Page 104 of The Charade

Carter:October 17th Day? Hmm, I didn't realize that was a special holiday.

I smiled.

Me:Well, since "Carter's Birthday" is a forbidden phrase around your house, I figured I'd just start calling it October 17th Day.

Carter:Thanks for clearing that up. I'm going to hurry and write that in my bullet journal so it's properly noted.

Oh Carter.

That bullet journal might just be a little too important in his life.

But I kind of loved it. Loved that Carter had his own little quirks that made him who he was.

When I didn't respond immediately, another text from Carter came through.

Carter:So are you coming over? Because I kind of want to see what you got me for my birthday.

Carter:Aside from that amazing dress you wore last night, that is.

I laughed. How had I not known it was possible to like someone so much?

Me:My mom is dropping me off on her way out of town. I'll be there in a few minutes.

When my momand I pulled up, Carter was waiting for me on the front porch of his home with a huge smile on his face.

"So this is Joel's boy?" my mom asked after taking Carter's appearance in. "He's quite handsome, isn't he?"

"He is." I smiled at my mom as I lifted the manilla envelope with Carter's gift on my lap. "And he knows it, too."

Mom let out a hearty laugh, her brown eyes smiling. "It must be a Hastings’s family trait, because Joel always knew how good-looking he was, too."

We were quiet for a second as my mom seemed to remember something from the past.

I wondered if she was remembering the good times with Carter's dad, or maybe even my father Brendon. But since Carter was waiting and my mom wanted to get back to Ridgewater before dark, I sighed and said, "Well, I better get going."

Mom nodded, her faraway gaze focusing back on me. "You don't want to keep that boy waiting. From what you told me last night, it sounds like you might have a lot to talk about."

"Yes." I chuckled. "I think making sure he knows the story behind how he's not my brother might be one of the first topics of discussion."

"Oh dear." Mom shook her head. "I really did make a mess of things for you, didn't I?"

I shrugged, deciding to let her off the hook since being mad about things wasn't going to help anything. "It's okay. At least it's all straightened out now."

Sure, I might have made out with Carter when I thought he was possibly my brother, which most people would be embarrassed about. But at the same time, Carter had thought I might be his sister, so at least we knew we were both a similar kind of crazy about each other.

I leaned over the center console and hugged my mom. "I'll see you at Thanksgiving. Have a safe drive home."

"I will. I'll see you soon." She pulled away from the embrace and looked pointedly at me. "Just make sure you actually do some studying with that handsome math tutor of yours, okay? Even though things have been crazy, I still expect you to keep your grades up."

I grinned. "I'll see what I can do."

I climbed out of the car and waved goodbye to my mom. Then I walked over to the boy who was still patiently waiting for me on his porch steps, looking better than a human should have a right to look.

"Hey," he said when I came to stand in front of him, his hands shoved in the pockets of his light blue jeans.

"Hey," I said back, feeling a little more shy around him than usual.

"Do you want to sit?" He gestured at the porch swing they had on the side of the house. "Or would you rather go inside?"

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