? Didn’t you say something about waiting to ask her later, dad?” Now it was Neil’s turn to look a little awkward.
“Well, she made me!” Mac started laughing, and poked him in the ribs again.
“I did not! I just said I wouldn’t try on the ring until you were really asking me. It’s bad luck, after all.”
“And you don’t even believe that, so tell them another one.” Cameron was looking back and forth between Neil and her mother.
“You’re not kidding? You’re actually getting married on Monday?” Mackenzie nodded at her and held her breath.
“Holy shit. What the fuck, mom? You suffer a recent blow to the head? Hell of a way to go off the deep end.” Finally she relented with a smirk.
“At least you’ve got some company, since he’s obviously just as crazy as you are.” She shook her head at both of them. Mac let out her breath in a rush of relief.
Neil looked at her in question, and she smiled at him to indicate it would be fine. He put an arm around her and squeezed.
Kirk and Leigh took the whole thing in stride, since they probably didn’t really care. They didn’t see how it would affect them. Billy, on the other hand, was keenly aware of what it could mean for him when a parent got married.
“So, what’s going to happen then? You guys get married, and then does that mean you’re going to want to be alone and stuff?” Mac knew what he was getting at.
“Billy, we want you around now, and that won’t change. I like you quite a bit. We won’t shuffle you around like unwanted baggage. It doesn’t matter how old you are. I didn’t get rid of Cam just because she was an adult.” Neil looked at Cameron.
“You know that goes for me, too, right Cameron?” Cameron smirked.
“My mother would kick your ass if you tried.” Mac grinned. At least she’d never made her daughter feel insecure about her living situation. She wanted her kid around. Especially now.
“Alright, that’s the happy stuff. Then there’s the not-so-happy stuff. Neil and I are going back to the city tomorrow. For two reasons. First the ferrets at the shelter there need to be removed from the situation. They’ve got some food for the time being, but it won’t last.”
“Let me guess. The other reason is Mitch.” When Mac nodded at Cameron, she could see that her daughter really was pissed now. She didn’t blame her.
“Before you blow a gasket, we’re only going as far as the shelter. I’m going to tell him to meet us there. If he’s not there by the time we have the ferrets loaded up, he’s lost his ride. I won’t risk anything more for him than I’m already risking for the ferrets, okay?
“There’s as much chance that he won’t show up this time, as there was when I told him to get his ass up here. He left a message today when my phone’s battery was dead. I didn’t get it until a couple hours later. I might not even be able to reach him now. I’ll try once we’ve all finished yapping.
“There are two other shelters we have to go to later, but they’re not in a complete blackout yet. We can hit them both in a two-day span with no trouble.
“Of course, this means more work. We need to create a space for that many ferrets, and some will need to be separated from the others. There will be some that are already used to one another, but that won’t be true in all cases.” Neil nudged her.
“It would help if we settled the living arrangements, honey. Then we’ll know what space is available where, and how to divide them up.” Mac considered it.
“I totally let that slip my mind. The two of you have been coming over here. Hell, I haven’t even seen your house. I guess I just pictured you both living here. We’re crowded right now, but that other building will be huge.
“This is meant to be a garage and workshop, so nothing was done to make it look decent. I’ve always had totally different plans for the other building. This can’t be just my decision or my way of doing things, though. At this point we all need to have a say. Whatever bedroom I’m sleeping in, though, the ferrets come with me. Well, and Neil too I suppose.”
This time Neil dug his finger into her ribs.
“You suppose? I’m pretty sure I’m a little more useful to you than that.”
“Cocky, ain’t ya cowboy?” He squeezed the back of her neck in a mild threat.
“I have reason to be. Anyway, I’ve got some ideas about housing, but there will be some shifting while things are being dealt with. Billy and I built a pretty small cabin and the two bedrooms are more the size of kids’ rooms. Not really meant for more than a couple of bachelors. I don’t think either one of us figured on something like this happening.”
“Bah. You had women crawling all over you both, I’m sure. Didn’t you Billy?” Mac’s teasing question had him turning red and stammering a bit before answering.
“N-no. Dad wasn’t exactly Mr. Smooth with the ladies. Didn’t get out much. And I’ve never even had a girlfriend.” He looked like he was hoping for the ground to swallow him up after saying that, and he refused to glance anywhere near Cameron.
“Well, it just goes to show. You never know what will happen. Now your dad’s getting married, and one day I’m sure you’ll have lots of women to choose from. You’ve got your dad’s looks.” When Billy’s face turned scarlet at that, Mac relented and moved on.
“Anyway, it sounds like you’ve got some thoughts on all this, cowboy, so let’s hear ‘em.”
“Does anyone want to take over the cabin maybe? I’ll stay here with you, if we can make that work. A couple of weeks and we can get the other building up. If you walk me through the plans for it, I can help you carry them through. I’m curious how you intend to make a steel building look like a home, but logs don’t make a comfortable place either, without something being done to the inside.”
Mac saw Kirk glance at Leigh. She already knew where this was going. They had no privacy here, and even if they didn’t stay at the cabin permanently, they could at least have some privacy while the new place was set up.
“You’ve got animals at the other place, don’t you?” Neil nodded in answer to Kirk’s question.
“Well, if you can show us what to do, we can take care of them for now. If that’s okay.” He looked uncertain.
“That’s alright with me. What about you, Billy? Where do you want to be?” Of course, Billy glanced first at Cameron, but Mac knew what his answer would be without him doing that.
“I’m fine on the futon for a while. Dad said something about this place maybe joining up with ours. Do you know if it does?”
“It does. I got maps from the land registry office, and the properties are connected, which makes it easy no matter what happens in the rest of the world.”
“So, basically we’re not really moving anyway. It’s more like we just have a bunch of different places. Like outbuildings on a farm.”
“That’s a good point, Billy. We also have the option of using the river to get back and forth, which may end up being very useful.
“For tonight and tomorrow let’s leave things as they are. In case we’re not here, I’d feel a lot better if you guys were all in one place. Cam can take over my room and be with the ferrets again, and Kirk and Leigh will still have privacy, even if it’s not a whole house. Billy can have the futon. We can move things around when Neil and I get back from Toronto.”
“Guess you better try to call Mitch, honey. We can deal with the rest of the stuff later.” Mac’s shoulders sagged.
“But I don’t wanna,” she whined, making Neil laugh, though it was more or less the truth. Talking to Mitch, if she could reach him, was going to be an aggravation. It always was. Even if their conversation was fine, she was always left feeling vaguely irritated. They had managed to become friends after splitting up, but the only reason for that was because they’d been together. He was not someone she would have made friends with normally.
“Yippee. Now I get to give him what-for and have him piss me off again, but it’s still better than him dying in the city.” The expression on Cameron’s face indicated she might have an entirely different opinion on the matter, but Mac knew her daughter better than that. If Mitch came to their door in need, she’d let him in, just as Mac would. She’d just be more grudging about it.
Granted, Mackenzie was feeling pretty grudging about the whole thing, too. He was lucky there were ferrets to consider, though she wouldn’t be so nasty as to tell him he was getting rescued only for that reason. Even if she wanted to. A lot.
Everyone else began rooting around in the kitchen for food again. Mac went to her bedroom and made her call.
“Thank fucking Christ! Where the fuck have you been? Why didn’t you call me back?” Mac pulled her phone away from her ear and glared at it before responding in a scathing tone.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to Mitch? Shut the fuck up and listen, because I’m only going to say this once. This is how it’s going to be.”
“Alright, I’m listening.”
“Thank you,” she said crisply, before outlining the plan as precisely as possible, putting a great deal of emphasis on the fact that she was only giving him one shot to get picked up.
“Mitch, I’m not kidding when I say we’ll leave without you. As soon as those ferrets are loaded, we’re gone. I won’t take the chance that we don’t make it back, and I guarantee people will be coming after us when they see we have a vehicle with fuel.
“If you don’t have enough gas to get to the shelter, you’re going to have to find another way. It’s less than an hour by car, so you have other options. I don’t care if it’s a bicycle, or you steal a motorcycle and siphon fuel from the tank of your car to put into it. I’m not going as far as Hamilton, so you need to work it out.
“We’ll leave here at noon, so expect us to be there by three. I might have to find a way to convince Kelly I can care for the ferrets. That could take some time, but don’t count on it. I’m going to try calling her before we go. If her phone is up, I’ll be able to prepare her, and maybe she can pull things together before we arrive. That means we could be gone within the hour.
“Finally, if you come here now there are some changes since the last time we talked. First, I’m getting married on Monday if the offices are still up and running. Second, security is an absolute priority. If you fuck with the security I will shoot you myself. Third, there’s more work to be done, so you’ll need to help out. Is any of that unclear?”
“No. I’m good. Don’t think you can shoot me without a gun, though.” His smartass remark pushed her instant-bitch-button.
“Mitch, do you honestly think I don’t have a fucking gun? I’ve had my PAL for the last five years, for Christ’s sake! I got my restricted at the same time. Believe me, I have a gun and I’ve had a lot of practice with it. Do not fuck with me on this.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. I was just kidding. I’ll be there tomorrow. If I don’t have enough gas in the car, how long do you think it would take me on a bike? I’m not in the best of shape.” Mac was only slightly mollified, but she looked at the map on her laptop and answered him calmly.
“It’s sixty klicks. Google Maps says it’s just over three hours on a bicycle, so you’ll have to guesstimate from there.”
“It actually gives the time on a bike?”
“Yeah. Where the fuck have you been? They do hiking trails and all that shit now. You still have internet on your phone?”
“Yeah, so far.”
“They must have backup power on all the towers there then. That’s good. Try and download the directions from the address I’m sending you right now. Save them in case the 4G network goes down between now and then, even if you have to do it by taking a screen shot. All you need are the text directions, but get the map too if it makes you feel better.
“I have to get going. I need to find Kelly’s card from when I adopted Squeaker. I’m hoping it has her cell number on it. You clear on everything?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’ll find a bike and stick it in the car. Hopefully the car will get me there, but if not I’ll use the bike.”
“Okay. Good luck. Be careful getting there.” When she finally hung up, she was just as irritated as she’d expected, if not more so. He was going to push her. She knew it. And there was no way she was risking everyone else for him. If he fucked with her and it put anyone else’s life in danger, he was gone, one way or another.
19
BREAKING SOME EGGS
“Well, that sounded pleasant. You okay?” Neil was standing at the door, leaning on the lower half. She spun in the desk chair to face him, and leaned back.
“I’ve been better, but then I’ve been far worse, too. He’ll either be there or he won’t. Now I have to see if I can make sure the ferrets will.”
“Come and have something to eat before you go hunting for that business card. It’s already really late, but I’m guessing you intend to call and leave a message anyway, so an hour and some food will put you in a better frame of mind.” Mac bared her teeth at him.
“What makes you think there’s something wrong with my frame of mind?” Neil laughed and opened the door to walk into the bedroom. He pulled her up out of her chair and kissed her softly on the mouth.
“Maybe it’s because you just threatened to kill your ex-husband. Not that it’s an uncommon occurrence, but I do believe you actually meant it.” Mackenzie sighed.
“I did, actually. I won’t put up with him risking all our lives. I’m sure the garden would be happy with the extra fertilizer.” Neil gave a mock shudder.
“You’re a cold one, honey. Sexy.”
“Oh, shut up. I know damn well you’d do the same if someone put us at risk.”
“Damn straight. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taken the law into my own hands. Guess I’ll probably have to tell you all about that, though I think the story can wait for a little while yet. There are other priorities.”
“Oh sure. Pique my curiosity and then refuse to tell me.”
“That’s right. Food first, and some time spent with the rest of us so you can get your equilibrium back.”
“You think time spent in a crowd of people puts me back on an even keel?”
“It’s not just people, it’s your family, and maybe not entirely on an even keel since you’re big on solitude. Still, it’ll take you out of your own head for a little bit if you’re listening to the kids swearing and laughing for a while.”
“I’m some kind of weirdo, aren’t I? That I would enjoy listening to my kid swearing, I mean. Most mothers would be appalled.”
“You’re not most mothers. You’re better than that.”
“Okay, okay. You can stop with the flattery now. I’m going. What’s for dinner?”
“I don’t know. You haven’t made it yet.” She was pretty sure he was going to bruise from the fist she plowed into his upper arm. He was still rubbing it when they got to the kitchen and Mac saw the sandwiches sitting there for her.
“Aww. I’m almost sorry I punched you now.”
“Shut up and eat, honey.” She shut up and ate.
* * *
The swearing and laughing were still echoing in the room as she searched for the business card. She finally found it in the third filing cabinet. It was with Squeaker’s adoption paperwork, along with all his vet records.
Mac went to the bedroom and called the number. As expected, she had to leave a message. She hoped Kelly would be able to check her voicemail, and that she would do so in the morning.
Neil sauntered into the room to let her know the camping gear was set up, but that Kirk and Leigh had offered to be the ones to sleep outdoors. Then he shut the top section of the door. Mac was so tired by this point that she was just grateful not to have to walk more than two steps to a bed. It had been a crazy day, both emotionally and physically. It would be nice to stay with the ferrets, too. They’d been wandering around her feet, sniffing at things as she made her call.
Mac picked up the only ferret within reach. Pickle immediately started licking her on the mouth. She pressed her lips together to keep it from getting too weird, and then snuggled him when he was done, rubbing her face against his silky fur.
Neil snagged Squeaker as he attempted to trot by, and held him up in front of his face.
“How come I don’t get any love?” Mackenzie chuckled at him.
“He doesn’t know you yet, except for the smell of your butt maybe. He’s not quite as affectionate as Pickle, though. Maybe with all the ferrets we’ll be bringing back, you’ll find one that actually likes your face as much as it likes your ass, but I have my doubts. That’s a pretty fine ass you’ve got there. The muscle probably makes it tough and chewy, though.”
Pickle wanted down by then, and so did Squeaker, so they were both released to the wilds of the bedroom floor where they promptly pounced at one another and then started performing a war dance.
“That’s normal behaviour for them, right? They don’t need to see a shrink or something, do they?” She giggled, which told her exactly how tired she was.
“Yes, that’s completely normal for them. It’s their happy dance. And when you see the toes splayed out like that, it means they’re really excited. They’re just having a good time. Pickle also splays his toes like that after he nips my ankles, so that tells you how much enjoyment he gets out of doing it.
