What If It's Love: A Small Town Romance (Serendipity Series Book 2) Read online

  “As much as I wish I would've known what I was committing myself too before I opened my big fat mouth, I can’t back out now. Maybe I’ll get lucky and pass out on stage.”

  “When are you going to learn to say no? You don't have to try to please everyone.”

  “I know.” But deep down, she knew she'd been striving to please people ever since she was little, and her father decided being a family man wasn't his deal.

  Merrick burst through the doors of the restaurant, focused on chasing down his sister for an update on business dealings. Every inch of his body ached, and he'd ended up having to go see the doctor to get his ribcage wrapped. Justice unknowingly punished him for Bo Flannigan's shortcomings. His arrival at the restaurant was later than it should've been, and if the current lack of parking in front of the hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts were any indication, they were in for a busy couple of weeks.

  “Have a good trip?” His sister, Quinn, was so light on her feet, he didn't even hear her approach.

  “It was short.” Merrick rotated, his movements stiff and mummy-like, as he took the end of shift reports from her. “But it was great.”

  “I honestly don’t know why you do it. Why do you insist on pushing your body the way you do? Sparring, extreme sports adventures at every turn, lugging fire equipment around…” Curiosity etched his sister's delicate features. “Sooner or later your body is going to give out. What was it this time? Base jumping in Arizona? Free diving in Fiji? Or perhaps it was rock climbing in French Polynesia?”

  “Cave diving in Mexico. And my body will give out regardless of what I put it through. It’s called the circle of life.” Merrick didn’t look up from the reports. “Are these numbers right?”

  “Yes. We are up about fifteen percent over the same week last year.”

  “Nice.”

  “Did you get hurt on the dive?” Quinn eyed him suspiciously.

  “No.” Merrick handed her back the papers. “Anything else I should know about?”

  “The mayor and her husband are finishing up dinner. Oh, and Justice is here. She and the rest of the trio are sitting at their usual table.”

  “This would interest me, why?”

  Quinn rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Do I have stupid tattooed on my forehead? You fuss all over her whenever she is here.”

  “She's a friend and a good customer. I fawn over all of my good customers.”

  “Not like you do her. And you don’t give them a complimentary beer after allowing them to beat the tar out of you. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, you used to put them in the hospital.” Quinn gave him a look which hinted at a wisdom beyond her years. He hated that look. She shrugged. “I keep waiting to hear you put on your man pants and asked her out.”

  “Keep hoping. I'm not looking for any sort of romantic entanglements and neither is she.”

  “Whatever, Romeo. You spend more time with her than you've spent with any other woman besides me…and I don’t count.” Quinn shoved the papers into the folder she was carrying. “Bella was an idiot. Not every woman will leave you at the altar like she did.”

  “Hardly the point.” In that moment, he hated himself for talking Quinn into moving from New York to partner with him in a restaurant. He'd done a good job of burying most of his past, hiding the hurt and betrayal he’d endured at the hands of someone he’d trusted and once loved. He built a new life. He jerked his body as he spun around and took in a sharp breath.

  Worry etched itself on his sister’s face. She reached out, gently touching his arm. “Seriously, what happened to you?”

  “Just a rough sparring session today. I wasn't focused. I'll be fine.” The doc wanted him to take a few days off work, but his leave was up on Monday and there was no way he would leave his brothers and sisters to pick up his slack at the station.

  “She kicked the snot out of you this time, huh?”

  He nodded. “Just a bit.”

  Quinn's brow furrowed as she studied him, and silence stretched out between them. She was family. Not by blood but through the choices her parents made to adopt him. She was the only person in his life who loved him unconditionally. His past was his past. She’d known it. Grew up knowing all the bad he’d done. Witnessed some of the aftermath. But to her, he was just her big brother. So, in the moments when she scrutinized him, it always tore at his heart. It didn’t matter if it was out of concern, or fear, it was the guilt of letting her down, of being less than she knew he could be, that ate at him. Her gaze softened, and she offered a sly smile.

  “I sent over the new specialty draft beer for her to try, courtesy of Mr. Merrick Hudson.” She spun around and started to walk away. “Said you'd stop by before the meal was finished to check on them. If she didn’t have her one and done rule, I’d send her a few more just to try and encourage her to knock some sense into you...or kiss you.”

  He loved Quinn. How could he not? But she could be a serious thorn in his side when it came to meddling in his personal life. Thankfully she was fire when it came to the restaurant in his absence...which had been quite frequent as of late. His job with the fire department had taken up a lot more of his time than usual due to a young pyromaniac who was now in the custody of the Juvenile Detention Facility in Austin. After any incident involving troubled youth, his mind would wander back to his past. Far too often the cases hit too close to home. He would often take time away from the safety of life in Serendipity, seek out adventure in new and exotic places, and give himself a mental reboot. In the end he always came back. This place was supposed to be nothing more than an interim stop on his journey to prove himself. Somewhere in the process it became home.

  Merrick peeked out into the dining room and noticed the girls were snacking on appetizers, pizzas not yet on the table. He stopped by the kitchen to check on their order. He saw Justice's vegan pizza sitting on the counter, waiting to be picked up by the waiter. The arugula on top of the pizza was wilted and the crust was soggy. “Kyle, I need you to remake this pizza. Crispy crust. Come on, you know better. Don’t put the pie in the oven with the arugula on it.”

  “You got it, boss. Sorry, new kid in training. I'll let him know.” Kyle Matrullo, his head chef, pulled the pizza from the window and took it over to the kitchen’s newest addition. Training moments. That was how Southern Charred got a good consistent product. Pizzas were held to a measurable standard. The wait staff was supposed to inspect every pizza before it hit the guest’s table. They didn’t serve pizzas if they didn't pass the Merrick test. The crust needed to have the trademark bubbling and slight char spots. The ingredients needed to be locally sourced and top quality. They had a reputation to uphold.

  A look around the dining room though, he wasn't surprised to see the quality slipped a little. They were trying to meet service times. Another thing the quaint restaurant prided itself on. People didn’t like long waits for food. Customers didn’t understand the challenges of maintaining consistent heat levels in a wood-fired oven. On nights like this, it was more of a challenge when they struggled to keep up with the demand on the kitchen.

  Merrick approached the corner booth where Justice, Kelsea, and Dakota were sitting. The women were laughing, but Justice’s eyes didn’t have the same sparkle he was accustomed to. He waited for a break in the conversation. “Good evening, ladies.”

  “Hey, Merrick.” Justice slid over. “Take a load off.”

  “Can't. Just barely walked through the backdoor. Need to tend to a few things.” Merrick focused his gaze on Justice. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her bangs framed her face. She licked her lips and his mouth suddenly went dry. No denying he was attracted to the woman, but she was a friend. Not a woman he could one-night stand. Getting to know her on a personal level made it difficult to do. Not impossible, but she was different. An exception to his rules. He didn't want to ruin the friendship they’d built. It meant she was off limits. He shook his head and tried to remember what he'd come over to tell them. “Yo
ur pizza should be out shortly, it didn't pass inspection so I'm having it remade.”

  “Nonsense. You guys are slammed. Send the pizza out and keep your kitchen moving.” Justice stared at him. “You know we are hardly going to criticize your product.”

  Of all people, Justice knew how seriously Merrick took his business. This was his baby. His retirement plan when the time came. One of the few things he could call his own. It would fail or succeed based on his and Quinn’s actions.

  “The Merrick test is how we stay in business. If we let them slip on one pizza, then before you know it...there are five that don't measure up. It would be anarchy.”

  “I think you might be exaggerating.” Kelsea picked up her wine glass and took the last sip.

  “Well, I don't want to put my theory to the test. I’ll have the waiter bring you another round of drinks.”

  “I’m good.” Justice pushed her empty glass to the edge of the table.

  “I know.” Merrick winked at her as he grabbed the beer mug. “I’ll have him bring you a water with lemon.”

  He turned toward the kitchen and saw Quinn watching him with a knowing smile on her face. As he passed her, he mumbled, “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Says the man who spends more time away from this joint than he does in it.”

  He ignored the taunting words of his sister and made his way through the kitchen, following up on the order for Justice's table. A few instructions to the waiter regarding the drinks for the girls, then he headed up the stairs to the office he shared with his sister. It overlooked both the kitchen and the restaurant, allowing them to see what was going on below. A unique set up in their industry, but it worked well for them. As he made his way up the steps, he winced. Every movement hurt. He'd been off his game when he'd faced off with Justice at the gym. She'd been so fueled by whatever weighed on her mind, she hadn't noticed. If she had, she would've called the session after the first time she landed a good solid strike. If he’d listened to the doctor, he would’ve been laid up in bed relaxing, but he wasn’t one to stay down for any length of time. It was a sign of weakness.

  He'd barely sank into the leather chair behind the desk and flipped on the computer, when a knock came at the door.

  “Quinn, how many times do I have to tell you, stop knocking.” She was the only one who ever braved coming up the stairs to the office. And when he was in, she always knocked. But when the door opened, it was not his little sister intruding on his moment of peace and quiet. It was the Mayor of Serendipity.

  “Not Quinn,” she said as she stepped into the office, her husband by her side. “Look, I’m sorry to bother you, Merrick, but we were wondering if we could just take a moment of your time?”

  “Come on in. Care for a drink, Mayor?” Merrick rose slowly, trying to maintain some dignity in the face of the couple before him, and shook their hands.

  “No thank you. And please, call me Kaitlyn. We just finished dinner downstairs.” She moved to take a seat across from the desk, her husband, Jackson DeLuca following suit.

  “Oh, bad service, then?”

  Jackson laughed. “Nothing of the sorts. Is that the only time people come to your office?”

  “Usually.” Jackson's laugh had put him at ease, so he sank back down into his desk chair. “Normally they just sabotage my sister, and if they don’t get the response they want, then they corner me before I ever see it coming. If it's not about your dining experience, what can I do for you?”

  “Every year you've been a huge help with the annual anniversary festival.” Kaitlyn opened the briefcase she had, pulled out a piece of paper and slid it slowly across the wood surface toward him.

  Merrick got the distinct feeling this conversation wasn't going to be about verifying his commitment to have a food tent at the festival. “What's this?”

  “A favor.”

  He reached across the desk and flipped the paper over. An agreement for the Bachelors Auction. She had to be joking.

  “I'm serious as a heart attack, Merrick. You're a hot commodity in this town. Women love a fireman…and more importantly, they sure do love you. The amount of money you could pull in for the Fireman's Fund would be astronomical. Think of all you guys would be able to do with the money raised.”

  “You asking all the single guys at the station or just me?” Being put up on the chopping block like a piece of meat made him uncomfortable.

  “We’ve asked a few, but you’re our golden egg, if you will. One of the few bachelors in this town with the potential to really empty pockets.” Kaitlyn glanced toward her husband, who nodded in a conspiratorial manner. “If it helps sweeten the pot any, Miss Justice Morgan will be the auctioneer. You two are good friends, aren't you?”

  “Mayor, it seems a bit beneath you to ask questions you already know the answers to.” He knew Justice well enough to know certain things about the woman. She hated big functions almost as much as she loathed the quality of single men in town, she had a love hate relationship with her father, and was a notorious people pleaser to a fault. “How'd you rope her into that?”

  “She kind of volunteered before knowing what she was getting into.” At least Kaitlyn had the decency to look ashamed.

  “So desperate you would take advantage of your goddaughter, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even if the poor woman passes out on stage?”

  “Yes. I needed someone I knew wouldn't back out. I needed someone who'd say yes.” Kaitlyn shot him a look. “I used Justice’s love for me and the fact that she never wants to let anyone down…to my advantage. Shallow I know, but I can't have this event fail.”

  “How about Southern Charred throws an obscene amount of money at the fund and we call it a day?” The idea of putting himself on display for a bunch of women didn't sit well with him. Didn’t he do enough of making himself a sex object during the annual boot drive? Or the annual Independence Day BBQ competition and car wash where they competed against the local police department for bragging rights? Ego was not what drove him to act as he did in relationships. Putting yourself out there, laying your heart on the line only to be made to look like a fool, had a way of changing one’s outlook on relationships.

  “Money is great, and we will gladly accept any donation you wish to dole out, but this event needs to be one for the books. Having you up on stage would knock this event out of the park!” Kaitlyn slammed her hand down on the desk to drive her point home. Merrick could see the desperation in her eyes.

  The woman would not give up. Ever. She fought for what she knew was right for the town. It’s why people loved her. Grabbing a pen from the holder on his desk, he conceded, hoping his involvement would at the very least, bring some entertainment into an otherwise awkward situation for Justice. He scribbled his information on the document, then handed it to the mayor. “You owe me.”

  “Whatever the city offices can do for you, Lieutenant, I will try to oblige.” She snatched it out of his hands, before he could change his mind, and quickly returned it to her briefcase. The latches clicked shut, securing the document within its leather prison, and sealing his fate as a contender in the auction. Kaitlyn beamed. “This is going to be so wonderful! I can't wait to tell the rest of the committee you agreed to be one of our bachelors.”

  “Who is the rest of the committee?” He imagined all the older women in town sitting around a table drumming up ideas of how to make the festival bigger than the year before, trying to outdo the larger festivities in the nearby cities like San Antonio or Austin, struggling to keep the interest of the younger couples and the growing teenage population. No doubt it was a challenge, but it was one he’d much rather observe from the outside.

  “Oh, you know...the same old biddies who are always a part of organizing all of Serendipity's events.” Jackson folded his hands behind his head.

  Merrick wondered where the idea to put him on the auctioning block came from. In the almost four years he'd lived in Serendipity, the mayor never app
roached him about anything more than having the restaurant sponsor a booth.

  “We added a fresh face this year. I'm surprised Quinn didn't mention it.”

  “No, that little tidbit of information didn't come up.” Lightning struck. Quinn knew of Justice’s involvement. If Merrick had been a betting man, he’d lay odds on his darling sister trying to play matchmaker.

  Chapter 2

  Justice rubbed at her eyes, willing the caffeine to kick in. The smell of flowers enveloped her as she sat on the stool, laptop opened in front of her. She stared at the opened email and felt panic root itself in her chest. Two days to pull everything together for the fair and auction. Then a week to get all her orders wrapped up and delivered for prom. One temp wouldn't be enough if she wanted to pull it all off. Perhaps she could bribe the girls to come help her. Her mind reeled with the growing mental to do list.

  There was only enough time to focus on one panic attack at a time. She scrolled through the email and took in every bullet point, noted each band committed to the event, all the vendors and their contact information, and there was even a map of where all the booths would be set up. Avery did a nice job in laying everything out. At this point in the game, she supposed, all she needed to do was make sure the kissing booth was all dressed up and ready for her and then touch base with all the vendors who would be at the fair and with the caterer for the auction.

  A knock on the doorframe drew her attention. Kreed Bryant nodded at her laptop. “Busy? Dakota filled me in on all your drama.”

  “Which part?” She was suddenly feeling like her entire life was made up entirely of dramatic moments with breaks coming less frequently.

  “Well...all of it. The date with Bo...what a disaster. Where he got his ideas for a first date is beyond me. Surely, he knows who he's messing with? I mean knowing who your father is should be enough to scare any man into treating you properly.”

  “Yeah, if my dad cared enough about me.” Sad truth was, no man ever did. Why should her father be any different?