Page 55 of Always Be Mine

It was true. Craig was known as the calmest of all the siblings, with the exception of Charli, who was the most patient of all of them. Craig never got riled up. He never lost his patience or yelled and only very rarely even raised his voice. He swallowed hard, unable to answer his brother.

“Can I offer my opinion?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Chase grinned and gestured for him to follow him into the dining room. “I think you let Asher get to you because there might be a little bit of truth to what he’s implying.”

“Excuse me?”

Chase held up his hands. “Hey. Don’t get mad at me. I’m just calling it like I see it and…well, I see it.”

Craig pulled out a chair and sat down hard. “And what exactly do you see?”

“I see a very attractive young woman who is amazing with your daughter.”

He saw that too, of course.

“And I see the way you look at her.”

Craig’s head snapped up. “Excuse me? How exactly do I look at her?”

His brother took his time answering him as he opened the bottle of wine and poured out two glasses before handing him one. He pulled out the chair next to him and sat so they faced each other. “You look at her like you never want her to leave. And it has to do with a whole lot more than Dad’s stipulation.”

Craig opened his mouth to object but closed it again. He took a gulp of his wine and rolled it around his mouth. Of course he didn’t want her to leave. Meri loved her and already she’d made his life so much easier and relieved so much stress. But that wasn’t what Chase meant, and he knew it. Worse, he agreed.

“Be honest with me, Craig. Is there anything going on between the two of you?”

“What?” He set his glass down with a bit too much force. “No. Of course not. Why would you even ask?”

Chase didn’t bother to hide his disbelief. “Nothing?”

“Well, we kissed once, but it doesn’t count because it was before I hired her, or even knew her name. It wasn’t even a real kiss.” It may not have been real, but it hadn’t stopped Craig from wishing it was, or replaying that moment in his mind when he closed his eyes. “But no. Nothing is going on. Why does it even matter?”

Chase shook his head. “The fact that you’re even asking that is a problem, brother. I know you’re not that stupid. Getting involved with an employee, especially one who lives with you now, is setting you up for a world of problems. And you can’t affordanydisruptions with this situation, Craig. None.”

He swallowed hard. Of course, Chase was right. And he wasn’t an idiot. “Don’t worry about it, Chase. Like I said. Nothing is going on. It’s purely professional.”

His brother gave him the side eye, but didn’t say anything more for a moment. Finally, he picked up his glass and took another sip. “Keep it that way, Craig. I mean it. If this blows up…for any reason…it’s done.”

Craig forced what he hoped was a reassuring smile to his face. “It won’t blow up, man. There’s nothing to worry about here. Lucy is the nanny. It’s totally professional.”

Chase still didn’t look convinced, but thankfully, he didn’t push it. “Good.” He gave Craig a nod. “Keep it that way. For all our sakes.”

The Carlson family dinner turned out to be just as loud and boisterous of an affair as Lucy had expected. And she loved every minute of it. Everyone had been so welcoming and friendly that she didn’t feel like an outsider at all, but part of the family.

Even Asher had obviously gotten the message that she wasn’t interested in him as more than a friend, and had dropped his overt flirting. The only thing that seemed a little off about the whole evening was Craig.

From the moment that she’d carried in the bowl of salad and taken her seat across from him at the table, he’d avoided making eye contact with her completely.

She didn’t let herself dwell on it or how quickly his attitude toward her had changed since she’d arrived. She didn’t have a lot of experience with big families, but she did know that there were dynamics at play with that many siblings, and there was a good chance Craig’s change in demeanor had nothing to do with her.

After talking to Charli and Annie in the kitchen, she’d learned more about the pressure Craig was under with his business and how he’d been a single father trying to run a business and be both a father and a mother to little Meri for far too long. She’d also learned that the entire family had been under some extra stress since their father had passed away and that Craig was currently under some additional pressure due to something regarding their father’s will.

She’d left the conversation with about as many new questions than answers to the ones she already had. But regardless, it sounded like Craig was dealing with a lot.

“So, Lucy.” Kat spoke up from the far end of the table. “What do you think of Trickle Creek so far? Is it everything you thought it would be?”

She smiled and speared a cucumber with her fork. Considering that the only thing she’d ever heard about Trickle Creek came from her ex who couldn’t stop talking about how romantic the town was,no, it was definitely nothing she thought it would be.

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