Merlyn strolled through the centre of Town, feeling much more relaxed after her coffee and muffin. Gail was right, she just needed to chill and take some time for herself to help her get into the right frame of mind.
Merlyn was confident that she had nothing to worry about. Billy would never want to put her in an uncomfortable position, as he understood and accepted how hard it was for her to get by in social confrontations. Although she could never be honest about who she truly was, Merlyn had confided in him a little about her difficult upbringing and he was happy to allow her to take things in her stride.
She could not believe that she had stormed out on him earlier and for what, a sarcastic dig to wind up Lucas? Billy was clearly going to inform her of his Fathers visit and come up with a plan for how best to deal with it, due to her awkwardness at unknown social situations; however, she had just pushed him away and left him to deal with it on his own. Merlyn felt terrible for leaving him that way and she was determined to make herself presentable, ensuring that she was the perfect suiter in his Fathers eyes.
'Earth to Merly, come back down to the land of the livin'' Caleb called from across the street, concerned when his Sister had blatantly ignored him.
'You want us to get caught?' Bobby asked shocked, not believing that Caleb had purposely sought the attention of an adult.
'She's my Sister and she's cool' Caleb responded, then rushed across the road when it was clear and touched Merlyn's arm when she remained lost in her own thoughts.
Merlyn jumped at the feel of a small hand on her arm, then smiled warmly when she saw Caleb. 'Hey you, I feel like I ain't seen you in forever!' she exclaimed, giving him a big hug.
'Alright, calm down' Caleb laughed, unable to stop himself from squeezing her back affectionately. 'Where were you? I well thought you spotted me over there'
Merlyn glanced across the street and saw the older boy Bobby, who used to bully Caleb, then her mind clicked and she realised what time it was. 'Caleb Temple, why ain't in School? Gail's gonna have your hide' she warned, glancing around to ensure that her Cousin had not suddenly appeared to scold them both for being together at this time.
Caleb could tell that Merlyn was just acting like she thought she had to, being an adult now, and he let out a long sigh. 'Merly I'm bored, there are people wherever I go expectin' stuff from me and I just need to breathe' he confessed, unable to lie to her and still feeling the deep bond that they shared.
Merlyn could not help but smile at his instinct to confide in her. They would always be each others closest confident, no matter how separated they sometimes seemed and she would never go against him even if others would think bad of her. 'I get that, I really do' she sighed, knowing first hand how hard it could be pandering to other peoples expectations.
'Wanna do somethin' just the two of us?' Caleb asked excitedly. 'Bobby's only hangin' around me today as I'm in with Lucas and he'll happily go if he knows he'll be protected'
Merlyn wanted nothing more than to go somewhere private and catch up with her Brother; however, she had to get some appropriate clothes to meet Billy's Father, as she needed to make a good impression.
'Ain't nothin' inappropriate about what you wear, why would you have to do that?' Caleb asked confused, subconsciously reading her mind and finding nothing wrong with her loose grey T Shirt and faded ripped jeans.
'Well, well, well, what do we have here?' Lucas asked, as he pulled up beside the pair and wound his window down.
'None of your damn business Lucas, you just put your foot back on the gas and keep goin'' Merlyn ordered bluntly as she pushed Caleb gently behind her, not in the mood for any games and unimpressed by his interfering presence.
'Aww hell I'd love to Missy, but I'm on tour guide duty and I take my responsibilities very seriously' Lucas smirked and turned his attention to the passenger side of his car, then exited the vehicle casually.
Merlyn was about to challenge Lucas when an older man in an expensive suit exited the passenger side of the car and began looking around the area curiously. As he headed towards their group, he narrowed his eyes at Merlyn's overly worn attire and shook his head subconsciously.
'William Peele, I'd like you to meet my Son Caleb' Lucas said proudly and signalled towards Caleb, who was still hiding behind Merlyn.
Caleb stood tall when he heard his name and pushed past his Sister, who had frozen on the spot. 'Nice to meet you Sir...Peele, as in Billy Peele?' he asked pleasantly, sensing Merlyn's panic and hoping to keep the attention on him rather than her.
'Well there's no one else in these parts with that surname Sweetheart' Gail advised sweetly before William could answer and appeared from behind Merlyn, dropping her task close by after sensing Lucas' attempt to mess with her Cousin and take her off guard.
'Why how do you do Ma'am, I don't believe I've had the pleasure' William smiled appreciatively, taken by the beautiful brunette in her short scarlet dress who appeared to know who he was.
'Oh I'm a good friend of your Son's, but apparently I'm not worthy of a proper introduction' Gail returned his smile, allowing William to take her hand and kiss it courteously.
'This is Gail Buck, my beautiful adorin' Wife' Lucas advised forcing a charming tone, unimpressed by her sudden appearance and interruption to his fun.
'I most certainly am' Gail added pleasantly and nodded appreciatively to her Husband. 'This is my Cousin M, she's just come from watching my two little devils' she lied, gently pulling Merlyn to her so that she could get in the game.
Merlyn felt Gail's arm link hers and took a discreet breath to calm herself.
'Terror's are they?' William asked amused, feeling a giddiness in the air and his judgement of the younger woman before him momentarily disappeared.
'As you can see, I need to be prepared to run' Merlyn forced a laugh, following Gail's lead and cursing herself for not being prepared for this encounter.
'My William Jr used to be a nightmare too, always into everything and never letting up. I don't envy you with two' William smiled pleasantly at the girl, sensing a goodness radiating off of her.
'Oh she's amazing, has the patience of a saint and is everything I strive to be' Gail advised, placing a protective arm around Merlyn's shoulders to reassure her that she had her back.
'Well as sweet as this conversation is, I think William needs to get himself settled after the flight here' Lucas said, growing tired of the exchange now that Gail was here to protect Merlyn from any embarrassment.
'Yes, that plane left much to be desired I assure you' William sighed.
'There's some great places to rest here, where are you stayin'?' Caleb asked, wanting to be part of the conversation with the adults.
'Erm, I think Lucas said it was the Holt Boarding House' William advised and turned to the Sheriff for confirmation.
'That's the one, Miss Holt has the finest dumplin's in Town' Lucas smirked, then approached Gail and placed a soft kiss on her lips before heading back to his car with Billy's Father, not giving her the chance to object.
'The Boardin' House with my ex Matt?' Merlyn asked Gail sharply and felt her anxiety spike.
Gail let out a long sigh and shook her head in disbelief at Lucas' play, when he had the audacity to ban her from getting involved in things that do not concern her. 'It's alright, just breathe...Caleb's here now, he might as well make himself useful and lend a hand, considering he thinks it's acceptable to skip School so blatantly' she responded sarcastically, choosing to allow Caleb to remain with Merlyn while she had to focus on her other duties.
Caleb's eyes grew wide at the comment, then he relaxed when he realised that she was not really mad at him. 'That's right, I'm here to look after you and won't let anyone get the better of you' he said proudly, then gave Gail a quick hug and dragged Merlyn away before Gail's mood had a chance to change.
Loris stood over the large pot on her stove and stirred the stew that she had spent hours preparing, attempting to keep her composure. Not only had Matt informed her that his working hours were changing, throwing her usual routine into disarray, he had been far too giddy than was appropriate at Gail showing him a little attention. Loris did not fancy herself as a jealous woman; however, first Matt had been spending a lot of time with Selena Coombs, causing the rumour mill to run rampant, and now he was reconnecting with Gail without any acknowledgment of her dark ways. This man was beginning to test her patience.
'I don't know why you won't just tell me what's wrong, this silent treatment is childish and beneath you' Matt sighed, leaning against a work top and watching her cautiously.
'I'm not givin' you the silent treatment, I'm busy tryin' to feed my boarders. This would go so much easier for me if you would just go to bed and-' Loris started.
'-Sleep through the day so you never have to see me until you want something?' Matt finished for her, not oblivious to how little time they actually get to spent together due to his shifts, and how happy Loris appeared to be with that.
Loris removed the spoon from the pot and slammed it down on the side, then turned towards Matt angrily.
'And this is Loris Holt, owner of this here establishment. You won't find a better home cooked meal in Town, unless you stayed at my place that is' Lucas said charmingly, as he entered the kitchen with William and smiled smugly at Loris, sensing her hostility.
'What the hell do you want?' Loris snapped abruptly, not in the mood for forced niceties with Lucas at this moment in time.
'Loris!' Matt exclaimed disapprovingly, knowing she was aware of how important it was to keep up pleasantries until Lucas made the first move, to not give him the satisfaction of an excuse to torture them.
'Uh oh, looks like we caught you at a bad time. I was just bringin' William here to be put up for a few nights, but I guess business is goin' too well for you to have to show some common courtesy' Lucas responded coolly, smiling as Loris' usually welcoming disposition turned cold.
'Apologies, please excuse Loris, she isn't feeling very well today...I'm Matt Crower, it's nice to see a new face around here' Matt jumped in, turning his attention to the potential new boarder and disregarding both Lucas and Loris.
'Crower, I feel like I've heard that name before. You don't work with my Son do you?' William asked, regarding the man curiously.
'That depends on who your Son is' Matt responded pleasantly, happy to keep the attention off of Loris while she regained her composure.
'William Peele Jr, he's an Epidemiologist from Atlanta' William advised proudly, disregarding his Son's poor choices relating to his career of late and focussing on his previous role.
Matt closed his eyes in exasperation and shook his head, then turned towards Lucas. 'Is this a joke? Billy Peele's Father is to stay at a place with me?' he asked Lucas in disbelief, suspecting that this was his doing. 'Does M know?'
Loris could not believe this and let out a bitter laugh. 'Oh great, a reason for your ex to come hoverin', that's just what I need' she said to Matt cattily.
'Your Wife's Cousin? Why would she come around for me?' William asked Lucas confused.
'Aww hell, that's somethin' you need to discuss with your Son. In the meantime, I'm sure Miss Holt will be happy to get you settled while you wait for his arrival' Lucas smirked, knowing how much Billy avoided Matt due to his past relationship with Merlyn and suspecting that Merlyns lack of social experience was going to make this fun to watch.
-To be continued-