13. Carter
CHAPTER 13
CARTER
I ’d had secret doubts about Brian hooking up with that Maggie girl until I saw them interact. She came into the restaurant, a sauntering blonde woman standing nearly six feet tall, and came right over in a hurry, right into Brian’s arms. She smiled wider with her approach, full-on grinning as he pulled her in and kissed her forehead. Her knees wobbled and she pressed closer to him, rubbing her cheek on his.
Brian lay his head on hers, smiling in a soft way I’d never seen before.
Damn, I thought, watching them. If they ever break up, I don’t think I can believe in love.
Brian turned and gestured to me. “Maggie, this is Carter Bryant. You know him, of course.”
Maggie slipped away from her man and approached with her hand out to shake. Her grip surprised me with its strength. “I don’t know how I could not know him.”
“You’d be surprised,” I told her, shaking her hand. “I might be a billionaire, but I keep a relatively small circle.”
She sat down in the booth across from me and scooted over to make room for Brian. Leaning on her elbows, she said, “NYC’s five boroughs is what you consider small?”
“Relatively,” I repeated.
Maggie flashed a smile and nodded, like I’d done something to impress her. “At least you’re self-aware,” she said, which I didn’t quite get. I had a feeling there would be a lot of that where she was involved.
A waitress came over. I stuck to water, while Brian ordered a soda, and Maggie requested a non-alcoholic pina colada.
“I love coconut,” she informed me. “But that’s not the reason we’re here. You don’t want to know about me.”
I looked at Brian accusingly. “You told her?”
“What?” he exclaimed. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t tell her anything.”
“Then how does she know?”
Brian shrugged, lifting his hands. “She’s smart?”
Maggie cleared her throat, interrupting us. “While I’m flattered, I have to tell you I don’t have any idea what this is about, Carter. It’s just common sense. You aren’t trying to suss out if I’m a good match for Brian. Men usually go about that in a sneakier way, though it’s not really any of your business anyway. I think you’re a powerful guy and you want information that I have. It’s logical.”
“You didn’t tell me she was a genius,” I remarked to Brian.
He leaned in and stage-whispered, “I’m more interested in her other assets.”
I smiled, though I knew that wasn’t true. Maybe her ass ets had caught his attention in the first place, but the two were well on their way to falling in love. Even I could tell that.
The waitress came back and we ordered our meals, a tropical salad for Maggie, to match her pina colada. I settled for a steak sandwich and Brian asked for the special, a cheeseburger omelet.
When we were alone again, Maggie pierced me with her sharp eyes. “So, spill it. I know why I’m here. Get down to the specifics.”
I folded my hands on the top of our table, suddenly filled with nerves, like a manager giving his first job interview. “I think you know someone I want to learn more about. I’d like to learn what you know, if I’m correct. If I’m not, well, free lunch.”
Maggie didn’t take her eyes off mine, didn’t even give the slightest smile. “Alright.”
“I’m sure Brian’s told you about the princess I danced with at the Halloween party, how I lost track of her and tried to find her. You were there, though a bit occupied.”
Maggie still said nothing, her expression frozen. I pictured her as a sort of snake, poised to strike if I strayed too far in the wrong direction.
“She was a girl around your age, in a Cinderella costume. I lost track of her, but I think I found her again, working at a coffee shop downtown.”
“How can you be sure?”
I caught the telltale signs of deflection. “We’ve interacted multiple times, even before the party. I’ve heard her laugh and seen her face often enough to know it’s her. Yesterday, I forgot my wallet in the shop and had to go back. We looked right at each other. I recognized her.” I touched my heart, feeling clumsy, but knowing I had to do something to convince Maggie to be on my side. Hopefully, she wouldn’t roll her eyes and think of me as lame and overdramatic.
“Plus,” I added, “she was wearing blue Converse shoes.”
Maggie snorted. “So?”
I leaned over to her and spoke low. “So, Cinderella at the party wore blue Converse. I know because I stepped on her foot while dancing and she showed me her shoes to let me know I hadn’t hurt her. Yes, there are probably thousands of people in this city wearing Converse and no doubt a lot of them are blue. On its own, not evidence. But when taken with the fact that she knew you, and she knew Suzie, and that she looks and laughs and smiles exactly the same way… It’s her.”
Maggie swallowed hard. I saw Brian move his hand underneath the table. He patted Maggie’s thigh, consoling her.
“I think her name is Megyn,” I told Maggie, to see if it would get a rise out of her and it did. She jolted, like she’d been stung. “I overheard it when Suzie was yelling. Over something unrelated, so don’t worry,” I added.
Maggie sipped her pina colada and leaned back, eyes hooded. “So if you already have this all figured out, what role do you want me to play?”
“I want you to confirm what I just said.”
“Do I even need to?” Her voice grew sullen.
Brian glanced at me. “I think that should be answer enough, Carter.”
I conceded and nodded.
“What else?” Maggie grumbled.
Our food came. Maggie picked up her fork and poked at lettuce leaves, not taking her eyes off me. I ignored my sandwich. “I want you to tell me what you know about her.”
Maggie turned her head away. “I can’t.”
“Maggie, please!” I begged. “I have to know. I threw that whole damn party in the hopes of meeting someone and the only person who caught my interest was Megyn. You can’t leave me out in the dark on this.”
Maggie looked to Brian. “Megyn is my best friend,” she said softly. “Since high school. Maybe that’s not all that long, considering how young we still are, but she’s always had my back and I’ve always had hers. I absolutely can’t betray her trust.”
I picked up my knife and cut into my sandwich. The meat was tough, pulling apart in stringy clumps. I put the knife back down; I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. “What that means is she has asked you not to say anything to us, because she knew I would come asking.”
Maggie shoveled a forkful of salad into her mouth and chewed furiously.
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you,” she muttered.
“Fine.” My frustrations mounted. So close, yet, so far. I couldn’t let this end here. “So don’t tell us anything too deeply personal. But tell me about her. Tell me about your friend. What’s she like? That’s not too much, is it?”
Maggie made an aggravated sound and shook her head. My heart sank, but then she said, “Okay. But you absolutely can’t tell her I said anything to you.”
“Deal,” I said. “Now tell me about Megyn.”
Though she still looked unhappy about the whole thing, Maggie complied.