“Shit! The time to her mother’s just doubled,” Claire laments. “We have less than ten miles, and the GPS says it’s going to take fifty-five minutes. What the hell?”
“Don’t people work here?” I respond.
We white-knuckle it down the interstate and finally navigate off into a beautiful neighborhood. As we follow the directions from the GPS, and the little flag appears showing the destination is getting close, my stomach tightens.
What do we do if she pulls what I did and refuses to meet with us?
I will throw myself at her mercy and hope she is kinder to me than I was to her.
Her mom’s house is across the street from a huge park. The giant oak trees edging the grass are beautiful, and it’s great to see so many people enjoying the sunny afternoon.
“I don’t think people here work,” Claire says. The park is filled with joggers, dog-walkers, and people flying kites.
“Of course, they do. They just apparently have a better work-life balance than we do in San Francisco.” Despite my distress, I discovered the power of that in Montana.
“Look at all the dogs. It must be a requirement to live here—you have to have a dog,” she responds.
“We’ve stalled long enough,” I sigh after a moment. “Let’s at least see if Tinsley’s here.”
There’s a gate at the sidewalk to cross into the fenced yard. I look at Claire as we approach, and she nods, encouraging me to open it. The gate creaks loudly as I do.
We walk up the path to the shiny, black door with a large, brass door knocker. I push the bell and a voice from the camera attached to the doorbell responds, “How can I help you?”
I lean down. “I’m Landon Walsh, and this is my sister, Claire. We’re looking for Tinsley. We’re hoping she’s here.”
There is no response.
Then the front door opens, and Tinsley stands with her hands on her hips. She’s wearing khaki capri pants and a loose-fitting green blouse. It’s odd to see her in something other than jeans and T-shirt, but I like it.
“Why are you here?” she demands.
Claire, thankfully, is much better at this than I am. “We’ve come to talk to you,” she responds. “May we come in?”
Tinsley looks us over. “My mother is upstairs and ready to call the police if you are jerks in any way. She’s a big-deal lawyer around here, and you’ll find yourselves in jail.”
I hold my hands up. “We’re here to apologize.”
Tinsley scoffs. “You want your software. Don’t lie to me.”
I press my hands together in front of me, as if I’m praying. “Please, Tinsley. Can we talk? I need to tell you how sorry I am—for everything.”
“We both owe you more than an apology,” Claire adds.
Tinsley steps back and points us toward the living room.
“Is this the house you grew up in?” Claire asks.
“Yes.”
Not seeming discouraged by the clipped answer, Claire continues. “What’s the name of the park across the street?”
“Washington Park.”
“It’s popular for a late afternoon.”
“You should see it on the weekends. There isn’t a parking space on the street.”
“I believe that.” I look at her and smile. “I’m sorry.”
If looks could kill, Tinsley would turn me to ashes on the ground.
“Look, I’m sorry for many things,” I continue. “I’m sorry I’ve rushed our relationship instead of sticking with our agreement. I’m sorry I sucked you into the mess with this woman who’s accusing me of fathering her child. I’m sorry I disappeared. And when you tracked me down, I’m sorry I hid from you.”
She looks at me, her breathing staccato bursts.
“Originally, I thought you were coming on a commercial flight from Salt Lake, so I drove into town to get you. When Molly called and said you were at the Magnolia Homestead, I panicked. I realized I didn’t know what to say, so I hid. I hadn’t talked to anyone in weeks. I’m an idiot.”
Her eyebrows raise, and she crosses her arms at her chest. “You left me high and dry, both professionally and personally, when you disappeared. Claire tells you to get your act together and you run away and don’t return anyone’s call? That’s ridiculous. It’s self-sabotage. I don’t need that shit.“
Of course, she’s nailed it. “You’re right. I spent seven weeks depressed and beating myself up for the way I’ve lived. That opened the door for Heather McCoy to lie to me, and then when she couldn’t extort me, she went to the press. I’ve behaved badly for so long that of course everyone believed her.”
I scrub my hands over my face. “It came to me as I was driving back from the Lewiston airport to see you at the ranch. Here I am, absolutely crazy about you, and I’ve given you no reason to believe me. Shit, look at how we first met! And, as for professionally, that was another huge failing. Claire and I both handled that aspect of this poorly. I should have pushed back when Claire asked me to step aside, instead of acting like a child. I should have shown her how I could fix this with the media and still be around to help you.”
Tinsley’s mouth is pursed and her hands are fisted at her sides. Claire doesn’t look thrilled either, but what I said was true.
“I was an utter ass, but because I was paralyzed by the realization that I’d let everything important slip through my fingers. When I finally got the nerve to talk to you at the airport, you were understandably angry, but for some reason I wasn’t prepared for that, and I responded poorly. In spite of everything, somehow, I wanted you to be excited to see me. I see how ludicrous that was. There’s a lot I can’t explain about how I’ve behaved. But I
