Page 21 of Last Date
“Yeah, Kip. I purposely apologized that night so that we’d be closer. So we’d stop butting heads.”
I sighed. “Seems like we still butt heads a lot.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
“True.” As we held each other’s gaze, there was a different kind of energy between us. I didn’t feel as defensive as usual. I’d had a good time tonight with him. I’d expected bingo night to be torture, but he’d made it fun. Merrick was definitely revealing different sides to himself lately. It made him almost… likeable. Attractive. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the new Merrick.
He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but stopped when his phone buzzed. He pulled his phone out and said, “It’s Peter.” He glanced up, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry. I should get this.”
“Of course.” I forced a smile, hoping he couldn’t sense my irritation at Peter’s timing.
“If you’ll excuse me?” He turned and walked out of the building toward the parking lot.
I frowned as I watched him go, feeling weirdly frustrated. Merrick and I hadn’t had such a candid conversation since that night at my house when he’d shown up inebriated. That was when I’d started to see Merrick differently. After he’d apologized, my feelings for him had changed. The resentment I’d held for so long had begun to soften and thaw.
I purposely apologized that night so that we’d be closer.
What did closer mean to Merrick? What did I want it to mean? Maybe it made no difference what I wanted because he was dating Peter. I groaned inwardly because these sort of confusing thoughts were why it had been easier when I’d hated Merrick. It had been so cut-and-dried. Merrick had been my enemy, but now he was something else. What was that though?
When the lights inside the building suddenly went out, I frowned. I thought at first someone had just accidentally switched them off, but they didn’t come back on. A few folks inside the building let out panicked screams, and some people hurried out of the building looking uneasy.
Mom and June were still inside, so I tugged my key chain combination flashlight from my back pocket and headed toward where I’d last seen them. Fortunately, they were still there, looking flustered.
“Oh, Kip. I’m so glad you’re back.” Mom gripped my arm tight.
“It’s okay.” I smiled reassuringly. “Everything is fine.”
June took hold of my other arm. “What happened to the lights?”
“Not sure,” I said. “It’s a very old building. Maybe a breaker popped.”
Bingo nights were held in an old renovated bank. The building had been built in 1908 by a young architect who’d admired Robert F. Train and Robert E. Williams so much, he’d copied their designs. The structure utilized pressed yellow and red brick and also had a clock tower, although the clock hadn’t worked in decades. But as beautiful as the building was, it often had electrical issues, and the roof leaked when it rained.
Mom grimaced. “It’s scary in here without the lights.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was haunted,” June said softly.
I smiled. “I’ll go down to the basement and see if I can find a tripped breaker, okay?”
“Take Merrick with you,” June said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to bother him.”
“I’m right here,” Merrick said gruffly from behind me.
I turned quickly, and sure enough, Merrick stood there. “Oh, I thought you were still outside on the phone.”
“Nope.” He held up a set of keys. “I got the keys to the basement from Mrs. McGillivray.”
“Oh, great.”
“You boys be careful,” Mom said. “There are probably big spiders down there.”
I squelched my smile. “We’ll be on the lookout.”
“Shouldn’t the maintenance people handle this?” June bit her bottom lip.
“I suppose we could wait for someone to show up, but I’d rather take care of it ourselves, if possible.” I patted her shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”
