He'd heard a few things about Marcie since she had returned to town. Gloria at the bookstore had told him that she didn't want to gossip, but that he should watch out around 'that type'. She got herself into the family way in high school but decided to not go through with it when that boyfriend of hers didn't want to settle down.
Cathal had thanked Gloria for the books he'd ordered - god, she was making it hard to support local - and suggested that perhaps that was all Marcie's business and not theirs.
And it was. Whatever had happened to her in high school and whatever had eventually driven her from this town, they were Marcie's own business. He was glad he hadn't grown up in a town like this where all his mistakes could be on display. The benefit of never being allowed to put down roots meant no one ever knew you: a blessing and a curse.
But Marcie's choice tonight to be here? Cathal liked that choice. "I love a woman who knows what she wants," Cathal promised her, with a slow wide smile. Her sure intensity was wonderful and he felt like she really was telling the truth: she'd still think this in the light of day.