Page 27 of Always Be Mine

“It’s fine.” She shook her head and led them to the kitchen, where she offered them each a glass of lemonade she’d found in the fridge earlier. Kat accepted but Asher declined, so she poured two glasses and leaned up against the kitchen counter, her glass in hand.

“Something you should know about this family,” Kat said after she’d taken a sip of her drink. “We’re kind of all up in one another’s business. I guess that’s also kind of an apology,” she added with a shrug. “Because you’re going to have to deal with all of us.”

“Some of us are more difficult than others.” Asher winked in her direction.

“Is that an attempt to flirt with me?”

Kat almost spat out her lemonade, but the shock on Asher’s face was worth it.

It was obvious he wasn’t used to being called out. It took him a moment to recover, but finally, he smiled easily. “I guess it is.”

“Well, it’s not a very good one.”

Kat howled with laughter.

“Okay,” Asher admitted. “It wasn’t my best effort, but I had to take a shot. It didn’t work, did it?”

Lucy pressed her lips together and shook her head a little. “Sorry.”

“Nice try, bro. But she’s clearly out of your league.”

Asher shrugged, taking it all in stride, which was good because the last thing Lucy was trying to do was offend anyone. But at the same time, it didn’t seem like a good idea to lead anyone on, especially when she had no intention of reciprocating any of his advances. Or anyone’s advances. That’s not why she was in Trickle Creek.

“It’s not you,” she said honestly. “But I’m really not interested in dating at all.”

“I feel like there’s a story there.” Kat finished her drink and put the glass in the sink. “But don’t worry, I’m not going to push,” she said quietly enough for only Lucy to hear. “We should be going.” Kat turned to face Asher and all but dragged him to the back door. “If you need anything at all, Lucy, please ask. I own the hair salon in the plaza, and if I’m not there I’m usually not far.”

“Thank you.” Lucy meant it. She liked Kat. And despite his forwardness, she liked Asher, too. It was easy to see the love the family had for one another, and she’d only met half of them.

“I’m sure you’ll meet the rest of us soon,” Kat added, as if she’d read Lucy’s mind. “They’re probably all dying to meet the woman who’s special enough that Craig would leave Meri in her care.”

Her choice of words stopped her. “What do you mean?”

“Craig’s, well…I don’t know how to say this…” Asher pretended to think for a moment. “A bit of a control freak,” he added matter-of-factly, earning him another smack from his little sister.

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black.” She shook her head. “It’s actually a miracle that Asher took five minutes away from the office to come here today.”

“Hey.” He shrugged. “You said it yourself—everyone is dying to meet the woman who changed Craig.”

Again, the choice of words stopped her. She hadn’t changed Craig. She hardly knew him.

“Okay, it’s true.” Kat shoved her brother toward the door. “It is actually some sort of miracle that you’re here, Lucy. It’s not that Craig is a control freak, it’s just more that he thinks he can do everything himself. So…hiring you was a big deal.”

“Not like he had a choice.”

“What?” Lucy stared at Asher, who only raised his eyebrows in response.

“Anyway,” Kat snatched back the conversation. “We’re all really glad you’re here.”

Lucy tried to smile as she took in this latest bit of information. The circumstances of her hiring were already so strange, and they were getting stranger by the moment. She was starting to get the distinct impression that she was part of something bigger than simply a nanny job and as if she didn’t have enough on her plate, she was very quickly starting to feel like she was in over her head.

ChapterSeven

“This is not goingto work out.”

Craig tossed the folders he was holding onto the huge mahogany table in front of them and watched as they slid almost to the other side before his older brother stopped them with a slap of his palm.

“Yes, it is.”

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