Page 48 of Checking Mr. Wrong
“Asher. Before you start overthinking it, I’m just excited.” Mom’s tone is gentle, because she knows. “Don’t let my curiosity take away the fun you’re having. In fact, I don’t want to hear any more about her.”
“Reverse psychology, huh? Respect that, Ma.”
“So tell me more about Maple Falls life. Besides hockey, do you have anything fun coming up soon?”
“There is a bachelor auction I was talked into doing.”
“But you just said there’s a girl!”
“And you said we wouldn’t talk about it.”
“I know, but as a woman, I have to tell you, if I liked a guy and he ended up on stage at an auction, I’d have some feelings about that.”
“I’m sure you would, but I doubt Mabel will,” I say. “She’s made from a different cloth.”
“Unsure how that applies here, but go on,” Mom says, laughing at me over the line.
“Not much to say except I’m in it and it’s for charity.”
“Lead with that next time,“ Mom snaps back teasingly. “Now that I know it’s for charity, I’ll let you do it.”
“Like you could stop me,” I fire back, laughing. This is life with my mom. Man, I miss her. We tease each other for a few more minutes before promising to check in over the weekend, and then I disconnect the call.
“Asher!” The sound of Carson’s voice turns my head in his direction. I spot him across the street, jogging my way, hair wet and matted as he slows down and checks his heart rate.
“Didn’t know you were out for a run,” I say, taking in the state of him. “Looks like you’ve been running from something. You good?”
“I’m great, just needed to get some of the extra energy out of my system so I could sleep tonight.” Carson chuckles. “I didn’t interrupt your call, did I?”
“Just my mom,” I say, shaking my head, “who texted last night to tell me she was shipping a case of maple butter to us this week. She’s included some extra jars for Bailey to try.”
Carson’s cheeks flush red. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“Not a problem,” I say as I wave a hand in the air. I’ve noticed how my roommate has looked at my PAL, and I’m here to help him out if I can. Someday, I may need him to return the favor. Ice Breakers stick together.
We walk in silence for a few steps, the crunch of leaves fillingthe space between us. Carson kicks a stray acorn, sending it skittering into the gutter. “This town is pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The way everyone here comes together,” he says. “I have to admit when I first heard about saving Maple Falls, I didn’t take it seriously. Then I thought about it.”
I stop in my tracks and think about what he’s saying. “I guess if they lose the land, we’d end up losing our arena, huh?”
“Exactly.” He chuckles, stopping beside me. “I think this town is starting to lure me in. Every time I hear about a charity event of any kind, I feel like I should help or donate or something.”
“You and me both,” I say as we continue on our way.
“So,” Carson begins, “hope you don’t mind me asking or being nosy, but the past week you’ve seemed super…chilled.”
“Okay. Is that bad?”
“No!” He laughs. “It’s not, but it’s noticeable to me. I mean, I see you at home and at work, right? So, what’s going on?”
I glance over at him. “What do you mean?”
He shrugs, his tone casual, almost too casual. “You just seem like you’re buzzing with something. Not in a bad way, though. More like you’ve got something—or a certain someone—on your mind.”
I smirk, shaking my head. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
