Fools (Licking Thicket 3) - Page 72
I did as he asked. It took all of my self-control not to text Tucker with a thousand different thoughts. Things like “please God take me back” and “I’m sorry, I’ll do anything you want” were top of the list, but there were also gems like “what’s the name of that song I like to listen to when I’m mad” and “can you meet me and Carter for boozy lunch to talk about my shitty non-boyfriend?” Thankfully, my phone was dead anyway after I forgot to charge it overnight at Tucker’s.
When Carter finally came out of the patient area, I’d had just about enough perky HGTV episodes in my eyeballs to make me want to flip a house. “Finally,” I muttered, standing up and following him outside like a puppy. When the lights blinked on a nearby douchey sports car, I rolled my eyes. But then I did a little internal dance because I was getting ready to ride in a Ferrari SF90 Spider. Please, baby Jesus, let him put the top down.
I touched it reverently. “This one of them new Priuses?”
He chuckled. “You enjoy playing the cowpoke, don’t you?”
I slid into the racing seat and bit back an appreciative groan at the way it hugged my back and hips. “Don’t know what you mean.”
“You have an app on your phone called ParlorBoss. I asked Tucker what it was. He said your milking business is fully automated with mobile parlor management software, and you’ve done all the work to transition your herd to fully organic certified. You’re also the exclusive supplier to the fastest-growing creamery in the southeast, and you’ve diversified into bath products as well. You’re not stupid.”
“Mpfh,” I said, reaching out and running my fingers across the smooth control panel on the dash. I would never admit to the warm feeling I got in my chest from hearing those words spoken by someone as educated and successful as Carter Rogers.
The low rumble of the engine turning over almost made me hard. I made a noise in my throat.
Carter laughed. “I dream of someone sucking me off in this car, so you might want to stop making sounds like that.”
I shot him a look. “Keep dreaming.” I almost, almost told him out of habit I wasn’t into guys. But then the image of me sucking Tucker’s dick flashed through my mind, and I choked the words back.
He drove the short distance to a pub I recognized. Private Lewellyn’s Bar and Grill had been shortened over the years to just plain Private’s. It was the perfect place for two guys to get drunk and awkward for an afternoon.
“They have killer burgers,” I said. “The mushroom and swiss is good. Fish and chips is decent too. Oh, and the macaroni bites are…”
I saw his lip turn up in judgment. “Or they have big salads too,” I added. “If that’s the way you wanna be.”
The woman at the door sat us in a deep booth near the back. I asked her for whatever draft special they had going on, and Carter asked for one of their fancier beers. “You sure you don’t want champagne?” I asked.
He lifted a sculpted eyebrow. “You buying?”
I muttered under my breath and perused the menu even though I already knew what I was getting. When the server returned with our beers and took our order, I sat back with a deep gulp of my beer and a relieved sigh.
I wasn’t quite ready to start in on myself. I needed more time for the effects of the beer to kick in. “What about you, Doc? You looking for someone special? I mean, besides my Tuck?”
He studied me over his glass. “I love Tucker.” Before I could get good and mad, he added, “But he’s not the one for me. Even if he wasn’t already head over heels in love with you, he and I don’t suit. If it had been meant to be between us, it would have worked out better in school.”
“Do you date? In Nashville, I mean?”
He shrugged. “A little. My job is hectic, and I work extra shifts at the hospital. It’s one of the reasons I volunteered to stand in for Dr. Symmons here for a little while. I needed a break. I was getting burned out, and it was beginning to affect my health.”
“I’m sorry ’bout that,” I said, taking another sip. “It’s one of the reasons I’m not sure I could handle living in a big city. The pace is too much. Too much noise and too many people.”
Carter sat back and nodded like he was thinking things through. “I can see why you like it in the Thicket. It’s nice to run into people you know everywhere. Hell, even your mom sat with me at the coffee shop the other day when she spotted me in line. I also enjoyed going fishing with the guys. I mean… I know it didn’t turn out like we’d all hoped, but I envy you that group of friends. I don’t have that.”
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