Merried

by Jamie Farrell

  And there she went, surprising him again. “Not many people make a living with their dreams,” he said.

  She didn’t reply, but she gave him a look he was coming to think of as the Merry’s got an idea look, with a touch of a blush on top of it.

  It made his pulse kick up the same time a rush of never gonna happen hit his gut.

  He was a jeweler, born into a long line of jewelers, destined to maybe one day add a kid or two to the family legacy.

  But it would be damn fun to spend his days covered in grease.

  And she was watching him as if she knew it. “I guess it’s good to keep it just a hobby,” she said. “I mean, if you had to do it all the time, you might hate it, right?”

  Hate cars? Never.

  She smiled, and even though telepathy was impossible, he could almost hear her saying, That’s what I thought.

  Possibly with a side of So do it.

  “These cars are fascinating,” she said. “I could spend hours here.”

  Max didn’t detect a hint of sarcasm.

  But for once, the cars weren’t the most interesting thing at the show. “Wanna blow this Popsicle stand and head back to my place?”

  She blinked once, then smiled, even if it didn’t feel entirely Merry-ish. But when her fingers brushed his thigh, he didn’t care what kind of smile she gave him.

  “Does your place have cheese?” she whispered.

  “White cheddar, Brie, and muenster. And if you’re nice, Scout might share it.”

  She arched a mock haughty brow at him. “Or I could go home and eat my own cheese.”

  He slipped his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the exit. “But I wouldn’t be there to feed it to you.”

  Her eyes went cloudy, and her lips drew down.

  Almost as though she were considering going home.

  His ticker hammered.

  Shouldn’t have. This was just for fun. Not serious. He wasn’t ready for serious.

  Maybe it’s the curse, an ugly voice whispered.

  But then Merry smiled again. “I suppose I can give up my independent eating ways for one night.”

  He blew out a breath.

  One night.

  Yeah, this was just about one night.

  And he wouldn’t have traded his left nut to have his family’s support for the idea of him quitting at With This Ring and restoring muscle cars for the rest of his life.

  If he had to lie to himself, he might as well lie about everything.

  * * *

  Merry’s excellent secret-keeping skill was the only thing keeping her from hyperventilating while she followed Max from the car show to his house in Bliss.

  She was dating a jeweler.

  A freaking jeweler.

  If Daddy found out—

  No.

  No, Daddy would never find out. Merry hadn’t mentioned anything about Max to Mom. She was all tied up in post-divorce drama right now. So Merry would keep Max to herself, and she’d break up with him.

  Her heart twisted.

  “Why?” she whispered to the sky.

  It didn’t have any answers for her, so she focused on Trixie’s taillights and kept driving.

  She liked Max.

  She liked Max more than she’d ever liked any man. Yes, she’d kept her secrets from him, but everyone had secrets. And it wasn’t like she and Max were serious. They were just having fun.

  Which was all the more reason for her to break up with him sooner rather than later.

  But she was twenty-seven years old. If she told her father to stay out of her dating life, he would.

  Wouldn’t he?

  And what about Daddy seeming to have settled down? He had a good job. He’d been in the same place for almost two years now. He was getting older, and he seemed to be acknowledging his limitations.

  Dammit.

  She needed to break up with Max.

  But…if nothing went wrong, Daddy wouldn’t have need for any vengeance, right?

  And even Daddy couldn’t argue that anyone in Bliss needed to be taught a lesson. The whole town was devoted to love and weddings. There was even—she squinted into the distance—holy crap. Was that a gigantic wedding cake?

  Why had Mom never gotten married here?

  Merry shook her head. Not the point.

  The point was, she couldn’t date a jeweler.

  But maybe if she told Max that she was Amber Finch, if she showed him it was possible to make a living from following your dream, then maybe he’d leave the jewelry business and instead take a job restoring old cars, and—

  And if Daddy was still thieving, and if something ever went wrong with her relationship with Max, and if Daddy found out about it, Max’s family would still be in trouble.

  She switched on her blinker and followed Max as he took a side street just inside Bliss.

  That was a long list of things that had to go wrong before she would actually be putting Max or his family’s business in danger by dating him.

  She was already in this deep.

  One more afternoon wouldn’t hurt anything.

  Would it?

  A few minutes later, Max pulled into the garage of a two-story brick colonial house in a comfortable older neighborhood.

  A place where children had grown up in the same house from birth through high school. Where families stayed put for a full generation, sometimes more. Where grandmas made cookies for the grandkids they watched after school, like Max had told her his grandmother used to do for him and his brother.

  A yearning hit Merry so deep in the pit of her gut that she almost couldn’t breathe.

  It was too idyllic to be real, yet it was Max’s life.

  His life that he was sharing with her, one little piece at a time.

  Max waved her into the garage too, so she took the empty stall beside Trixie. She slowly climbed out of her car and followed him to the door. As soon as he opened it, a mass of golden fur shot out into the garage, nose going straight to Merry’s crotch.

  “Scout! Down, girl,” Max said. He gave Merry a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that. She’s friendly, I promise.”

  An eager nose flicked at Merry’s hand and followed it with a lick, and before she knew what she was doing, she had sunk to her knees to hug the dog. “Hi, you sweet thing,” she crooned.

  This was what a home was supposed to feel like.

  Normal. Stable. Forever.

  It was entirely too good to give up just yet.

  Chapter 15

  “Spike, you stay here,” Phoebe Moon said to her clumsy but well-intentioned iguana. “And if I don’t come back, run to the nunnery. They always took such good care of you.”

  —Phoebe Moon and the Ninja Hideaway

  * * *

  Present day…

  Having sex with Max last night might’ve made the chilly blue sky brighter, the Christmas decorations around Bliss more charming, and the task of planning Mom’s wedding more enjoyable, but it had also made the guilt hang thicker.

  Merry had been as honest as she could with him. She’d given him more of herself than she gave anyone.

  But she still felt as though she’d stolen something she couldn’t return.

  So when she saw no hint of him all day Tuesday—not at breakfast at the B&B, not at the wedding planner next door to his family’s store, not at the winery where she’d told him they would be half the day—she started to relax.

  Maybe last night had been his goodbye. Or she’d been overly full of herself in thinking that she meant something to him. Or he’d gotten her out of his system.

  I’m only thirteen, and even I know that’s a load of crap, Phoebe Moon said.

  Merry put imaginary duct tape on Phoebe Moon’s mouth and forced herself to focus on Mom and Patrick and the dinner menu at Suckers.

  The bar wasn’t Mom’s usual joint, but she insisted Patrick have a bachelor party when his brother and nephew arrived in Bliss, and Zoe had said Suckers was the best place in town.<
br />
  Unfortunately, Merry recognized several of the other patrons from her trip here the other night.

  There was Zoe. Pepper. And a vaguely familiar blonde wearing a pair of amethyst drop earrings and matching necklace, a Cartier watch, and a diamond wedding ring that rivaled some of Mom’s. The blonde was clearly running the show at their table.

  Mom hadn’t noticed them because she’d been too busy trying to accidentally catch Billy Brenton’s eye. He was in the back corner booth with his wife, along with two other men—one tall, broad, and redheaded, the other tall, slender, and bald—and two more pregnant women.

  “Mom, stop,” Merry whispered. “You’re going to give Patrick a complex. Besides, Billy’s married. And he’s half your age.”

  “Not quite, Meredith, and I’m simply marveling at the wonder of so many beautiful pregnant women. Make sure you drink the water, dear. It’s obviously effective here.”

  “Now, now, Vicky, Merry’s a career woman.” Patrick winked at her. “With so many young people failing to find their places in this world, we should celebrate what she’s accomplished instead of worrying over what she hasn’t.”

  He’s almost as good as your mother, and he doesn’t even know I might be on a bestseller list this week, Phoebe Moon said.

  “Ah…thank you, Patrick,” Merry said.

  He patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Of course, Merry. I’m honored to be getting such a smart, independent stepdaughter. You’re a testament to your mother’s raising.”

  “Oh, Patrick, you’re such a dear.” Mom pecked him on the cheek.

  Their waitress stopped to take their order, and when she left, Mom leaned her elbows on the table. “Merry, I heard the most interesting tidbit while you were exploring the gift shop at the winery.”

  “Seems there’s a lot interesting in Bliss these days.”

  “You remember that sweet Pepper who helped us at the bridal gown shop? Apparently every last one of her boyfriends has married the woman he’s dated directly after her. They’re saying she carries the pre-bride curse.”

  “Mom, there’s no such thing as a curse,” Merry said.

  “And I heard that Matt boy who keeps sniffing around has his own curse. Obviously this town isn’t the best place for the poor residents to find their happily ever afters.”

  “Billy seems happy. So do all those pregnant women.”

  “Still, it’s a good thing we’re all leaving on Saturday.”

  “Ms. Silver.” The blonde materialized at the edge of their table. She extended a hand to Mom. “Rachel Vaughn-Gregory. We haven’t met, but Zoe Scott tells me you’re an absolute dear, so I wanted to say hello. May I?”

  Mom stiffened, but Rachel sat at the empty seat at their table before anyone could object.

  Rachel’s smile oozed troublemaker, with a side of take no prisoners. “I hear your wedding plans are coming along beautifully.”

  “I’m sorry, who are you?” Mom said.

  Rachel laughed, a tinkling sound that inspired thoughts of Phoebe Moon stopping dancing Uncle Sandy from ruining a debutante ball. “I’m sorry, I should’ve mentioned. I’m the president of the Bridal Retailers Association, and my husband, Dan, and I play Santa and Mrs. Claus at all the local events now. Of course I volunteer at the kids’ school every week, and there’s Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts—my oldest crosses over to Boy Scouts this spring—and I help Dan at With This Ring from time to time. He discovered his passion for following in his grandfather’s footsteps when dear Gramps was designing the Mrs. Claus diamond ring, and now he’s the head jeweler.” She thrust her hand out. “He designed my wedding set too.”

  Merry’s stomach dipped.

  It was a lovely set—the diamond engagement ring was at least a carat and a half, set in platinum, with the wedding band a wrap with three lines of diamond chips swirling about the engagement rock.

  And if Daddy were here, and if Daddy thought anything about this woman was obnoxious, he’d relieve her of the ring in a heartbeat.

  “Beautiful,” Mom murmured with a slanted glance at Merry.

  Patrick made an approving, “Mmm.”

  Poor oblivious man.

  “Anyway, we take weddings very seriously here in Bliss, and we just want to know that you’re happy with yours,” Rachel finished.

  “Well. Thank you very much,” Mom said.

  “It’s our pleasure, Ms. Silver. I trust you enjoyed the Snow Bride Festival?”

  Mom cast one more glance at Merry, but then nodded at Rachel. “Charming festival.”

  “Officially, it’s over for the year, but we locals don’t really call it closed until after our annual bachelor auction for charity. It’s this weekend.”

  “Pretty sure Mom doesn’t need a bachelor,” Merry interjected.

  Patrick chuckled.

  “Nor does Merry,” Mom said.

  “Yep. One too many ex-boyfriends in Bliss already,” Merry agreed cheerfully.

  “Between you and me, I’m honestly worried about my brother-in-law,” Rachel stage-whispered, as though everyone except possibly Patrick hadn’t figured out who her brother-in-law was. “He’s had a horrible string of bad luck in love lately, so we’re taking up a collection to help my friend Pepper bid on him.”

  What an excellent way to shove Merry out of the way and make Max forget all about her. With a woman who belonged in Bliss. Who knew the town’s history. Who loved the town for it. And who had never abandoned one of their beloved sons.

  “Pepper the pre-bride?” Mom said.

  Rachel nodded ominously.

  “Not that I care one way or another, but whose curse do you think will be lifted first?” Mom asked.

  “Hard to say, but we can hope both. Not that any of us actually believe in curses.”

  “Of course not, of course not,” Mom agreed. “But the notion is fascinating.”

  It totally is, Phoebe Moon agreed. But they’re stealing your man, Merry.

  He’s not mine, Merry fired back.

  Merry Silver, you know you want him, Phoebe Moon chided.

  Shut up, you little brat. I want to go to France.

  “What does a bachelor typically go for at your auction?” Mom asked.

  Merry stifled an indignant squeak. Polite interest was one thing, but Mom was taking it too far.

  I thought you wanted to go to France, Phoebe Moon taunted.

  “We have about two hundred dollars in our fund for Pepper, but we’ve had bachelors go for as much as seven hundred before,” Rachel said.

  Mom looked over at the table where Pepper and Zoe had their heads together, then back at Rachel. “What charity does your cause support?”

  “Other than the worthy cause of breaking curses against love?”

  “Knock it off, Rach,” Max said.

  Hooray! Phoebe Moon cheered.

  But Merry’s tongue went sideways, her biceps clenched on their own, and her legs tensed for flight.

  A warm, solid, terrifyingly comforting hand settled on her shoulder. “How about I save us both and take you to dinner. We can plot our revenge against my dastardly sister-in-law and her unsuspecting accomplices.”

  Something even more terrifying caught in her throat and threatened to choke her.

  He said dastardly, Phoebe Moon crowed. And unsuspecting accomplices!

  Rachel beamed at him. “Olivia will be so thrilled.”

  “At vengeance?” Merry forced out.

  “No, that her favorite uncle Max is quoting her favorite books. Pepper,” Rachel called, “do your nieces read Phoebe Moon?”

  Merry needed air.

  Now.

  She shoved out of her chair without waiting to hear Pepper’s answer.

  Max steadied her, questions she would never answer springing up in the blue-green depths of his eyes. “You okay?”

  “Just great,” she lied. She flashed her phone at Mom, then grabbed her coat. “My boss is calling. Gotta go.”

  Mom frowned, obviously seeing right through
the lie. “Meredith, we need your help picking Patrick’s bachelor party menu.”

  “Patrick’s a big boy, Mom. He can read the menu himself and everything.”

  “Pleasure as always, Nicky,” Max said behind her.

  “It’s obviously all yours, Matt,” Mom replied. “And Meredith doesn’t need your help with a phone call from her boss.”

  “No, but I just remembered I need to be somewhere.”

  He caught up with Merry in the parking lot. The icy air stung her lungs, and her eyes weren’t adjusting to the dark fast enough.

  Also, she couldn’t find the other sleeve of her coat.

  Max held the offending article still and helped pull it up to her shoulders. “Sorry about that. Rach can be a little driven when she has a goal.”

  “It wasn’t—” Merry caught herself.

  Rachel was sort of like another Mom. Pushier, but hardly anything Merry couldn’t handle.

  It was the idea of Max still reading Phoebe Moon that had sent her over the edge.

  Had he started Phoebe Moon and the Missing Sunshine yet?

  Had he noticed Zack Diggory’s car?

  For that matter, had he noticed he was Zack Diggory?

  “Thanks for the rescue,” she said. “You can get back to your…whatever, and I’ll tell Mom you took me back to your place, stuffed me full of cheese, ravaged me, and then drove me home like a gentleman. She’ll love that.”

  “Or we could go back to my place, have some cheese, and I can ravage you and then drive you home like a gentleman.”

  Merry sniffed the winter air, but all she smelled was cold with hints of beer and French fries. “Max—”

  “You’re leaving in a few days, I have a couple years left on my curse, and you have legitimate reasons to worry about our family businesses. Got it.” He slipped his hand in hers, his fingers warm and strong, and he tugged. “But you turn me on, Merry Silver.”

  “You’re a shameless flirt.”

  “Oh, you want shameless flirting?” He angled his body to align with hers and put a hand to the small of her back, drawing her closer. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?”