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Oh please God no…
“Holly! What are you showing him?”
Clark looked up from her sister’s screen, an amused expression on his face.
“He only caught the tail end of the show, so I thought he’d like to see it from the beginning.”
Merry closed her eyes, imagining all the ways she could kill her sister and get away with it, but her parents were fond of the red-headed brat.
Damn it.
“I think I’ve seen enough,” Clark said, obviously taking pity on her discomfort. She was grateful for it.
“Where’s your brother and Jace?”
“At the house. I needed some air and heard the commotion, so thought I’d come see what was going on.”
“Just me chasing a dog around, trying to retrieve my…” Merry squeezed the object in her hand so he couldn’t see what it was. “Project.”
Holly leaned over and used a stage whisper. “It’s a voodoo doll of her friend’s ex’s penis.”
As much as she loved her folks, Holly had to die.
Chapter 9
Clark
Clark covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile. He’d come around the side of the house to see Merry chasing the dog and at first he’d thought they’d been playing. Then he’d noticed her bare feet and the desperate look on her face.
Plus Holly standing there recording the whole exchange was something a younger sibling would do only if it was blackmail gold.
Merry looked ready to fly through the air and tackle her sister. Pine needles and leaves stuck out of the golden strands of her messy bun and streaks of dirt lined her cheeks and forehead.
She was an adorable mess.
Merry took a step toward Holly, her fists clenching and unclenching.
“Careful, Mer. There’s a witness,” Holly cheerfully sang.
Merry cast him a disgruntled look. “You gonna testify against me if I murder her?”
“Nah, just don’t get any blood on my trees.”
Merry’s lips twitched, obviously fighting a smile, and his pulse kicked up a notch. His resolve to stay away from her was wavering, especially with their unfinished conversation taking up permanent residence in his head. He was almost positive she was going to ask him to get to know each other better, and it seemed like all of his very good reasons for not getting involved with her had twisted into arguments on why they’d be an excellent match.
Which was insane in itself, since he’d taken the walk away from his place to type out another message to KnottyGirl25. He had been ready to tap send when he’d seen the shenanigans in the side yard and stopped to check it out. The sisters were bickering again and he took the moment to read through his message.
KnottyGirl25,
I know you’re probably imagining the worst of me, but I swear I had an unexpected visit from my brother and I couldn’t leave him. I’d been anxious and excited about our date all day. I was prepared with prewritten jokes in case I got nervous. Please know I was just as disappointed about not meeting you as I hope you were about not seeing me.
Can we try again?
Woodsman27
He pressed send before he lost his nerve and slipped the phone into his pocket. Two messages in less than a twenty-four-hour period may seem desperate, but he could only imagine what she was thinking with him cancelling on her last-minute. He couldn’t leave last night, not until he knew why his brother was there. They’d had plans for him to come the week of Christmas, so showing up almost six weeks early threw Clark into a tailspin of worry. Even though Sam was older, Clark often felt like the doting parent to a rebellious teen instead of the younger of the two.
Although they’d spent a few hours talking and catching up, his brother kept assuring him there was nothing wrong. That it didn’t make sense to live a state away from his only family anymore and would Clark mind if he crashed with them until Sam found a place?
