Page 47 of Loving Carter

She stands, and it crosses my mind that she wants to beat a hasty retreat if I get upset. “You two are cute together.”

“When have you seen us together? Just the two of us? We were focused on you and Gabe when we went to see the band.”

A small, secretive smile forms on her face. “You may think that, but both of you were more focused on each other than on anyone else. You kept glancing at each other, and when we were talking, you’d finish each other’s sentences. Like I said, it was cute. I thought you were just friends, but it’s obvious there’s a lot more between you. Are you going to date?”

I could pretend I didn’t know what she meant, but what’s the point? Anyone might have driven by last night and seen us kissing like our lives depended on it.

“I don’t know.” There. That’s an honest answer. I have no idea what happens now.

“Personally, I hope you do,” she says, heading for the door. “But I’m a hopeless romantic.”

With a quick wave, she disappears through the door. I turn to head into the back room and skitter to a stop when I spot Janie leaning against the door.

“Are you and Carter going to date?”

I’m trying to figure out if she’s upset, but it’s obvious she isn’t, which isn’t surprising considering her focus has been on Kellan the last few weeks. No, rather than being jealous, Janie seems to find the idea exciting.

“You two belong together,” she tells me. “You really should date.”

When I was little and I asked my mother a question she didn’t want to answer, she would look over my shoulder and say, “Heavens. That can’t be the time.” Then she’d scurry off, effectively escaping my question. I always thought it was a goofy solution, but that doesn’t stop me from looking over Janie’s shoulder.

“Heavens. That can’t be the time,” I say. Then I walk away.

***

Carter

THE BAND IS WHAT MYaunts would call a hoot. The music they play is loud, fast, and based on the reaction of the crowd, lots of fun. I like it, but not as much as the last band. The last band played music even I could dance to. Guess it’s because I’m too old for this music.

Did I mention they’re loud? Really loud.

I look over at Skylar. She and I have been avoiding each other for days. I know she’s called Tillie a few times and checked on her, but she didn’t come to the ranch. She also hasn’t texted or called me.

Of course, I’m not the injured party here. We both are. I, too, haven’t texted or called her. I also haven’t gone to the bakery in the morning for breakfast. Moreover, when the plans were made to come see this band, I wasn’t the one who asked her to join the group. That was done by Gabe and Rachel, whom I’ve discovered are now dating.

If nothing else, it looks like Skylar and I have inadvertently acted as a matchmaker for those two. I’m happy for them, and I hope it works out. I’m not sure the same thing is possible for Skylar and me.

Sure, I could give up on my desire to return to Dallas, but that would destroy me. Can Skylar and I be happy if I’m truly miserable? Will I start to resent staying in Endearing and giving up what means everything to me? I never intended on staying here forever. It was only temporary. And Skylar can’t leave Endearing, which means I’d have to change my plans for this to work.

Gabe is trying to say something to me, but I shrug. I can’t hear him, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to hear anything for hours after we leave here.

“Thoughts?” Gabe yells.

I caught that. “At least they’re loud.”

He looks confused, so I yell, “Loud.”

He laughs, or I think he does because I can’t hear him. But I’m pretty sure he’s agreeing with me. I look at Skylar. Her gaze is focused on the band. More than likely, she’s deliberately not looking at me. I want to ask her what she thinks, but I’d have to get a megaphone.

When the song finally ends, I turn to her. “What do you think?”

She looks at me, and as always these days, I feel an overwhelming desire to kiss her. She looks so beautiful.

“Do you think we can ask them to play quieter at the expo? No one will be able to hear the people in the booths,” she says.

“We can ask,” Gabe says. “They may be playing loud tonight because this club is rowdy.”

Unlike the other place, which also served dinner, this place is just a huge bar. People are drinking and dancing only. Well, that’s not quite right. They’re drinking, dancing, and picking up other people. It’s a real meat market.

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