CHAPTER 16
Evie
“There you are.” Kitty motioned to the chair across from where she sat on the couch. “Come sit with me, sweetheart.”
“I was just going to ask if you’d like me to make you some tea.”
“That would be nice. But sit first. I want to talk to you, and we don’t have much time.”
I sat. “I’m not leaving until tomorrow, Kitty.”
“Oh, I know. I meant much time before my grandson gets off the phone. He just went outside on the lanai to call the airline about his luggage again.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Do you trust me, dear?”
“Of course, Kitty.”
“Even though he’s my flesh and blood, I would not steer you into something I thought would cause you any harm. I know he can come off as an ass sometimes… Let’s face it, a lot of the time, but he’s a good man. When he loves, he loves with his heart and soul.”
I shook my head. “I’ve never doubted that he was a good man. Well, maybe he wasn’t so friendly during our first meeting. But since I’ve gotten to know him, I can see he’s not as impenetrable as he wants you to think he is.”
She pointed to me. “You hit the nail on the head, sweetheart. Of course you did. You’re a smarty pants. Merrick is a roaring lion on the outside, but inside he’s a kitten. He thinks the way to protect his heart is by acting like he doesn’t have one.”
I smiled sadly. “He’s been through a lot. We have that in common. People respond to trauma in different ways. I’ve baked and snacked my way through the last six months, and Merrick has thrown himself into his work more than ever.”
“Has he told you about the twit?”
“Amelia?”
Kitty nodded.
“I don’t know the whole story, but I know Merrick was hurt and she died.”
Kitty nodded again. “I knew she was a twit the day I met her. I regret minding my own business and not telling him so. Which is why I’m meddling now. At my age, you can see things that fit, often before a person tries them on. It’s a gift you get in exchange for your memory, teeth, and hearing.” She leaned over and patted my hand. “Can I be frank, dear?”
“Oh boy. You mean all of these years you were holding back?”
She smiled. “He carries a lot of guilt for things he shouldn’t feel guilty about. You both have a lot of baggage, but you were meant to help each other unpack.”
“I don’t think Merrick sees me in that way, Kitty.”
“He’s different when he’s around you—calmer and more at peace.”
“That might be because he finally took a break from the office.”
She shook her head. “It’s not. And that’s not even how I know he’s falling for you.”
“Okay…”
“He smiles because of you. Whether he’s talking about you or to you, I haven’t seen him smile this way in forever.”
“I think maybe that’s because he’s laughing at me. You did hear me tell the story about last night, right? How I attacked him with a toilet bowl brush and wound up with a piece of glass in my ass?”
She smiled, but ignored my comment. “You know what else I think?”
“What?”