Page 31 of Loving Carter

I turn around to face him. “Why did you come over to talk to me? I thought you were avoiding me?” I hate the sting in my words, but I’m really hurt by all this.

“I’m not avoiding you,” he says softly.

“Yes, you are.” I open my car door and set my purse on the driver’s seat. “You dumped me on Gabe and disappeared. You wanted me to go out with your friend, so you threw us together.”

He doesn’t say anything, just keeps looking at me.

After a minute, I blow out a breath of frustration. “Fine. Don’t say anything. I thought you were my friend, my best friend, but it turns out you’re like everyone else in the town. You think I need a man in my life, and since any man will work, you figure I might as well pick your friend.”

Rather than being upset that I’m practically yelling at him, he smiles, but it’s not his normal smile. This is a sad smile. “Skylar, you know I don’t think you need a man.”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” I say, feeling annoyed and upset. I hate feeling this way, like my life is spinning out of control. It makes me feel...vulnerable. I’ve lost my friend, who helped me make sense of the world.

Most people in the parking lot have driven away, but not everyone. We spot a few stragglers, and by silent agreement, we wait while Denise gets in her car and leaves. Bill wanders out next. He smiles and waves at us, hesitates for a moment, then gets in his truck and leaves.

Since the parking lot is now empty, I walk over until I’m standing directly in front of Carter. I feel emotion tightening my throat.

“I thought you were my friend,” I say, softly this time.

He sighs. “I am.”

“No, you’re not. A friend doesn’t do this. We’ve talked many times over the years about how much we hate it when people fix us up. YouknowI don’t want to be fixed up with someone.”

For a heartbeat, he simply looks at me, his expression difficult to read. Then he says, “I’m not doing anything to you. I’m doing this for me so we can stay friends.”

What?I take another step forward, frustrated by this conversation. “What does that mean? How does my going out with your friend help you?”

He tries to take a step back, but he parked next to my car, and now I’ve cornered him by his truck. I didn’t mean to do that, and I throw my hands up in the air when he scoots by me like I’m contagious.

“Why are you acting this way?” I ask again. “You’re throwing me at a friend of yours, avoiding me, and now you’re moving away from me. What’s changed? What’s wrong?”

For a heartbeat, he focuses on some point beyond me. When he once again looks at me, I can see heat in his gaze. It’s startling in its intensity.

Whoa. Now I’m really confused.

“The craziest thing has happened to me,” he says. His voice is deep and soft and touches me like a caress. “I seem to find myself thinking about you in a very unfriend-like manner.”

It takes a moment for his words to make sense. When they do, my mouth drops open. I cannot believe this. “No, you don’t.”

It’s a dumb thing to say, but my brain seems to have stopped functioning.

His gaze never leaves my face. “Yes, I do.”

“Why now?” He seems confused by my question, but it makes sense to me. “What’s changed?”

He shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I haven’t dated in a while. Maybe it’s because we spend so much time together. Maybe it’s because I’m tired.”

Those ideas sound like perfectly logical reasons to me. “I see.” Then I ask the most important question. “How do we help you get over it?”

He laughs quietly, but it’s without humor. “It’s not a cold, Skylar. I’m not sure I’ll get over it.”

I don’t know what to say. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I don’t want our relationship to change.

“Okay,” I finally say. “I’ll go out with Gabe. Let’s also find someone for you.”

The heat in his gaze dims, and he nods slowly. “Sounds like a good plan, but keep in mind that I’m leaving Endearing soon. I’m not interested in starting a relationship, but if you know someone that won’t bother, let me know.”

This is the oddest conversation I’ve ever had. “No one occurs to me off the top of my head, but I’m sure I’ll think of someone.” I glance around. I’ve never wanted to leave a place as badly as I want to leave this parking lot.

---