Page 26 of Valentine's in Bayberry

“We had a lot of good times in this room.” Carrie recalled movie nights, which included hot popcorn with butter and salt. Sometimes, they would end up in a popcorn battle. His mother would make them crawl around on the floor until they’d picked up every single piece.

“We did,” he said. “It seems so long ago now.”

She noticed that a number of decorations were missing. “Are you packing up the place?”

“Not yet. Why?”

“Oh.” That was strange. “It’s nothing. I just noticed that some of the decorations are missing.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I think my mother started selling things so she’d have more money to gamble.”

Carrie’s heart sank. She knew his mother had problems, but for her to sink to selling her very own possessions...Wow!She had no idea it was that bad.

“She even sold off my father’s autographed baseball collection and the baseball cards.”

“Weren’t those supposed to go to you?” When he nodded, her heart sank clear down to her feet.

“My grandfather started collecting the baseball cards, then it was given to my father, and he added the signed baseballs. I thought someday that I’d hand it down to my children.”

Carrie was surprised to hear him mention children. When they were younger, he said he didn’t want any children. He wanted the freedom to focus on his career. It appeared he’d changed his mind.Interesting.

She’d always wanted children and her own business. So far, her business was starting to take off, but she hadn’t met the right guy to settle down with. She was beginning to wonder if she would ever meet him.

“Hey, we don’t need to talk about this. I’m sure you didn’t stop by to hear about the shattered remnants of this… Well, this mess.” His face was creased with worry lines. Beneath his eyes were shadows, as though all of these problems kept him up at night.

“You do know that if there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is let me know. I’m always here for you.”

His gaze met and held hers. The intensity of his stare sent her heart racing. There was something in his gaze that caused the breath to catch in the back of her throat. The stare was so intense she found herself glancing away.

When she did, the spell or whatever had come over her was broken. She was able to take a breath. But what had just happened between them? She’d never felt something that intense before.

Finding herself staring into his eyes longer than she should, she glanced away. “Have you had any dinner?”

He shook his head. “After I visited my mother, I just didn’t feel like eating.”

Carrie’s brows drew together. “Aren’t things going well for her?”

“She’s doing well.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But things are getting more complicated.”

Carrie nodded. “Why don’t you tell me about it while I make us something to eat. Do you have any food in the fridge? Otherwise, we can go over to my parents’ place.”

“I don’t have a lot, but you don’t have to cook. You’ve got to be tired after working all day.” He gave it some thought. “We could eat in town.”

“Or we could get some takeout.”

“Just tell me what you want.” He reached for his phone.

They both opted for burgers and curly fries. Jackson went to pick up their order while Carrie went home to change clothes.

A half hour later, Jackson arrived at Carrie’s family home with food in hand. After they ate in the kitchen, they moved to the living room. She’d surprised herself and found that she’d been quite hungry. And now that she’d eaten, she felt a renewed sense of energy. She didn’t know how long it would last, but she definitely wasn’t ready to go to bed this early.

“Let’s watch a movie.” She sat down on the couch.

Jackson sat next to her. “Only if I get to pick it out.”

“What?” Was he serious? She arched a brow as she gave him a funny look. “The last time you picked out a movie, it had subtitles.”

“Hey, how was I supposed to know? And that doesn’t count.”

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