Page 14 of Loving Carter

“Seriously, we need wow,” Bill says again.

“Do you have any ideas off the top of your head how many people might come?” Nina asks. Yes, it’s definitely Nina. I’m positive this time.

Bill’s writing, but now he looks up. “I have no idea.”

Well, at least that’s honest.

“Has the town done anything like this before?” Hugh asks. “Recently, not in 1933.”

Everyone turns and looks at Ty.

“How many came to the barbecue contest you held a few years back?” Bill asks him.

“Hundreds,” Ty says.

“Several hundred, like one hundred or like thirty hundred?” Denise asks.

“Around two hundred, I think,” Ty says. “I could be wrong, but it was a lot. This expo should bring in even more.”

I barely manage not to groan. More than two hundred people translates into a lot of snacks I’ll need to create.

“What’s important is that the business expo has something special. I can’t emphasize that enough. It needs...” Bill waves one hand as if he’s trying to catch the right word.

“Pizzazz,” Carter says, causing everyone to look at him. “That’s what we need. Pizzazz. Fun. The games need to be fun, and the food needs to be delicious. That way, everyone will have a blast and come back to Endearing.”

Bill beams at Carter. “Exactly.”

“Yes, yes,” Tina agrees, almost bouncing in her chair. “We want that. We want the business expo to be a big hit.”

I’ll give Carter credit; he knows how to work a crowd. With just a few words, everyone in the room is now convinced the Endearing Business Expo will turn out great. However, it bothers me that we all may have too much confidence in what’s possible.

When everyone starts chatting as the meeting wraps up, I look at Carter and mouth the word “Pizzazz?”

He bursts into laughter, and I have to admit, I’m a little charmed too.

***

Carter

EVERY TUESDAY NIGHTsince both Skylar and I came back into town, she comes to the ranch for dinner. The aunts insist on it, explaining that their days would be too boring if they didn’t get to see their favorite young lady at least once a week.

Thankfully, Skylar doesn’t mind, or at least she says she doesn’t. She’s a people pleaser, which means she often doesn’t tell anyone what she’s really thinking. Normally, I can tell, but even I’m unsure sometimes. I hope if she didn’t want to come, she’d tell me.

For me, these dinners are always fun. I usually cook something simple, and we sit around and spend a couple of hours talking and laughing. I have to admit—the aunts aren’t the only ones who like these meals. I like them too.

I know I see Skylar almost every day at her store, and those talks are nice. But nothing compares to the dinner chats. They are really fun.

I’ve already started the spaghetti when Skylar arrives. I can hear the aunts talking to her in the living room. I’d go see her, but I need to stay with the sauce.

After a few minutes, she appears in the kitchen doorway. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt that saysI Love Cake. She looks cute tonight with her hair down. Normally she wears it in a cap at the bakery, so she rarely has it loose. I know she doesn’t like her red hair, but it’s pretty. It’s long and drifts over her shoulders.

“I haven’t seen that shirt before,” I say, pulling my thoughts away from her hair.

She glances down at her T-shirt. “It’s new. Dinner smells good.”

“It will be. You know what an excellent chef I am,” I tease. “Five-star restaurant quality.”

She bursts out laughing, and I end up laughing too. No way am I an excellent chef.

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