Page 20

HOLT

Kyra looks up from her position on the floor where she’s lacing tennis shoes for a little boy. He’s completely engrossed in whatever classic movie Merit is currently playing on the big screen. An older woman with bright red reading glasses nods hello in my direction. Not seeing Merit in the front part of the store, I immediately make my way to the back, not even asking permission. We’re past all that now.

I do give pause, though, when Kyra chuckles. Slowly turning around, I lean against a rack of pink dresses with silver stars on them. “Well, that laugh sounded mischievous.”

She smiles and nods at the little boy, telling him to get up and test his shoes. “I just think I need to wish you good luck again.”

She can’t be serious. Not again.

We already went through this on Tuesday. Of course, who could really blame Merit for feeling overwhelmed then. She had Chloe and three other paparazzi trying to snag pictures of her when she showed up to open the store that morning. Taking a cue from my playbook, she made a deal with Chloe that she would pose for some pictures if Chloe could make the others go away. And if she promised to blur the name of the store and never take pictures of children coming or going. Once the other vultures found out Chloe would have the advantage, they cut their losses and headed out of town.

And that’s how new pictures of Merit made their way online by Tuesday afternoon. Chloe told her that people like candid shots best. There are pictures of Merit walking across the parking lot, pictures of Merit pulling a sale table out to the sidewalk, and pictures of Merit walking back into the store with one shoe off because she’d stepped in gum.

My spine stiffens, and a small river of anger flows through my veins. “They were back?”

“Oh no, not that.”

“Then what?” I ask.

She laughs, boxing the shoes back up after the little boy decides he wants them because they make him fly like a superhero. “It’ll be best if you see for yourself.”

As soon as I walk in back, I’m glued to the shit show in front of me. It really cements the fact that I’m falling in love with Merit Eliza Browning.

Hell, I’m in love with Merit Eliza Browning.

She’s in the small bathroom sitting backward on the toilet like she’s riding a horse, with her elbows buried deep in the toilet tank. Her phone is balanced on the sink across from her, and she keeps glancing up, trying to follow along with the plumbing tutorial playing on the screen. She doesn’t hear me, doesn’t even know I’m behind her. Blowing hair out of her face, she curses under her breath. After another minute, toilet water starts squirting everywhere—the clean water, at least—splashing across her face, and making her squeal.

Racing into the bathroom, I yank her from the toilet seat—out of the line of fire—and turn off the water at the shutoff valve on the wall. I grab a hand towel from the side shelf and wipe down my soaked forearms. Walking over to her, I do my best to hide my shit-eating grin, but based on Merit’s scowl, I can tell I’m not doing a very good job. I dab the towel across the bridge of her nose.

Snorting, she tugs it out of my hand and tries to dry herself, eventually tossing it on the wet floor and discreetly cleaning it with her foot.

I lean against the doorframe and study her blushing pink cheeks. “Sooo… whatcha doing?” I ask, drawing out my syllables.

She blinks, keeping a straight face. “The toilet was running. I was changing the ball and that flappy thing.”

“And you didn’t turn the water off beforehand?”

She glowers at her cell phone, where the random video is still talking her through everything. “ He didn’t say to do that.”

“ He might not even be a plumber. He might not even know how to use a toilet, let alone fix one.”

She turns off her phone, setting it on the shelf out of the way. “Well, I was doing fine until I had an audience.”

“You didn’t even hear me come in.” I laugh and point at the toilet. “That was all you.”

Her pout is so damn cute; I can’t stay away from her. Digging my fingers into her waist, I pull her body close to mine. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that she shifts herself even closer, fitting to me like a glove. “Why didn’t you just ask me for help?”

“It’s simple plumbing. I need to know how to do that stuff by myself.”

“But I would’ve fixed it for you.”

She looks down, studying her hands as they splay across my stomach. “You won’t always be here,” she says in a timid, hushed tone.

Wanna bet.

“Hey,” I nudge her chin up, “I’ll always be here.”

She cocks her head, searching my face. “I thought you said you wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Mer…” I can’t stand to see her hurting, to see her questioning our growing romance. Not sure how else to comfort her, I lean forward and gently graze my lips across hers. My tongue flickers out. With a low and husky sigh, she wraps her hands around my neck, deepening the kiss. Her fingers tangle in my hair, just the way I like.

If she doesn’t believe my words, maybe she’ll believe my body.

“Well, my plumber didn’t do that the last time he fixed my toilet.” Kyra’s voice booms through the room, making Merit jump away from my embrace.

I growl in good-humored frustration. “See, I told you we need new friends,” I say with a wink to my girl.

“Hey!” Kyra yells in protest.

Merit chuckles. Completely ignoring both of us, she bends down and starts cleaning the water from the floor. I don’t have to see her face to know that her cheeks are bright red. Even her gorgeous tan can’t hide her scarlet skin when she’s embarrassed.

I think it’s funny that she gets embarrassed. Kyra is her best friend; she knows we kiss. Hell, Ridge has walked in on me having sex before. More than once, as a matter of fact. Then again, Merit’s still getting used to public displays of affection. Fortunately, the front bell dings and Kyra disappears to help a customer.

Merit leans against the wall when she’s done cleaning, watching me as I fix her plumbing masterpiece. “Practice was good today?” she asks.

“Yep. I like the shorter practices on Thursdays. We stop an hour early. It helps build the anticipation for Friday nights.” I glance at her reflection in the mirror. “You can come, right? Emily is going to close the store?”

She rolls her eyes and puffs out her cheeks. “Things aren’t going so well in that department. Don’t get me wrong, Emily is super sweet, and she’s good with the kids, but…she’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. She keeps forgetting certain steps in shutting down the point of sale for the night, and she’s accidentally set the alarm off more than once.”

My heart sinks, like a balloon low on air. “So, you can’t come?”

“No, I can,” she grins. “Kyra agreed to shut down for me again. I wasn’t even going to ask her, but she volunteered. Her boyfriend is having dinner with his mother, and she can’t stand his mother. Work is her excuse. So it’s a win-win.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds like trouble. What if they get married? Then, she’ll hate her in-laws. Doesn’t sound like the recipe for a long-lasting marriage. Holidays will be torture.”

She snorts, “You got that right.”

It doesn’t take a genius to discern that she’s talking about her own situation and not Kyra’s. “Mer, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that.”

She waves off my concern. “Oh, I know.” She shrugs. “But what you said is true.”

“You didn’t like Edward’s parents?”

“Well, I thought I did. Just like I thought I liked Edward,” she says. “I was talking about my parents, though.”

“Edward didn’t like your parents?”

“I don’t really think Edward felt anything about my parents. He was…indifferent. Polite but not engaged. Respectful but not loving. My mom and dad, though? They freakin’ hated Edward. Couldn’t stand him.” That actually makes her smile widen.

Mine too.

I can’t stand the little shit.

“And you stayed with him, even though your parents hated him?”

“They didn’t come out and tell me they hated him until years after we started dating. At first, they kept their mouths shut because they honestly didn’t think it would go anywhere. They thought I would come to my senses and break up with him. By the time we were engaged, I was already in too deep. I was a completely different person, and when my parents tried to voice their concern, I did my best to convince them he was the love of my life.” She frowns. “I think I broke their hearts a little bit. That still haunts me.”

I take a look around, making sure I’ve done everything correctly. Turning on the water, I flush the toilet. Merit leans forward, watching in awe, like she’s never seen a working commode before. “So, when do I get to meet them?” I ask as I wash my hands.

“Meet who? My parents?”

“No, the outfielders for the Yankees,” I tease. “Of course, your parents.”

She flitters out of the bathroom, like a nervous cat, avoiding me. “I’m not sure. I haven’t given it any thought.”

Bullshit.

She’s lying. It’s plain to see.

I could press her and get the truth, but there’s something else I really want to talk to her about. Something that’s going to raise her hackles like a hound dog on the hunt. Letting her think she’s won that small battle, I drop the subject. She’s pulling some clothes out of delivery boxes, unwrapping them from the plastic packaging. When I join her, mimicking her work, she softly smiles. She watches my every move, like she’s committing me to memory, especially the movement of the muscles in my forearms. Her stare makes my dick jump.

“So, you worked here all day?” I ask.

“Of course. Why?”

“You make your loan payment today?”

She freezes, her arms tangled in a red shirt. At first, I don’t think she’s going to answer me, but she finally does. “Yes, this morning on my way to work. Whyyyy?”

My attempt to fold a boy’s polo shirt goes awry, so I just toss it on the shelf. “How much do you owe?”

Her plump lips thin into a small line, and her sparkling hazel eyes harden. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business. And I think it’s bullshit you’re still paying your ex-husband. After what he did to you? He cheated on you, Mer. And he kept the house. You shouldn’t owe him a damn thing.”

“I don’t owe him. My loan is with Charles.”

“We both know that’s just a technicality. Besides that, what does it matter? They’re both weaselly little fuckers.”

She skirts around me, grabbing the polo shirt and re-folding it. “That’s beside the point. I still owe them money.”

“How much money?” I ask again.

She shakes her head, ignoring me. When she grabs another shirt, I take it from her. I’m trying to force her to focus on me. Instead, she just grabs another shirt. I take that one from her, too, and toss them over my shoulder into the abyss of the room.

She scoffs, flapping her hands in the air. “Seriously?”

I take a step closer. “How much do you owe?”

She tries to take a step away from me, but I’m much quicker than she is. Hell, I still do quick hand ladder drills for fun. My hand snatches out, grabbing her waist. My fingers tangle in her tank top. It’s still damp from the toilet water.

She folds her hands in front of her and looks down at the floor. I nudge her hip with mine. “Mer?” I urge her with a gentle voice.

She finally looks up, locking eyes with me. “If I tell you, will you drop it? Will you leave it alone?”

“Yes.” Technically, I’m not lying. I’m just leaving the words ‘ for now’ out of my response.

She nods, “After this morning, I owe $71,620.38.” Her eyebrows lift into her hairline, and her face inches closer to mine. She wants me to know she means business. “But it’s fine. If the store keeps doing good and I keep watching what I spend, I’ll be able to pay them off two years from this coming February. So, about thirty months. And that assumes I hire another worker to do fifteen to twenty hours a week. Then, I can move out of his condo, and I won’t have to see him ever again.”

What the fuck?

Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

“Excuse me? What do you mean, his condo?”

Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. She looks like one of those porcelain dolls pretending to sing. “Oh, I didn’t mention that?” She uses my shock as an opportunity to break away from my embrace. “I should go help Kyra. I’ve been back here for way too long.”

My coach’s voice comes out, booming across the back room, forcing her to stop mid-escape. “Merit Eliza Browning, you aren’t going anywhere.” I rub my jaw, waiting for her to slowly turn around. “You live in your ex-husband’s house?”

She lifts a finger in the air, tsking me. “Not his house. His condo. They’re two completely different things.”

Smartass.

Not to get sidetracked, but I love it. The Merit I met a month ago wouldn’t have acted like this.

“Fine. You live in his condo, not his house ?”

She nibbles on the side of her lip. “Yes.”

I lift my arms and drag my hands through my hair. The movement must raise my shirt because she’s suddenly focused on my stomach.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she offers.

“I don’t even know what to say.” I shake my head in disbelief. “How? Why?”

“Edward lived in the condo during college and law school. He never sold it. It just sat vacant. When we divorced, we agreed that I would stay there rent-free until I could pay off the business loan. That’s part of the reason I’ve been able to pay so much extra each month. I don’t have rent or a house payment looming over me.”

“He didn’t sell it when he bought that big ol’ house for y’all? You realize that probably means he kept it so he could use it as a place to meet women, right? Delaney and whoever might’ve been before her that you don’t even know about.”

She blinks. “I know.”

“Then why?”

“I already told you, the sooner I can pay the loan off, the sooner I can be done with them all.” Her shoulders slump. “I’m so ready to be done with them, Holt. They’ve taken enough of me.”

I wrap her in my arms.

Because she’s right. And I might be getting myself into trouble, but I’m not letting them take another damn thing from her.