Page 36 of Valentine's in Bayberry

“I did.” She smiled proudly.

“I bet she was impressed.”

The smile slipped from her face. “If she was, she didn’t say anything to me.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry she’s giving you a hard time after all of these years.”

“It’s her problem. Not mine. I let go of the past a long time ago.”

In no time at all, they had their plates filled, and they were sitting around the kitchen table like they’d done so many times as kids. Back in those days, there weren’t worries about paying bills or how to manage a successful career.

In the old days, her mother hadn’t been going on about how her friends’ kids were having babies. Her mother didn’t directly say it to Carrie, but it was obvious her mother wanted grandchildren. And with Carrie’s dismal dating record, the chance of her having a family was shrinking every year that went by.

Carrie picked up a tortilla chip and scooped up some guacamole from her plate. Jackson hadn’t lost his touch. It was delicious.

After Carrie munched on the chip, she asked, “Did you tell your mother I said hi?”

He nodded. “I did. It was near the end of our visit. She said hello and that she’s looking forward to seeing you. But you don’t have to make the trip to the facility, although she will take some chocolate.”

Carrie laughed. “Well, I will definitely put together a gift box for her when we go to visit. I’m just sorry I didn’t think about it today.”

After they finished eating, they worked together to clean up. She washed and he dried. It all felt so natural as though they’d been doing it all their lives. In that moment, the idea of them being a couple appealed to her, but it was nothing more than a fantasy.

Jackson led her to the living room, where the coffee table was covered with old photos. He started to clean them up. “I’m sorry about this.”

When she went to help him, she found herself checking out the photos of an era gone by. “Have you ever seen these photos before?”

“Some of them. The more I look at them, the more I want to recreate the restaurant. All of those people looked so happy.”

“Then do it.” She didn’t know why she’d said it. There was no way he’d give up his impressive position to run a small-town restaurant. But she liked the thought of having him around.

The fact he didn’t immediately shoot down her idea, struck her. Surely, he wasn’t seriously considering it.

“I don’t know.” His brow creased, as though he were giving the idea serious consideration.

He hadn’t agreed to her idea, but he hadn’t rejected it either. She knew it would be challenging for him to supervise the restaurant from London. Still, she thought the idea had possibilities. And she could help him.

Getting excited about the Wrights retaining ownership of the building, she continued to build on the idea. “I know you’ll be in London most of the time.” But if he had another excuse to come home, she would get to see him more often. “But if you were to hire a manager, they could oversee everything for you. And I could help out now and then.”

Ding.

It wasn’t her phone, so that meant it had to be his. He withdrew it from his pocket to check the screen. She wanted to ask who it was from, but she resisted the urge. The thought that it might be from a woman—a woman who was romantically interested in him or worse, a woman he was romantically interested in—made her stomach churn.

“Running a business from a long distance is quite difficult, which I am quickly learning. Just give me a moment.” He lifted his phone, and his fingers moved rapidly over the screen.

While he responded to the message, she tried to think of another way to convince him to keep the building and lease out the area. It didn’t have to be a restaurant, just something so he and his mother would retain ownership of the building, and thenshe wouldn’t have to worry about being kicked out when her lease was up. And maybe she would get to see him more often.

“Sorry about that.” He set his phone on the coffee table among the numerous photos. “It was work.”

“But isn’t it really late in London?”

He nodded. “Yes, it is. But don’t worry, they weren’t in the office. They were at home. We’re dealing with some bugs in the new software we’re getting ready to roll out.” He went on to explain the problem in technical jargon.

She nodded as though she understood, but every time he talked about computer programming, it went over her head. She attempted to look interested, even though he might as well have been speaking a foreign language.

“Anyway,” he said, “I’m sure you’re not interested in hearing my problems.”

“You know you can talk to me about anything. Just like always. I might not always know what you’re talking about, but I will listen.”

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