Page 36 of Between Now and Forever

Your dad is clearly an ass,I think.

“I think you sound happy,” I say.

She drops her hand to reveal a heart-stopping smile.

“Will you dance with me?” I ask.

“There’s no music, Carter.”

“There’salwaysmusic; you just have to listen.”

I put my hand out to her and she slips hers into it.

As soon as our palms connect, I start to dread the moment that I have to let her go.

“I brought you some of my clothes. My daughter’s even taller than me; you’d swim in her things.”

My mother walks back in with an ice pack and stack of clothes. We jump away from each other. I deliberately avoid her gaze as I move to the door.

“Wewill wait downstairs,” my mother says sternly, her eyes on me and full of disapproval.

“Thank you,” Liz says. “And I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“Call me Penn. And you’re welcome. Is there anyone you need to call and let know you’re here?”

Her eyes widen and she slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, yes, please. I need to call my brother. He’ll be worried. My phone is dead. Is there one I can use?”

“Of course, you can use the landline. The storm knocked our cell service out, anyway.” The warm smile she bestows on Elisabeth disappears when she turns to look at me.

“Come on, Carter, let’s go.” Her tone tells me she’s not fucking around with me, and that if I don’t come right now, she’ll make me.

I flash an unrepentant smile as I hook my arm through hers and let her pull me out of the door.

“See you in a few minutes,” she calls after us.

When I look over my shoulder and find her watching me too, I know I’ll be back to finish what we started.

“See you downstairs, Beth.” I say and see her jaw drop right before I turn around and walk out.

The timing is terrible. But like my father always tells me, nothing is a coincidence. And a night like this, with a woman like her, may be just the thing I need to feel like myself again. I curse the bad luck that’s taking me back to New York in a week, and in the same breath give thanks for it.

5

FAMILY AFFAIR

ELISABETH

“Hey James,it’s me. I’m sorry I missed you. I hope you’re sleeping through this storm. It’s raining pretty hard and flooding already. I’m staying with some friends until it dies down. My phone is dead, but I’m fine. I’ll call you when I’m headed home. Love you. Bye.”

I put the phone back on the receiver and tiptoe down the stairs, testing for creaks in the floorboard before I let my full weight rest on it. My ankle is barely sore thanks to the ice and the fact that Carter picked me up as soon as I fell.

I don’t know why I left with him. I should have gone to find Duke. Not that I thought he was looking for me, but somehow staying with Carter felt like the safest option in that moment. And as soon as he picked me up, I stopped thinking about the choice I’d made and just enjoyed it.

Never in a million years would I have imagined a moment like that.

I savored the feeling of his warm, hard chest as he held me like I was precious. When he put me down, even though it was at my request, I felt the absence of his body’s heat keenly. And by the time his mother interrupted us, the attraction between us was so heady that it made me breathless with longing.

A month ago, I would have said just having a handsome man hit on me would have been enough. But now, that I’ve had a taste of what’s to come, and felt the strong, mutual attraction between us, I have a feeling nothing will feel like enough.

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