Chapter 5
Karter sat on her couch, a blanket thrown across her lap, a bowl of popcorn in her hands. It was Friday night, and she should have been at work, but she’d texted Creed and told him she was sick. It had taken him a while to text her back, and she knew it was because he didn’t believe she was ill.
He had been right not to. She wasn’t sick. She just couldn’t bring herself to face him after their encounter in the supply room earlier in the week. When he’d responded, it was telling her to feel better. So, there she was, lazing around, trying to keep her mind off it.
It was proving to be harder than she thought. She played it back in her mind several times over the past few days.
Karter had been positive that Creed was messing with her, that he’d only done it to keep her from going out with Tim. She didn’t know Tim well, and Creed had said he went after any woman who passed by, which she already knew. But it wasn’t like she was trying to be in a relationship with him.
However, she knew Creed well. He’d been a family friend for the past nine years, and she knew he didn’t joke that way.
That also made her wonder if he wasn’t joking; when exactly had his perception of her changed?
When had he gone from seeing her as his little sister, because she knew he did at one point, to seeing her as a woman?
Shaking her head, Karter tried to turn her attention back toward the television show. She was watching a series about a woman who fed her husband to some big cat or something. Honestly, she’d been more so eating popcorn and scrolling through her phone.
Picking up the remote, she scrolled through before settling on It. She made herself some more popcorn. She opted to melt some butter and marshmallows, then added the popcorn to it, stirring it together. She grabbed a mango juice and returned to the living room.
She started the movie, settling in to enjoy it. She’d seen it several times, and it was one of her favorites. Horror movies, in general, were her favorite genre to watch.
Karter was about halfway through the movie when there was a knock on her door. She placed the almost empty bowl on the table and went to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw it was her mother.
Opening the door, she stepped aside to let her in as the two women greeted each other. Watching as her mother surveyed what she’d been eating.
“Well, you don’t look sick to me,” her mom stated before reaching into the bowl and grabbing a marshmallow-covered kernel.
Karter furrowed her brow before she realized her mother had probably spoken to Creed.
“He called to tell you I was sick?” she questioned, deciding not to confirm what her mother had just said.
“No. I went by because you got some mail at the house, and I was taking it to you after having some drinks with a girlfriend,” her mother responded, pulling the mail from her purse and holding it out to Karter.
“So,” she started, taking a seat on the couch, patting the space beside her for Karter to sit as well. “Why are you playing hooky?”
Karter sat down, biting her bottom lip. She wondered if she should tell her mother what happened.
They had a great relationship, and she didn’t keep things from her.
That being said, Karter also knew that her mother didn’t keep things from her father either.
Which meant if she told her, it would get back to her dad, and she didn’t need him making a big deal out of it.
“I just needed some me-time,” she stated. It wasn’t technically a lie. She needed some time to herself to process what had happened.
Her mother lifted a brow at her. “You’re off three days a week, four days some weeks, and you need some me-time outside of that? And instead of just asking Creed for time off, you called in and lied to him.”
Her mother was clearly not buying what she was selling, and Karter knew that trying to convince her with explanations would be futile.
So instead, she nodded, picking up the bowl and offering more of what was left of the snack to her mother.
Knowing that, just like with her, food served as a great distraction.
The two of them sat and watched the rest of the movie.
Her mother laughed at some parts, making Karter smirk and shake her head.
Her mom always laughed during horror films. There hadn’t been one they’d watched together so far that her mom hadn’t found something funny.
It was probably why Karter enjoyed them so much.
When the movie ended, her mom took the bowl from her and entered the kitchen. Karter scrolled through the streaming app, preparing to find another film for them to watch.
“Kar.”
“Yeah?” she responded.
“Do you want some cookies?”
Karter turned to look over at her mom. “I don’t have any cookies.”
She then watched her mother go around her kitchen, through the fridge and cabinets, pulling out different items.
“Yes, you do.”
Karter laughed as she tucked her feet under herself. “Then yes. I want some cookies.”
She would have offered to help, but she knew she would end up eating the dough once it was made, and her mom hated when she did that. Instead, she started another movie to wait until they were ready.
Some time had passed, and just as she heard her mother closing her oven, a phone rang.
Karter knew it wasn’t hers. So, she reached into her mom’s purse and pulled it out.
She saw it was one of her mom’s friends and put it back.
She didn’t make it a habit of answering her mom’s phone unless it was her dad or another family member.
When the cookies were done, Karter got up to pour them both a glass of milk while her mother put them on a plate.
Returning to the living room, they sat down and enjoyed their cookies while they watched the movie she’d chosen.
Her mother didn’t bring up her calling in sick anymore, and Karter didn’t bring it up either—content to spend time with her mom and think about something other than her last interaction with Creed.
Ravage stood behind the bar, polishing glasses. He wasn’t needed there, but it gave him something to do to take his mind off Karter being so upset with him that she had lied and called in to work.
He thought about when he came on to her in the supply room and knew he probably could have gone about it differently. He had come on too strong, which was the one thing he never wanted to do with her.
Ravage knew he should have used more tact and eased her into what he was trying to tell her. Even though he had thought he was subtly showing her. When Tim had asked her out, and she was contemplating going with him, he wanted to stop that at all costs.
Not just because he didn’t want her to go out with anyone, or because he had feelings for her.
It was because Tim did indeed try to take out every woman he came into contact with, treating all of them as simple conquests.
He didn’t want that for Karter. Though he knew she was too smart to fall for Tim’s games.
Then she said she saw him as an older brother, and something in him just snapped. He didn’t want her to see him that way. Not in the slightest. Because if she did, then that meant he didn’t have a chance of making her his.
Ravage hadn’t meant to confess his feelings that way.
Not after someone had asked her out. It had made her think he was joking.
Though to him, it should have been clear to her that he was not.
They had known each other long enough, and she should have known that he would not do that, especially not to her.
However, because they knew each other, he knew that was likely what she wanted to think he was doing.
She had been shocked, and rightly so, but a part of her had to have known that he was serious.
He suspected that was the part of her that didn’t know how to deal with it and had her wanting to distance herself from him for a while.
Placing down the glass he was sure he’d been polishing for the past ten minutes, he grabbed another one. He needed to devise a way to make Karter realize he was as serious about her as he was about his business. Since she knew he pretty much ate, slept, and breathed Purgatory.
Ravage decided that the best way to show her that would be to do the one thing both knew would likely cause an issue.
Her because she’d brought it up that day in the supply room, and him because he knew the older man like the back of his hand.
Telling Demetri, however, seemed like the best way to show her he was not joking. This was not a game to him.
He’d do it, and once he did, he’d give her the choice of whether she wanted to see what it would be like to be with him.
He wouldn’t pressure her, and he wanted to kick himself for what happened Monday because, looking back, it was almost what he’d done.
However, she hadn’t given him too much protest.
Deciding that he wasn’t doing much of anything behind the bar, he went to his office.
Once inside, he spent that time trying to devise ways to tell Demetri he had feelings for his only child. He knew it wouldn’t go well just because the older man was so protective of Karter. However, he would bring in some reinforcements and ask Sora for help.
When she’d stopped by earlier to bring something to Karter, he told her she was at home sick.
Even though he knew that was not the case, he almost told her what had happened.
But figured if he did, she’d ask Karter about it, and Karter didn’t need to be reminded, especially if she’d decided not to come in for her shift that night.
It made him wonder if she planned to call out for the rest of the week.
Ravage didn’t think that she would. After all, while she could be as stubborn as her father, he knew there was a significant possibility she’d act like it didn’t happen and waltz into work tomorrow.
While she’d be there, he was sure she wouldn’t interact much with him.
That thought alone made him want to speak to Demetri immediately.
He wanted to do it right and have time to prepare something to show Karter through his actions what she hadn’t allowed him to say in words on Monday.
He just needed to get Demetri’s blessing, but Creed knew that even if the older man didn’t consent, he would still show her. He didn’t want to go against Demetri’s wishes if he were to say no, but he wouldn’t let the opportunity pass him by.
So, he made a mental note to call Sora tomorrow. He knew she could referee and get Demetri to listen and not just blow off what he didn’t want to hear.