Chapter 8
8
Bailey
S he could have wrung Carter’s neck for how angry she was. How did he keep showing up where she was at? It wasn’t just his unannounced arrival. It was the way he was clearly using Anya to get his way.
“Ow. Mom, you’re squeezing my hand.”
Bailey gasped and looked down at her daughter. She was wearing a padded glove. There was little chance it actually hurt, but the fact that Bailey had inadvertently done something because of her fury gave her pause.
She took in a deep, settling breath. At this point it was clear that Carter wasn’t going to go away any time soon. They were doomed to work together on the toy drive. And he was right. This was a small town. He had to tire of her eventually, right?
And what was the harm in letting him get his daughter a hot chocolate?
Bailey turned her adoring gaze to her daughter. It was Christmas, after all.
Carter stood waiting. At least he waited for her to give him the go-ahead. He could have just gone over and paid for the hot chocolates like he’d paid for her lunch.
Sighing, she nodded.
The smile that flickered across his face threw her off. It was so short she wasn’t even sure she’d seen it. His countenance wasn’t as dark as it had been earlier this week either.
Bailey stooped down in front of her daughter and adjusted her scarf. “When Carter brings you your hot chocolate, don’t forget to say thank you.”
“I know, Mommy.”
She had to chuckle at her daughter’s exasperation. She was doing something right if her daughter already understood the expectation.
Carter cleared his throat behind her, and she glanced up over her shoulder at him. He held a cup holder in one hand and a small to-go cup in the other. She rose and stepped aside so he could offer the cup to Anya. “I told them to put extra marshmallows and extra whipped cream in it just for you.”
Anya’s eyes sparkled as her hands wrapped around the cup. “Thank you.”
Carter chanced a look at Bailey as if expecting her to say something snarky. Well, she wasn’t going to give it to him. He plucked another cup from the holder and handed it to her. “Decaf.”
Bailey eyed it for a moment longer than was necessary, then accepted it. Their fingers grazed one another, then their eyes locked and it felt like time slowed for a moment. A spark of heat shot up her arm, making her heart skip. She brought her eyes back to her cup. The reaction had been unexpected. “Thank you,” she mumbled before lifting her eyes to meet his one more time.
He gave her a curt nod and tossed the cup holder into a nearby recycle bin.
Bailey scooted closer to her daughter. “Okay, you got your hot chocolate, now?—”
“We’re going to see Santa. Want to come?” Anya ignored her mother, speaking to Carter with a gleeful expression.
To his credit, Carter glanced at Bailey with questioning in his eyes. There was no use arguing. While Bailey could have told Anya that Carter was probably busy, she was just so tired of fighting. She needed a reprieve, a moment when she didn’t have to make excuses or worry about what her daughter might be feeling. She shrugged as she took a sip.
Carter seemed to hesitate. Maybe he didn’t want to go for a walk with them. That was entirely possible at this moment in time. She hadn’t exactly welcomed his attention. His focus was unnerving. He’d all but figured out that she was struggling financially.
It wasn’t a secret that the Keagan family had finally found their way in town. They might not be the most affluent people, but they’d clawed themselves out of desolation. It probably had a lot to do with their connections. The eldest brother had married the daughter of the wealthiest man in town. Wade and Brielle were well-known in the gossip circles. Perhaps Carter had been genuine in his offers.
Bailey’s walls were crumbling, and the guilt was slipping through the cracks. She didn’t want financial assistance from him. She didn’t want to see the look of pity in his eyes, and she most definitely didn’t want to be the anecdote he spoke about in his current social circles. Not only had Wade married a wealthy woman, but Carter’s twin planned on marrying a country music legend. That family wouldn’t be struggling any time soon.
“Please?”
Bailey’s focus shifted to Anya’s pleading expression. “After visiting Santa, we’re going to see the lights they put up in the park.”
Carter took a long sip from his drink and then nodded his head yes. He didn’t utter a word as Anya beamed at him. “Yay! Come on.” She skipped ahead, and Bailey fell into step beside Carter as they wandered down the street. The cold nipped at her cheeks, and it felt like a storm might be coming. But none of that was enough to distract her from his presence beside her.
She refused to believe that everything he was doing was innocent. She didn’t know what his intentions were, but she would keep her guard up. Eventually he’d show his true colors. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t at least try to tolerate him for the next few weeks.
Taking a sip of her drink, she let the scalding liquid warm her from the inside out. This trip to the lighting ceremony had only been a way to appease Anya’s desire to get out of the house. It was supposed to be a fun, free activity. Bailey should have known better. She should have remembered that there were more vendors than she could count. Sure, the lights were all free; even the visit with Santa was part of the event, but not the snacks and drinks.
She cleared her throat and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Thanks for the coffee,” she murmured.
“You already thanked me.”
Bailey nodded. “Right.” They continued walking, neither speaking. If this was how the evening would go, she might just have to cut it really short. “Thanks for lunch.”
This time he eyed her. The corner of his lip quirked upward before he turned his attention once more to her daughter. “Don’t mention it.”
She fought a smile at that. “Nothing would have given me more pleasure than to not mention it. But I was raised better than that.”
“You don’t ever have to thank me for anything.”
“Oh, but I do,” she said softly. “It’s called manners.”
He turned his head to her fully this time. “How about we make a deal. You don’t have to say thank you, but you can’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”
She scowled at him. “Carter?—”
He chuckled, the sound warm and smooth like the hint of caramel in her coffee. “Okay, okay. For the record, I knew you were grateful. That’s why you didn’t have to say anything. I already knew.”
Heat flooded her cheeks, but whether from his words or her beverage, she couldn’t be sure. His statement didn’t change anything. She would always verbalize her appreciation, even if she didn’t want whatever it was that he offered in the first place.
“Sooo…” he drawled, his tone lighter than before. “Santa’s helper, huh?”
She covered her face with her hand and laughed in spite of herself. “That was not my idea. Anya’s five. You have to understand anything you say could be taken as gospel. She’s very into the magic of this season.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I kind of like it. Gives me an excuse to help you out.”
She gave him a warning look—one she hoped translated into something that said she wasn’t going to put up with his nonsense long-term.
He chuckled again before taking another sip of his drink.
They made it to the line for Santa and stood close enough to keep an eye on Anya. She fidgeted in line, leaning over to get a better view of the big man himself. Tonight would have been special without the hot chocolate, but it had become so much more, and all of that was because of Carter.
She glanced at him once more. Perhaps keeping him at arm’s length wasn’t necessary. He seemed pretty harmless. Clearing her throat, she pushed her hair back away from her face and over her shoulder. The conversation had returned to being strained. What could she even talk to him about other than her less-than-ladylike behavior? “So you attend a support group, huh?”
Immediately his softened gaze hardened. His jaw went rigid, just like the rest of his body. Bailey could see it in real time—she’d struck a nerve, and she instantly regretted it. If she could rewind and take back what she’d just said, she would. But that wasn’t how the real world worked.
She blinked several times and searched for the words to apologize, but he was too quick.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business. There’s a reason those groups are supposed to be anonymous.”
Bailey swallowed hard at the lump that had formed in her throat. Well, there went the truce they seemed to have developed. She should have just kept her mouth shut. There was no middle ground when it came to talking to Carter. Either he was getting on her nerves, or it was the other way around.
She frowned and focused on the cup in her hand. There was no arguing with him. He was completely right. Whatever he was dealing with was his business, and he got to choose who he would share it with.
When she snuck a peek at him out of the corner of her eye, she wasn’t surprised to find he wasn’t paying her any attention. He remained stiff. So many thoughts entered her mind in that moment. What had he been through? There were several reasons someone would be in a support group at the club; she’d figured that out a while ago. There were groups for every kind of trauma.
Her heart ached for him at that moment. He was scarred, wounded, like a stray cat who didn’t want to trust anyone. And yet he’d gone out of his way to help her.
Frown deepening, Bailey tossed back the last gulp of her coffee. What was she thinking? She shouldn’t be empathizing with this man. She needed to keep herself and her daughter safe. If he had baggage, there was no telling what kind of problems he could bring into their lives.
It was a nice thought—the whole fifteen minutes that it had lasted—but she couldn’t just let another man into her life, no matter how sweet he was.
Anya waved at them with an excited smile. She jumped up and down from her place in the line, and Bailey forced a smile in return. After today, she’d make sure she kept her distance from Carter. They could work on the toy drive together, but that was it.
Carter grunted, drawing her attention. His body language told her to keep to herself—much like a defensive porcupine might. She could all but see the quills sticking out from him on all sides. He motioned to the cup. “Are you done?”
She nodded, holding it out, careful not to let her hand graze his lest that strange spark occur again. Carter plucked the cup from her grasp and marched off toward a garbage can near one of the food stands. Her eyes followed him a little longer than they should have.
He’s no good for you.
He’s no good for you.
He’s no good for you.
Those were the words she repeated to herself, even as she almost longed for things to be different.
Almost .