C is for Carter

She shook her head. “You don’t forget how. And if he was trying to find ways to touch you, I think that means something too. But the only way you’re going to know is to find out from him.”

“Thanks,” I said.

She picked up the basket and was headed for the door when she looked back over at me.

“Is Carter the guy who made your ex leave the other day?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She gave an approving nod. “He’s cute.”

“I know,” I said, feeling like that was a tremendous understatement.

“But you know what? I prefer that Deacon guy. Now that is an attractive man.”

She smiled at me and walked out of the kitchen. Even though she hadn’t really given me much of an answer, having talked to Rebecca made me feel a little better. At least she didn’t tell me I was being completely ridiculous and overthinking the entire situation.

I got through the rest of the day, and just as I got home, I got a call from Harleigh.

“Hey,” she said. “What are you up to?”

“I am just getting home from work.”

“How was your day?” she asked.

“Another day at Dina’s,” I said. “Same old, same old, pretty much. There were a couple of particularly obnoxious tables, both just tourists, but also some solid regulars that were fun to see. I guess it balanced out. How was yours?”

“Good,” she said without elaboration. “But yours sounds like you could use a night out on the town with your two best friends. Let off some steam and have a good time. Aiden and Brett are teaming up to take care of the babies at Desiree’s place, and we’re planning on coming back here to spend the night after hanging out. Are you in?”

I was tired and exasperated after the long day, but the offer was just too appealing to pass up.

“Yes, I am definitely in. Just let me grab a shower, so I don’t smell like biscuits and gravy. Then I’ll throw some things in a bag and meet you guys at the bar.”

“Yay,” Harleigh said. “Sounds perfect. See you in a bit.”

While I was getting ready, I made the decision that I was right earlier in the day, and I was still not going to talk about my seemingly ever-growing feelings for Carter to Harleigh and Desiree. In fact, I was just going to keep my mouth shut and try not to talk about him at all if I could avoid it.

But that was a whole lot easier said than done. I managed to keep up my end of it, not giving them any details about dinner or how confused I was about how he might be feeling about me. The two of them, on the other hand, weren’t doing so hot keeping Carter out of the conversation.

Every opportunity they got, one of them would bring him up and try to rope me into a conversation about him. They weren’t subtle. I knew they were trying to bait me into talking about my feelings for him. Each of the mentions seemed like carefully orchestrated traps meant to lure me into saying something incriminating.

By the time we were all in our pajamas, sitting in front of the TV in Harleigh’s cabin, it seemed they’d run out of slick approaches and were down to one more question.

“Alright, Lauren. Spill. Are you going to work for Carter or what?” Desiree asked.

I laughed at the intensity in the question, like she just suddenly had a burning need to know about my future employment plans.

“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “It’s definitely an appealing offer, but I don’t want to leave the diner high and dry.”

Harleigh and Desiree both scoffed.

“They will figure it out. There are plenty of people around town who they can hire to wait tables, and they’ll find another manager. If you’re unhappy there, you should quit,” Harleigh said.

“The convenience of the diner shouldn’t be more important than you are,” Desiree said.

I knew they were right. I couldn’t just keep thinking about how I wished things were different. I needed to do something about it.

11

CARTER

It wasn’t the best start to a day, and that was for sure. The coffee machine was one of those ones with the little cups, and I was at a loss. There were no more cups. There was, however, a giant container of coffee beside it. And I had no idea how to brew it. Staring at the machine with my empty mug in hand for a few moments, I finally decided that I would just grab a soda and wait for Deacon or Everett to get in and ask them how the damn thing worked.

Grabbing a can from the fridge, I made my way back to my office, leaving the door open in case one of them came in. Deacon had closed the night before, staying late to grab a shower before heading out. He had left the door to my office open, which should have bothered me but didn’t. Deacon was prone to leaving doors open. It had long gone from being an aggravation to just another thing I accepted from one of my closest friends.