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“You’re such a sweet woman, Merry. Beautiful. Loves kids and puppies. Damn near perfect, don’t you think, Clark?”
“Thirty cents, Uncle Sam.”
“Shhh, kid, I’m asking your dad a question.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “Well?”
Merry laughed, brushing a hand against her pink cheeks. “I’m not even close to perfect. If I named off all my flaws, you’d be singing a different tune.”
“Everyone has flaws,” Sam said. “Only a near-perfect woman would acknowledge hers.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not falling for your smooth-talking charm, Sam Griffin.”
A flash of jealousy wrenched through Clark’s stomach when his brother took Merry’s hand and kissed her palm. “Maybe not now, but give me time.”
“I think Merry’s a wonderful woman,” Clark blurted, shooting his brother a pointed look, silently reminding him to stay away.
“Brrr, I think the weather is about to turn. I’ve got to head to work.” Sam dropped Merry’s hand with a wink. “Always a pleasure, Merry. And Jace, my dude, I’ll pay for my swearing when I get home.” He straddled his motorcycle, giving them a little wave. “Have fun, kiddos.”
“Get a helmet on!” Clark hollered.
Sam held a hand up to his ear. “Sorry, can’t hear you.”
“Yes, you can!”
Sam roared away, leaving Clark and Merry standing across from each other, Jace and the puppy playing at their feet.
“Well, that was abrupt.” Merry laughed.
“That’s Sam. Tact and social grace are not his strong suits. Oh and common sense, another thing he lacks.”
“He’s a lot like my sister, Holly. She has this YouTube channel where she does all of these high-risk activities and it terrifies me.”
“Except my brother is in his mid-thirties and still acts like a rebellious teenager.”
“What’s rebellious mean?” Jace asked without looking up.
“It means he likes to break the rules and doesn’t care about consequences.”
“You love him very much, huh?”
“I do. Besides my son, he’s the only other family I have.”
Merry reached out and squeezed his arm. “Family is more than the people you’re related to. If you looked around, I’m sure you’d find a lot of people care about you.”
Clark covered her hand with his. “Thanks, Merry.”
She dropped her gaze suddenly and pulled away. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot of stuff to unload from the car, so we must go.” Merry smiled at Jace. “But you can come over any time to play with her.”
“Like now?” Jace asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.
Merry chuckled, catching Clark’s eye. “That’s up to your dad. You’re both welcome to come over for dinner tonight. I was going to do something for just me, but if I have company, I love to cook.”
Jace popped up from petting the dog and took Merry’s hand. “I love to eat!”
Clark’s gaze shifted from his son’s pleading expression to Merry’s sweet face.
“Sure, we’d love to come to dinner.”
“Yes!” Jace jumped up and down. The puppy bounced up in response, planting her paws in Jace’s stomach and he wrapped his arms around his middle with a grunt. Clark took a step toward his son, but Merry was already kneeling in front of him, pushing the puppy back.
