C is for Carter

It didn’t surprise me that Ashton was still showing up at the diner looking for me, and I hated that my former coworkers were having to deal with it. At least she didn’t mention him being difficult in any way.

“Alright,” Harleigh said. “Enough talk about work. We’re here to have fun, so let’s go!”

We laughed and looped our arms around each other to go inside. When we got to a table, I introduced Rebecca to Desiree. They clicked instantly, and soon we were laughing and talking.

“So, how has working for Carter been?” Harleigh asked after a round of drinks. I was honestly surprised it took her that long.

“I thought we weren’t talking about work tonight,” I said.

“We’re not. We’re talking about Carter,” she said. “Are you sleeping with your boss yet?”

“And if you aren’t, why not?” Desiree asked.

The three women laughed, and I just shook my head, taking a sip of my drink in hopes it would cover up any potentially telling look on my face.

“He’s my boss,” I said. “I can’t sleep with him.”

I managed to get that out without my voice wavering, but all that was going through my head was the thought that I actually had slept with him, and he really was my boss. I justified it with the fact that my crush on him came way before he was my boss. Way before there was even the possibility of me working for him. That made it feel a little better.

As we kept talking and laughing, I got the tug to tell them what was really going on. These were my closest friends. I wanted to tell them the truth, and it was getting harder not to.

17

CARTER

“Deacon, I’m going to need you to help me get this damn auger out of the ground,” I said, frustrated.

“Ah, shit,” he said as he came up, scratching the back of his neck. “How’d it get stuck?”

“Ask Everett. He’s the one who got it stuck,” I said. “Wherever the hell he is.”

“I’m right here,” said a voice over my shoulder. Everett was walking up from the direction of his truck. “Went to get a crowbar.”

“Good,” I said. “Deacon, you hold this side here.”

The three of us together got the hole-digger out, and I tossed it aside.

“Alright, you two can put the pole in,” I said. “I’m going to see what this is all about.”

“Huh?” Deacon said, turning to look in the same direction I was. “Oh.”

Lauren was coming up over the hill, heading down to where we were deep down at the bottom. Her car must have been parked at the top as she was walking down the hill sideways, trying not to trip. It was adorable. And another chance to tease her for wearing heels to the office.

“Morning,” I said, walking up the hill part of the way to head her off.

“Morning,” she said. “You left this in the office. It’s been ringing off the hook.”

She reached out, holding my phone in her fingertips. My eyes widened, and I patted my pockets, sure I had the phone in them. It was a silly thing to do, since I could physically see it in her hands, but I did it anyway and then took the phone from her.

“I’ll be damned,” I said. “I could have sworn I had it with me. Thank you.”

Lauren smiled, and the sun created a halo behind her head as she stood slightly above me. At that moment, the only thing I wanted in the entire world was to sweep her off her feet and kiss her. Maybe roll down the hill together and see which one of us ended up on top.

“You left your phone in the office?” Everett asked from behind me, breaking my fantasy before I could get to the good parts.

“I thought you said you never lost track of your equipment,” Deacon teased, referencing a conversation we had the day before.

“I don’t,” I said. “A phone is different.”

“Essential for business, though. So, equipment,” Everett said. “Sounds to me like you’re just the tiniest bit embarrassed.”

“Alright, alright,” I said.

“Getting old,” Deacon said. “The memory ain’t what it used to be.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“I wonder what he’ll forget next time,” Everett said, “Maybe his shoes?”

“I bet his sugar’s just low,” Deacon said. “We ought to get Grandpa to lunch.”

“Thank you again,” I said to Lauren, ignoring the two behind me. “I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem,” she said, flashing that smile again. “See you at lunch. Bye, boys.”

“Bye, Lauren,” Deacon and Everett called in unison, sounding for the whole world like a couple of little boys.

Lunchtime came rather soon after that, it felt. Work was busy and mostly quiet after I connected my phone to a wireless speaker and started playing some tunes. When the alarm went off to break for lunch, I turned the music off and stuffed the phone in my pockets.