Chapter 14
When Paige woke up the next morning, she could have sworn she had been dreaming of Carter.
The night before had felt like a big shift in their dynamic.
Carter continued to open up to her, and she to him.
Plus, his last comment to her felt intentional.
Why say that if he wasn’t starting to feel something for her too?
It seemed like a good sign that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t imagining the shift between them.
The snow had finally stopped falling outside, and when she checked the news, she saw that plows were starting to go out and clear the roads. If the weather kept going in this direction, she might be able to fly out tomorrow after all.
Not ready to leave the warmth of her bed, and not sure what to say when she saw Carter, Paige decided to call Nadia.
“Your flight was delayed again?” Nadia asked.
“Yeah, it’s looking much better for tomorrow, though,” said Paige. “And plus, I don’t mind having one more day here.”
“Well, it sounds like someone has changed their tune!” Nadia sounded entirely too smug. “This wouldn’t have to do with a certain roommate, would it?”
“I’m not taking any questions at this time,” Paige said, hiding her face behind her pillow.
“Paige! You finally have the hots for Carter, don’t you?”
“I mean . . .”
“Spill! Tell me what happened,” Nadia demanded.
“Well, you know we had a nice day making cookies, but then he totally ignored me that night,” Paige started. “Well, right after I texted you yesterday morning, I went out to the kitchen and he was making me pancakes. Oh, and he even had a fresh coffee ready for me.”
“Shut the front door,” Nadia said.
“That’s not all. I asked him about his attitude the night before and he apologized right away, saying he was in the zone of a workout . . . which I guess I could have deduced from the headphones.
“Of course, you dork,” Nadia teased.
“Then after breakfast he challenged me to some Mario Kart, and we ended up playing for like two whole hours. Finally, we put a bet on the last game—which I won—so he had to watch a Christmas movie with me last night.”
“Get out.”
Now Paige was the one feeling smug. “I’m not making this up.
And naturally, I took the decision way too seriously, but I wisely chose Elf, and he liked it.
He ended up opening up more about his childhood, and then we talked for a little while about our families and Christmas traditions before he realized he forgot to call his grandmother for her birthday—he calls her Gram, by the way—so he went back to his room for the rest of the night.
But before he turned in, he said the sweetest thing about how good a day it was. ”
“Okay, what the hell! Why is Carter so freaking romantic all of a sudden?” Nadia exclaimed.
“Nads, I was blushing so hard, and if I hadn’t already been sitting, my knees would have buckled out from under me. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m crushing hard on this guy.”
“I mean, it makes sense, Paige. He’s essentially a Greek god who apparently isn’t afraid to share his emotions. How could anyone resist that kind of charm?”
“I mean, why the change, though? And isn’t it all too good to be true?
I was nervous that the crush might be one-sided, but after his comment last night, I have to imagine he feels something,” Paige said.
“I just can’t help but wonder what the catch is .
. . What am I missing? Am I just another girl he’s trying to get into bed with?
I really don’t want to be some rebound to help him get over an ex. ”
“What if there is no catch?” Nadia asked. “What if he really is a good guy who deserves a chance?”
“I know, I know, I just don’t want to end up getting hurt again.” Paige sighed.
“Of course you don’t,” Nadia said. “But if you go through life avoiding any possible sign of danger, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.
Trust me, I don’t want a repeat of Chance either, but I also don’t want you to stay hiding behind all of this armor.
You are capable, smart, and funny, and with or without a man, I just want to see you be the version of you who doesn’t live in fear. ”
“Have I told you how much I love you?” Paige said. “If Linus hadn't scooped you up, I would be first in line.”
“Well, then you can get next dibs,” Nadia joked. “So, if Carter is moving out at the beginning of January and you leave for California tomorrow, then today might be your last chance to tell him how you feel. Are you gonna do it?
“I don’t know. I’ll see what the vibes are like when I head out there and play it by ear,” Paige said. “But wait! No proposal yet?”
“Not yet,” Nadia answered. “But with the roads clearing up a bit today, Linus has been pushing for us to go out toward the lake. So I have a hunch it’s imminent.”
Paige knew her friend well enough to know that Nadia had a huge smile on her face. And she couldn’t be happier for her.
“Okay, well, you need to keep me updated if anything happens,” Paige demanded.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll text you before I even say yes, like I promised. Linus will understand,” Nadia said. “Speak of the devil, he just poked his head in the room. He looks antsy. I’m gonna hang up now. Text you later, love you!”
“Love you too!” Paige hung up and finally got herself out of bed. She spent a little extra time in front of the mirror getting ready before heading out to see Carter.
When Paige walked out into the common space of the condo, it was quiet.
Carter must still be asleep, she thought.
But then she noticed the door to his room was cracked open.
“Carter?” she called out, walking toward his door.
She gave the door a small nudge as she called out his name again. No reply. As she stood in his doorway, she caught the scent of his cologne and lingered longer than she meant to.
Paige had never seen the inside of the room after Carter moved in. For a room that belonged to a man, it was surprisingly tidy and minimalist. A stark contrast to Chance’s room, which had band memorabilia on every inch of the walls and clothes piled up in the corner.
As she gave Carter’s room a scan, she noticed a wrapped Christmas gift on his desk.
The edges were perfectly smooth, and the bow looked almost professional. Either Carter is freakishly good at wrapping or he asked a store clerk for help, she thought to herself.
Just then, Paige heard Carter’s now-familiar bellowing laugh coming from outside the window.
She left his room and walked to the living room window and looked out onto the street.
There on the sidewalk, shovel in hand, was a bundled-up Carter with their elderly neighbor, Carol.
Carter was helping her clear the driveway of her house now that the blizzard had stopped.
Paige’s heart was effectively melted. She snapped a photo and sent it to Nadia.
Look at where I just found Carter . . .
Is he helping Carol shovel snow?? Paige, you’ve got to lock this guy down lol.
Paige put her phone in her pocket and bundled up to join them.
***
“Well, well, well,” Carter said as Paige came out of the front door, shovel in hand. “Look who finally decided to come help.” He gave her a wink.
“How long have you been out here?” she asked. “It’s freezing!”
“We started around nine-thirty, then popped inside Carol’s place for some coffee after about thirty minutes because we could barely feel our hands. Now we’re back at it.”
“Paige, you didn’t tell me you had this nice young man hiding away in there,” Carol commented excitedly. “He so kindly offered to help me this morning when he noticed me slipping around the driveway.”
“We can’t have you falling out here in the freezing cold now, Carol.” Carter smiled, even though his tone had turned more serious.
Paige couldn’t help but smile too. “Well, put me to work! Let’s get you a clear driveway.”
Carter and Paige began shoveling piles of snow off of Carol’s driveway and sidewalk.
“So, what have you two been chatting about?” Paige asked.
“Carol was telling me about her glory days here in Chicago,” Carter said. “I asked her about what she used to do for work, how long she’s lived in this house, about her family. I must say, I had no idea we lived next door to such a legend.”
“Well, Carol is the best neighbor we could have asked for,” Paige called out. “Is your daughter coming this year, Carol?”
“She’s supposed to,” Carol replied. “But this weather has really messed up everyone’s plans. She’s hoping she can make the drive here tomorrow.”
“Tell me about it,” Paige groaned. “Well, hopefully she can make it now that the snow is slowing down. Looks like my flight to California is scheduled to go out tomorrow too.”
“Oh yeah?” Carter’s head snapped up, and he locked eyes with her from across the driveway. “I mean, that’s good. You’ll get to be with your parents after all.”
He forced a smile, but Paige could have sworn the look in his eyes was one of disappointment.
“Carter was telling me about the fun you guys have been getting up to,” said Carol, stealing Paige’s glance. “Said he never had this much fun with—”
“Man, is it cold!” Carter interrupted. “Carol, are you sure you don’t want to wait inside while Paige and I finish up out here?”
Now Carter had a panicked look on his face as he set his shovel down and walked Carol by the arm back toward her front door. Paige was confused by Carter’s blatant interruption but decided to keep on shoveling. It was probably best for Carol not to be outside anyway.
Carter returned a minute later and joined her.
“I’d hate to see her catch a cold before her daughter and her family get here. Best for her to stay warm inside,” Carter stated.
“Yeah, definitely. How’s your Gram, by the way? I hope she had a nice birthday.”
“She’s great. Seventy-seven but still sharp as a whip.” He beamed. “She tried giving me a hard time for calling so late, so I blamed it on you.”