Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Liz paced her living room.
If this was a normal day, she would be ecstatic. Not only had she completed Marie’s business plan, but it included several new bullet points that would likely get the nursery to its goals well before the five year point. Plus, she’d put out several client fires in record time.
Sex with Carson apparently made her brain fire on a whole other level.
Unfortunately, that other level included continued churning over the events after she left his room. Mainly, the fact that people she trusted had played her like a fiddle.
Her annoyance level rose just thinking about it. Thinking about how easily she’d been manipulated. The more she thought about it, the more questions she had. How many traps had they set? Who else was involved? Was the betting pool the extent of their meddling? Or did the whole thing go deeper?
Not that she was all that upset with the outcome. No—reconciling with Carson was probably the best thing she’d done in a long time, her consulting business aside. She wasn’t angry about that. It was more the way it happened. The betrayal of it all.
And then there was the Major.
As much as she wanted to deny his existence, she was beginning to think it was a losing argument.
Did she want to admit to believing in ghosts? No.
Did she want to admit to being wrong? Also no.
But she couldn’t deny what she’d seen or heard, both this morning and, in retrospect, the prior times he popped in unannounced.
Nor could she deny his claim that she and Carson had a thread between them. They did. She knew it. It had always been there, in spite of their years apart and despite their denials.
She also knew not everyone got the chance at a second try, and that she’d be stupid not to grab it with both hands and hold on tight.
But what if Carson didn’t want a second chance? What if this was simply a let’s have fun together while I’m in town situation? Could she handle another rejection by him? Could she let him go without totally losing her heart?
The knock at her front door jolted her from her thoughts. She hustled to the door and looked out her peephole. A gooey warmth spread through her when she saw Carson on the other side. Opening it, she stepped aside to let him in. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I had lunch with Matty. Brought you this.” Carson held out a tall take-out cup with a lid and a straw before limping inside.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Yep.”
Liz took a long pull of the chocolate-strawberry Moo-N-More milkshake. Her favorite. “You remembered.”
“Of course I remembered.”
Liz took another long pull and sighed in pleasure.
“I brought you something else, too.” Heat flashed in Carson’s eyes as he stepped closer and tilted her chin up.
She licked her lips, catching a drop of milkshake on her tongue.
“Here. Let me.” Carson closed the space between them and captured her lips with his.
It was all she could do to not to melt into his arms.
“Uh, Liz?” Carson asked, breaking their lip lock.
“Yeah?”
“Not that I don’t enjoy this, because I do, but I don’t think I can hold you up much longer.”
Liz blinked, trying to get her senses back online. Realization hit her that she had, in fact, melted into his arms. “Right. Sorry.” She straightened and did a double take. “Where are your crutches?” She was so excited to see him, she hadn’t noticed he was crutch-free.
“Back at the inn. I’m not back to baseline yet but definitely feeling better.”
“Great!” A sobering thought followed. “Does that mean you’re okay to drive back to D.C.?”
“Probably. But in case you were wondering, I already extended my stay at the inn through the weekend and took off Monday.”
“Really?” Liz took another sip of her milkshake. “Why would you do a thing like that?”
Carson narrowed his eyes at her. “You still trying to get rid of me?”
Liz tried to stifle a grin. It didn’t work. “Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you keep giving me massages and bringing me milkshakes.”
“Hmm. You drive a hard bargain.” He studied her intently. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Your shoulders are up around your ears again.”
Liz took stock of her body and found he was right. Dammit. Taking a deep breath, she made a conscious effort to relax them.
“If it’s Uncle Arnold’s stuff, we’ll figure it out.” Carson shifted his weight and grimaced.
“Here. Sit.” Liz gestured toward the sofa then sat at the opposite end, cross-legged and facing him.
She took another sip of her milkshake as she debated what to tell him.
Whether she should say anything about what happened at the inn after she left his room.
And if so, how much? Then sighed and decided to share the wealth.
After all, if anyone was going to be able to commiserate with her, it was Carson.
“Okay,” she said. “So, after I left this morning, Maya and Clem cornered me, and then the Major appeared, and then Davis came in, and I found out they were the ones behind the betting pool.” She waited for Carson to voice his horror at the situation.
He didn’t. In fact, he looked suspiciously underwhelmed. “How can you be so calm about that?”
Carson lifted a shoulder. “Is that all they said?”
“What do you mean, ‘is that all’? Isn’t that bad enough?”
He snorted. “Oh, it’s way worse than that.”
“What?” What did he mean worse than that? What could possibly be worse than that? “How?”
“So, after you left, I had a little visit from Davis and the Major. They basically copped to not only the betting pool, but other conspiracies to get us together as well.”
“Like what?”
Carson scratched his head. “You know, I don’t think they admitted to the specifics.” He winced. “We kind of got off on some rather lengthy tangents. But they did say that my uncle and your niece and brother were also in on it.”
What? “Those bastards!” She sucked in a breath. “You don’t think Arnold’s whole business issue is a lie, do you?”
“You’ve seen his books.”
Right. There was no way Arnold was lying about his business needing help. “Take Carson around town,” she muttered, trying for her best Arnold impression. “Show him why the town needs this business. Take him to Flurry Fest.”
“Yep. Good old Uncle Arnold.”
Liz gently prodded his good leg with her toes and eyed Carson suspiciously. “Why don’t you look upset?”
He shrugged. “I guess because I’m not? I mean, I was. Earlier.” A sheepish look crossed his face. “But it was mostly me getting in my own head and worrying about you. And me.” He cleared his throat and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the action. “About us.”
Liz felt the beginnings of her own worry take root. Was she about to be destroyed again?
“And about what path I’ll take and whether or not I’ll screw it up.”
Her gut churned as worry and doubt began to wrestle for dominance. Was this it? Was he about to dump her again?
“And I know this has all been one gigantic setup with a whole lot of people interfering in our lives, but you know what? I’m glad.”
Liz eyed him warily. “Glad the whole town is basically a bunch of meddling busy bodies?”
Carson snorted. “No. Well, maybe.” He eased himself toward her side of the sofa and gently grasped Liz’s hands in his. “I’m grateful that they were able to see what we were both too self-absorbed to see. Well, I was too self-absorbed to see it.”
“Too self-absorbed to see what?”
“That we really are good together. That we really do have the soul mate thread tying us together.”
Liz sucked in a breath as Carson squeezed her hands. He felt it too. But what did it all mean?
“And regardless of everything else going on, I think we should give this a try. You and me. Us. For real.”
Liz licked her lips as Carson’s words churned in her brain. As she thought through what that might mean. Was he staying in Cloverfield? Did she want him to stay in Cloverfield?
She felt a shy smile spread across her face as her reservations melted away. “I’d like that.”
Carson’s grin matched hers, and he drew her closer and tipped her chin up, planting another soft kiss on her lips. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Would you, uh, care to continue this little get together elsewhere? Like, say, in my bedroom? Without clothing?”
Carson’s grin turned wicked, and he chuckled. “I would love nothing more. But hear me out on something else first.”
Liz gave him a fake pout. “What can possibly be better than naked get-togethers?” She sucked in a breath as a thought took hold. “Is it how to get revenge on everyone?” He knew her so well.
“No.” He tilted his head and squinted as if trying to see something in the distance then shook his head. “Maybe later. But I have an idea for Arnold’s business.”
“Oh.” Right. The whole reason they were together in the first place.
“He needs to sell it.”
Anger and betrayal poured through her system like a flash flood. Seriously?
Liz bolted off the couch like she was a pilot ejecting from a plane.
“Oh, hell no! If you think you can just sex me up a little and then turn around and sell Crawford’s for parts, you have got another think coming, mister!
I cannot believe you thought getting into my pants was the answer to this problem! ”
Carson struggled to get off the couch, and Liz let him. Let him struggle like a bug on its back trying to right itself. Then gave in when he held out a hand and pulled him to his feet. After all, she couldn’t very well shove him out the door while he was trapped on her sofa, now, could she?
Instead of dropping her hand, however, Carson kept a tight grip. Pulled her closer.
She stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Would you let me finish?” he asked.
Liz eyed the stupid grin on his stupid face and scowled. “Depends on what you have to say.”
Carson held her gaze. “Arnold needs to sell his business,” he reiterated. “And I need to buy it.”
“Oh.” She released the word, and with it, her rage. “Wow. That’s uh…”
“Crazy?”
“Yeah.” But maybe also the right move.
“I know.”
“Are you sure he wants to sell?”