“Maybe. I guess what I’m afraid of is that when they figure out who I am, they’ll know the truth. I’m nothing but a boring bookworm who is obsessed with work.” Jax opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head before she could. Because this was exactly what I needed tostopdoing. Jax was right. They might know my sister, but they still didn’t know me. I could still be a different person if I wanted to. “But that was Philly Carter. Maybe New York Carter wants to be exciting. If that’s even possible.”
Jax perked up at my words. “Hell yeah, it’s possible.”
“How does someone become exciting?” I jumped from the bed and searched the room until I found my planner and a pen, then flipped to an empty page.
Before I could write anything, Jax ripped the planner from my hands. “I can tell you one thing. You don’t do it by making a list.”
“But I love lists. You should see the notes section of my phone. It’s nothing but lists.”
Jax nodded slowly and squinted her eyes as if she was contemplating something. “You know what? I can work withthis. Let’s come up with a list of ten exciting things for you to do.”
The idea wasn’t terrible, but there wasoneproblem. “By myself? It’s not like I really know anyone here, aside from you, of course.”
Jax shrugged. “I’m sure the list will help you meet people. Plus, I’m happy to join you in the fun. You know, if you want me to.”
“I mightneedyou to, depending on what we come up with. I’m not the most adventurous person in the world, so it would be nice to have someone push me along.”
Jax brought a hand to her chest. “Carter Miller-Cooper, it would be my honor to join you in doing some crazy shit.”
I put my hand up in the air. “How crazy are we talking? I said I want to be exciting, not reckless.”
Jax tapped the pen against her chin. “Got it. Nothing reckless,” she said at the same time she wrote the words diagonally across the empty page of my planner.
It pained me to watch a page of my perfect planner get scribbled on by someone else.Why couldn’t she at least write it on the line?
“Did I take away all of your ideas?” I asked, forcing out a laugh so Jax wouldn’t notice my stress over the planner.
Jax slammed the planner shut and beamed up at me. “Not at all. I just need some time to think. Can we both sleep on it? I’m more confident in our abilities to come up with a solid list when we’re both well-rested and completely sober.”
Just the mention of sleep made me yawn. This was much later than I normally stayed up, so sleep probably wasn’t the worst idea, even if I hated the thought of Jax leaving my room for some strange reason. “Of course. Sounds like a great idea.”
Jax gave me one last smile before turning around to walk out of the room. Her hand had just landed on the doorknob,when a thought came into my mind. “Hey, Jax? How did you know I only had one drink?”
Just because I was carrying the same cup around all night didn’t mean anything. Why would I have wasted another when I could just refill that one? Jax didn’t know me well enough to know what my tells were when I was lying. I wasn’t a great liar, but I was good enough to fool those who didn’t really know me, especially when they’ve been drinking.
Jax turned around and smirked at me for just a moment before that smirk became a full-blown smile. “It might feel like you’re in someone else’s shadow, but you shine in a way that you don’t even realize.”
She winked at me before turning around and walking out of my room. I watched her leave, then stared at the door after she closed it behind her.
What the hell was that all about?
Chapter 4
The next morning, I woke up much earlier than necessary, especially after I had tossed and turned for a long time the night before as I thought about the last words Jax spoke to me. She was obviously a hopeless flirt, but this felt different than the times she teasingly hit on me. The words seemed more sincere, like she actually meant them, but how could she? She barely knew me. If I shined so brightly, wouldn’t that light have caught her attention all the years she was friends with my sister?
I tried to fall back asleep, but after a few minutes, I gave up and got out of bed. When I left my room, I was surprised to find that Jax was already awake. She was sitting on the couch, drinking a coffee, and watching something that was playing softly on the TV.
I stretched my arms in the air. “You’re up early,” I said with a yawn.
Jax looked over at me and gave me a tired smile. “I’m used to working early shifts at the cafe, so a lot of times my internal clock wakes me even when I don’t have to be up.”
I nodded knowingly as I walked across the room to join her on the couch. “I normally can’t sleep in either. Sometimes, my mind is racing even before the sun comes up.”
Jax smirked over the top of her coffee mug. “Was it racing this morning?”
I nodded before I could think better of it. Jax’s next question would probably be what it was racing about and there’s no way I could tell her it was racing over her.
Jax’s smile grew even wider. “The list, right?”
