The Boss Project by Vi Keeland

I chuckled. “I’m sorry you’re not going to get to go home today like you’d hoped. But they’re being thorough and taking good care of you.”

“Oh that one was thorough alright,” Merrick grumbled.

Kitty’s eyes gleamed. “Something wrong, my darling grandson?”

“It’s hot in here,” he mumbled. “I’m going downstairs to the cafeteria to get something to drink. Either of you want anything?”

“No, thank you,” I said.

Kitty barely waited until Merrick was out the door. Her smile bordered on wicked. “That one has it bad.”





CHAPTER 21

Evie



“You two should go,” Kitty said. “You’ve been here all day.”

Merrick looked up from the newspaper he’d been reading. “Visiting hours end in fifteen minutes.”

Kitty pointed to her iPad on the hospital tray next to her bed. “Oh, that’s plenty of time for me to show you the updated family tree…”

Merrick shut the paper and stood. “On second thought, we probably shouldn’t wait for them to kick us out.”

I chuckled at Kitty’s smirk. She certainly knew how to push her grandson’s buttons.

I stood. “I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll be back in the morning. My flight isn’t until four.”

“Don’t rush back early, sweetheart. Get some sleep. I appreciate you coming at all.”

I bent and hugged her, then stepped aside so Merrick could say goodnight.

Outside, it was a beautiful evening. The air was warm and unusually dry for late summer in Atlanta. When we approached Kitty’s hot rod, I got an idea. “Can we put the top down on the car? I’ve never been in a convertible.”

“Really?” Merrick said.

“Nope, never.”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

I was surprised that folding away the ragtop was as easy as pushing a button. Before we were even out of the parking lot, I was in love with the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair. I held my hands in the air. “This is ahhmazing.”

Merrick looked over. “You’re not very hard to please.”

He made a left and a right and then we were on the highway, going pretty fast. I let my head fall back and stared up at the dark sky as my hair whipped all around me.

“You hungry?” Merrick yelled over the wind.

“Starving! Can we get junk food?”

He smiled. “Whatever you want. Did you have something particular in mind?”

“How about Wendy’s?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Cute.”

I laughed. “Any chance you know a place called Mix’D Up Burgers? It’s not exactly on the way back to the house. It’s more on the way to my Airbnbs. I stumbled on it one night when I was trying to find gas.”

“I don’t know it, but I’m sure I can put it in the GPS.”

“I’d be your best friend if you did.”

He handed me his phone. “Here, type it into Waze and see if it comes up.”

It did, and I spent the rest of the drive enjoying the warm breeze while salivating at the thought of what I was going to order. When we arrived, Merrick pulled into the parking lot. “You want to go inside to eat or take it home?”

“Can we order a meal and eat the fries on the way home?”

He smiled. “Good plan. “Do you know what you want?”

“I do. I want The Pile. It’s a burger loaded with cheesy fries. But you also get a side order of fries.”

He laughed. “You’re killing me. Between the monkey bread this morning and now this, I’m going to have to hit the gym a little harder next week.”

“Oh God. Don’t remind me. I don’t even want to think about weight. I’ve been on a junk food tear since my wedding debacle.”

Merrick’s eyes raked down my torso, stopping to linger on my breasts. “Trust me, junk food works for you.”



• • •



“Do you mind waiting out here a second?” Merrick unlocked Kitty’s front door and pushed it open halfway.

“Umm, sure?”

He held out the fast-food bag to me. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“Alright, but I’m going to eat your dinner if you take too long.”

“You already ate most of the fries we were supposed to share.”

Two minutes later, he came back outside, carrying two familiar mugs. My eyes lit up. “Oh my God! The Waffle House mugs they used to drink their spiked tea from. You know they stole those from the restaurant.”

Merrick smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

I sighed. “Those bring back such great memories.” I pointed over to what had been my grandmother’s house. “They would sit on that porch for hours every night getting loaded, and all the neighbors saw were two little old ladies drinking hot tea.”

He smiled. “I know. Guess what’s in here?”

“Don’t tell me it’s spiked sweet tea?”

“Yep.” He nodded toward the house next door. “The neighbors who bought your grandmother’s house are away. I met them earlier this week. When they mentioned they were going out of town, I asked if they would mind if the old owner’s granddaughter sat on their porch. You said you’d give anything to bring back the sweet-tea days. I know it’s not the same, but I figured we can eat on the rocking chairs and drink the spiked stuff.”