Page 20 of Loving Carter

The house is great, but it has too much furniture. In addition to her parents’ living room couch and love seat, her grandmother’s rockers are also squeezed into the small room, along with some of Skylar’s college furniture. Making my way to the couch is like navigating a maze.

I finally successfully make it to the blue flowered couch, but as soon as I’m settled, all three dogs glom on to me like they’ve been pulled in by gravity. Each one is striving to get me to pat them, trampling on top of me and nosing each other out of the way.

“I’m never coming over to see you again,” I say loudly right before I acquiesce and start patting the dogs.

Skylar comes back into the living room, laughing. She’s carrying two glasses, and for the first time since I got here, I really look at her. I hadn’t been paying attention when she answered the door, but I do now.

She’s wearing what looks like a long green T-shirt or a short dress. A really short dress. Her long red hair is loose and flowing over her shoulders, and she looks...

Amazing.

Attraction slams into me like a freight train, and I blink. It’s serious, pulse-pounding attraction. I’ve never been attracted to Skylar before, not like this. Sure, she’s cute, but we’re friends, have always been friends. Nothing more.

But I’m not thinking like a friend right now.

“Do you want to change your clothes?” I ask, hoping she says yes and changes into something more conservative. Something with more material. A graduation gown, maybe?

Skylar glances down at the green T-shirt. “What’s wrong with this?”

“It’s a nightgown,” I manage to say, annoyed that my voice sounds strained.

“No, it’s not. It’s a short T-shirt dress. Lots of women wear these,” she explains, making things worse by twirling a little. “They’re nice summer dresses. I used to wear them at college a lot.”

“I’ve never seen it,” I say, not really sure why I think that matters. She obviously isn’t going to change, which means I need to get my act together. I think of every repulsive thing I’ve encountered in my life. Truly gross stuff. One of those images has got to shift my focus off her and that evil dress.

“I like it,” she says. “Since I’m always working, I don’t have a chance to wear it in town.”

“Why are you wearing it tonight?” I manage to ask.

“I don’t know. I guess I was feeling businessy.”

“Businessy? That’s not a word.”

“You know what I mean.” She hands me one of the glasses of iced tea. “Did you drive all the way over here tonight to talk about my dress?”

I take a long drink of the tea, hoping it will distract me. What is with me? I’ve seen Skylar in bikinis at pools over the years, and I’ve never been attracted before. Never. But now lust has coiled up inside me like a snake. It must be because I’m tired. That’s all I can think.

“I want to talk about the business expo,” I say, deliberately avoiding looking at her.

“I know. That’s why you’re here.” She tips her head a little, probably trying to figure out what is wrong with me. “Did you see what Kellan and Janie learned?”

“No.”

“It’s great news.”

She sits in the chair across from me, but even sitting gracefully, her long, bare legs are directly in my line of sight. I force myself to look at her face.

“They found out that all the businesses on Main Street and Elm are interested,” she says. “They all want to have booths.”

I’m focused entirely on her face, hoping I can squash what I’m feeling, but her smile is bright, and just like the dress, it does something to me. I take another long drink of the tea. Is it hot in here? It feels hot.

“Good,” I say, but my mind isn’t really on the expo, not anymore. I came here hoping to reduce the volcanic stress I’ve been feeling, but because of that little green dress, I’m feeling even more stressed. I set my glass of tea on a coaster on the coffee table and curl my fingers into my palms.

“It was so nice of Kellan and Janie to ask everyone. I meant to do it, but I couldn’t seem to get myself amped up to accomplish the task.” She shrugs, and I focus on the glimmering slim gold necklace she’s wearing. She always wears that necklace and has since high school. Her grandmother gave it to her before she died. It’s sweet that Skylar wears it as a tribute.

But it drapes low on her chest, dipping toward the little bit of cleavage she’s showing.

I tighten my fists and dig my nails deeper into my palms, trying anything to cool my jets. She’s talking about something, but I’m not following. That dress has grabbed hold of me again, and all I can think about is her.

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