She sighed. “You’re not wrong. But it’s so much easier said than done.” How many times had she and Emma daydreamed together about traveling the world? They’d planned on going to Hawaii, Australia, and Ireland. Maybe even Paris one day. And here they’d never even been out of Texas. How sad was that? She let herself roll onto her back again.
Emma joined her and reached over to lay a hand on Chrissy’s shoulder. “I know, sis. I know.” She remained silent for a moment.
Why did things like this have to be so hard? “What about you? Any thoughts on your job situation?”
Emma slowly shook her head. “Nah. I don’t suppose Wyatt has a brother. Is marrying someone with a lot of money a valid employment option?” She looked at Chrissy, her face serious, and then burst out in laughter.
It wasn’t long before Chrissy was laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. Marrying a millionaire would certainly solve their money issues, but she had a feeling anything with Wyatt would be more complicated than she could possibly prepare for.
Chapter Nine
Wyatt watched Bonnie as she finished hitting the last three baseballs that were launched her way. When the pitching machine powered down, she lowered her bat and turned with a satisfied look on her face. “We need to do this more often.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. In fact, he hadn’t felt this relaxed in months. They’d just finished their second round at the country club batting cages. Wyatt’s biceps were already aching. Bonnie was right, it’d been way too long since they’d last done this. It used to be a monthly event for them. In fact, they used to call it their gripe session. When everything about their family would drive them crazy, they’d both save up their grievances, go to the batting cage to take it out on the baseballs, and then talk.
They dropped their gear off, grabbed cold bottles of water, and found a small table in a more secluded area of the gardens. Wyatt downed half his water in several swallows before securing the top again and leaning back in his chair. “You were hitting those balls pretty hard. Whose face were you picturing?”
Bonnie giggled. She’d always had a little girl laugh that was highly contagious, and Wyatt had yet to meet someone who was impervious to it. She took another sip of water before giving a little shrug. “You know Mom. My life is veering off course, and she’s the only one who can fix my GPS.” She rolled her eyes. “In other words, nothing new.” She crossed her arms and fixed Wyatt with a stern look. “But you, my dear brother. Spill.”
“I have no idea what you’re referring to.” Wyatt casually downed the rest of his water. When Bonnie continued to stare at him, he gave her a subtle shrug.
She threw the cap from her own bottle at him. “Oh really? Let’s see if I have this right.” She held up a finger for each of her points. “First, you brought a date to Gran’s birthday party when none of us knew you were seeing anyone. Second, there seemed to actually be something there between you two.” When Wyatt started to object, Bonnie shook her head and continued. “Third, Violet strongly dislikes Chrissy, which puts a big plus in the Chrissy column as far as I’m concerned. And fourth, apparently Gran really wants Chrissy to go to the family reunion.”
Had Gran gone to see all of her grandchildren to have a discussion about Chrissy? He didn’t know if that qualified as obsessive or crazy.
This was like a flashback to when he was with Ashley. Somehow every member of the family felt they should give input on his love life.
“Truthfully?” Wyatt paused and waited for Bonnie to nod that he should go on. “I think it’s sad that no one else in the family has something to focus on besides my lack of a relationship.”
Bonnie seemed disappointed for a moment before she crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. “I’ve heard different things and figured I’d come to the source. So there’s nothing at all between you and Chrissy?”
Technically, there wasn’t. But the immediate rush of wishing there was hit him hard. His hesitation was apparently all Bonnie needed. She grinned triumphantly. “So why aren’t you bringing her to the reunion? Come on, a romantic getaway to the beach? What’s better than that?”
There was no way Wyatt would tell anyone in the family how Chrissy actually ended up at the birthday party. Anyone, that is, except for Bonnie. She was the only person who always kept his secrets. In return, he’d kept hers as well. It’d been a friendship growing up that he could rely on. She also had a way of worming information out of him.
“If I tell you, you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone else. Agreed?”
“Including Gran?”
“I’m serious, Bon. Anyone. Or I’ll be sure to tell them about that field trip your junior year…”
Bonnie’s face turned red, and her eyes widened. She knew full well that he would never tell her secret, but just the thought was enough to ensure her secrecy. “Okay, okay.” She made a crossing mark over her heart. “So what’s going on?”
Wyatt told her about how Mom had been pressuring him about bringing a date to the birthday party because it’s what Gran wanted, and they needed to make her happy. He told her about asking Chrissy and then ultimately offering to pay her to accompany him.
That had Bonnie giggling again. “So you’re telling me you hired a coffee barista to be your date?” When she put it that way, it sounded really lame. “You’re a Tabor. The only Tabor man who isn’t married, I might add. I’m pretty sure you could have dates lined up every night for the next decade if you just said the word.”
He had no doubt she was right. But they’d all be lined up to go on a date with him because of his money. He was confident none of them actually cared to get to know him, and as a result, he hadn’t yet convinced himself trying to date someone was worth it.
And then there was Chrissy. She was different. He wanted to give her a chance. But what if she was like all the others? He couldn’t risk another relationship that ended the way it had with Ashley.
He realized then that Bonnie was just watching him with an interested look on her face. “You’re never going to know if you don’t try.”
“And you really think bringing her to our family reunion and subjecting her to Mom and Violet is a good idea?”
Bonnie laughed at that. “Well, I think there are few people who deserve that. But,” she held up a finger, “if Chrissy goes to our family reunion and still wants to go out with you afterward, you’ll probably have a keeper.”
Wyatt wanted to deny that but couldn’t. Instead, he chuckled. “So I should triple my fee for the birthday party and see what happens?” It was supposed to be a joke, but he immediately sobered. The truth was, Chrissy and her family could use the money. But now that he knew her financial situation—and she knew his—any attempts to help her monetarily would be seen as charity.
His sister kicked his shin under the table, immediately making it sting. “Why don’t you try asking her to go with you, dummy?”
Could he do that? Ask Chrissy to go with him to the reunion as his date? What would that say about how he felt about her? And if she said no? Just the thought made his heart drop.
If she said yes, would it be because she wanted to go with him or because of the family money? He wanted to get back in the batting cage for another round or two and try to make sense of the mess of emotions zipping through him.
Bonnie must have taken pity on him. Instead of continuing to tease him, she leaned across the table and gently poked his arm. “You’re overthinking this, big brother. If you like Chrissy and want to see if there’s anything there, then ask her to go. If you don’t, then skip it. In the end, it doesn’t matter how much Gran wants something or how much Violet and Mom don’t. What matters is what you want. So what are you going to do?”
Wyatt jabbed a thumb toward the batting cages. “I’m going back in there until the answer comes to me.”
“In other words, you want me to tell Dad you’re going to need a week or two off from work.”
“Haha, cute.” Wyatt reac
hed his leg beneath the small table until his foot connected with her chair. He easily pushed it back until Bonnie could no longer comfortably reach the table.
Laughing, they both stood, and Wyatt tossed his empty bottle into a recycling bin. “I really should get back to work, though. This was fun, Bon. Let’s do it again sooner than later.”
“You’ve got it.” Bonnie gave him a hug. “I won’t say a word, but if you need to talk anything out, you know where I live.” With another smile and a wave, she headed out.
Wyatt changed t-shirts back at his office and tried to focus on the pile of paperwork that taunted him—one of his least favorite parts of his job. Getting through it, however, proved nearly impossible because he couldn’t think about anything but Chrissy.
He was still waffling between whether he should run before he developed true feelings for her or call her up and invite her to the reunion. With only a few days left, it’s not like he had a lot of time left to decide.
~*~
The next day, Wyatt strongly considered skipping coffee and going to work early. No matter how many times he thought about Chrissy—or tried to convince himself that he needed to walk away from her before he got in too deep—he pictured her smile. The second he did that, their moments together flooded his memory and all he wanted to do was see her again.
What if she wasn’t interested in him at all? What if she laughed when he invited her to go with him? Or worse yet, what if she was interested, and it was only because of his financial position? The fact she’d had no idea where he worked in the beginning made him feel a little better. After all, he was pretty sure they had a connection before he’d told her.
If he didn’t ask her, would he regret it? He immediately knew that he would. It was that realization that led him straight to the coffee shop. But upon entering, Chrissy was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully Emma wasn’t sick again. He got in line, ordered his coffee, and was about to text her to see if she was okay when she hurried in.
Instead of her normal jeans and t-shirt, she wore black slacks and a pretty blue long-sleeved blouse. He realized that she wasn’t wearing most of her rings and the sleeves came down to her wrists, effectively covering the tattoo.
Her attire looked perfect on her small frame, but strands of her hair had worked themselves loose from the clip at the back of her head. She looked frazzled, and the fact she was in such a hurry to reach the back room that she nearly ran into him only confirmed it. He reached out and caught her before she tripped over his shoe.
Chrissy looked up and gasped. “I’m so sorry!” She gripped his upper arms to regain her balance, and the feel of her palms against his skin completely distracted him. She let go way sooner than he wanted her to.
“Are you okay? I hope Emma’s feeling all right.”
“What?” She looked confused for a minute before her eyes widened a little. “Oh! No, it’s not that. Emma’s fine.” She lowered her voice as much as she could and still be heard over the din of the coffee shop. “I had an interview first thing this morning. I was supposed to be back twenty minutes ago.” She glanced at an employee who was handling the morning crowd by herself. “I need to get back there. I’m sorry I missed you earlier.”
Was she looking for a new job or a second one? He wished he could ask her more about it now, but this wasn’t the time or the place. “Are you available for lunch?”
“I can’t. I need to work through lunch to make up for this morning.” She placed a hand on his arm again and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure.” Wyatt watched as she disappeared into the back and returned with an apron. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. He hated the idea that Chrissy might be getting a second job.
She handed him his coffee with a tired smile. He gave her a wave and left, unable to get her off his mind. Everything about her spoke of a woman who was exhausted and stressed. Wyatt probably ought to let it go, but that was never one of his strengths. As the day wore on, he formulated a plan, even if he had a feeling Chrissy was going to dislike his idea.
That evening, without calling first, he headed over to Chrissy’s house. He rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, Sarah answered the door, a look of surprise on her face. “Good evening.”
“Hello. I’m so sorry to bother you. Is Chrissy available? I just wanted to speak to her for a few minutes.”
Sarah studied him, curiosity shining in her eyes. “Let me get her. Would you like to come inside?”
Wyatt slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and gave a subtle nod. “Thank you.” He took two steps through the front door and waited, uncertain how Chrissy would view his unexpected visit. When she came in, he took in her baggy knit shorts and the t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big. Part of her hair was pulled back with stray strands dangling near her ears. It was all he could do to keep his hands in his pockets and not reach out to see if it was as soft as it looked.
She appeared uncertain as she approached. “Hey, Wyatt. Is everything okay?”
He tipped his head toward the front door. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
Chrissy looked toward the living room where her mom and sister were sitting. Was she looking for a reason to say no? She finally shrugged. “Sure.”
Wyatt held the door open for her and then closed it securely behind them. He waited for her to take a seat on one of the three steps that led from the porch to the cracked sidewalk below before joining her. The steps weren’t quite wide enough for them to sit next to each other, so he sat on a step one lower than her. They both naturally turned to face each other, their knees nearly touching.
He’d been trying to decide all day where he should begin the conversation. Not knowing how much time they had, he dove right in. “How’d the interview go?”
Chrissy cringed. “Not well. The hours are flexible, so I was hoping for weekends. They want nights. I don’t think I can handle six to midnight and still work at the coffee shop. Not if I want to stay awake, anyway.” She gave a short laugh. “But we’ll see. Maybe if I work that shift for a while, I can move to weekends later.”
“And what? Work every waking hour?” That wasn’t healthy for anyone. “Has Emma not had any luck job hunting?”
She shook her head and lowered her voice. “She’s just now feeling well enough to start. She interviewed at one place but when they heard why she’d had to give up this last job, I think it scared them. Nothing like worrying about a new employee having to take off extensive time for sick leave, you know?” She sighed. “She’s stressed and not in a position to deal with this right now. So if I can get a second job for a while, it’ll take some of the pressure off her.”
“What about you?”
“I can handle it.” Chrissy’s spine straightened, and she lifted her chin as though daring him to contradict her.
He had no doubt she could, but at what cost? “I’ve watched my dad work himself to death all my life, Chrissy. I’d wake up in the morning, and he’d have been at work for hours. I would hear him come home again long after I went to bed. And it was rare to have a weekend when he was home even for part of it. He’ll deny it to his dying day, but it’s taken a toll on his health. On our family.” He rested a hand on her arm for a brief moment. “I don’t want to see you entering that kind of lifestyle.”
“What other choice do I have?” Her whisper was fierce, and unshed tears made her eyes glisten.
This was as good of a time as any. Wyatt took in a long breath before releasing it slowly. “So I’ve thought about this all day. At first, I was going to offer to give you some money to help, and I knew you’d turn me down flat.” She raised her brows and gave him a look that more than verified that hunch. “Then I thought I’d offer to loan you the money, but knew you’d say no to that, too.”
“Okay…” Chrissy looked confused. “Where are you going with this?”
“Gran desperately wants you to come to the family reunion.”
One
corner of her mouth lifted in a half smile. “I know. She sent me an invitation herself.”
Now it was Wyatt’s turn to be surprised. Wow, Gran had a lot of nerve. “I didn’t realize that.” He paused. “Well, I thought maybe we could take our arrangement for the birthday party and extend it. What if you go as my date to the reunion, and I pay you for your trouble?” He told her the amount he had in mind, and Chrissy started to stand up.
Wyatt reached for her hand and held it in his, encouraging her to stay. “Hopefully it’ll be enough to keep you guys going until Emma can find another job. You won’t have to work your fingers to the bone, and it’ll make Gran happy. Not to mention get her off both of our backs.” When Chrissy tossed him a curious look, he elaborated. “On Sunday, she tried to persuade me to get you to the reunion one way or the other.” He shrugged. “She’s a hard woman to say no to.”
“I get that about your Gran. Trust me. But I’m not taking your money. I’m definitely not taking that much money.” She ran her fingers through a small section of her hair, apparently only then wondering about her appearance. Her cheeks turned pink, and she took the clip out, shaking her head to try to get her hair to fall into place. Several strands caught on the earring of her left ear.
Wyatt carefully used a finger to sweep them away, then lingered near her ear just a moment longer than he needed to.
Chrissy blinked at him. “Your Gran may want me there. I’m pretty sure Violet would do about anything to make sure I’m not. The way I see it, the votes cancel each other out.”
“I thought you’d turn down the money. So I have a plan B. What about a job for Emma? At the country club, I mean. There are several openings, and I think Emma would be perfect for one of them.” Chrissy looked stunned. “I’d love for her to drop by anytime next week and apply if she’s interested.”
Her mouth opened slightly before closing it again. “So you want me to go to your family reunion in exchange for getting Emma a job?”
Marrying Chrissy (Brides of Clearwater Book 3) Page 8
