Page 14 of Forever Enough
It must have taken me too long to reply while I was openly gawking at him, because Merit answered for me.
“Mackenzie has been with us for…what has it been, five months?” Merit asked, giving me a warm smile.
“Yes, about that long. I started the beginning of August.”
“Are you from Hamilton?” Bradly asked.
Merit handed me a cup of tea and motioned for me to sit down. I hadn’t even seen her make it, but the second it was in my hands, the familiar scent of chai filled my nostrils. How Merit had figured out that was my favorite tea was a mystery to me.
“Oh, thank you, Merit.”
“Of course. Lou gave me a heads up you were on your way, and I know how much you love my chai tea.”
I wrapped my hands around the warm mug and brought it to my lips to take a sip. Before I had a chance to answer Bradly’s question, Merit did so for me once again.
“Mackenzie’s from Georgia, and she has a degree in agriculture specializing in crop production.”
Bradly raised his brows. “You’re a long way from home.”
All I could do was nod.
“She graduated with honors and worked for the State of Georgia as an agricultural inspector for a short time,” Merit added with a wide grin. “They hired her before she even graduated from school.”
For a moment, it seemed like she was proud of me. I internally sighed. Again, why couldn’t she have been my mother?
I felt my cheeks warm. I never was one to like attention. No, that wasn’t true. I used to love attention, especially from my mother and my father. I was also part of a choir as a young girl and used to sing in front of hundreds of people. I adored that attention. But once my father died, everything in my world did a one-eighty. George didn’t seem to like that I was good at something, hated when people praised me for my singing, so he forbade me from participating in the choir. And my mother did absolutely nothing to stop him from doing so.
“And you work here on a you-pick-it farm?” Bradly asked with a laugh, drawing me out of my memories. “Who are you hiding from?”
I felt my entire body tense, and Merit cleared her throat. “Bradly, that’s enough of the third degree, please.”
He clearly noticed my reaction to his words. A small crease appeared between his brows, and he studied me a bit before looking away and giving his mother a soft smile. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s okay, really,” I said as I set the mug down. “I guess in a way, I am hiding.”
All three of them turned to look at me.
“I mean, not from the police or anything like that,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “I’m simply longing for a new start and a chance to put the past behind me.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Merit said as she reached over and squeezed my hand. “We all have things we keep close to us that we don’t want to remember or share with others.”
“Yes, we do,” Avery agreed with a sweet smile directed my way. When I looked at Bradly, he was still watching me intently. It only took a moment for his face to relax though.
“I wasn’t trying to drag up any bad memories, Mackenzie. I’m sorry if I brought up something that made you uncomfortable, that wasn’t my intention at all. I simply want to know you better.”
It took everything I had not to squirm in my seat as three sets of eyes studied me. His words were so sweet and tender, I suddenly wanted to open up and tell him everything. Instead, I cleared my throat. “You’re fine, Bradly, no worries at all. Let’s just say…I wanted to be as far away from my family as I could get. Well, my mother and stepfather, that is.”
Merit placed a hand over her heart. “That makes me so sad. Family is so important.”
I gave a weak smile. “Not all families.” Glancing around, I prayed someone would change the subject.
“Bradly, how long will you be home?” Avery asked, thankfully answering my unspoken prayer.
“Until after the new year. I have to leave for New York City around the third of the month.”
“So you’ll be here for Lily and Maverick’s wedding on New Year’s Eve!”
Bradly nodded.