Page 58 of Rules of Engagement
"Oh, two more couples who left with James have returned," she said with a nod and a blazing smile that lit up her face.
"That's great."
"Right? One of them is an especially large to-do.Andthey paid electronically once I agreed, to make sure I knew they wouldn't be going anywhere else again."
He was glad things were looking up for her after all she'd been through. "That's fantastic."
The topic of conversation changed to how she'd like her storage set up and other general things, and he enjoyed the time. Eliza wasn't just a pretty face, and she had dreams and goals and ideas that drew him to her like a moth to a flame.
They finished dinner and made their way to the storage rooms, and he realized her afternoon had been spent emptying one of them as much as she could to give him space to work and move about.
He got some measurements, and Eliza helped him unload the shelving from the truck. "Are you sure it's not too heavy for you?" He could carry them easily, but getting them through the door was an issue because of the angle.
"I'm too excited to notice the weight. Let's go."
Within an hour or so, they had all the units he'd been able to bring unloaded, upright, and fastened to the walls. "I can bring more tomorrow. If you're not busy. Otherwise I can bring them in the evenings after work."
"Um, sure. That'd be fine. I'm going somewhere with Marsali in the morning, but I'll be here the rest of the day."
He'd enjoyed their time together, especially since they'd practically spent the whole day together, but taking Marsali's advice into account, he knew he needed to leave. "Okay, sounds like a plan." He watched as her teeth sank into her lower lip, and he stomped down the groan that wanted to erupt at the thoughts it put in his head. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
She nodded and turned toward the door. He followed her down the hallway, managing to keep his gaze on the sway of her long dark hair for the most part.
At her front door, she turned to face him, gazing up at him with her amazing emerald eyes.
"Thank you. Again. I can't wait to get everything organized."
"I'll stay. Help you. If you like." He watched as her gaze left his and she lifted a hand and placed it on his bicep, over the tattoo.
"You've done enough for the day."
Carter took a step closer, crowding her against the door behind her. Her lips parted and she tilted her head up. That was all the invitation he needed to snag a goodbye kiss that rocked him to his core, despite the fact he kept it light.
Marsali's words of advice repeated themselves in his head, and he used them as a Geiger counter to keep himself under control so as to not scare Eliza.
He lifted his head, stared into her beautiful eyes, and took a step back.
He liked her. Every moment they spent together, he found out more to like. But patience was key, and if that's what Eliza needed to feel safe with him, that's what he'd give her.
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Chapter 23
The week passed quickly, and Eliza had spent nearly every evening of it watching Carter create two beautiful storage areas inside of her house.
She and Kellie did the organizing during the day while also working on upcoming events—including Piper's birthday bash—but she found herself looking forward to those evenings more and more.
Even though it scared her how quickly she'd come to like him. A month had passed since that night he'd walked her to her hotel room. A month that now ended with good-night conversations either on the phone or video chat or simply one last sweet text.
Piper's party was the most fun thing Eliza had planned in a very long time. It also made her think it was another business opportunity she needed to be more open to exploring. There were a lot of wealthy families in the Wilmington area who would be happy to pass off the tediousness of a kid's party to someone else.
"Okay?" Kellie asked from nearby.
Eliza looked up at the amazing balloon display that was the backdrop to the cake table and nodded. "Perfect."
Carter had taken Piper out to run some errands so she wouldn't see or hear the setup process at Lincoln's.
Lincoln and Amelia had returned from their honeymoon the day before, and when Eliza and Kellie arrived to set up, the happy couple joined in, along with Mac and Marsali, speeding up the process even more.
