The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love - By Beth Pattillo Page 0,17
directing her troops. “And Josh, of course, is Romeo.”
Hannah had to admire how neatly Courtney arranged things so that she and Josh played the lovers and Hannah was left to be some kind of health-care worker.
Only as she learned a few moments later, the Nurse wasn’t a health-care worker at all, but Juliet’s old nanny and the butt of all the jokes.
Fitting.
The seed of hope in her chest withered and died by the time they’d finished reading the scene. Nothing ever changed in Sweetgum. She was a fool to think it ever would, Josh Hargrove or not.
Merry relished the peace in the middle of the school day when the older kids were out of the house, Jeff was still at work, and she was at home with the baby. Most mornings she spent a couple hours at Jeff’s office, helping out with secretarial duties while Hunter napped in his carrier. Jeff’s paralegal, Mitzi, had more than enough to do without answering the phone and filing, so Merry happily pitched in, especially since Jeff had been forced to file bankruptcy a few months before. He had done yeoman work, reorganizing the practice and getting it going again, and Merry’s involvement helped her feel like she was supporting her husband in a very material way. But by eleven o’clock or so, she and the baby headed home for some lunch and togetherness.
Hunter was six months old now, the perfect age when it came to babies. He was well past the fussiness of a newborn but hadn’t yet started to crawl or be afraid of strangers. He had a sunny disposition and liked everyone, but most of all he adored Merry.
“What should I have for lunch, Hunter? Hmm?” She perused the contents of the refrigerator while the baby babbled away from his bouncy seat in the middle of the kitchen floor. Every so often, Candy, the family mutt, wandered by and sniffed the baby’s ears. The dog’s obsession with Hunter’s ears was the source of much amusement in the McGavin household.
Merry grabbed salad fixings from the fridge and piled them on the counter. She had just pulled out the cutting board and a knife when she heard the whir of the garage door.
“Your daddy must have decided to come home for lunch,” she told Hunter. “I’d better double the salad.” She was busily chopping vegetables by the time Jeff entered the kitchen. “Hey, hon. I wasn’t expecting you.” She offered her cheek for him to kiss. He did so and patted her rear end affectionately for good measure.
“I had something I wanted to talk to you about, and I thought this might be a good time, with the kids at school.”
Their daughter Courtney had just started high school. Jake, their second child, was a fifth grader. And Sarah, who had been the baby until Hunter’s arrival, was a proud kindergarten student.
“Sure.” She turned back to her chopping. “What’s up?”
He leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms, never a good sign in Merry’s experience.
She laid down the knife. “Is it the practice still? I thought you were doing better.”
Jeff frowned. “Well, yes and no.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m pulling in more business, which is great. More billable hours means more income. But it also means more work.”
Merry nodded, frowning as Jeff was. “I know. And you’re working so hard already.”
Jeff uncrossed his arms and put his hands in his pockets. “Merry, it’s all-hands-on-deck time if the practice is going to be profitable again.”
“I understand. I don’t mind you working late. I can handle the kids.”
“It’s not that.”
“Oh?”
“Merry, I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but…I need you full time at the office.”
A long pause ensued as she digested his words. “Full time?” Her fingers reached for the edge of the counter, grabbed hold.
“A lot of the work I need help with right now is secretarial, and Mitzi could delegate some of the paralegal stuff to you with supervision. I guess what I’m saying is that I need you eight hours a day, not two or three.”
“Why don’t you hire a full-time secretary?”
He shook his head. “Too expensive. I hate to sound crass, but you’re the perfect solution because I don’t have to pay you a salary.”
Merry released her grip on the edge of the counter. “What about Hunter?”
Jeff’s shoulders slumped. “I know how much you’re enjoying your time with him.” He paused. “I called the day care at the church, and they have an opening in the baby room.”