Chapter 7
7
Carter
A ll morning, Carter kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say to the beautiful woman who probably wished he’d walk out into traffic. There were a lot of stops where they had to put up flyers and leave oversized boxes for the drive.
Bailey was the one who did all the talking—to everyone but him. He only brought the boxes out from his truck and set them up. Then they’d be on their way to the next business. They made good time—a sign of being a good team when it came right down to it. If she could actually stand his presence, maybe they would have also been able to enjoy their Saturday.
Ironically, there was a part of him that did enjoy her company, even though she was keeping her distance. Being close to her offered him a front-row seat to all her little quirks and mannerisms. He just had to be careful that he didn’t show any signs that he was interested. He didn’t deserve happiness. He’d told himself that over and over again.
To avoid hurting her, he was keeping his distance, too. He’d stay quiet, keep his head down, and do what was expected of him until he was ready to leave Copper Creek for good.
He leaned against his truck as he watched Bailey speak to the manager of Sal’s. The diner wasn’t a typical place he would have thought would take a box or flyer, but by the looks of it, Bailey was winning. Normally, drop-off locations were at stores or government buildings, but Sal’s was one of the busiest locations in town. Almost everyone came here to eat at least once a week—at least that was how it felt.
His focus delved into Bailey, entranced by the way she smiled and how easygoing she was with that perfect stranger. They both smiled as they spoke. This was the Bailey he could see being a realtor. She was personable when she wanted to be.
Bailey glanced at him through the window, then ushered him forward with her hand. He pushed away from the truck and grabbed a box from the back. Once inside, he was hit with the usual smells of fried food and pie. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that it was past lunch. How had it gotten so late? He put the box down by the front of the door as he waited for Bailey to finish up her conversation.
She shook hands with the manager and then moved toward him. Before she got past him, he held out a hand. “I’m hungry.”
Bailey glanced backward. “Okay.”
“We should get something to eat.”
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
He lifted a brow. “You’ve been working as long as I have. Come on, let’s get some food. It won’t take long.”
“You go ahead and eat,” she said, a bit too chipper. “I’ll get us a seat.” Without waiting for his response, she headed for a booth in the corner of the restaurant. He stared after her, unsure of what to do. Something told him that he should just let it be—listen to her so she didn’t get mad. But that thought was quickly squashed by another, more primal emotion. Bailey didn’t have anyone to take care of her, and he knew for a fact she was struggling even if she didn’t want to admit it.
Carter placed an order, then motioned to the table where Bailey had taken a seat. He wasn’t about to eat his meal in his truck, and he definitely wasn’t going to eat in front of Bailey.
Settling into the booth across from her, he stared at her hard. It was her fault he had to go over her head, and he knew she was going to get upset about it. He might as well get used to that. She didn’t meet his gaze immediately, but when she did, she quickly dropped her attention to the paperwork. “We’re almost done. I don’t know why you had to get some food.”
“I told you. I’m hungry.”
She huffed.
“You’re not?”
It was almost indiscernible, but Bailey smacked her lips at his mention of food. Her eyes darted over to the kitchen warily. Of course she was hungry. What human being could go traipsing around town and not work up an appetite? “I’m fine,” she finally muttered.
“No, you’re not,” he said.
She stilled, her countenance darkening. “I’m fine,” she repeated.
Carter leaned forward over the table and jabbed his finger onto the table. “I know you’re lying. I don’t know why you’re so insistent on lying to me when it doesn’t matter.”
“Why do you care?” she snapped. “I’m nothing to you. Literally, nothing . What does it matter what is going on in my life?”
“Because you’re trying to be a martyr when you don’t have to be,” he ground out. “When people are willing to help, you should take it.” The second the words slipped from his lips, the guilt returned. It weighed so heavy that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to breathe if it got any worse.
“Yeah, well…” she started but didn’t seem to have a retort. Her eyes dropped to her hands in her lap. “Fine. You want to know why I didn’t order something? Because if I have to skip a meal here and there in order to make sure my daughter doesn’t go without, I will.”
He threw his arms into the air, exasperated. “And you could have taken the money I offered.”
Her scowl returned. “I’m. Not . A charity case. I’ll figure it out. I always do.”
“Hey, folks. Here’s your food.” The waitress materialized beside them, but Carter didn’t tear his disapproving stare from Bailey for even a second.
“Thanks,” he said.
The waitress hesitated, then asked. “Who got the burger without tomato?”
Bailey was the first to break their staring contest. Her head snapped so quickly toward the waitress that Carter thought for sure she’d hurt something. Then just as quickly, she shot him a betrayed and yet still infuriated stare. “You didn’t,” she hissed.
“That one is mine,” Carter responded to the waitress.
She smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly, as she placed the food in front of each of them. “Let me know if I can get you anything else. Your peppermint milkshakes are on their way.”
Bailey worked the muscles in her jaw, not moving.
Carter motioned to the plate with the burger and fries. “Better eat up, it’s getting cold.”
“You’re a jerk, you know that?”
“I can’t return it, you know. And I’d really rather you not waste it on principle.”
She let out a strangled sound that nearly resembled a dying animal, but then she grabbed the burger and took a big bite.
Carter hid his smile behind his own burger. This was what he called the perfect loophole. The woman was infuriating. Didn’t she know that she needed to take care of herself if she planned on being there for her daughter? He had to give it to her, though. A mother’s sacrifice really didn’t know any bounds.
He caught her looking at him only once during their meal, but then she’d quickly looked away. It was hard to tell if she had changed her mind about him. Not likely. Bailey was nothing if not stubborn. He’d learned that the hard way.
Caleb and Emma had taken off for the weekend, which was a shame because Carter could have used the company. It wasn’t that he wanted to actually talk to them. In fact, they were pretty annoying when it came right down to it.
But when Emma and Caleb were hanging around the house, there was always something to distract him with. It had only been a week since his first run-in with Bailey. They’d parted ways a couple of hours ago. She refused to talk to him again after he’d bought her lunch. It was just as well. Already he was growing attached to her—that was no surprise. He found it incredibly difficult not to insert himself into her life if only to protect her from herself.
Carter glanced around the quiet house, the silence pressing in on him. He needed to get out of the house. The longer he was alone with his thoughts, the harder it became to remind himself why he was no good for Bailey—why he needed to maintain his distance from her.
Wade was another problem. There were moments when he’d look at Carter—something in his gaze made Carter wonder if he wasn’t catching on to the money going missing. That wasn’t the worst part. Despite the curious looks Wade tossed in Carter’s direction, he was still just as understanding, just as supportive. It was starting to feel like he was toying with Carter, waiting for him to get sloppy so he could confront him. Carter couldn’t stand the growing pressure.
Footsteps hurried down the hall and then skidded to a stop. His baby sister Charlie grinned at him. “Oh, you’re home.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She reached for her coat on the hook near the door. “Because of the tree lighting in town.”
He gave her a blank look.
“You know .” She shrugged into her coat. “The giant tree in the middle of town? They’re turning on the Christmas lights. Everyone’s going to be there.”
Everyone .
Would Bailey be there? Probably. She had a kid, and children loved that sort of thing.
Nope. He wasn’t supposed to go there. He was already spending too much time with Bailey. They’d practically spent all day together as it was. Bumping into her this evening might possibly be the worst thing he could do.
“Well?” Charlie asked expectantly.
“Well, what?”
She tilted her head. “Are you going to come with me or not?” His younger sister either didn’t care about his wrongdoings or she was too quick to forgive him. She shouldn’t be asking him to spend time with her.
He shook his head. “I don’t think I?—”
Charlie groaned with exaggeration. “Come on. Your truck has four-wheel drive, and I’m pretty sure my car isn’t going to make it on the black ice. I keep asking Wade if he can help me find a truck or something, but he only pushes it off.”
Okay, so his sister didn’t want his company. She wanted his mode of transportation. “Fine, he muttered. “But I’m not going to hunt you down when I’m ready to leave. You’ll have to find your own way home.”
Her grin returned. “Deal.”
When they arrived, finding parking was a nightmare. Charlie hadn’t been wrong when she told him that everyone in town was going to show up.
“Wasn’t this supposed to happen on Thanksgiving weekend? They always do the lighting ceremony on that Saturday.”
She nodded. “Yeah, but there was some hiccup with the wiring. I don’t know the whole story, but they had to wait on some parts.” She pulled out her phone and sent off a message. A smile touched her lips, and then she put the phone away.
Once upon a time, he would have asked her about that smile. He would have pressed her to tell him all the details, assuming it was a man she was messaging. Now, he was a different person. He didn’t have any right to play the big brother role anymore—especially when he planned on abandoning her again.
“Oh, oh! There’s a spot,” Charlie called out.
He jumped, then followed the motion of her arm. Sure enough, someone had just left. It was a pretty good spot, too. The tree was already lit, so the folks who had been using it had likely come just to see the lights rather than stick around for the booths and small businesses that were showcasing their services.
Charlie pushed open the door and jumped outside. “Thanks for the ride, Carter.”
“Are you sure you won’t need a ride home?” he called after her, but she’d gotten too far away. He shut his own door and grumbled, “She can’t say I didn’t warn her.” Carter shoved his hands into his pockets and wandered down the sidewalk. Memories flooded his mind with all the familiar scents and sights. Christmas decorations filled every store’s front window. Vendors were selling churros, spiced nuts, and caramel apples. There were several hot chocolate stands, too.
When he was a kid, he would dart along these streets in search of dropped morsels. Occasionally someone would buy him something fresh. He’d looked forward to this event every single year, and it didn’t matter that they didn’t have money to truly appreciate it.
“Look, Mom! The hot chocolate stand is over there!” a familiar voice seemed to rise above the chaos of other patrons. “Can we? Please? They even have mini marshmallows.”
Carter turned just in time to see Bailey walking up the sidewalk with her daughter in tow. Their eyes locked, and the distasteful curl of her lip was unmistakable. Before Bailey had a chance to tell her daughter no, Carter thumbed over his shoulder to the nearest stand. “I was just about to go get one myself. Can I get you ladies one?”
The young girl’s eyes shot to him, and recognition filled them. “Mom! It’s Santa’s helper. I told you we’d see him again.”
Try as he might, he couldn’t fight the amusement that flooded through his veins.
“Can I have whipped cream on mine?”