Chapter 14
chapter fourteen
Wendy
Banks
That’s because you are.
Iread those four words.
I think about sending a heart emoji, and a simple you are too. But we agreed to no feelings, and going from five years with the same guy to fooling around with Carter gives me whiplash.
Wendy
Don’t get mushy on me.
Banks
Nah, that’s the truth. Also, I might have had to pay the baristas off so they wouldn’t tell the entire island that I got you coffee.
My cheeks heat.
Wendy
Shit. Jewel works there. That’s Fallon’s twenty-one-year-old little sister.
Banks
Twenty-one? She looked like she was still in high school.
Wendy
That’s because you’re old.
Banks
Too old for you?
Wendy
Just right.
Banks
Love that for me.
I sip the rest of my coffee, throwing the evidence in the trash. What else has he noticed but filed away for later?
Carter Banks is the full package, so why is he single? Being married to his job can’t be the only reason.
The rest of the day drags by. I check in the Gonzales, who are staying in the Starfish Room.
Right now, we have four out of eight rooms booked, and I’m staying in one.
Three more reservations, and we’ll be full, which hasn’t happened since I arrived.
Once the surf competition and the Fourth of July hit, the B&B should be booked solid.
The house settles like it’s agreeing with me.
Five minutes until my shift is over. The dryer beeps, and I grab the fresh towels, which are still warm, and fold them.
I blow out the candle, then grab sheets to replace Carter’s bedding.
My thighs squeeze together when I think about how fast he had me crumbling.
That man somehow earned himself a place in my personal World Record book.
I hold the sheets tighter against my body and knock on his door.
“Hi,” I say as I enter.
The bed is perfectly made. The pillows are side by side, fluffed and centered, and the comforter is pulled tight with the edges tucked.
“Where did you get bedding?” I ask as he pushes damp hair from his forehead.
He glances at me with an unbothered grin.
“The top of the closet,” he says. “The comforter was in there too.”
I set the extra bedding on the mattress. “I can’t believe you did this.”
His brow lifts. “Seriously? Don’t most humans know how to put a sheet and blanket on a mattress?”
I place the sheets and comforter at the top of the closet.
“You did great.” Heat rushes up the back of my neck. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He grabs his phone off the nightstand. “Have you eaten?”
“Rose left some chicken salad for me.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Not yet. Making your bed was at the top of my list.”
“I’m ordering food for us. What would you like from Iggy’s? I just learned they have an app and deliver.”
“I shouldn’t.” I chew on the inside of my cheek, recalling the menu that I’ve had memorized since I was a teenager.
“Have dinner with me. Please?” he asks.
“And what if I don’t?”
Carter opens the door to the balcony, and the breeze rushes in. “You can tell me what you’d like, or I’ll make a guess.”
My lips twitch. “You can choose.”
“I’ll order the entire menu,” he warns.
“Don’t you dare waste food.” I glance over at him. “Would you like some wine? I have a bottle in my room.”
“That would be great.”
He leans against the doorway of the balcony.
“Do you really want me to guess?”
“The entire menu is great. But I think I’ll have the salmon Caesar salad with extra dressing. And, yes, I want croutons and the croissant.”
Carter scrolls the menu on his phone.
“Grabbing wine. Be right back,” I say.
“I’ll be right here,” he tells me.
I take the stairs down two at a time. The wine is in my tiny fridge, where I left it a month ago after Josie gave it to me as a welcome home gift.
I was saving it for a special occasion, but why not enjoy it now?
With a smile, I grab it, along with a corkscrew and plastic cups.
I’m halfway across my room when my phone dings.
Fallon
Jewel told me a very tall, very attractive man came into the shop and ordered your exact coffee order. Then she said he paid her $60 to keep her mouth shut.
Another text comes.
Fallon
She waited until her shift was over before she texted me. Her self-control was impressive.
Wendy
It’s not what you think.
Fallon
I think a hot tourist staying at your B&B memorized your coffee order and bribed my little sister to keep that fact quiet. Am I wrong?
Wendy
He was being nice.
Fallon
Nice is holding the door open for you. What he did today is flirting.
Wendy
Nah. Anyway, gotta go! Good night.
Fallon
IT’S 6 p.m.!!!
I lock my phone and slide it into my back pocket.
Fallon will ask too many questions and see right through my answers.
Avoiding her isn’t completely possible, not with everything going on, but for the rest of the summer, I just want to enjoy Carter.
I want to continue to see him without any expectations from anyone, not even us.
When I push through the door, Carter’s sitting on the balcony with his feet up. His phone is face down on the table beside him. The sunset behind him is pink and orange, and he looks like artwork against it.
“Hope cabernet is okay,” I say, holding up the bottle, joining him outside. “Josie’s contribution. This is one of my favorites.”
“Opus One. Expensive tastes.”
“I prefer sophisticated.” I use the corkscrew and open it. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.”
He takes the two plastic cups, and I pour them full. Our fingers brush as he hands me one.
“This qualifies?” he asks. His blue eyes sparkle as they lock on mine.
I tap my cup against his and sit in the chair beside him. “Absolutely.”
The first sip is sweet and woody. It reminds me of the first time I ever visited California. Vineyards were in every direction.
Carter watches me over his cup.
“What?” I ask.
“Where did you go just now?” he asks.
I exhale. “To Napa Valley. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”
“Really?” He’s staring, almost as if he’s trying to read my thoughts. “You’re a connoisseur.”
This makes me chuckle. “Only in my mind.”
He leans forward in his chair, and his thumb drags across my bottom lip. My pulse stutters, and I let myself enjoy the exhilaration of what we’re doing.
“What was that for?” I ask.
“Just trying to keep you here with me.”
“In the moment,” I say.
“Yeah.”
My lips tingle where he touched. I take another sip of wine and stare out at the water. This morning, his mouth was between my thighs, and now we’re making out on the balcony.
Right on time, a delivery guy on a bike rolls up and parks at the rack. A minute later, the door opens downstairs. Carter goes downstairs and quickly returns with a bag from Iggy’s that smells so good that my mouth waters. A cinnamon roll and coffee weren’t enough food today.
He unpacks everything and hands me plasticware. I grab my salmon Caesar with extra croutons and a croissant on the side. The mahi tacos look great. Carter pops the top off a container of guacamole with chips, then sets the two slices of strawberry cheesecake to the side.
“We’re having dessert?” I ask.
“I dunno if I’m sharing yet,” he says, opening the package and pulling out his fork.
I tear off a piece of the croissant and pop it in my mouth. It’s warm and buttery. Carter reaches for the guac at the same time I do, and his forearm presses against mine. He doesn’t pull away. He holds the contact, dips his chip, and sits back.
“Tell me something about you I don’t know,” I say.
“Hmm.” Carter sets his taco down and leans back.
“My little sister passed away years ago. Eden was four years younger than me. Stubborn as hell, smarter than any of the Banks boys, and she never let any of us forget it either.” The corner of his mouth lifts.
“She could walk into a room full of people and speak her mind without care or consequence.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer. “The balls that takes.”
“You’re telling me. But, ahh, that’s depressing, isn’t it?” he says, then takes a sip of wine.
“You miss her. That’s kinda how we heal when we lose people, ya know? Talking about it, laughing, in their memory.”
I reach over and touch his arm. His muscles tense before relaxing.
“She would’ve liked you,” Carter tells me. “A real ballbuster.”
I scoff. “Excuse me. I am not. I’m very nice. Just professional.”
“Sometimes, you are. This morning though … eh, not so much,” he adds.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I take a big bite of salad that’s perfectly tossed in dressing.
Just thinking about being spread out on his bed has me breathing slightly differently. I push the thoughts away.
He smirks like he can read my mind.
“Your turn,” he says. “Tell me something you keep to yourself.”
The sky fades into neon streaks with darkness creeping at the edges.
“I almost didn’t come back home.” I cut into the salmon. “When Josie called and told me Gran was struggling, my first instinct wasn’t to pack my car. I wanted to be selfish with my life for once, and I knew if I left California, Adam would end things.”
“But you left anyway?”
“I tested him anyway. I thought he’d fight for me, try to make it work. I waited for my I’d do anything for love moment, but it didn’t come.
“I was miserable, managing the W in Los Angeles. I had a fancy title and a six-figure salary, but I’d go home, beg to see my boyfriend who constantly denied me, eat a bowl of cereal over the sink, then go straight to bed, hoping the next day would be different.
Lonely but constantly surrounded by human robots.
I was tired of helping a billion-dollar corporation succeed. ”