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Holly finally found the scissors and tape in the left bottom drawer and set them down on the counter.
“You ready to get this prank underway?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Merry said.
Holly came around the desk and opened up the top of each box, studying the contents inside. A slow smile stretched across her face as she thought, This is going to be good.
CHAPTER 4
Declan leaned his head back against the headrest as Clark pulled into the driveway of his father’s house, closing his eyes as the world swam. The doctor had checked him over and after letting him know his nose was only bruised, not broken, but that he had a mild concussion and one hell of a shiner, told him to go home and take it easy. Declan hated to cancel jobs, but his head still throbbed even after the dose of pain meds the doctor gave him, and he didn’t want to get on any more ladders today.
“You going to be okay?” Clark asked, putting the truck in park.
“I’ll live.” Declan reached for the door handle and groaned as the sore muscles in his back protested the movement. “Just need to take it slow for a few days. I feel bad leaving you all in the lurch.”
“Eh, the guys will get it done. As long as you’re one-hundred percent by the bachelor party we’re good. I need you to help me keep everyone from going off the rails.”
Declan chuckled. “Why did I get roped into babysitting duty?”
“Because you’re the responsible one in the group. The title usually falls on my shoulders, but I’m the groom.” Clark gave his arm a light squeeze. “Don’t worry. It will only be my brother and Pike we need to worry about.”
“Why isn’t Nick helping us keep a lid on things?”
“He’s a jokester and I wouldn’t put it past him to join forces with my brother to mess with me.”
“Gotcha.” Declan remembered Nick talking about the prank wars he used to get into with his sisters and wondered if Sam and Clark had a similar relationship growing up. As an only child, he hadn’t gotten into crazy situations with siblings and sometimes wondered if he’d missed out.
Then again, if he’d told his brother no strippers or tats and he did it anyway? He wouldn’t handle it in stride the way Clark was.
Why he’d agreed to be a groomsman for Clark was a mystery to him. They were friends, but he hated weddings, especially the events leading up to them. All the fake smiling and the big fuss. If two people actually wanted to spend their lives together, why wouldn’t they just go down to the courthouse and skip the expense and drama?
Clark got out of the truck on the driver’s side, waving at Nick who had trailed behind them in his vehicle. Declan opened the door and stepped out, squinting against the afternoon sun.
“You need help getting into the house?” Clark asked through the open doors of the truck.
“Seriously, I’m good. I’m going to head in and make some lunch.”
“I’ll call and check on you later, so you’d better answer.”
Declan rolled his eyes. “I’ll do my best.”
“If you don’t, I’ll send my soon-to-be sister-in-law to check on you, since she lives right there,” Clark said, pointing to the adjacent road that took eager light enthusiasts to Evergreen Circle, where Holly lived.
“No, not that,” Declan said. “She’d come by to make sure I was dead.”
“Probably.” Clark laughed. “I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for coming out, Declan. I know it didn’t exactly go as planned, but I appreciate you showing up. You’re a good friend.”
“Thanks. We’ll talk later.”
“See ya, man.”
Clark jogged down the driveway to his brother-in-law’s truck and hopped in. Declan turned and headed up the walkway to the front door, his back and butt aching with every step. He trudged through the door and hung up his coat, calling out, “Dad! I’m home.”
“I’m in here watching the tube.”
Declan hobbled into the living room and found his dad reclined in his favorite chair, his food tray in his lap.
“Hey, where’s Kim?” Kim was their neighbor, who worked from home as a call center operator. While Liam was still in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, he’d forgotten his way home a time or two. Luckily, Kim spotted him and was able to get him home without anyone else in town questioning how Liam forgot where his house was. She kept an eye on Liam while Declan worked and it made him feel better about not being here.
