Chapter 5

CHAPTER

FIVE

Courtney

I've changed my outfit four times. I've reached for my phone just as many times to call my sister to ask her thoughts. It's a stark reminder that I can't call her. She can't know Merrick and I are pretending. I could call Jordyn, but although I think of her as a friend, she's my boss and Merrick's sister-in-law. I'm on my own to make this decision, and unfortunately, I'm out of time. Merrick will be here any minute.

Glancing in the mirror, I take in my final outfit. A pair of dark skinny jeans and a fitted long-sleeve T-shirt. I plan to wear my tennis shoes. I don't want it to look as though I'm trying too hard, but I don't want to look like a slob either.

A loud knock sounds, and I know my time is up. Turning off the bedroom light, I rush toward the front door. My ponytail swings with the fast effort of my walk. I pause to take a deep, soothing breath, and exhale before pulling open the door.

My breath hitches. Merrick is standing there in a pair of well-worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt as well. It clings to his muscles as if it were a second skin. I swallow down my reaction to him and offer him a kind smile.

"Come on in. I just need to put on my shoes." I lean over and grab them from where they're sitting by the door when a sound that can only be described as a growl falls from Merrick's lips. Standing to my full height, I face him. He's biting down on his bottom lip.

"That's fine," he finally says, releasing his lip from the torture of his teeth.

I don't comment on the growl, because after seeing his face, I'm certain that's what I heard, but it doesn't make sense. Is he mad that I'm not ready? He doesn't look mad. He looks... turned on. Could that be it? Surely not.

Shaking out of my thoughts, I sit on the couch and get to work putting on my shoes. Once I'm finished, I grab my phone and purse and allow my eyes to meet Merrick's. He's smiling at me. "What?"

His answer is to smile wider. "You ready?"

"Let's do it." I move to walk past him, but he stops me, holding his hand out for me to take. "It's just us," I remind him. There's a quiver in my voice that causes my face to heat. I cannot let this—attraction— my attraction to him get in the way of this little plan we have set in motion.

"Yes, but we need practice." Reaching down, he takes my hand in his and laces our fingers together, leading me out of the house. He pauses to allow me to make sure the door's locked before leading me to his truck.

"I can drive," I offer.

"Maybe next time," he says, reaching in front of me and pulling open the passenger door. I nod, and I climb into his truck. "Buckle up," he says and shuts the door. I watch as he walks around the front of the truck and climbs behind the wheel. I shake out of my stupor when he leans over and grabs my seat belt, pulling it across my body and locking it into place. "Safety first," he says huskily before settling back into his seat and doing the same with his belt.

"Th-Thank you."

"Gotta take care of my girl." He winks.

That shouldn't have a single effect on me. None whatsoever; however, that's not the case. I feel that wink between my thighs, and I know that I'm in trouble. The next three months are going to consist of me being turned on by him and trying with everything I am to hide it. That would definitely make this situation more complicated.

"Where are we going?" I ask, pretending as if he didn't just melt me into a puddle with his comment.

"I thought we'd just go to Dorothy's Diner. It's in town, so people will see us together."

"Right." I nod. "Good plan."

Merrick reaches over the console and places his hand on my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We've got this, Court. It's all going to be fine."

"I know. It's just... different, I guess. I don't exactly go around pretending to date the most eligible bachelor in town."

His roar of laughter fills the cab of the truck. "That's a stretch."

"Hardly."

He shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips as he keeps his eyes on the road. His dark hair is styled back, and he has a slight shadow of stubble on his face. It's sexy, just like the man who wears it. All nine of the brothers are lookers. I'm kicking myself in the ass for blurting his name, of all the names I could have said. Why the sexy, most eligible bachelor in Willow River, Merrick Kincaid? Why could I not have said Joey, who works at the gas station at the edge of town? We graduated together, and who cares if he smells like moldy cheese? I could have sold it.

Maybe. Possibly.

I shudder at the thought.

Probably not.

"You cold?" Merrick asks.

His question pulls me out of my head, and I realize he still has his hand on my thigh. "I'm good," I tell him.

"This time of year, late April, is iffy on the weather. Some days it's warm, others not so much. Adjust the heat if you need to."

"I'm fine," I assure him. If anything, it's too hot in the cab of his truck. Specifically, where his hand is resting on my thigh. However, that's a double-edged sword because even though I know it's wrong, I don't want him to move it.

The drive to Dorothy's is short, not giving time for any kind of awkward silence to settle between us. I have no doubt that's coming. Merrick parks the truck and turns to look at me. "Stay put." He then lifts his hand from my thigh, grabs his phone and keys, and climbs out of the truck. I'm reaching for the door handle when he yanks my door open. He offers me his hand, and I smile as I take it and allow him to help me down.

"You're pulling out all the stops, huh?" I ask. My hand is locked in his as he leads me to the door of the diner.

"No. I'm just being me." His reply is so nonchalant like he couldn't imagine being any other way. And I suppose that's probably true. Merrick and Maverick and all of their brothers were always nice and respectful. They didn't care who you were or where you landed on the social ladder, they were nice to you. Their parents did a hell of a job raising nine boys—sorry, nine men—to be gentlemen.

With his free hand, he pulls open the door to the diner and nods for me to enter. Not once does he let go of my hand. "Where do you want to sit?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"Let's go to the back."

I nod, telling him I agree, and he leads us to the booth at the very back.

"I know we're supposed to be seen together, but this looked more—intimate, I guess," I say, keeping my voice soft so only he can hear me once we're settled across from one another in the booth.

"I agree. Us being cozied up in the corner will definitely get people talking."

"That's what we want?" I ask, because honestly, I'm not sure.

"We do. Town gossip will go a long way in convincing your family we're the real deal."

"They believe me. As long as I bring you to dinner, I don't think a single doubt will cross their minds, which is surprising."

"How so?"

I shrug. "You're you."

"None of that." His voice pitches low, and he gives me a look I imagine his dad giving him and his brothers growing up when they were causing mischief.

"I'm a realist, Merrick."

He's shaking his head, but before he can scold me, our server steps to the table to take our order. As soon as he's gone, Merrick's cousin, Ramsey, takes his place.

"Hey, you two," she greets us. She offers me her hand. "I'm Ramsey."

"Courtney. It's nice to meet you." Of course, I already knew who she was, but I'd never actually met her. She's been in the boutique while I was working, but I've always been helping customers.

"Where's my girl?" Merrick asks her.

"Sitting across from you the last I heard," Ramsey fires back, quirking her brow.

Merrick chuckles. "I mean Bryn."

"She's at home with her daddy. We're cleaning out the garage today, so I ran to pick up lunch."

"Nice. You need any help?"

"No, but thank you for the offer. Cleaning out the garage really consists of pulling out the cars and sweeping." She laughs. "We're not getting all crazy." Her eyes sparkle. "Courtney, it was nice meeting you. Mer, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we'll be there," Merrick tells her.

Her eyes light up at his confession. "Perfect. Enjoy your lunch."

"Don't let that husband of yours work too hard," Merrick calls after her.

"Never." Her laughter follows her out the door.

When his eyes return to me, he asks, "So, did you talk to your mom about dinner?"

"Not yet. I will. It was late last night, and I didn't have time to this morning."

"I'm pretty much available most evenings. Sometimes I work late, but I'm usually always home by seven."

"You work construction, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, well, I guess you could call it that. I'm a heavy equipment operator. We work in all different types of job sites. I don't actually build anything, but I haul away the dirt and debris. I dig basements and footers, those kinds of things."

"So you get to do something different every day? That must keep it interesting."

"It does. I think if I did the same exact thing, like a factory job or something, I'd go stir-crazy. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I think for me, it just wouldn't be a good fit. What about you? You like working at the boutique?"

"I love it. Jordyn is great to work for."

"Is it your dream job?"

"Is yours?" I counter.

"Yeah, I love being outside and running all different types of equipment. The pay is good too." He grins. "Your turn."

"I don't really know, to be honest. I went to community college and received my associate of arts degree, but it's basically useless. It's pretty much just my general education classes. I've never been one of those people who's always known exactly what they want to do with their life. My little sister, on the other hand, she's got her shit together."

"Just because you don't know if this is the job that will carry you through life doesn't mean you don't have your shit together. Come on, Court, you have to know that."

"I guess. Chloe is two years younger than me. She's a medical assistant working at a job she loves. She's marrying her high school sweetheart, Rodney, who graduated from high school with me, and he just graduated from college with some kind of tech degree. They're grabbing life by the horns and to hear my mother tell it, I'm letting it pass me by."

"And you're two years younger than me."

"Yeah, I was a sophomore when you were a senior." I look down at my hands to hide the blush that creeps onto my cheeks. I don't want him to think I was crushing on him or anything. I mean, not specifically him. All the girls in our school talked about and crushed on the Kincaid brothers. It's as if it was an entire movement. They were catches back then, and still are to this day.

"It's okay to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life, Courtney. It's your journey. Not your parents' or your sister's. It's yours. Maybe it's the boutique. Maybe it's not. Regardless, it's yours. Don't hide from that." His gaze is penetrating as he wills me to hear what he's saying and believe it.

I take a minute to let his words sink in. Finally, I look up to find him watching me intently. "I'm glad it was you, Merrick Kincaid. I'm glad it was your family photo, and it was your name I blurted out to my mother. I'm so thankful for what you're doing for me." He's not just helping me out by being my date for my sister's wedding. He's supporting me, giving me a shoulder to lean on, one that doesn't come with judgment or strings. It's been a handful of days since he agreed to help me, and already this man sitting before me is important.

I'm in trouble.

"Tell me about your family." He smiles, and that's how we spend the rest of our lunch. He talks about his brothers' wives and their kids, and how they all compete to be the favorite uncle. Some of it I've heard before. Jordyn and I talk when the boutique is slow. His sisters-in-law, his brothers, and his parents have also been there while I was working. They're not strangers to me, but the situation we're in is odd at best.

"They're not going to hate me, are they?" I ask him, as we stand to head to the counter to pay our bill.

Merrick places his hand on the small of my back and his lips next to my ear. "I don't know a single soul on this planet who could hate you, Court. Least of all my family." He guides me to the register where Tammy, a girl we both went to school with, checks us out. She was a year ahead of me, so a year younger than Merrick.

"Merrick Kincaid," she purrs. "When are you going to take me on that date?"

I'm embarrassed for her, but also for myself. She knows that we're together, and in her eyes, there is no way that Merrick could be with me in a romantic sense. She doesn't have to say the words for me to understand the meaning of her hitting on him right in front of me.

"I think my girlfriend might take offense to that." He turns to look at me. "Right, baby?" He leans in and presses his lips to my temple.

"Girlfriend?" Tammy asks. More like spits, but I'm trying to be nice. "Since when?"

"A while now," Merrick answers. He takes his change and shoves it back into his wallet, dropping the few coins into the small tray on the counter.

"Well, when you get bored, you know where to find me." She sneers at me before turning her slimy smile to Merrick.

My mouth drops open in shock and a little squeak falls from my lips. I can't believe she just said that.

"Apologize." Merrick's voice is stern.

"What?" Tammy acts as if he just told her to kick his puppy.

"Apologize to my girlfriend."

My heart squeezes in my chest at the way he so easily refers to me as his girlfriend.

"Merrick, is everything okay here?" Dorothy, the owner of the diner, asks. She smiles at me. "Hello, Courtney."

"Hi, Miss Dorothy."

"We were just leaving, but Tammy here was just apologizing for hitting on me in front of my girlfriend." It's not the whole truth, but close enough.

"Tammy," Dorothy scolds. "You may be my niece, but I will still fire you. How many times have I told you to stop hitting on customers?"

"Whatever. I'm sorry," Tammy grumbles.

"You're done. Get your stuff and go home. You're done for the day, possibly forever. I haven't made up my mind."

"But I need the money for that weekend trip I'm planning next month," Tammy whines. She sounds like a toddler.

"You should have thought of that before you insulted Courtney and Merrick. Go."

Tammy rolls her eyes but turns to walk to the back of the diner.

"I'm sorry. Your next meal is on the house," Dorothy says, trying to make up for the rude behavior of her niece.

"Oh, Dorothy, that's not necessary. I'm sorry to cause a scene," I tell her, keeping my voice quiet.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I've been on her for weeks to stop constantly hitting on the male customers."

"That's not on you," Merrick tells her.

"It is if I continue to let her work here. She's my sister's kid, and just as big of a pain in the rump as her momma. I hope this didn't ruin your day."

Merrick slides his arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. "Nah, it's going to take more than that when I get to spend the day with my girl."

Dorothy's eyes light up when she looks at me. "You caught a good one, dear."

One arm is hanging at my side, while the other rests on his chest, trying to make it believable. I glance up at Merrick to find his eyes already on me. "Yeah, I know I did."

Again, his lips find their way to my temple as he turns, and with his arm still around my waist, he leads me out of the diner. He doesn't let me go until he reaches the passenger side of his truck and opens the door for me.

Once I climb inside, he pulls out the seat belt, offering it to me, and when I'm buckled in, he closes the door and walks around the truck. He's quiet as he climbs behind the wheel. Guilt weighs heavily on my shoulders, knowing that because of his willingness to help me, a spectacle was made in the diner.

I want to tell him I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find the words. He heads to the outskirts of town, and I don't know where we're going until he pulls into his driveway. Without a word, he parks his truck, steps out, jogs around to my side, and pulls open my door. He offers me his hand and helps me down. His fingers are entwined with mine as he leads me inside.

He has yet to say a word, and I have a feeling this is where our story ends. Not that I blame him. This relationship, no matter how fake, has disaster written all over it.