Merit (Treasure State Wildcats Book 4)
Merit: Chapter 29

I couldn’t get the fastener on my earring. I’d been trying to put on the damn thing for five minutes, but I couldn’t stop my fingers from shaking.

“You know what?” I set the stud on the countertop, talking to myself in the bathroom mirror. “I don’t even need earrings.”

I shouldn’t even be going tonight.

Why had I agreed to this?

Jennsyn had texted me this morning and invited me to go with her and Toren to the Wildcats volleyball game. I’d said yes too fast when I should have asked for more details. Because she’d also invited a guy from work, and though she’d promised it wasn’t a blind date, it felt a lot like a blind date.

Jennsyn was working at the local YMCA as their sports director, and apparently there was a guy in her office, one of the donor liaisons, who was allegedly cute.

I wasn’t really interested in an allegedly cute donor liaison. But I was interested in getting out of this house, so even though I didn’t feel like going on a blind-ish date, I hadn’t changed my mind about the game.

It was just something else that was twisting my insides in a knot. The biggest culprit was the sign now staked in my front yard.

Anna from Mission Realty had wasted no time. I hadn’t signed the listing agreement yet. We hadn’t landed on an asking price or taken photos. But one of her associates had arrived this morning and put a sign in my front yard.

When I’d texted her about it, she’d replied, Just getting a jump on things! You can always change your mind.

Apparently, the lack of inventory in Mission’s real estate market meant she was doing everything to lock this in. Maybe she’d sensed my hesitation on our phone call yesterday. Maybe this was her way of nudging me into the decision she wanted.

Part of me wanted to tell her to take that damn sign out of my yard and stop being so pushy. The other part figured that if I was going to sell it, why not?

The guilt had been eating me alive for almost twenty-four hours. It had been a rash, impulsive decision, and I had little to no experience with rash and impulsive. Spontaneity was Maverick’s style, not mine.

Though it had felt good in the moment. It had felt like exactly the right thing to do.

Last night.

Except by this morning, I’d reverted back to my regularly scheduled programming of overthinking. That ridiculous green-and-gold sign wasn’t helping.

Was it a mistake to list this house? Or was it exactly what I needed?

This could be a fresh start, the change I craved. I hated the idea of moving, of telling my parents I was leaving the house they’d picked out. I didn’t want to disappoint them or seem ungrateful. But if I moved, I could pick a house for myself.

I wanted a big bedroom, like I had here. A kitchen adjacent to the dining room, like I had here. An extra bedroom I could convert to a home office, like I had here.

Why was I worried about moving? Because of a not-so-fun conversation with Dad? Maybe the problem here wasn’t my address. Maybe the problem was my employment.

I loved transforming a space with landscaping. I loved plants and flowers and dirt beneath my fingernails. I loved lush, green yards and beautiful flower beds. But my relationship with Dad was more important than a business. It was becoming uncomfortable at Adair, and if it continued, I was scared it would fester. That I’d begin to resent my father.

What if I went to work for another company for a few years? I could gain some experience. Earn a reputation based on my skills, not my last name.

Dad would hate it. God, he’d be angry, and that resentment I was trying to avoid would be unavoidable. Maybe it had always been inevitable. I could go to work somewhere else and hope I’d gain Dad’s confidence—or have my own wither away a little bit every day.

A breakup could be exactly what we needed.

Maybe Maverick had been onto something, all this time.

Or maybe he was the same massive jerkface he’d been when we were ten, and I was destined to hate him forever.

Enough feeling sorry for myself. Enough nursing this broken heart. Enough Saturday nights home alone. It was time to move forward.

Starting tonight with a blind-ish date.

“Ugh.”

At least there’d be volleyball.

Even if this guy from the YMCA turned out to be a dud, I could endure a few hours to cheer on my former teammates in their rivalry game against the Griz.

The football team had won against the Grizzlies today in an absolute slaughter. I hadn’t watched the game, but the temptation had been too much this afternoon, and I’d checked the final score a few hours ago.

Hopefully the volleyball team would have as much luck.

The doorbell’s chime echoed through the house.

I did one last fluff of my hair, taking in my outfit in the bathroom mirror. My distressed blue Wildcats crewneck draped over a shoulder, leaving it bare. My jeans were cuffed at the hems and I had on my favorite pair of white tennis shoes.

The last time I’d worried about dressing cute had been a Saturday with Maverick.

It felt wrong, a betrayal, getting ready for this game. For a date.

I walked away from the mirror before I could change my mind and cancel this entire thing. When I made it to the front door, I snagged my coat from a hook in the entryway and opened the door.

“You could have just come in—” It wasn’t Jennsyn on my doorstep.

It was Dad.

“Oh. Hey, Dad.” Shit.

That sign in the yard might as well have been a strobe light for how it seemed to flash from over his shoulder.

That guilt from earlier came roaring back as Dad stared at me, twin worry lines between his eyebrows. Okay, so I probably should have slept on this moving idea. Screw spontaneity. I wasn’t built for hasty decisions.

“Hi.” Dad was still dressed in his winter gear, what he must have worn to the game today. His gray-and-brown hair was covered in the Wildcats beanie I’d bought him for his birthday a few years ago.

“Want to come in?” I shifted to the side.

“Um, sure. You look nice. Are you going somewhere?”

“The volleyball game with Jennsyn.”

“Ah. Well, I won’t keep you.” He stepped inside just as Jennsyn appeared behind him, having walked over from next door.

“Hey.” She smiled and waved to Dad. “Hi, Declan.”

“Hi, Jennsyn. Heard you guys are going to the game?”

“That’s the plan.”

“You guys go ahead,” I told her. “I’ll meet you there.”

“We can wait.”

“No, really. It’s fine. I’ll be right behind you.” And if I had my own vehicle, I could bail.

She pointed at my nose. “Don’t bail.”

“I’m not going to bail.” Probably. It was tempting. Which was likely why she’d arranged this ride with her and Toren, so I wouldn’t have the chance to ditch her colleague and this awkward setup.

“Fine,” she said. “See you at Upshaw?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good. Also, we’ll be talking about that.” She twisted and gave the realtor’s sign a pointed glare.

I cringed. Well, she’d have to get in line. Dad was here first, and I was guessing that his impromptu visit meant someone around town had told him about that sign.

News traveled fast in Mission. It wasn’t as small of a town as it had been once. As the university had expanded, bringing in larger and larger classes each year, so had the population. But we’d lived here a long time and Dad was very well-known around town.

He had spies everywhere.

I closed the door as Jennsyn headed back to her house, shutting out the cold night, then I steeled my spine and faced Dad. “I listed the house for sale.”

“I fired Samantha.”

We spoke in unison.

He wasn’t surprised, obviously.

Me? I stared at him with my mouth agape. “Y-you what?”

“Yesterday, after you left, I brought Samantha in and told her she was going on a performance improvement plan. She’s overstepped more than once and if she can’t stop, then she’s not a good fit. She didn’t like that much. She said a few things, made it personal, so I let her go.”

“Wow.” Did I want to know what she’d said? Probably not.

“She isn’t a good fit for the team. And you were right, she never should have interfered with your client. I shouldn’t have either.”

“Okay.” This was not at all the conversation I’d been expecting. What was the catch? Was there a catch?

Dad put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you didn’t like to be called Steve?”

I shrugged, my cheeks flushing. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“But I’ve been hurting yours.” He swallowed hard as tears made his eyes watery. “You know, I’ve been waiting for so long to have you come to Adair. There were so many years I missed something of yours because I was at work. I thought it would be our chance to spend time together before I retired. And now I’m worried that this job is going to be what causes a rift with my daughter I won’t be able to repair.”

“I don’t want that either.”

He blinked too fast, forcing a smile. “Our family has lost enough this year. I’m not willing to lose you over Adair.”

“But you love Adair.”

“I love you more.”

My whole body seemed to exhale. “I love you too, Dad.”

“I’m sorry.” He pulled me into a hug, squeezing tight. “You are enough. I never wanted you to think I didn’t believe in you. I just don’t want you to be stuck to something that I built. To feel trapped by this company because of your loyalty to me.”

“I don’t feel trapped by Adair.” And I didn’t want to replace a new job, not when I already had the one I wanted.

He let me go, sniffling. “Monday morning, we’ll talk about a transition plan. You need more experience in the field and in the office. That’s not a critique. I just don’t want you to be unprepared to take over. I’m not going anywhere for a bit, but it’s never too soon to start.”

“I’d really like that.”

“We’ll talk about the garden center too. It’ll be yours. You might as well set it up the way you want.”

“Okay.” Was this really happening?

“I told Maverick he could have a job over winter break, but I’ll rescind that offer. It was wrong of me to force you into that. I know things between you two have been tense.”

Tense would require we be around each other. Things between us were nothing.

We were nothing.

“If you want to hire a business manager someday, that’s your call,” Dad said. “For now, we’ll tackle everything together. You and me.”

Hell, I was going to cry and ruin my makeup. “Thank you.”

“Don’t quit.” He gave me a sad smile. “If you need to sell this house, move someplace else, I understand. But don’t quit Adair, not unless you want to do something different.”

I nodded. “All right.”

He hugged me again, resting his cheek against my hair. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

We hadn’t hugged enough in the past seven weeks. When we were at the office, he was my boss. We’d both been stifled under the weight of professionalism. But that was asinine. He was my dad, first and foremost. Adair was a family business. So come Monday, if I wanted to hug my dad, I was going to hug my dad. I doubted anyone would care or notice.

“You’d better get to the game,” he said, letting me go.

“Yeah, I suppose.” I waited until he was gone, then I hustled to the garage, a smile on my face for the first time today.

Even if this game, this blind-ish date, was a nightmare, tonight was already better than I’d expected.

The fieldhouse parking lot was packed when I arrived, this game almost always sold out every year. Jennsyn and Toren were waiting for me in the hallway outside Upshaw.

And so was my date.

“Hi, I’m Taylor.” He smiled as he shook my hand.

“Stevie.”

“Nice to meet you. Shall we?” He nodded toward the doors.

I let him and Toren go first, falling into step with the crowd shuffling into the gymnasium.

“Cute, right?” Jennsyn asked, lowering her voice as we walked together.

“Yes.”

Taylor had blond hair and brown eyes. He was tall and fit, his navy, long-sleeved thermal molding around muscled arms and broad shoulders. And he had a swagger that reminded me a lot of Maverick’s.

Except he wasn’t Maverick. Not even close.

And it took everything I had not to turn around and leave the gym. I wasn’t ready to be on a date. I didn’t want anyone else.

“Want anything from concessions?” Taylor asked as we reached our seats, third row up from the floor.

“No, thanks.” I took the seat next to his, close but not so close that we were touching.

Jennsyn sat on my other side, cuddled into Toren’s side. She looped her arm with his as he splayed his hand over her knee.

They were adorable together. The perfect match. If I didn’t adore them together, I’d be jealous.

More people crowded in around us, forcing Taylor and me closer.

“Sorry,” he said as his leg pressed against mine. “Not exactly roomy in here.”

“It’s fine.” I waved it off. “So you work at the YMCA?”

“I do. Jennsyn tells me you run a landscaping company.”

“Well, it’s not my company. It’s my dad’s. But someday, I hope to take over.”

“Impressive.”

“Thanks.”

Taylor stared at my profile, a warm and handsome smile on his face. He really was good-looking, well beyond cute.

A guy I could see myself dating.

Except I didn’t want him. And I hated that his cologne was so familiar.

He smelled so much like Maverick it made it hard to breathe.

A knee knocked into my shoulder, jostling me forward. The nudge was hard enough that Taylor and I both twisted in unison to scowl at the person behind me.

“Sorry.” The man held up his hands in apology, but there was an arrogant smirk on his face.

He wasn’t sorry. Not even a little bit.

“Hey, Adair,” he drawled.

I hated the way my heart flipped. “Houston.”