Merrick shrugged. “I don’t mind. You’re doing me a favor by coming. It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s not a favor at all. Kitty is my friend.”
He looked over and smiled warmly before returning his eyes to the road. “I know she is. That’s one of the things I like about you. You’re very loyal.”
“One of the things, huh? That must mean there are others?”
Merrick chuckled. “How was the office this week?”
“Well, no fist fights broke out, so you being offsite must have a positive impact on the stress level,” I teased.
“It was one fist fight.”
I smiled. “The office was pretty quiet. I got to see a lot of new people, and I had lunch with Will one day.”
“You had lunch with Will?”
“Yeah. He said he ordered the same Chinese food he always orders, but they arrived with your usual, too. So he had an extra meal. I guess they know you guys pretty well.”
“How did that go?”
“Lunch with Will? It was fun. He makes me laugh.”
Merrick had been smiling since I walked up to the car, but now his face wilted. His lips were pursed, and it seemed like he was jealous. I couldn’t resist screwing with him.
“Will’s single, right?”
The muscle in Merrick’s jaw ticked. “Depends on the day of the week. Why?”
I shrugged. “Just curious.”
His eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t go there.”
“Go where?”
“It’s not a good idea to get a crush on Will.”
There was no mistaking the angry set of his jaw. “Oh? Is there a policy against office romances? I read the employee manual cover to cover, and I thought only supervisor-and-subordinate relationships were prohibited—like us, for example.”
Merrick’s grip on the steering wheel visibly tightened. “Will’s not looking for anything serious.”
“Maybe I’m not looking for anything serious, either. In fact, it’s been a while, and a hookup sounds sort of appealing.” At this point, I could barely keep myself from laughing. Merrick’s face was red. He was so mad. What had started as a light and happy trip to Kitty’s suddenly became heavy and quiet. I felt bad and cracked, laughing as I spoke. “I’m teasing. I’m not interested in Will in that way.”
“Why the hell did you say all that?”
“It looked like it was pissing you off. I thought it was funny. Were you…jealous, Merrick?”
Merrick cleared his throat. “No.”
I smiled. “Uh-huh.”
“Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t know. Why would you be jealous?”
“I think you’re misreading the situation.”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
Merrick rolled his eyes. But he was also no longer white-knuckling the steering wheel.
“How’s Kitty?” I asked.
“The nurse told me that right before she went under the anesthesia, she asked the doctor if he could fix her up to be like a fifteen-year-old virgin again.”
I covered my mouth and laughed. “She’s such a trip.”
“I think it’s probably funnier when she isn’t your grandmother.”