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Gus: Thank you, honey.
Merritt: Don’t call me that.
Gus: Sorry. Thank you, wifey.
She rolled her eyes and tossed her phone onto the bed as she lay back against her pillow. Michigan. This weekend. She was going to meet the Schultzes, and she felt a mixture of panic and excitement.
Though she had given Gus a hard time about this trip, she was looking forward to meeting the people behind the Schultz Chocolate company. She had read about Gus’s father, Ephraim, who had taken over the company when his father passed away and had turned a failing business into a successful enterprise.
She sat up, grabbed her phone again, and dialed Adelia, who answered on the first ring.
“Hello, Mrs. Schultz.”
Merritt groaned.
“What can I do for you tonight?”
“Gus and I are going to Michigan this weekend.”
“Oh, you’ll love his family. They’re wonderful people.”
“I’m nervous. What do I need to know?”
“Just be you, Merritt. They’re going to love you.”
“But is there anything I should be aware of. Like family issues. I know there’s kind of a rift between Gus and his family.”
“You’ll meet his parents, Ephraim and Harriet, and probably his sister, Skylar. And trust me when I tell you that they are the most down-to-earth people you will ever meet. As far as family issues, this is the whole point of your marriage. Gus has gotten into a lot of trouble in the past, and they don’t trust him to run the company, so they gave it to Skylar when their brother, Sebastian, left last fall to move to Montana with his fiancée.”
Merritt quietly listened.
“He was also sued last summer by this creep, Milton, who claimed assault and battery. They were able to settle, but that’s another reason his dad gave the President position to Skylar and not him, even though she’s the youngest.”
“I see. Did he actually assault the guy?”
“I mean, he pushed him in a bar, but the guy is a loser. He used to date Skylar and wasn’t a very nice guy, and Gus only got in his face because of some things he said about Sky.”
“Sounds like a mess.”
“It was. So, anything you can do to help his parents see that Gus is a good guy would be great.”
“I don’t know how good of a guy he is.”
“I know you don’t see it yet, but he is. He’s got a good heart, even if he doesn’t come across that way.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Also, Skylar loves Merritt Cosmetics, so if you bring her some free product, that will butter her up.”
Merritt laughed. “I can do that.”
“When do you leave?”
“No idea. He didn’t tell me about it until tonight.”
Adelia snorted. “Sounds like Gus.”
“He did let me help him make truffles.”