Page 62 of Peak Suspicion
“I’m a very careful driver,” he said. “It’s the other people out there you have to worry about.” He escorted her inside. A middle-aged blonde looked up from behind the desk. “Mom, this is Mira,” Carter said. “Mira, this is my mom.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Ames.” Mira smiled and hoped she didn’t appear as nervous as she felt.
Mrs. Ames stood and offered her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, too, Mira. Carter can’t stop talking about you.”
Mira didn’t think of herself as someone who blushed easily, but her face grew hot. Carter put a hand on her shoulder. “Mira needs to fill out the paperwork, Mom, or we’re going to be late.”
“Of course.” His mom handed over a clipboard. “Even though you’re Carter’s guest, we have to have everything in order for our insurance.”
She scanned the paperwork, signed her name in two places and returned the clipboard.
“Great.” Carter steered her toward the door. “See you later, Mom.”
The Jeep was open-topped, with three rows of seats already filled with a family of four and a retired couple. “This is Mira,everyone,” Carter said as he opened the passenger door for her. “You can all introduce yourselves later. Is everyone ready to go?”
Everyone was ready, so they set off, headed out of town and up to Raptor Ridge, a popular spot known for its spectacular view. They soon turned off the paved road, onto a narrow four-wheel-drive route, which took them past old mine ruins, splashing waterfalls and expanses of brilliantly colored wildflowers.
Mira enjoyed the view, but perhaps even more, she enjoyed watching Carter. He had probably told the stories he related about local geography and history a hundred times, but there was no sense that he was bored. He told jokes—some at his own expense—and paid special attention to the two children present. At one rest stop, he showed them fossils embedded in the rocks, and stopped in the middle of the road to point out a doe and fawn making their way through the trees. Seeing him kneeling beside the boy and girl, showing them a fossil in a rock wall, made her go all soft inside. He was going to be a great dad someday. How had she ever thought him self-centered and superficial?
Maybe that was the problem with her relationship with George. She had never gotten past first impressions to see the troubled man beneath the facade.
Carter pulled outall his best stories, hoping to impress Mira. Not that he didn’t always try to give the tourists a good time, but he especially wanted her to enjoy herself.
It seemed to be working. She had smiled pretty much nonstop all day, and a couple of times they locked eyes and he felt that special zing of connection.
“I had a wonderful time,” she said when they returned to the tour office. “Thank you so much for inviting me.”
“It made the trip even more fun for me,” he said.
“You’re really good at what you do,” she said.
This praise from her made him feel ten feet tall. “You’ll have to come on a different tour,” he said. “We have a mine ruins history tour, and one up to Admiral Mountain.”
“I’d love that.”
He glanced around to make sure none of the guests—or his parents—were watching, then pulled her close for a kiss. “Dinner later?” he asked.
“I’d love that.”
“I’m off tomorrow, so I can stay all night.”
“Even better.”
When Carter showedup at her apartment that evening, they decided on pizza for dinner, so they headed to Mo’s. “I didn’t think about how packed this place would be on a Saturday night,” Mira said as they entered. The room buzzed with conversation, punctuated by the clink of glasses and burst of laughter.
“It’ll be fine,” Carter said. “There are always tables in the back.”
They squeezed past a group who were headed out, then threaded their way alongside the bar, where most of the patrons were watching the baseball game on television. Mira stopped so suddenly Carter bumped into her. She grabbed his arm. “Isn’t that Ed Anders?” she whispered, and nodded toward the end of the bar.
Ed was indeed seated on the barstool, a bottle of beer and a plate of food in front of him. He ate a French fry as Carter stared. At least he appeared more sober than he had the night Carter had driven him home. As if feeling their gaze on him, he looked their way and glared.
“Go on.” Carter nudged Mira. “It’ll be okay.”
Ed continued to glare at them as they moved closer. Carter nodded. “Hello, Ed,” he said. “How are you tonight?”
“What’s it to you?” Ed asked. He fixed his gaze on Mira. “What are you looking at?”
“N…nothing!” she stammered. Carter felt her stiffen beneath his hand on her back.
