Mary Had a Little Problem Read Free

eyes. She covered her mouth and stood there watching Tom walk away. She could follow him of course, chase him down, and beat the ever-lovin’ holy hell out of him, but it wouldn’t change things.
    What did Mary expect anyway? Tom wouldn’t retract his statement. He wouldn’t miraculously present evidence to the contrary or in support of Luke’s death.
    Believing the entire night was set to become a great disaster, Mary glanced over her shoulder. Two people had trailed her from the pub. She looked at her sister, noting how her expression mirrored, perhaps, her own pain. Brock looked concerned, too, even though they’d only just met.
    There was something about the way Brock stared at her then that gave her courage, somehow inspired her to press forward. Rather than give up, Mary stalked Tom again, in spite of her earlier decision to leave him alone. “Lieutenant! Don’t you turn your back on me!”
    He kept walking. His pace and the way he carried himself reminded her of a deliberate military march.
    “Lieutenant, I’m talking to you!” Mary cried out. “Damn it to hell! How would you feel?”
    He faced her. Stark determination washed across his face. “I don’t know how you feel, Mrs. Worthington. I never pretended to understand a loss of this magnitude. I’ve offered you counseling, supplied you with information—”
    “Don’t you dare hide behind your training to pacify me. I don’t care about the resources for widows and bereaved families. I don’t want your apologies and your excuses. I need to know what happened to my husband! If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you want to know what happened to your loved one?”
    “Your husband was a decorated Navy SEAL, Mrs. Worthington. You should be proud of the way he served his country.”
    Mary clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She was getting nowhere, fast. “Have you ever loved someone?”
    “Of course I have,” he spat, his restraint coming apart.
    “Then can’t you try and understand why I’m so distraught?” When he didn’t answer, she continued, “Luke was my rock, my inner strength, and now he’s become my greatest weakness,” soft cries interrupted her as she spoke. She became more aware of the way his death impacted her life as she talked about his demise. “He was the man I loved and would’ve been the father of my children. Can’t you see? You took everything from me!”
    “Mrs. Worthington—Mary—please go home. Take a moment to go through the materials provided to you upon your husband’s death. Seek professional help. The answers you need are unavailable to you, and that’s just the way it is. Whatever it is you think I can supply will never be provided. You will never access your husband’s closed file. Are we clear?”
    Mary gulped, trying to regain her senses. She shook her head, sniffed, and then wiped her cheeks. She was a t-total mess, but then something hit her square in the face. She thought of Tom’s most recent words and somehow managed to pull herself together. “What did you just say?”
    “Too much,” Tom Tolsen snapped, narrowing his cold liquid silver gaze. “Good day, Mrs. Worthington.”
    “Tom! Wait! Just give me another moment. Can’t you see what kind of pain I’m in? Can’t you give me something else?” she wailed, yanking his sleeve as she pleaded with him. “You know what happened to my husband! Damn it, Tom! You look at me!” She practically ran alongside him, trying to keep his pace. “Maybe you weren’t there when he died. I’m sure you weren’t…but you’ve read his files. You’ve seen what it is the military doesn’t want me to know!”
    “On behalf of the—”
    “Don’t you start with the same damn spiel you gave me the day you stepped into my home and tore my world apart!”
    “Mary! That’s enough!” Anna yelled from behind her.
    The clickety-click of high heels beat against the sidewalk as Anna hurriedly tried to catch up with them. Mary wasn’t