Chapter 8
“So, how was your date?”
Karter looked up from where she was chopping cucumber slices for the salad they would have with
lunch. Placing the knife down, she turned fully to her mother, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting at her.
“You set me up.”
Sora smiled at her daughter. “Yes, I did, but don’t act like you didn’t like it. Besides, I know you. You wouldn’t have heard him out otherwise.”
Karter huffed. “That isn’t the point.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Whatever, little girl. You could have always told him no and stayed at home. You wanted to go, and you know it.”
“Also, not the point,” Karter responded. However, she couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped her, causing her facade to fall.
“I have to say, I didn’t think your father would be too happy about it. Even with Creed being the one asking him. You know he’s overprotective.”
Karter refrained from rolling her eyes, not wanting to get popped by her mother, and went back to slicing the cucumber. “Daddy knows I’m an adult, and I don’t have to consult him to date someone. I mean, he’s going to dislike them, regardless.”
Sora laughed. “You aren’t wrong. You could bring home a mirror image of Demetri, and he would still hate him, but Creed is different.
I don’t think he would trust you with anyone else the way he does with him.
I suppose it also helped that he wouldn’t back down.
He made it clear that he would risk whatever was necessary without your father’s blessing. ”
“He did?”
“You didn’t know that?”
“Well, he told me he’d talked to Dad and told him he wanted to date me. He didn’t exactly tell me what all was said.”
“He stood his ground, and ultimately, I think that won your father over. Not so much that Creed is someone he knows and trusts, but that he wasn’t willing to back down from what he wanted.”
Karter smiled to herself. She knew that side of Creed all too well, having known him for several years. Not to mention working for him. She’d seen it when anyone had tried to be inappropriate with the servers or bartenders. Or when someone tried to raise hell in his establishment.
“Speaking of Dad, where is he?”
“He’s out with your beau.”
“What are they always getting into together? I swear Daddy needs more friends.”
Her mother laughed. “Don’t want him hanging out with Creed now that you’re dating?”
“It isn’t that. I just...I don’t know.” Karter shrugged. “Don’t want him monopolizing Creed’s time. He pretty much does it already.”
“You work with the man. It isn’t like you’ll never see him.”
Karter finished making the salad. She picked it up when her mom grabbed the bowl of shrimp pasta and the pitcher of peach tea she’d made, and they headed outside onto the back patio.
“Work doesn’t count,” Karter responded to her.
“I know. I’m only teasing you; I’m sure he’ll make plenty of time for you. After all, this is Creed we’re talking about, and he does nothing halfway. Besides, he knows you’re needy,” Sora teased.
“Hey! I am not!” Karter exclaimed before pouting at her mother, who laughed and waved her off.
The two sat down to enjoy their lunch together, and as they ate, they spoke of the family vacation they would take.
It was tradition for them to go on one a year.
Her mother enjoyed it when they all got together and went somewhere.
Creed had gone with them a few times when he could, since Sora would invite him, and they all felt like he was part of the family.
Karter mildly wondered if he would go this year. Now that they were dating, she wondered if it would be awkward for him, for the two of them, to be around each other in her parents’ presence. She wasn’t sure exactly what had changed, if anything.
Her mother didn’t know where they were going yet, but Karter did not doubt that she would figure it out. She always asked for their input, but ultimately, they all allowed her mom to plan it as she saw fit. They’d never been disappointed in their destinations.
She had already started saving for this trip. She typically began saving for it each year after they’d returned from the current trip. She would save for emergencies in her savings and had a special vacation account.
Her parents always paid for the flights and the hotels, even though when Karter started working, she insisted she could at least pay for her tickets.
Naturally, her father had not and still was not allowing it.
So, she ensured she had plenty of money to pay for anything she wanted.
Even though she was sure he would also pay for those things. She liked to do it herself.
Once they were finished with lunch, they went back inside to do the dishes and clean the kitchen before going into the living room to watch a movie. Typically, Karter would have chosen a horror movie. However, she knew her mother didn’t like those, so she deferred the choice to the older woman.
They ended up watching an old movie that was laughable. They did more critiquing and laughing at the bad acting than trying to decipher the maze of the plot.
Ravage watched as Demetri instructed the four people on where to move things around.
He was redecorating, and honestly, Ravage did not know why.
If his memory served him correctly, the older man had done so about seven months ago.
He also knew, however, how quickly Demetri felt the need to shake things up if they became too mundane.
He assumed that was what he was doing at the moment.
He was having his office completely flipped around, and he had bought several new pieces to replace some he was getting rid of. He was also doing the same thing in the reception and waiting area.
Ravage leaned against the doorframe, waiting for one of the inevitable questions that always came—knowing he wouldn’t have to answer it. Once asked, Demetri would talk himself through it and thank Ravage for his help. It was amusing.
Mildly, he’d thought that things between him and Demetri would change for a bit since he was now dating the man’s daughter, and said man was far too protective for it to be healthy. That had not been the case. Everything remained the same as it was before.
Ravage listened as Demetri instructed the movers to move the desk a few centimeters to the left because it wasn’t entirely centered. He had no idea how the older man knew it was mere centimeters off, but he also would not question it.
He checked his watch and saw that it was a little after three o’clock.
He’d been with Demetri for the better part of the afternoon.
The two had gotten together at about eleven in the morning for lunch, and then they’d headed to Demetri’s office, where this unnecessary, in Ravage’s opinion, makeover had started.
Pushing himself off the door frame he’d been holding up for the past half hour, he called out to Demetri to get his attention.
“I’m going to head out,” he told the older man when he turned towards him. “I’ve got some pieces I want to work on and try to finish before the bar opens again.”
“Alright. Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime,” Ravage responded, though he had done nothing of note.
He walked out of the building and ensured the automatic lock was still engaged. Demetri had closed his office for the day to do his remodel, and Ravage knew the last thing he would want would be to have someone walk in on him, wanting to inquire about renting one of his properties.
Once home, Ravage went into his workshop.
He’d found a few old barstools that he was working on repurposing for the bar.
He was one short of the number he needed, but figured he could add a bar table close by with two other stools he’d found.
He had also found some old end tables. They were a mess and looked hideous, and he’d gotten them for a steal.
However, he knew Karter had been looking for something new for her living room, and he knew how to redo them to fit her theme.
It was what he wanted to get home and work on.
As he started the first one, Ravage listened to one of the playlists on his phone. He often got lost in what he was doing whenever he listened to music, and time seemed to fly by. This time was no exception. Before he knew it, two hours had passed, and he finished the first end table.
For a moment, Ravage debated whether he should call it quits for the day, but decided he might as well get both of them finished. That way, he could take them to her once the stain had set in overnight.
Getting down to work on the second one, he found it was not in as bad a shape as the first one had been, and he suspected it wouldn’t take him as long to finish it.
He was proven correct when he finished about an hour and fifteen minutes later.
He looked both of them over. After making sure they were stained evenly, he decided that when he woke up in the morning, he would apply a gloss coat over them to make them pop before taking them to Karter in the afternoon.
Ravage went inside his house and headed to his bedroom. He worked up a sweat outside and wanted to shower before making himself something quick to eat.
Starting the shower, he removed his clothes, placing them in the hamper as he waited for it to heat. He stepped inside and washed all the sweat, sawdust, and the small amount of wood stain he’d gotten on himself.
Once he finished his shower, he grabbed a towel to dry himself, entered his bedroom, took a pair of sweatpants from his dresser, and slipped them on along with a pair of socks. He moisturized before entering his kitchen.
He wasn’t in the mood to make anything big or time-consuming. So, he decided on quesadillas. He had a steak left from the night before and warmed it up, and cut it into pieces. He then pulled out the other ingredients he needed.
Ravage made dinner, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and went into the living room to watch a bit of television as he ate. He had thought about calling Karter, but would see her tomorrow. He also knew that she planned to spend time with Sora, and he didn’t want to interrupt them.
Finishing his food, he went into the kitchen to place his plate in the dishwasher and his bottle in the recycling.
Returning to the living room, he settled in to finish watching whatever movie had just started.