We Shouldn't Be Here Together...

Part 7

"Charlie Vitale?" He turned around hearing his name.

"Margi Nowak?"

"Yes." She smiled up at the tall man. "Oh, your daughter looks like you."

"Ah well, Mack has always been a good-looking kid." He smiled at the smaller woman following her to the waiting vehicle.

"Thank you for coming Charlie, It didn't take me long to realize that Mackenzie wasn't just visiting us but was indeed hiding."

"Yes, when Juliana rang me to come here she said she'd just taken off a week ago without a word. If it hadn't been for your call none of us would have known what had happened to her or if she was ok."

"Hmm, I knew Juliana would be worried."

Charlie stopped. "Juliana has always been good to Mack, tough love I think. I've always liked her. I never imagined I'd be calling her my son-in-law though." He laughed hopping in the back of the Hummer.

Mack almost had this damn tractor going! She turned the key one more time. "Come on, come on. Yes!" It turned over. Climbing down she started putting the machine back together.

"You were always good at fixing things." She looked up hearing the familiar voice of her father. "Don't think you got that from me." She looked down realizing she couldn't run anymore.

"There are still some things I don't know how to fix dad."

"Like your mother?" He came closer. "David Williams; or that young woman you left behind to deal with it all on her own?"

She dropped her head. "She's better off without me."

"And who decided that? You?"

"Everyone dad!" She threw down the spanner. Charlie watched the raw emotion come to his daughter. She was hurting bad.

She sat down on a hay bale. "We should have never gone to LA together. We should have never got close like that."

"And is that what you want? To forget the last few weeks with Juliana?" Mackenzie looked up at her dad.

"No." She bowed her head. "I've never been so happy dad. But now it's over."

"Why?" He sat down beside her.

"It just has to be ok. Nobody accepts us."

"I do." Mackenzie looked up at her father looking back at her. "Well, then you'll be an outcast like me."

"Like father like daughter." He smiled throwing his arm over her shoulder pulling her close. "Can Julz catch a ball?"

"No." Mackenzie laughed.

"She can swing a bat though right?"

"No. She does look cute in a baseball cap though if that counts."

"I guess you can keep her then." He smiled.

"That's if she still wants me. Ma was horrible to her. She was hurt pretty bad dad. I haven't made it any better."

"Well then. If you can fix a tractor surely you can fix your friendship...if not anything else."

Mack looked up at the window of the two-story house they called home. She reached into her pocket and headed for the front door.

"Hello?" She yelled out into the silence. "Anyone home?" She dropped her bag by the desk. "Anyone?" She made her way up the stairs stopping at Lilly and Tayla's room. It was empty.