Page 49 of Loving Carter

“Are you going to stay here?” he asks.

I’m not sure where this conversation is going. Is he merely curious or is he curious for a reason?

“Not sure,” is all I say, not wanting to close any doors.

He pulls out his wallet and hands me a card. “If you decide you want to get back in finance, give me a call. I know we can do much better than McAllister and Debry.”

Then he walks out, leaving me behind, staring at his card. A noise in the corner catches my attention. It’s Aunt Edna.

“Is everything okay? Does Tillie need something?” I’m concerned because the aunts rarely come down to the office.

She walks over and smiles at me. I can’t tell from her expression if she heard what the man said.

“Tillie and I were wondering if we could have a small dinner party now that the current group of guests is leaving. Evie is such a wonderful cook, and she said she’d love to cook for a party. Plus, I know you’ll pay her. You can invite Skylar and Janie, and anyone else you’d like to see.”

The aunts do this often. Whichever one of them is given the task of coming to talk to me always acts like the idea just came to them, when in reality, it’s something we do at the end of each session.

But I play along with her. “What a great idea, Aunt Edna,” I say. “When would you like to have it?”

“I know the expo is in two weekends, so why don’t we have it this Saturday? Invite all the people you want.”

She gives me a quick hug, then scurries off almost as if she’s relieved I agreed. I always agree, and truthfully, it’s not my place to say yes or no. They can do whatever they like on this dude ranch since they own it.

But it’s a little game we play, and it doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is the concern that Aunt Edna heard what Burt Schroeder said. If she did, it would upset the aunts, but I don’t want to make a mess by asking if she heard. If she didn’t, and I ask if she heard what the man said, then things are going to get very weird very fast.

***

Skylar

“DO YOU THINK THIS TABLEwill be long enough?” I ask Carter, tipping my head and studying the tables.

We’re working on the booths for the expo, and so far, we’ve created a horror-movie conglomeration of tables. The tables are different sizes, different heights, and different widths. We’ve ended up taking over the high school auditorium for the booths. It’s going to be too hot to hold the expo outside, and thankfully, the auditorium is huge.

The bands have been told about the new arrangement, and to reduce the noise, they’ll play in the school’s cafeteria, which is across from the auditorium. There are tables there where people can eat their food and listen to the music in the cool AC.

Since school is out and no one is currently using the auditorium, the committee and several of the store owners have already started assembling the booths even though the expo is still over a week away.

“Do you think the table is long enough?” I ask again, nodding toward my lopsided table.

Carter was studying the room, but now he turns and looks at my table. I think the table is too short and slightly tilted, but I have to admit, I have no idea what size booth I’ll need.

“We can shove cardboard under the leg so it’s not so wobbly, but we need to get two more tables. Your booth should be a U shape, with room for you to stand in the middle.”

He walks over until he’s directly in front of the table. Then he tips his head and looks at me. I can see the heat in his gaze, the desire, and I feel the same way. He slips his arms around my waist; then he gives me a kiss, the kind that makes your toes curl with pure delight. When he ends the kiss, I start to protest because I wish he’d linger, but he smiles at me and goes back to work.

Of course, we have a lot of work to do. And then there is a crowd here, although I think most people realize we’re involved now. The news has spread like syrup over hot pancakes.

“You need to have something in addition to the table,” Bill says, walking over. “What kind of decorations will you include?”

“I have no clue.” It’s not the answer he wants, but I haven’t given the booth any thought. Looking around, I see I’m in the minority. Based on the work the other stores are doing, they’ve spent a lot of time planning their decorating themes. Even though the expo is still over a week away, many of the booths have design plans for what they’ll do. The café has even started covering their tables with blue-and-white-checkered tablecloths and placing up artwork.

“Maybe Kellan can help,” Carter says when he notices what I’m looking at. “He’s very good at artsy stuff.”

“Well, you still have a few days,” Bill says, then with a sly grin, adds, “Glad to see you two are getting along so well. I always knew you’d be perfect for each other.”

I look at Carter, expecting him to be smiling, but he isn’t. He’s just looking at the mayor. Realizing Bill is still waiting for some sort of response, I say, “Thanks.”

Once Bill wanders off, I turn toward Carter. “What?”

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