Chapter 3
3
Carter
“ T hat’s sixty-eight dollars and twenty-three cents.”
Carter offered a smile to the clerk behind the counter at the hardware store. He didn’t recognize her. That was how long he’d been gone. He handed her four twenty-dollar bills, and she held out the bag full of the items he’d gathered. Wade’s list hadn’t been anything special. They were typical items that they purchased regularly. That reason was likely why Wade had given him nearly the perfect amount of money.
Eleven dollars and seventy-seven cents remained. It was just small enough that Carter could pocket it, and if Wade asked about it, Carter could brush it off as being forgetful. His oldest brother wouldn’t bat an eye at that lie.
The cashier handed him his receipt with the extra money, and Carter shoved the handful into his pockets. Wade never checked the receipts, as far as Carter was aware. He collected them, put them in a shoebox, and went about his day. Carter didn’t know if it even mattered that he took ten dollars here or five dollars there. It was the larger amounts that he’d slipped by Wade without his brother noticing.
A sharp pang of guilt chipped away at him, making him feel like even less than what he normally felt lately. Wade gave him a decent wage; it just wasn’t going to be enough to pay Dirk the money Carter owed him. Even though Carter hadn’t had to pay for anything since being back home, he was still only just reaching the milestones required to meet his savings goal.
He backed out of the store, pushing the glass door while holding the large paper bag of supplies. Then he trudged down the icy sidewalk toward his truck. He would have thought this guilt would have abated by now. This was nothing new. He wasn’t a good guy. So why couldn’t he shake the feeling that he was doing something against his morals?
What he wouldn’t give to turn that part of his brain completely off.
Carter dropped the bag into the back of his truck and glanced across the street just in time to see that woman from the club and the little girl he’d seen at Thanksgiving head into the bookstore. He stood in the street like an idiot, trying to tell himself he had zero business following her.
Nothing said stalker like materializing in the same location as a woman he didn’t even know. Even as he told himself this, his feet seemed to argue—evidenced by the way they marched him right across the street and along the sidewalk.
Brightly colored lights, miniature Christmas trees, and beautiful book displays adorned the large storefront window. There were small boxes wrapped in brightly colored wrapping paper. There was even one of those obnoxious little red elves seated on a stack of books with its arms draped around its legs.
Carter paused, letting his gaze sweep over the display. Then he shifted as if he’d be able to see past the backdrop into the store where the woman had gone. He should just get back into his truck and drive home. She wouldn’t want to see him. And how would he explain why he was there in the first place?
Not only that, but he didn’t have any money to spend. Things were tight. He needed every penny to pay his debts.
Yet again, his feet disagreed and dragged him right through that front entrance.
The second he was inside, a burst of warm cinnamon and sugar air hit him square in the face. There were notes of ginger and citrus, too. This was what he would have imagined the North Pole smelled like.
Christmas music played softly over the speakers but loud enough to give the feeling of holiday spirit. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he turned a corner and found a hot chocolate stand set up in the middle of the store.
Carter pulled off his hat and moved through the store, his boots thudding hard on the commercial-grade carpet. His sharp gaze searched for the petite brunette and her small child. He’d have to be careful not to be seen. There was no use leaving now; he was already in the store. Leaving now would be ridiculous.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He turned his hat in his hands, around and around as he searched. Then his focus landed on the sign hanging at the back of the store that said in bold letters, Children’s Corner . Without a second thought, he strode in that direction, slowing only when he got close enough to eavesdrop on the conversations in the small nook.
“Look at this one,” a little boy exclaimed.
“Cool! Pikachu is my favorite,” another responded.
Carter moved along the shelf that stood between him and the children’s corner. He absently pulled a book off the shelf and flipped it open, all the while keeping his gaze on the children’s section. Then she came into view, and he had to duck down a little.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. We only found seven dollars. That one is nine-ninety-nine. It’s out of our price range.”
He pressed his back to the shelf behind him, straining to hear the conversation better.
“But it’s my favorite. And it’s on sale—there’s even a sticker. Look, it’s about a little boy who wants a penguin for Christmas. And he gets it!” He heard the rustle of the pages as she flipped through it. “It’s going to be the best Secret Santa book at school. I just know it.”
There was a strained pause. “I’m really sorry, sweetie. There’s just no way we can make it work. You’re going to have to pick something that cost less than seven dollars.”
There was a soft sigh. “Okay.”
The sadness in the woman’s voice tugged at Carter in a way he wasn’t prepared for. It made his body go cold and hot all at once. She wasn’t just trying to get her daughter to pick something cheaper because she didn’t want to spend the money.
She didn’t have the money to spend. This wasn’t a copout.
He pulled out the cash in his pocket. He had enough for the book. What was ten dollars in the grand scheme of things? Besides, if he gave this money to her, then it would be doing some good rather than being put toward the cost of his deviant behavior.
Carter’s fist closed around the cash. There was one problem. What would she think if he barged in on their conversation and offered? What did it matter? It wasn’t like he was trying to impress her. He just wanted to help.
That notion was like an electrical shock to his system. But just as quickly as it had occurred, it disappeared, leaving him momentarily stunned. He opened his hand to stare at the money once again, then snapped his book shut and marched around the side of the bookshelf.
He stopped suddenly, nearly colliding with the mother-daughter duo.
The woman looked more surprised than scared. That was a good thing. The girl peered up at him with blatant curiosity. The three of them stood there, not moving for far too long. Then the woman reached for her daughter’s hand so they could move around him. He stepped to block their movements and forced a smile as he dropped down beside the girl. “What did you pick out?” he asked gruffly.
The girl lifted a book, no readable excitement in her eyes. “It’s just about a dog who loses a tooth.”
He chuckled, refusing to look up at the woman even though he could feel her eyes drilling holes into his skull. “I thought I heard something about a penguin back when I was looking for a book.” He held up the one he’d been holding.
The woman glanced at it and then lifted a single brow. “Postpartum Yoga, huh?”
His eyes snapped to the cover, and he felt the heat rise up the back of his neck as he fumbled to put the book back on the shelf closest to him. Carter cleared his throat and glanced momentarily at the woman before he shifted his gaze to the little girl. “I wanted to give you this,” he muttered as he held out the ten-dollar bill and the one-dollar bill.
Her eyes lit up like fireworks. “Really?”
The woman snatched the money from her daughter’s hands. “I’m sorry, but we can’t accept that.”
Carter frowned. “Sure you can.”
She shook her head, waving the money at him. “We can’t .” That was all the reason she had?
He’d already made his decision. He wasn’t about to take back what he’d offered the kid, especially with the way her whole face had brightened. Carter took a step back, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. “I’m not taking it back, ma’am. Do with it what you will.”
She gaped at him. Her eyes darted down to her daughter, then back to him. “But—you can’t just—why?” she sputtered.
He shrugged. “Let’s just say Santa knows when little boys and girls are on the good list.” He certainly wasn’t, but he didn’t doubt the one standing before him was.
It wasn’t just the way she gasped and giggled that made it clear he’d said something right. It was the appreciative defeat in the woman’s eyes, too. The way her gaze lingered on her daughter as she darted back to a shelf on the far wall said it all. Then she returned her attention to him. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Carter placed his hat on his head. He touched the brim in parting and spun around, suddenly feeling ten tons lighter. It was strange how that worked. He hadn’t really done anything. All he’d done was give the girl a chance to gift a book to someone else.
And yet, it was like a little flicker of a flame had burst to life in the deep, dark depths of his soul. It wouldn’t last long; he knew that intrinsically. But for the moment, it made his life a little more bearable.
Carter climbed into his truck and started the engine. It wasn’t long before the woman and her child slipped out of the store. He watched them hurry down the cold street toward an old, beat-up-looking car. They climbed inside and drove away. When they’d disappeared, he finally backed out of his parking spot.
The whole ride home, Carter couldn’t stop thinking about the woman. The sadness in her gaze was unmistakable. It had settled around her like a dark cloud. He could understand that better than most. Whatever she was dealing with, it was wearing on her.
He had a feeling part of it was financial. The fact that she couldn’t afford to get a book that was three dollars more than she had in cash was a clear indication. He’d grown up with that kind of poverty. There were times when they had to steal bread from the local bakery’s dumpster in order to survive.
His chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. By the time he made it home, he was more determined than ever to find out more about her. Thankfully, Emma was hanging around like she usually did at dinnertime. She glanced up at him when he approached her where she sat on the couch.
“Hey, Carter.”
He fidgeted for a moment, then took a seat beside her. “Can I ask you something?”
She lifted a brow. “Okay,” she drawled.
“What’s up with your realtor?”
Surprise flooded her face. “Bailey?”
Bailey . He tried the name in his mind, finding it suited her. Then he nodded.
Emma leaned back and sighed. “It’s a sad story.”
He stiffened.
“I don’t even know how it came up, but yeah.”
“Well?” he pressed.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked with a laugh.
He shrugged. “She works at the club when I’m there for therapy. I was curious.”
Emma nibbled her lower lip, then she must have decided it wasn’t a big deal to share. “Her husband died in a drunk driving accident—thank goodness no one else was involved. He left her with almost nothing. She had to sell her house to cover the cost of everything. That’s all I know.”
So, she was struggling. And all because she’d married a drunk.