Page 25 of Almost Had You

“Do you think I didn’t think that through? He doesn’t want me to leave Greenton. Do you honestly think he’d rather me be with some Yankee man who he doesn’t know at all? You are the best choice given the circumstances.” It’s a really long shot, but it’s my best shot.

“A weaker man would be offended by that.” Mercer jogs over to the DR parking lot and grabs his bag. He’s panting when he rejoins me.

We walk the five minutes back to my car in the town square quietly. I swallow hard as we get to my car. “I know that, by the way. That most people would be offended.” It’s part of the reason I haven’t found the right man yet. No one can handle me the way I want to be handled.

I set off for the other section of town. The town hall is an old brick building. It was destroyed by a hurricane, but they were able to restore it back to its old glory. The office building adjacent to it houses all of Greenton’s public offices. This is the section of town that has my favorite clothing boutique. I park in a small lot and sit there, letting the cool air calm my nerves. Mercer is holding his palms over the vents on the passenger side.

“Pardon me for saying so, but my balls are sweating all over Tannie’s seat right now. You ready to go on in?” Mercer drawls, humor in his voice. “Any tips? Bombs I can expect to catch when we go in there.”

I laugh. “This is our joint task. I’m so glad you chose to accept it. I’m confident that you’ll be able to catch whatever bombs I throw to you during this hazardous mission. I hope you still have balls to sweat when we come back out.”

He grabs my arm. I glance his way. “I’m not worried about that. I know you want my balls intact when we come out. You won’t let anything happen to ‘em.”

“Confidence,” I say, nodding. “That’s attractive on a man.” Mercer gets out of the car and walks around to open my car door. He’s grinning when I step out, my hand in his. I love that he keeps the gentlemanly ways of the South. “That’s attractive too,” I exclaim, sighing. “Game face, Mercer. I’m not sure how far good manners are going to get you in there.” I hike my thumb over my shoulder and envision my daddy sitting behind his desk. Cold, stern face fixated on whatever he’s working on. He’s been a hard worker his entire life. Whenever we go on vacation, he gets antsy and is on edge. He obsesses over all the things he’s not getting done while he’s relaxing.

“One thing before we go in,” he says, pulling on my hand. Mercer brushes a stray strand of hair off my face. “I wanna taste what I’m fighting for.” Tilting my chin with a single finger, he brings his head down and plants his lips against mine. A second of his intoxicating kiss is all it takes for my head to swim. I grab his sides, his shirt, and pull myself closer to deepen the sensation. Against his body, with my tongue sliding against his, I’m numb to everything around us. Drowning in Mercer Ballentine is a death I’d relive a million times. His warm hands are on my waist, and I’ve forgotten about the three days I’ve waited on him and am kicking myself for not being the aggressor and going after him. I’m lost in the sensations when Mercer pulls away.

His eyes are sleepy, turned on. It matches the bulge throbbing against my stomach. I swallow hard, gazing into his wild eyes. “Just as I thought,” Mercer says, country accent thick. “Worth dyin’ in battle for.” He grabs my shoulders. “If we’re going in there to talk to your father, I need to calm down for a second.”

I clear my throat and sneak a peek at what needs calming. “Those shorts really don’t hide a thing.”

“On a normal day, I’m not kissing you. Working out doesn’t really get me going if you know what I mean.”

I bite my lip. “On a normal day, you’ll be kissing me.”

“I’ll wear my chastity belt from here on out,” Mercer replies, readjusting himself and the waistband of the shorts. “You ready?” He looks dangerously handsome; his skimpy shorts be darned.

“As I’ll ever be.” I sigh. This isn’t in any way I ever envisioned this going, but now that I’m here, in this moment, I can’t think of a better way. “Thank you, by the way.”

He grabs my hand, and we walk toward the brick building and the double doors. “Don’t thank me yet, that comes at the end. When the mission is complete.”

The secretary has a bright smile when she sees me, but her bottom jaw drops when her gaze slides right and sees big ole’ Mercer, holding my hand. “Ms. Wellsley,” she stutters. “What can I help you with? I don’t see you on his schedule, but of course you don’t need to be on his schedule.” Her bright blonde curls are perfect, and her lips are painted a hue of red I would never dare wear. “Should I let him know you’re here?” This question shouldn’t be taken at face value, she’s giving me an out. An escape. In case I just now realized what an awful idea this is. She’s a kind woman. My mother often wonders just how kind she is.

“Please let him know I’m here to chat. He’s not expecting me, but I do hope he has a few minutes. Mr. Ballentine and I have a bit of business to address,” I say. I can feel Mercer’s chuckle next to me. I elbow him. The secretary flies out of her seat and down the hall to my daddy’s office. She calls down to us to come right away. As we walk down the hall, I lean in and say, “Andrew Jackson says she listens through the door.”

“That’s the losing end of the stick. How about twenty on her calling someone before we even leave the building.”

I nod. “You’re on.”

Daddy’s eyes are on the door as I stride through, and his gaze immediately flicks to Mercer. I take the first word. “Hey, Daddy. I wanted to stop in and quell the rumor mill before it kicks up too much dust.”

He stands from his chair. “Close the door,” Daddy says. “Mr. Ballentine,” Daddy addresses Mercer. “Your father just left for the day. Were you here to see him?”

“Hello, sir. No, I’m here to see you,” Mercer says, stepping forward to take my daddy’s hand in a shake. He steps back to stand by my side. The laser gaze my daddy is bouncing between us is palpable. “I apologize for my informal clothing, Ms. Wellsley here asked I accompany her and as I’m sure you well know, you can’t tell her no.”

Oh, smooth, Mercer, real smooth.

I smirk and approach the side of his desk so I don’t feel like we’re conducting business. When I meet his eyes, I see the questions, the confusion, the accusations, and while I’m being honest, I see the disappointment. I let it rip. “Daddy, I’m moving to Cape Cod to be a stylist in Goldie’s salon. She already has a place for me to live and a booth in her salon.” He’s wearing that face that’s unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s going to have a fit, so I bluster on. “I graduated last year, and I haven’t been going to quilting class. That was a cover while I was working at the hair school up in the city. You won’t have to worry about me.” This is where I’m going to segue into having Mercer with me. Well, he’ll be with me when he’s not deployed. Better than nothing.

“No,” Daddy deadpans. “You get these ideas and you have no idea how the real world works. This isn’t the time to be flighty, Clover. This is the time to make a life for yourself. A real one. Not playing pretend in another state doing meaningless work.”

My fists clench at my sides. The anger I feel is boiling and I know everyone in the room can feel it. “I’m following my dream. This wasn’t a question. I’m leaving Greenton for good. You can’t stop me. I’m an adult and quite frankly, I’m upset you think I was asking permission. This is me telling you that I’m moving out of the house on your property and starting a life of my own.”

Daddy smirks. It’s the scary one. “That’s it then? Okay.” He nods at Mercer. “What’s he doing here?”

Mercer steps up, literally and figuratively. “I’m here to tell you I will protect her. I care about your daughter, sir, and I will do my best to make sure she’s happy in Cape Cod.”

This shocks my daddy. I think his hairline recedes a touch. “You,” Daddy says, and then points to me. “And Clover?” Daddy chuckles. “You have both lost your minds. I have work to do. Go run along. Don’t bother your mother with this nonsense. She has enough on her plate right now. It won’t do her health any good having to deal with more of your batty antics, Clover.”

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