Page 29 of Loving Carter

“Let’s go out.”

I had been walking to my car, but now I stumble. “Look, Gabe, I—”

He laughs and stops me again. “No, not for real. To aggravate Carter.”

“But won’t that simply make him happy? After all, that’s what he wants.”

“I doubt that,” Gabe says. “Trust me. Something else is going on here.”

I sigh and run one hand through my hair. Tonight has been aggravating. “What? What else could possibly be going on?”

We start walking to the parking lot again, and he asks, “What’s your relationship with Carter?”

“He’s my best friend,” I explain. “He’s always been my best friend, although I’m rethinking that now.” I’m kidding, of course. I may be mad at Carter, but he’s still the best friend a person can have.

When I reach my car, I’m distracted by the sleek SUV parked next to it. Gabe’s car is what my sister Lauren would call slick. Yowzer.

“So what do you say?” he asks.

“About?”

“The non-date. Let me take you to dinner some evening this week. I guarantee you that Carter will not be happy, and then you can find out what he really is thinking.”

I’m not usually this dense, but I’m not following. “I don’t see how that will teach him a lesson.”

Gabe hesitates for a moment, then he says, “I’ll bet you anything that he wants you to get involved with someone else so you’re off-limits.”

Now I’m really confused. “Off-limits for what?”

“Off-limits for him.”

I stand in the middle of the parking lot and stare at Gabe. This is a crazy conversation, and he has it all wrong. “There’s nothing romantic between Carter and me.”

“Okay. Maybe I’m wrong,” Gabe says. “One way to prove it is to go on this non-date. If it doesn’t bother Carter, then you’ll know I’m wrong, plus you’ll know where you stand. The only way to find out is to do what he thinks he wants.”

“Or I can simply talk to him and find out why he did this,” I point out.

“Did you take psychology in college?” he asks. When I nod, he adds, “Then you know that’s not how people work.”

I’m still holding out hope that Carter isn’t really this devious. But the more I talk with Gabe, the more I realize that of course he is. We might be best friends, but we aren’t beyond meddling in each other’s lives.

“Okay. Let’s go to dinner. But I pay my own way,” I insist.

Gabe’s grin returns. “Great. What day works for you?”

“Thursday?”

“I’ll pick you up on Thursday,” he says. “Now be sure to let Carter know about this date. And pretend that you’re really excited about it.”

After saying goodbye, we both get in our cars and head off. When I get home, I take the dogs outside and watch them play. It’s only a little after seven, and the sun hasn’t completely set yet. In the summer, the sky stays bright until around nine.

I pull my phone out of my pocket. Unlike Gabe, I didn’t receive a message from Carter. I type,Are your aunts okay? Is everyone at the ranch okay?

He doesn’t answer right away. In fact, it’s over a half hour before he types back,Yes. They’re fine. Did you have a nice time with Gabe? He’s a great guy. You two should go out.

Gabe is right. Carter has done this on purpose. He’s deliberately trying to fix me up with his friend. I want to call him on it and let him know I don’t appreciate this little game, but then I reconsider. Gabe’s approach sounds better.

So I type,He’s great. We’re going to dinner on Thursday.I stop typing for a moment, then figure I, too, can be devious.He’s such an amazing guy. I’m so lucky to have met him.

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