He had a service to cut the grass, and a housekeeper who came once a week to clean, do his laundry, and deliver groceries. All of which he was going to have to cancel. And the sooner the better since he didn’t have a dime to pay them.
Draining the remainder of his beer, he went to grab another bottle, thought better of it and grabbed two, then opened his laptop to start searching for potential employers.
Merit’s head pounded in protest when he rolled over and pushed up to sitting on the couch the next morning. At least he assumed it was the next morning judging by the light spilling through the living room windows. He kicked a bottle that rolled under the coffee table where his laptop still sat open, next to five more empty bottles. Burying his head in his hands, he groaned at his stupidity of drinking his dinner.
Habit had him fumbling his phone off the table. 8:49 a.m. Head tilted into one palm, he thumbed past more notifications from his siblings and did a cursory scan of his email. He was about to flip back to his home screen when he saw an email from Lumber and Leaves, Inc.
He sat up straighter, winced, and drew in a breath as he opened the email. Less than a minute later the heaviness in his stomach lightened in relief when he read the request for an interview—only to return in full force when he saw it was for that very morning at nine-thirty. That gave him forty minutes.
His heart lodged in his throat. Fuck. He couldn’t afford to blow the interview by being hung over and late.
Amidst more grimaces, he dashed upstairs while typing out a reply to accept the interview. Twice he had to fix misspellings before finally hitting send. Twenty minutes later, after a shower and a few ibuprofen, he swiped his suit coat off the end of the bed and headed out. He made it through their front doors with about two minutes to spare, and then sat on the couch the receptionist directed him to while she made a call.
His phone hummed in his pocket, and nervous energy had him checking the screen automatically.
Asher: Hope all goes well this morning.
What? He frowned at the screen in confusion. How the hell did he know about the interview?
“Merit Diamond?”
He jerked his attention up as a short, stocky blond man strode into the waiting area. “Yes.”
The man extended his hand. “James Monroe. Welcome to Lumber and Leaves.”
“Thank you,” he replied, shooting to his feet to accept the handshake. “I’m excited for the opportunity.”
“Good. Let’s get started, then. Follow me.”
Merit’s optimism bloomed at the man’s welcoming attitude. He had this in the bag.
Chapter 20
Mae’s pulse skipped as the outside door opened, but like the last three times, disappointment flooded in when it wasn’t Merit who walked into the waiting area of her doctor’s office. Her fingers tightened on the book she held in her lap, but she forced herself to relax her grip so she didn’t ruin the ribbon she’d tied into a bow around the gift. He had five minutes yet, and in her experience, doctors were often a good five or ten minutes late, so there was still time…
Damn it. She should’ve texted him a reminder.
Why? You’re not his mother. He’s the one who insisted on coming, it’s his responsibility to show up on time.
Or even show up at all.
Mae pulled her phone from her purse and brought up the text she’d sent Merit on Saturday at the soccer game. Yep. Office address and nine-thirty a.m. appointment time. He had the info, the rest was up to him.
The clock ticked past nine-thirty, and she wondered why in the world was she even the slightest bit surprised? He’d left her on Sunday with the parting words, “I’ll call you,” and then she hadn’t heard from him for two days. Reality had probably set in after his dad’s reaction. Or maybe his grandparents had freaked him out with the marriage talk. It had freaked her out a little bit, too. But all he would’ve had to do was talk to her, not disappear.
She pretended she didn’t care by checking her messages, and then her emails, but every single time the door opened, she couldn’t help but look. And hope. When the nurse called her name at nine-forty, she consciously unclenched her jaw so she could return the woman’s welcoming smile.
“I’m Jen, Dr. Steven’s nurse. How are you feeling this morning?”
“A little nauseous, but otherwise fine.”
She glanced at the chart as they stopped at the scale before going into a room. “I see this is your second pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“Has your morning sickness been bad?”
“So so. I have a tea that helps. And I’ve had a few dizzy spells, but other than that, it’s been good.”
“Have you started prenatal vitamins yet?”
“Some over the counter ones.”
“I would guess you’re low on iron, but Dr. Steven will talk to you about that for the dizziness, and check your levels when we do the blood draw. He usually prefers to prescribe prenatals to get the right kind of iron in there, as well as the increased folic acid.”
“I’m good with that,” Mae agreed.
They chatted a bit more while Jen took her vitals and entered everything into the computer, then gave her a gown to change into and told her the doctor would be with her in a few minutes. She set the book on the chair with her clothes and purse, then boosted herself up onto the exam table to wait.
The doctor breezed in a few minutes later. “Well, Mae, yes, you are officially pregnant,” he informed her with a warm smile as he took a seat. “But you didn’t need me to tell you that, did you?”
“No.” She grinned back.
Dr. Steven was new to her, but she liked him immediately. He got the physical exam out of the way as he asked questions about her first pregnancy and this one, while Jen took notes. As he pulled her gown back down and helped her sit up, he shot a glance at the chair and commented, “Whoever gave you the pregnancy book, good on them. That one has nice, sensible advice.”
She didn’t correct him that she was the one giving it as a gift, not receiving it. Last thing she wanted to do was explain that the baby’s father was supposed to have been at her side, but he couldn’t be bothered to show up.
Her chest tightened, but she steeled herself to breathe through the resurgence of hurt and disappointment. It was better she deal with her own reality now than after the jerk made her completely fall for him.
“May I ask if the baby’s father is in the picture? Do you know his medical history?”
Mae straightened slightly while lifting her chin. “I can find it out.”
The doctor didn’t press any further than that, thankfully. After a few more questions, he gave her another smile. “Well, shall we listen to the heartbeat?”
“Oh, yes, please.” She laid back, a lump forming in her throat as the doctor parted the gown over her belly, then squirted the warm gel, and pressed the handheld ultrasound wand to her skin. He shifted it here and there, searching, listening, as they both watched the fetal Doppler monitor.
Mae gripped the fabric of her gown, fingers clenched tight, thinking that it would’ve been nice to have someone here to hold her hand this time. Like at the brunch.
Whop-whop-whop-whop.
“There it is.”
Dr. Steven gave her another smile, and she grinned back as tears sprang to her eyes. She’d forgotten how amazing that sound was. A new life—for her, and Ian, and even Merit. He should’ve been here. As the monitor pulsed with the heartbeat, a tiny spark of anger lit inside.
“It’s nice and strong. Exactly what we like to hear.”
A few minutes later, Dr. Steven wrapped everything up, set her next appointment for four weeks later, and she was on her way with a vitamin prescription tucked in her purse. Halfway out to her truck, she glanced down at the pregnancy book in her hands. She’d bought it for Merit, and had planned to give it to him as a thank you for wanting to be involved, and so he could read up on everything that was happening.
Abruptly, she strode back into
the office and set it on the receptionist’s desk. “Do you ever get young patients in here who are all alone and don’t have anyone to help them out? Maybe they can’t afford much?”
The woman at the desk looked at the book as she nodded. “We do. A couple of our doctors set aside time to offer appointments to them free of charge.”
“Good. Please give this book to someone who needs it. It was a big help to me when I was pregnant the first time, and I already have a copy at home, so I don’t need this one.”
Her step was a little lighter on the way out, even if her heart remained heavy. She had no one to blame but herself. Well, she could blame Merit, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t known going in that he was irresponsible—even the second time around. And yet it still hurt.
On her way back to work, she detoured down Aspen Street to pop in at Must Love Frosting and Lift Your Spirit.
Roxanna glanced over from where she was wiping down one of the shared café tables between the bakery and her psychic shop. “Morning, Mae.”
“Hi.” She stopped by the tall brunette while waving across the front pastry counter to her best friend in the back. Much as she loved Honor, over the past year, Roxanna had become a cherished third to their two. It had been a bit bumpy at the beginning for Rox and Honor before they smoothed out their differences, but Mae had felt a kinship with the psychic from the very beginning. “I promised Honor I’d drop off some morning sickness tea for her to try.”
“Nice. I know the essential oils don’t always completely help. Maybe the two together will do the trick.”
“Speaking of which, I want to try a couple of the oils, too. Can you show me what you have?”
“Of course. Come on.”
Rox was explaining her recommendations when Honor joined them a few minutes later. “The peppermint has worked best for me,” she chimed in, “but the ginger helps, too.”
“There’s ginger in the tea.” Mae handed her the box as they moved toward the cash register.
“Perfect, thanks.” She glanced at the box before asking, “How’d your appointment go?”
“Good. Everything is as it should be, and,” she added with a grin, “I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”
“Awesome.” Honor’s smile revealed her own excitement for that, especially since it was her first. And no matter how many times a woman was pregnant, Mae couldn’t imagine that ever getting old.
“Just you?” Roxanna clarified with a shrewd glance as she rang up the bottles of oils.
Leave it to the psychic to pick up on that. “Merit didn’t show.”
“Oh, no.” Honor frowned. “Seriously?”
“Yep. But it’s fine.”
Oh yeah? Then why are you about to cry again?
I’m not.
Mae drew in a breath and summoned the anger that had sent her inside to give away the book she’d bought for him. “Really, it is. Better we get this out of the way now.”
She put her hand over her belly. Because I will love you, baby. Don’t you worry about that.
“Asher’ll kick his ass if you want him to,” Honor offered. “He’s in the back with Loyal.”
“Whose ass am I going to kick?”
Mae jerked her head around to see both of Merit’s older brothers exit Lift Your Spirit’s back office/storage room. “No one’s.”
“Merit’s,” Honor said at the same time.
“What’d he do now?” Asher asked.
“He was a no-show for the doctor appointment,” Roxanna informed them.
Loyal nodded at Asher. “I’m in.”
Mae stiffened her spine as she handed her credit card across the counter while giving them both a stern look. “No one is kicking anyone’s ass. This is between Merit and me, and you two will stay out of it, got it?”
Both brothers were taller than her by a foot, as well as twice her weight. They exchanged a glance, each of them wearing an identical smirk.
“That tone work on Ian?” Asher asked.
“It does.” She narrowed her gaze and lifted her chin. “And he’s smart enough to know I mean business when I use it. Do not mess with me.”
Loyal took an exaggerated step back with his palms up in silent surrender. Roxanna slid the credit card slip over while turning to eye her seemingly submissive boyfriend. “Wow. Can you teach me that tone?”
Honor snickered. “All you gotta do is threaten to withhold sex, and he’ll do anything you want.”
Loyal snorted in response. “It’s the other way around. She can’t get enough of me.”
Mae half-expected Roxanna to reach back and smack him, but instead she shrugged. “What can I say, it’s true.” As Loyal grinned, she turned back to Mae. “So seriously, can you teach me that tone?”
She laughed with the rest of them as she tucked her card and purchases in her purse. What Loyal said might be true, but they all knew he’d do anything for Rox. She cut her gaze to Honor and Asher, who had the same type of relationship.
Equals. Partners. There for each other in anything and everything.
That’s what she wanted, and when the time came, she’d settle for nothing less.
Although, these days, if the time came seemed to be more likely than when.
Chapter 21
Merit pulled into the site of the in-the-works veterans foundation Loyal and Grayson were setting up. The building was going up slow but sure, built by yet another non-profit organization that employed military veterans, both fully-abled and disabled.
He scanned the lot for Loyal’s vehicle as he braked not far from his half-brother’s rusty, red Ford truck. But it didn’t look like Loyal was around, damn it.
Foot still on the brake, he grabbed his phone from the console and sent him a text to see if he was gone for the day, or just out on an errand. As he waited for a reply, the last few moments of his interview played in his mind.
“I’m gonna be upfront with you, Merit. While we appreciate you coming in, unfortunately, we won’t be able to offer you the position.”
He’d thought the interview had gone well, so the man’s words caught him off guard. Frustration and desperation had loosened his tongue. “Was it something I said?”
“It’s not going to work out, that’s all.”
“So, that’s it?” he’d asked with a frown. “You’re just going with someone else?”
James had shrugged. “That is how it works.”
“Is it my lack of experience? Because I promise, I learn fast. I was in the top five percent of my class in both high school and college.”
“That’s not really the issue.”
“Then what the fuck is?” He’d regretted the aggravated slip the second it left his mouth, but the guy was unfazed.
“I have to consider this from what makes the most sense for our business. You’re high risk, and there are other candidates who not only have the experience needed, but also the drive.”
“I have drive.” They had no fucking clue how much drive he had these days.
“You graduated four years ago and haven’t done anything in the industry since then. You’re already behind your peers, and frankly, given your family name, I’m guessing you don’t need to work, I can see you haven’t worked, and I can’t take a chance on investing time and money into you only to have you decide one day you don’t want to work.”
The guy didn’t know fuck, but he wasn’t about to tell him his daddy cut him off and beg for the job to pay the bills on his multi-million dollar home. Of course, mentioning the baby might get him some sympathy, but he’d still have to reveal he was a Diamond without a penny, and fuck if he was going to do that.
He’d held his temper, forced a smile, and shook the guy’s hand. “Thanks for letting me sharpen my interviewing skills.”
Held his temper, but not his sarcasm. Not the best impression to leave with, but since he had no hope of getting the job, he found he didn’t give a shit.
But he did, actually. Which is what brought him here, only Loy
al wasn’t here, and he wasn’t responding to his text.
A rap on the driver’s side window made him flinch. He turned to see Grayson standing beside his SUV, his German Shepherd service dog, Remy, at his side. Before the window rolled all the way down, his brother grumbled, “What in the world could possibly have you looking like someone shot your dog?”
The shepherd lifted her head at the word dog, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as she stayed attentive to her owner’s needs.
“I had a job interview this morning.”
“Didn’t go well?”
“Not so much. And I’m down to only a couple dollars cash since Dad cut me off two weeks ago.”
His brother’s dark eyebrows rose. Merit was a bit surprised himself that he’d come out with that so candidly. Maybe he hoped this brother would understand his situation, given he’d grown up without the Diamond name and money. Judging by his truck, he seemed to still live as if he was down to his last dime despite working with millions to open the veterans foundation.
“Problem is,” Merit continued, “no one wants to hire me without experience. But I can’t get experience if no one will hire me.”
Grayson’s gaze narrowed as he crossed his arms. “Sorry, man, but I can’t give you a job here.”
So much for understanding.
“I wasn’t asking,” he retorted defensively. But then he thought better of it. “What if I volunteered to get some experience?”
His brother shook his head, not an ounce of sympathy in sight. “Companies are looking for months or even years of experience, not a couple days. And my guys don’t have time to babysit you.”
He grit his teeth to keep from telling him to fuck off.
“Have your new sister-in-law pull a few strings with her friend who owns that construction company.”
Merit scoffed. “If my own brothers won’t give me a shot, I doubt Honor would find enough stings to pull on her end. Besides which, I’m not asking Mae for a job.”
Love You, Baby Page 14
