Page 28

MERIT

I had sex with your brother last night.

Every time I glance up at Raylee, that’s what I’m thinking.

Ella leans over, grabbing a tennis shoe from the display, and in the process her belly knocks down another one. She curses underneath her breath.

I had sex with your cousin last night.

I can feel heat prickle my cheeks. Heat of embarrassment.

The heat of my memories.

“What about this one, Little Girl?” Ella turns around and holds up a gray sneaker with blue and silver trim, showing Laura. “It looks like it has a lot of cushion. It’s pretty too.” Her eyes divert to me, and she lifts a questioning brow. “Merit, are you okay? You look feverish.”

Raylee snickers. “I think you call that afterglow.”

I choke on my own spit.

Teresa smiles, chiding her daughter, though the scolding lacks any real threat behind it. “Raylee, stop it. Mind your own business.”

I had sex with your son last night.

Fortunately, Heidi comes to my rescue. At least she’s more professional than Kyra, who happens to be sitting on the floor next to me, laughing her ass off. “I’ll be happy to pull the size you need from the back,” she says, her eyes flickering between me and Ella.

“Thank you, Heidi.” I tell her the size, and she disappears around the corner.

Anna leans forward, forcing herself into the conversation. She pats my cheek with her pink-painted fingernails. “I think you look pretty with afterglow.”

Of course, everyone bursts into a fit of laughter. Even Ty, who only laughs because everyone else is laughing. Well, everyone except for Laura, who cocks her head in question and stares at all the adults. And me… I don’t laugh. I shoot up from the floor like my ass is on fire and pretend to busy myself with searching for shoes.

Right then, the bell sounds on the door and every head swivels to the front. Holt walks in, grinning ear-to-ear and juggling three drink carriers in his arms. He stops as soon as he sees their faces. “Uh… hi.”

They immediately start howling, laughing like old hens with nothing better to do. Rolling my eyes, I race over, carefully grabbing one of the carriers from him. I’m completely surprised to see him at this time of day. He’s a sight for sore eyes, and my heart immediately skips a beat. He smells like mint gum and soap. Give him a few more hours, and he’ll smell like sweat and grass. “Hi.”

His eyes flicker down to my lips and back again. “Hi.” He nods at his family. “What’s up with them?”

I look behind me, scowling at the lot of them. Leaning forward, I whisper, “They know.”

He frowns. “They know what?”

I wiggle my head back and forth. “About last night.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “You told my mom we had sex?!”

“What!” I jump, slapping him on the wrist and nearly making him spill one set of drinks. “Oh sorry.” I sigh, making sure my body is angled away so they can’t hear me. “They figured it out.”

“How?” he asks.

Looking down at my feet, I shrug, wondering if he’s mad. “I guess… I guess I look happy.”

He nuzzles my chin with his own, forcing me to look up. His eyes look darker today. More vibrant, more fulfilled. He smiles sweetly, flashing his white teeth. “ Are you happy?”

I nod, biting my bottom lip, trying to contain my cheek-busting smile. “Very happy.”

“Just so you know, I wouldn’t mind making you happy every night for the rest of our lives. Even multiple times a night,” he says with a drop-dead sexy wink. Kissing my cheek, he skirts past me and holds the drinks in the air. “Ladies, how about some strawberry-banana smoothies.” He sets the drinks down on one of the shelves, and the kids immediately race forward, trying to grab one. Raylee reaches Ty in the nick of time before he accidentally spills one all over a blue jeans display.

“Son, what are you doing here? I thought only the elementary school had half a day off today,” Teresa says.

“They do. But the entire high school is watching a play in the auditorium before the big pep rally, so I decided to run home and get some things I need for the game.” He looks over at me. He slowly lifts his arms and turns his ballcap around backward, egging me on. He knows I love the way his muscles flex when he does that. “I was a little distracted this morning and forgot some stuff.”

Kyra snorts, trying to disguise her laugh with a cough.

“Anyway, I was stopping by to check on Merit and saw all of y’all through the window. I thought the kids could use a snack.”

Heidi finally makes it out of the back room, carrying a couple of boxes in her arms. Her smile widens when she sees Holt. “Hi, Coach.”

“Hey, Heidi.”

I take one of the smoothies over to her. “Heidi, you didn’t tell me there was a big pep rally today. Don’t you wanna go?”

She looks from Holt to me and then back again. “Oh… well, I mean, it’s no big deal.” She takes a sip of her smoothie, politely thanking Holt.

She’s not very convincing. “Heidi, it’s okay if you wanna go.” I toss my hand around the room, “We all did that stuff in high school. It’s your senior year; I don’t want you missing out on something because of work.”

“Well…”

“C’mon, Heidi,” Holt encourages her. “Merit says you’ve worked every single day since starting. Go enjoy the pep rally with your friends. It’s the big game—it’s Homecoming. There won’t even be another pep rally until the last game of the season.”

She stares at me with big doe eyes. “Are you sure? I can be back in time to help Kyra close up and then go to the game afterward. Remember, just five more times, and then I can start closing by myself.”

Kyra bumps her with her hip. “I’ll handle tonight. You enjoy the pep rally and football game.”

“And I’m here all day tomorrow,” I add. “You and I can do the close-down together tomorrow night.”

Grinning, she nods. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Holt tosses his hands in the air. “Perfect. It’s decided.” He looks at his watch. “And if we’re gonna make the pep rally, we both need to leave right now.”

Hugging his mom, he tells everyone he’ll see them tonight at the game. Wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he kisses my lips. “Goodbye, my happy little Merit.”

“And goodbye to you, too, sir .”

His laugh trails both him and Heidi out the door. I watch as he walks her to her car and opens the door for her, acting as a gentleman and making sure her car starts without any trouble.

I appreciate the kindness he’s shown to Heidi. She doesn’t talk much about her homelife, but from what little bits and pieces I’ve learned, she’s been dealt her fair share of hardships. She’s mentioned that her dad’s not in the picture and that her mom suffers from a permanent medical condition. I know she found joy in cheering and tumbling but had a terrible fall that injured her ankle and effectively killed her cheerleading career—something she was hoping would provide her with a scholarship to attend college. On the rare occasion she does speak about her family, she mostly talks about her uncle. I think he’s intervened in her life, in a positive way, more than once.

Of course, when I heard that, my mind immediately correlated their relationship to that of Crutch and Laura’s. But then, she made an offhand comment that he sometimes gets angry with the world and the cards he’s been dealt. We were watching an old movie at the time.

Even though the temperature outside has barely dipped low enough for a light sweater at night, I was feeling Christmas-ey the other day and started It’s a Wonderful Life while we were unboxing new inventory. After the scene where George tears apart the living room and yells at his family, Heidi said George’s whole life reminded her of her uncle. When I tried to press her for more information, she shut down.

Not wanting to enlarge a gaping wound—or irritate a healing one—I dropped the subject.

I know how it feels…to want to keep some parts of yourself hidden, buried from those around you. Some days, you feel like shoveling your past off you with a commercial-sized backhoe. And other days? Other days, you wanna have a panic attack if someone tries to remove a small sliver of dirt—one small memory—using nothing bigger than a teaspoon.

Not to mention, I’m her boss. I have to tread that thin line between professionalism and camaraderie. I’m not worried about it, though. We’ll find our way.

Holt climbs in his truck, following her out of the parking lot. When he drives off, I can’t help but think of how funny life is.

My old Friday nights used to consist of cocktail parties. I’d sit around in a slutty black dress and watch Edward smoke cigars and drink whiskey.

And now?

Now, I’m going to a high school Homecoming.

And hopping into bed with the coach afterward.