The Boss Project by Vi Keeland

“Because I’m going to be rich.”

“Oh yeah? And how exactly are you going to get rich?”

“Easy. I’m going to play the stock market.”

Grams smiled and returned her attention to her chart. She spent the next hour telling me about every person on it. When she got to the bottom, there were squares under my parents’ names, as well as my and Lydia’s names, and then empty squares next to us.

I pointed to the one next to my name. “What if I don’t get married? Your tree branch will wilt?”

“You’ll get married.” She wagged her finger at me. “I see it in your future.”

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

She mussed my hair. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“Alright. Goodnight, Grams.”



• • •



The next morning, the wind woke me up. The rain had stopped, but the spare bedroom window had been left open a crack, causing a loud whistle to squeak through. I got up to shut it and couldn’t fall back asleep. So I went to the kitchen to get some juice. After chugging a full glass, I looked out the window over the sink at the treehouse in Milly’s yard. The ladder I’d put back last night had fallen again. So I went to the garage, got a hammer and some long nails, and walked across to take care of it once and for all.

When I came back in the house, Grams was awake and sitting at the table with her family tree open again.

She smiled at me. “What made you go over and fix that ladder?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was on the ground again. I don’t want the girl to get hurt next time when I’m not around.”

“That was very nice of you.”

I looked down at the paper. “You adding more names to your tree?”

“Just one.”

“What ancestor could you have found since last night?”

Grams rolled up the chart. “I added a descendant, not an ancestor.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a person in the family who comes after me, not before me.”

My brows pulled together. “Like Mom and me and Lydia?”

“Exactly.”

“But you already have us on there.”

Grams looked toward the window over the sink and smiled. “I’m manifesting.”

“Manifesting?”

“It’s putting something out there into the universe to believe in, so you can make it happen someday.”

I snorted. “How about manifesting me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

Grams stood, tucking her chart under her arm, and walked over to kiss my cheek. “I think I can do better than that. You just wait and see.”





Dear Readers,



I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Merrick and Evie’s story! I’d love to stay in touch and invite you to join my mailing list and receive back a FREE short story.



For a Good Time Call



Ever see For a good time call scribbled on the bathroom wall of a bar? Sure you have. Ever wonder what would happen if you had a few too many drinks and actually called the number? Well now you don’t have to wonder anymore, because I’ll tell you… It blows up in your face when you suddenly realize who Mr. Good Time is.





Other Books by


Vi Keeland





The Summer Proposal





The Invitation





Inappropriate



We Shouldn’t

The Spark

The Rivals

The Naked Truth

All Grown Up

Sex, Not Love

Beautiful Mistake

Egomaniac

Bossman

The Baller

Left Behind (A Young Adult Novel)

Beat

Throb

Worth the Fight

Worth the Chance

Worth Forgiving

Belong to You

Made for You

First Thing I See

Well Played (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Cocky Bastard (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Playboy Pilot (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Mister Moneybags (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

British Bedmate (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Park Avenue Player (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Stuck-Up Suit (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Rebel Heir (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Rebel Heart (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Hate Notes (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Dirty Letters (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

My Favorite Souvenir (Co-written with Penelope Ward)

Happily Letter After (Co-written with Penelope Ward)





ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



To you—the readers. Thank you for allowing Merrick and Evie into your minds and hearts. I’m honored my story provided you an escape for a short while, and I hope you’ll come back soon to see who you might meet next!



To Penelope – Could you just write yourself a sappy acknowledgement detailing what a good friend you are and read it into this section? Neither one of us will remember who wrote it anyway. ☺



To Cheri – Thank you for your friendship and support.



To Julie – The craziness of 2022 has been a reminder of what friendship means. I can’t wait to watch you dig your toes into the sand next summer on Fire Island.