A Forever of Orange Blossoms (The Merriams Book 5)

by Ava Miles

  They didn’t crack.

  “Aunt Emily adores Indian food,” she added, feeling a little desperate.

  “Okay, we’ll try it.”

  Nerves stole over her as another idea popped into her mind. Would they be more amenable to the situation if she enlisted their fashion help for her movie date with Flynn? She figured it was time to tell them what they had already guessed. Why beat around the bush?

  She grabbed hold of the linings of her pockets to anchor herself. “You know… Since you’re so grown-up and you pick up on everything, I figured I should tell you I really like Mr. Merriam.”

  Their faces went lifeless, and she found herself swallowing the lump lodged in her throat.

  “I know it’s weird,” she said. “I never really imagined I’d like a guy this way again. After your father. You know we started dating in high school.” She had to force the words out. Ben had been her first love, and her feelings for him had faded as the woman in her had fought to emerge.

  “I know you might think no one can replace your father, and no one is,” she said. “Flynn and I are just starting to date, but I didn’t want to keep anything from you. I’m not doing this to be disloyal to your dad. He’d want me to be happy.” She wasn’t sure about that last part, but it was what all the experts said to say to your kids. Probably because a loving spouse truly would want her happiness.

  When their only response was to glance at each other, she continued, “You can talk to me anytime about how you feel, and I’ll be honest with you too. Okay? And I’d love your help picking out something to wear when he comes over to watch a movie tonight. I’m…a little out of practice.”

  They shared another glance, and then Iris said, “You could always ask Aunt Emily.”

  Eloise gave a conspiratorial nod.

  Annie felt defeat settle in her chest. “You’re right. I can. Come on then,” she said, extending her hands to them in a last-ditch effort to reach them.

  They cast her a withering look, and her heart hitched.

  “Mom, you know we don’t hold hands anymore,” Iris informed her like she was an idiot parent.

  “Right,” she said, tucking them back in her lab coat. “So not cool.”

  She let them walk ahead of her to the lab, fighting the urge to touch the blond hair trailing down their shoulders. As if their hair was growing with the rest of them, it had started to grow thicker and lusher. She’d even needed to buy them a new hairbrush, yet another sign they were changing.

  She only wished they weren’t changing so much toward her.

  At moments like this, she feared they’d keep growing away from her, and she didn’t know how to stop it.

  Chapter 13

  The moment the two blond girls stepped inside the lab with Annie, Clara knew trouble was brewing.

  They didn’t smile as their mother introduced everyone. In fact, the girls were close to glowering. Their reception couldn’t be more different than Amelia’s bright and sunny welcome.

  Clara straightened her spine and stepped toward them. Somehow she would win them over, for Annie’s sake. The poor woman looked as pale as if she’d seen a ghost. Clara put an arm around her as she looked at the girls.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you both,” she said, forcing a bright smile. “Your mom tells me you’re growing up fast, and I can see she’s absolutely right. My goodness, Flynn. Aren’t they beautiful?”

  He set his mixer aside and forced a similarly bright smile. “Yes, and fashionable too, Aunt. How was school?”

  “Fine,” Iris said, taking her sister’s hand. “We have homework. Mom, is it okay if we go to our rooms?”

  Annie looked stricken. “I was going to introduce you to Mr. Hale.”

  “We can meet him later,” Eloise said, pulling her sister toward the door.

  “Yeah, later,” Iris echoed, and they left without any further ado, letting the door slam behind them.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said. The dear girl’s face had flushed a deep pink. “Flynn, I told them you were special to me and that you were coming over for a date. The whole thing went bad. I’m so sorry they were rude to all of you.”

  Clara patted her back. “Telling them you liked our Flynn here took courage. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

  Then Flynn was pulling Annie into his arms, and Clara stepped aside to give them a moment.

  “You told them?” he said softly. “That was brave. No wonder they looked stricken. Annie, it’s going to take some time for them to get used to me—us. I promise we’re going to figure this out.”

  “I know it,” she said. “I reminded myself of all that by reading a book Emily gave me about dating again after your husband dies. It’s always a big transition for the kids. Maybe even more so than dating after a divorce, according to some of the experts. I know I can’t sacrifice my happiness because they don’t like things. An unhappy parent only creates an even unhappier child. What I need to figure out is how to get them to see what I see. How wonderful you are for me, and for them ultimately.”

  “It’s only the first couple of days, Annie,” Flynn said. “Give it time.”

  “Yes, dear,” Clara said, eyeing Hargreaves, who was standing stock-still at his station. “We’ll leave you two alone for a minute. That way, I can check on Arthur. Hargreaves?”

  Efficient man that he was, he retrieved their coats in short order and helped her into hers before donning his own.

  “Thank you, Aunt,” Flynn said, his green eyes narrowed in worry.

  They left the lab and walked to the house. She and Hargreaves let themselves inside and then hung up their coats. “It’s quiet as a church mouse in here,” she said.

  He simply nodded. “I’ll see about a few items, Madam. Would you like some tea?”

  “I’d love some. Thank you.”

  She stepped farther into the house, listening for any sound that would tell her where to find Arthur. Walking through someone’s house when they weren’t there was unsettling, and she wondered if she should simply return to the kitchen. Then she went to the dining room and found her husband sitting at the table, reading on the tablet she’d suggested he buy to keep up with all his newspaper reading. Sure, he liked to read his newspapers in print, but when they traveled, he didn’t have that luxury.

  “Where’s Amelia?” she asked.

  “She fell asleep,” he said, setting his tablet aside. “Honestly, if I wasn’t supposed to be babysitting, I’d nap too. God, I forgot how exhausting kids that age are. They never sit down. Also, I just met the twins. They informed me they were going to their room to do their homework. I figured from the jaunty angle of their chins it would be best for me not to make small talk.”

  She pulled out a chair and sat down heavily, suddenly feeling as tired as he did. “You’d be right. Annie told them about her and Flynn.”

  He stroked his chin. “Ah… Good for her. I’m sure they knew anyway. Kids don’t like to be treated like they’re idiots.” He took her hand. “It’s a puzzle, this one. I thought about it while I watched Amelia make a fort in the snow earlier. I’ve never had to win children over like this. The other Merriams seem easy now. It may have only been a couple of days, but I’m finding this one a challenge.”

  She turned as Hargreaves brought in a pot of tea and two mugs. “I am as well. Thank you, Hargreaves. Any ideas, my good friend?”

  “I would recommend calling Miss Caitlyn and telling her to bring the girls some of their own perfume. I think that gesture, along with her bubbly presence, will be most helpful.”

  “Are you saying we’re chopped liver, Hargreaves?” Arthur asked, his mouth tipping up. “As old as dirt?”

  Clara socked him gently and then rubbed the spot. “Speak for yourself. But you raise an excellent point, Hargreaves. I’ll call her. She should be coming next week.”

  “You should also know, Madam,” Hargreaves said, “I was unable to locate a space for our purposes. If I may…”

  She didn’
t like where this was headed. “Please, Hargreaves.”

  “It’s only a feeling, Madam, but I would say there are certain townspeople who do not want us to succeed. Again, it’s only my long time in service speaking, but usually people in small towns are helpful. The tone I heard on the other end of those calls was anything but.”

  “We’re outsiders,” Arthur said, sighing heavily. “Being from a small town, I’ve seen people close ranks before.”

  “Have they ever done it in Dare Valley?” She hadn’t lived in her new hometown long enough to know.

  “Not very often, but a few years ago, people reacted strongly when Mac Maven bought The Grand Mountain Hotel and wanted to restore it to its former glory. Of course, Mac was smart. He hired Jill to help him with the townspeople. It made a huge difference.”

  So they needed an inside person. How were they to identify them? Through Annie?

  “I also suspect a certain someone whom I spoke with today might have told a few of his friends he thinks his daughter-in-law is working too hard and the like.”

  Clara nodded, realizing he was a step ahead of her. “I can believe it. Flynn figured Tom might be a problem, and your journalism instincts have never steered you wrong.”

  He nodded. “You bet. But we have an ally in his wife, I believe. You might visit her for tea tomorrow on another break. She seems to want to support Annie and her business.”

  She touched his hand. “Arthur Hale, aren’t you crafty?”

  His lopsided smile was adorable. “I might be as old as dirt, but I’m still useful.”

  Clara could think of more adjectives to describe him, but with Hargreaves around, she’d have to wait until they were alone. Still, she patted his hand. “Come, Hargreaves. I’ll call Caitlyn quickly since it’s getting late there. Then we return to our quotas. Somehow, we’re going to turn this around.”

  “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” Hargreaves said.

  “Well, that’s downright depressing,” Clara said. “It’s not as bad as that.”

  Arthur stood. “I have to agree with Clara there. It’s not even close to being a moment to quote Winston Churchill.”

  “It’s always the time to quote Mr. Churchill,” Hargreaves said, making Arthur snort.

  “Is that who said it?” she asked, standing as well. “He must have been a very depressed fellow. I prefer Grandpa Emmits’ old saying. ‘You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.’”

  “Emmits wasn’t the first person to say that, Clara,” Arthur said with a laugh. “But I take your point.”

  “Now, we’re not giving up or anything like it. Hargreaves, please fix the girls a snack. Arthur, you will deliver it to their room and make friends over red hots. Treat them as you would Jill’s twins.”

  “They’re nothing like my granddaughter’s girls, Clara. Those tots are three and total terrors because their mother is like a big Labrador puppy on wheels. These girls are ten, and we’re strangers related to a guy their mom’s dating. There’s no correlation here beyond the twin factor.”

  She nodded. “Fine, then help them with their homework. Arthur, we need a line here. I expect you to do your part. This might not be matchmaking, but surely it falls under the auspices.”

  “I think I’d prefer to help the happy couple directly,” he said with a sigh. “Okay, let’s rustle up that snack.” He rubbed his cheeks. “Are you sure you don’t want me to try and secure a space for us in town? I could go to the local newspaper and make friends. They’re my people, Clara.”

  “That will take too long,” she said, bringing up their timetable in her mind, the one Annie had walked them through after their initial training this morning. “Besides, I need you to look after the girls. We’ll figure something out.”

  They always had before, hadn’t they?

  Chapter 14

  Tom Loudermilk was worse than unhelpful. In light of Hargreaves’ failure to find a workspace in town, Uncle Arthur was pretty darn sure the man was intentionally steamrolling them.

  Flynn had needed some time to cool down, so he’d told Annie he would eat back at the B&B and join her later for their movie night. Now he couldn’t stop pacing the small space, his mind crowded with more emotion than usual.

  The thing was, no one had ever really vilified Flynn before or treated him like the enemy. He knew he was taking it a little personally, but all his life people had liked him. Wanted to be his friend. Tom clearly didn’t like him, and Annie’s twin girls obviously considered him a threat.

  His life merger was in trouble.

  How could he fix this?

  It struck him that the other Merriam brothers might be able to help. He’d always thought Connor, Trevor, and Quinn too serious, too hard, but all three of them had handled multiple successful mergers despite accruing enemies along the way. J.T. used to have a high-stress position with the company too, but he was somewhat softer, more of a “nice guy,” and he’d usually brought Trevor in to deal with the tough stuff. Maybe it was part of their twin thing, come to think of it.

  He eyed the clock. It was too late in Ireland for him to call Trevor. Quinn had his hands full with his CEO duties. That left Connor, who was in Chicago, in the same time zone.

  Before his big brother’s transformation from the Big Bad Wolf to an honest-to-God humanitarian, Flynn would never have thought to call him for advice about his love life. But Connor’s fiancée, Louisa, had helped him change into a kinder, easier person, thank God. Maybe this was his chance to grow closer to a brother he’d never had much in common with save blood, business, and family. Louisa might have some ideas too. She was one of the kindest and most inspiring people Flynn had ever met, which was fitting since she ran a homeless shelter.

  He FaceTimed them, and Connor picked up after a few rings, his eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

  Yeah, because they didn’t up and call each other on a whim. “Nothing dire. Hope you don’t mind me calling.”

  “Of course not,” Louisa said, popping onto the screen, putting her arm around Connor’s shoulders. “You’re in Ohio, we hear, making up holiday baskets and maybe looking to buy a company.”

  It was harder to tell Connor about this stuff than it had been with Quinn, but he was the one who’d made the call—he might as well stick with his new stand-up-for-himself program. “Except the owner is also my soulmate, so I’m focused on a few other things beyond profit and loss sheets.”

  “We wondered, what with the matchmaking trio there,” Louisa said, her warm smile easing some of the tension inside him. “Congrats! What can we do to help?”

  “Yes, what can we do?” his brother said, more an order than a question.

  That was Connor for you, but his directness was kind of reassuring. Flynn felt himself relaxing a little. “We’re having trouble renting a local space to assemble the baskets.”

  “Rent a portable,” Connor said. “They can be equipped with whatever you need, and they’re cost effective. Does Quinn know about this, though?”

  Flynn sighed. “We’re veering into issues I’d rather not bother him with.”

  Connor drilled him with a hard glance. “I remember people doing that. Don’t.”

  “Oh, give the man a break,” Louisa said. “It wasn’t easy for him to call you, and I can see why.”

  “Louisa, have I told you I love you?” Flynn grinned at her before turning back to business and Connor. “Quinn told me to handle this, so I’m handling it. He’s got a lot of other stuff on his plate. He doesn’t have time to deal with the holiday baskets.” Although maybe he could butter his brother up for the less-than-stellar news by telling him he’d already finalized a deal for the rest of the baskets, something that had happened today.

  “I know I left things in a state for him when I left as CEO.” His brother’s glower had him wanting to end the call right then and there. The last thing he’d wanted to do was remind them of the roller coaster that had led to Connor�
�s departure from Merriam Enterprises.

  “You apologized, and now it’s in Quinn’s hands,” Louisa said, touching his cheek. “Remember how we don’t revisit the past?”

  “Easier said than done.” But Connor nodded and shifted his focus back to Flynn. “Okay, you didn’t just call about space. What do you really want to ask me?”

  He grimaced. “How did you…ah…handle people you needed to like you who didn’t?”

  Louisa snorted out a laugh, and Connor leveled her with a serious look before turning back to the screen, all deadpan. “Who did I need to like me exactly? I didn’t give a fuck if they liked me. We either did business or we didn’t.”

  Still laughing, Louisa said, “Don’t you just love your brother sometimes? Flynn, tell me who doesn’t like you, and let’s see what we can do about it.”

  “Louisa, I could kiss you.”

  “No, you really couldn’t,” Connor said, but the corners of his mouth lifted.

  “Annie, the woman I’m interested in, is widowed. She has two twin girls who don’t like me.” And didn’t that bring back memories of him telling their mother the same thing, only about Trevor and J.T. God, he was pathetic.

  “That sounds pretty normal,” Louisa said. “But I can see how it would bother you, especially since everyone likes you.”

  Now Connor snorted.

  Louisa whacked his shoulder. “What? It’s true. If I’d met Flynn first, who knows what might have happened?”

  “We’ll always have Paris, Louisa,” Flynn said, placing a hand over his heart and miming his heart beating.

  “See, this is the gene you’re missing, Con, but I still love you.” She kissed his cheek for emphasis. “How old are the twins?”

  “Ten.”

  “I see. So they’re growing up and in that stage some psychologists start calling narcissistic. I’ve always thought that a harsh statement. I happen to think that’s when kids finally start to individuate more, develop their own opinions and goals.”