AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry, honey. I know you hate needles, but they’re probably going to need to give you antibiotics. You don’t want to get an infection.”
Merry must have realized she was still holding his hand because she glanced up at Clark, extracting her palm from his. “Sorry for crushing your fingers. I appreciate the ride, though.”
“It’s not a problem. Sorry about the stitches. Just think about your favorite show and play it in your head when they poke you.” He felt awkward and stiff standing there with the three Winters women watching him. “That’s what I tell Jace to do.”
Merry gave him a small smile. “I’ll remember that.”
Now I’m giving her advice for my seven-year-old? What is wrong with me?
“I better get out of your hair. Do you need me to help you to the car?”
“Chris will be out in a minute. Thank you, Clark.”
Clark nodded at Victoria and Holly. Before he turned away, he shot Merry a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you around.”
“Bye.”
He headed for the door, feeling like an ass for hanging around like a concerned boyfriend. His arms still hummed from the warmth and weight of her there and he wished he could just turn off these conflicting emotions.
Before he closed the front door behind him, he heard Victoria sputter, “Merry Elizabeth Winters, is that a penis?”
Clark laughed the whole walk home. There was never a dull moment with the Winters family. He liked all of them, although Nick and Noel he didn’t know as well, but they seemed nice. Nick invited Clark to the bar with him once, but it was when he’d first moved to town and he hadn’t found a reliable babysitter yet. He’d thought about inviting Nick to get a beer now that he’d settled in, but Clark thought it would be weird to cold-call him.
Why did making new friends seem like dating?
When he stepped through the door, Sam and Jace were sitting on the couch, credits rolling on the show they’d just finished. His brother’s sun-kissed brown hair was still mussed from sleep.
“Hey, what took you so long?” Sam asked.
Clark shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up. “Merry hurt herself and I helped her inside the house.”
“Ahhh. The blond from last night? I hadn’t seen her since she was a kid. She grew up nice.”
Clark’s jaw clenched at the way his brother drew out the I in nice.
“She’s not available.”
Sam snapped his fingers. “The sexy ones are always taken.”
“What’s sexy?” Jace piped in.
“Don’t worry about it,” Clark said, waving his hand. “Why don’t you go grab us some fruit snacks and I’ll make us lunch.”
“Yes!” Jace jumped up from the couch and raced into the kitchen.
When he was out of earshot, Clark shot his older brother a dark look. “You gotta watch what you say around him. He hears everything.”
“Sorry, wasn’t trying to expand his vocabulary. Just used to adult talk.”
“Just be aware, he knows all the swear words and if he hears it, he’ll charge you for them. The price for each word is on the side of the swear jar.”
Sam picked up the jar on the side table, reading the chalkboard label. “A dollar for an f-bomb? Seems a little steep.”
Jace came back, hollering, “Catch, Uncle Sam!”
He tossed the fruit snack pouch through the air and Sam dived dramatically, cradling the package in two hands and falling to the floor.
“Touchdown!”
