Page 14 of Merry with Me

“Yeah, one of them is damn good too. Kincaid boy. His dad runs the mechanic shop here in town.”

Kin-fucking-caid.

“That’s great, man,” I finally say. Unless there are two of the Kincaid brothers who own that shop, Brad’s star junior is none other than Blakely Kincaid’s brother. This woman… she’s everywhere in my life all of a sudden. It seems like, no matter what I do, she’s there. I don’t know if it’s just bad luck or because I now know that I have to work with her, and she’s infiltrated my world. Am I more aware? Whatever it is, I can’t seem to escape her. She’s everywhere.

“Yeah, great family. There are a shit ton of them.” He laughs.

I nod. “Can’t go anywhere in this town without running into a Kincaid.” I’m going for casual, but even I can hear the annoyance in my tone, something Brad completely ignores. He is my best friend, after all. He’s used to my moods by now.

“Deacon Setty too. The lawyer in town. Well, he’s not a Kincaid, but his wife was, or is, or she’s related to them somehow. I’m not sure,” Brad rambles on.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I’ve been assigned to work with Blakely on the Christmas gala, but I hold back. Why, I’m not sure. Maybe because she’s everywhere and I seem to be thinking about her a lot lately. I know Brad will be able to sense that and think too much into it. It’s better if I keep this, my working with her, to myself for now.

“I should get going.” Brad pulls Carrie from her high chair after wiping her face and hands, which she hated.

“Come to Uncle Oliver.” I hold my hands out, and she dives into them. I snuggle her close as she rests her cheek on my chest. As an only child, I’ll never be an uncle, except for my best friend’s kids, and I’ve accepted that. Sure, if I were to get married, I would have been an uncle to my wife’s siblings’ kids, but that ship has long since sailed.

“Thanks for coming to see me,” I tell Carrie, rubbing my palm up and down her back.

“You definitely need one,” Brad says, nodding to his daughter.

“I have two. Yours.” I grin. I know what he’s doing, but no amount of telling me or lectures are going to change my mind. That day, the one I refuse to talk about, changed me. It changed my life, and I’ve accepted that.

“One day, man.” Brad shakes his head as he holds his hands out for his daughter.

“No.” I wrap my arms around Carrie to keep her from reaching for her dad and twirl us around. Her giggles fill the room, and damn if the sound doesn’t do wonders to cheer my ass up. I needed this tonight.

“Thanks for having dinner with me,” I say, kissing Carrie’s cheek and holding her so that Brad can get her coat on her.

“Thanks for having us and for dinner.”

“I needed it,” I confess.

“I can tell there’s been something on your mind, but I don’t want to pry. You know where I am.”

Yeah, I’m not telling him that it’s not something but someone—a very gorgeous someone who keeps popping up in my life—that’s on my mind. “Appreciate it,” I say, handing him his daughter.

I walk them to the door and wave before heading back inside. The desire for a beer has left, and I’m just exhausted. I takemy time wandering through the house and turning off the lights before going to bed.

I’msoready for a new day.

CHAPTER

FIVE

Blakely

“Oh, I love your dress,” the receptionist says as I approach the counter of the Willow River Orthopedics. It’s located in the medical arts building, which is conveniently attached to the hospital. There is a long corridor that connects the two buildings, so I didn’t even have to go outside to come to this meeting. Well, I did, but that was to grab lunch.

“Thank you. I bought the dress for the boots.” I step back and raise my leg just so she can get a better look.

“Love it. Where did you get it, if you don’t mind me asking?” She smiles kindly.

“Oh, Marshall’s in Harris a few weeks ago. It’s one of my favorite places to shop.”

“Nice. I’ll have to check it out. Are you here to meet with Dr. Thompson? Kathy said we should be expecting you.”

“I am.” I nod. I don’t know if it’s my name badge that told her who I was or if she just knew. This is a small town, after all, and the Kincaid name is said a lot. I mean, there are a million of us. Okay, not quite that many, but there are a lot of us. I’m one of twenty-two grandkids in my generation.

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