Page 94 of No More Secrets
What would suffer more? Their work or their relationship?
She took a sip of water from the glass she kept on her nightstand.
None of this could be decided tonight.
In September, she would have real answers, and with those answers she would be able to build a future that suited her. But was it fair to Carter to keep going without answers? Was it fair to tie him to her when things could change forever in a few weeks?
––––––––
It was just after one in the morning when Summer’s headlights hit the farmhouse.
The Saturday night fundraiser had run long thanks in part to the lengthy speeches during the award portion of the evening. Summer felt a little guilty for bolting before dessert had been served, but she had paid her dues by logging in to a Saturday morning production video chat with several of the magazine’s go-to freelancers.
What she did with her very late Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning, was her business.
It was a good pep talk, but she still couldn’t shake the guilt. It seemed to be following her everywhere these days.
She parked in front of the house and carried her bag up the front steps. The front of the house was dark, except for the soft glow of the porch light. The front door was open as always.
Summer left her bag at the foot of the stairs and followed the light that came from the kitchen.
She found Jax in gym shorts and nothing else working on his laptop in the great room. The TV was muted to accommodate the woman grumbling over the speaker of Jax’s phone.
“Look, I know it’s trite. I know it’s been done. But the formula works and we gotta figure out how to make this unlikeable hero likeable enough that the audience doesn’t end up cheering for the bad guy,” the disembodied voice explained.
“Uh-huh.” Jax pulled up ESPN on his laptop. “How about you walk me through some of your ideas, Penny?”
Summer cleared her throat softly.
Jax rolled his head on the back of the sofa and grinned when he saw her.
Penny droned on about an opening sequence.
“Carter?” Summer mouthed.
Jax pointed upstairs and laid the side of his face on his hands miming sleep.
She winked and waved.
Jax shook his head and tapped his cheek until Summer moved in to give him a kiss. He ruffled her hair. “Welcome back,” he whispered.
Summer headed back down the hall and grabbed her bag. Upstairs, she found Carter’s bedroom door cracked open. She stepped inside and put her bag down, admiring the view.
He was sprawled on his back. The sheet bunched low on his waist, baring the glory of his torso to her.
All doubts and concerns that had hammered in her head for days now disappeared and were replaced with a sharp, desperate need.
As Summer stripped off her clothes, Carter’s eyes flickered open. Opening his arms, he lifted the sheet and welcomed her to his bed.
Nothing else mattered.
––––––––
Sunday morning dawned bright and despite the lack of sleep the night before, the residents of Carter’s bed woke with enthusiasm.
Summer felt a twinkle of pride when Carter pulled on the t-shirt she gave him. She dressed quickly in shorts and a pretty tank and followed Carter downstairs.
In the kitchen, Jax arched an eyebrow watching Summer struggle to tame her blonde tresses with a bun and Carter reach for the coffee pot with a self-satisfied grin. “You two look ... rested,” he commented.
