Page 4 of Merry with Me

“She and I are going shopping tomorrow,” I tell them. “I’m going to look for a Christmas tree for my office.”

“I’m sure we have a small one at the manor you can use,” Mom offers.

“Thank you, but shopping for a small tree and all the ornaments is part of the fun.”

“Are you allowed to have that in your office? Is that not a fire hazard or something?” Dad asks.

“Yep. I’ll make sure it’s unplugged before I leave every day.”

“Do you need money?” Dad asks.

My heart melts. I have the best parents a girl could ask for. “No, but thank you for the offer.” I smile at him.

“Dad, did you know that there is this cool thing called a job? And guess what else? Blake has one. She’s even an adult now. How did you miss that?” Beckham asks.

“All right, smart-ass.” Dad chuckles. “I just want to make sure my kids have everything they need.”

“In that case, I could use some cash. Orion and Caden are picking me up after dinner to go to the movies.” Beckham bats his eyelashes, which has me cracking up. “What? It works for the three of you.”

Dad just shakes his head as he reaches into his wallet for some cash and hands it over.

“Consider that an advance for helping me clean out the garage tomorrow,” Mom tells him.

“Anything for you.” Beckham smacks a kiss on her cheek. “Congrats on the job or whatever,” Beckham says as he turns to me. “That’s why we get Mom's cheesy chicken and rice, so go you. Keep that shit up.”

“Beckham!” Mom scolds, but she’s laughing, so the scolding is useless. My brother just grins and winks at me before loading up his plate.

“This is our favorite, right, Blake?” Brooklyn nods, filling her own plate.

“You bet.” I make my way around the island in the kitchen to do the same.

My little sister just turned twelve. She’s in that stage where she wants to be an adult and loves anything I do, but she still wants to be a kid too. I tell her she has plenty of time to be an adult, to enjoy being young while she can. Not that adult life is bad, but I don’t want her to grow up too fast. She’s ten years younger than me. Watching her grow up has been fun, and I try to be there for her, for both of them, anyway that I can, but damn, her growing up gets me in my feels.

I can’t imagine what our parents feel like. Brooklyn is the baby of the house. The older I get, the faster time seems to pass by. I’ve heard that from my parents and my aunts and uncles, but with each year that passes, I understand that statement more and more.

We eat dinner and catch up. It feels good to spend time with my family. Beckham leaves with our cousins, Caden and Orion, and I spend a little time with Brooklyn in her room. She catches me up on all the drama with her friends while I paint her nails.

It’s a good night—the perfect end to the best day.

CHAPTER

TWO

Oliver

“Good morning, Dr. Thompson.” My nurse, Kathy, waves from her desk as I make my way to my office at Willow River General. I started here as an orthopedic physician, right out of residency three years ago. My parents live in Atlanta, so it’s nice to be close to family, and I’ll admit, I like the slower pace of small-town life.

“Morning,” I mumble as I step inside my office. After sliding out of my coat, I hang it on the hook behind the door before tossing my keys in my desk drawer. I boot up my laptop that I left here last night. Normally, I take it home with me to get caught up on charting and go over patient notes for the next day's appointments, but my best friend from college, Brad, invited me over for dinner for his son, Abe’s, fifth birthday, and I knew I wouldn’t get any work done.

“You have a full day today,” Kathy says from the doorway of my office. “Your four o’clock canceled, so I blocked that time slot. You have a meeting with Blakely Kincaid from marketing at five. I thought that would give you time to finish up your charting for the day.”

“That’s fine. Why am I meeting with Ms. Kincaid?” I ask her. An image of Blakely Kincaid pops into my mind. She’s gorgeous, young, and always smiling. Basically, her personality is the opposite of mine, and I have no idea why I would need to be meeting with the smiling beauty.

“It’s time to start planning the annual Christmas gala.”

Dammit, I knew I should have insisted they switch my committee assignment. “What happened to Hilary?” Hilary and I have worked on the gala since I started my time here at Willow River General. We have an understanding. She handles everything, and I back her up when she asks for it. Otherwise, I stay out of it. I couldn’t care less about the Christmas gala. Hell, I stopped attending my parents' annual Christmas party three years ago, and I can’t see myself changing that anytime soon. Let’s hope Ms. Kincaid is on board with that same plan.

“Hilary delegated to Blakely. She’s a sweet girl.” Kathy smiles. She’s my lead nurse and in her late fifties. I was insistent that I wanted someone who was not going to be hitting on me all day long. I’m here to care for my patients, not flirt. When I interviewed Kathy, I knew she was perfect, and she’s proven over and over again since day one that she’s not only an incredible nurse but manages to keep my ass in line and my schedule on time. I’d be lost without her.

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