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“I … I’m not. Never mind.”
“Good night, wifey,” he whispered.
Her eyes narrowed, and he let out a laugh before rolling away from her.
Merritt lay still for a while, unable to sleep, listening to Gus’s breathing even out again. She couldn’t stop thinking about the sadness in his voice at dinner, and she was determined to help him get back in his family’s good graces.
SEVENTEEN
The Schultz family often gathered for Saturday morning breakfasts together. Over the years, Gus had been the one to miss them more often than not. But not today. Walking into the kitchen to see an abundance of delicious breakfast foods spread out on the table and Dad seated alone, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper, was a welcome sight. It was a rare occurrence to have his father all to himself, and Gus wanted to make the most of it.
“Merritt is quite a girl.” Dad looked over the top of his newspaper as Gus took a seat and began to fill his plate.
“So, you like her?”
Dad nodded. “I do. Very much.”
“Me too.”
“I would hope so since you married her.”
Gus chuckled as he took a bite of omelet. “I guess it seems kind of sudden.”
“Yes, it does.”
“I want you to know it’s not some crazy decision we made. Yeah, it all happened fast, but we talked about it a lot before we went through with it. She’s very special, and I knew she would make me a better man the moment I met her.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Dad took a sip of his coffee. “I can see she makes you happy.”
His brow creased. “How can you tell?”
“The way you look at each other. It reminds me of the way your mother used to look at me.” Dad smiled. “Well, the way she looked at me after she stopped hating the sight of me.”
Gus shook his head. “I still can’t believe Mom didn’t like you at first.”
“Thank God I wore her down.”
He thought about what Dad had said. Did Merritt really look at him like he made her happy? She did have a certain look in her eye when he’d caught her watching him last night. Nah. She was just a good actress. Adelia must have given her some tips on staying in character.
Merritt arrived at the breakfast table then, all made up for the day. He much preferred her clean-faced and natural, like he’d gotten a glimpse of last night before bed, but makeup was a part of her image and her brand. He wondered if she ever went anywhere without it.
“Good morning.” She took a seat next to Gus, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
“Morning.” Her fresh citrus scent—like oranges fresh from the orchard—had him fighting the sudden urge to turn his head and capture her lips with his to see if she tasted as good as she smelled.
“Good morning,” Dad replied.
“This looks amazing.” Merritt grabbed a muffin from the plate before her. “Blueberry. My favorite.” She gave Gus a cute smile.
Gus reached for the orange juice pitcher. “Want some?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
He filled her glass as Dad asked, “What are your plans for the day?”
“I thought I’d take her downtown and give her a tour of the factory.”
Dad perked up at that. “Might I tag along?”