“Why are you phrasing it as a question?” Carter asks.
“Because I’ve never done this before,” I say, glad I can give a truthful answer.
Carter sets his elbows on the table and leans forward slightly. “Jax, I say this as your friend but also as her brother-in-law: Izzy isn’t the woman you test out dating with. If you’re not sure what you want, then just tell her you’re sorry, and let it die there. Don’t bring her coffee at work. Don’t wait on her porch for twenty minutes for her to get home. Don’t bring her dinner.”
Well, damn, I guess Nash really does keep Carter informed of everything happening in my life.
“Nash made it sound worse than it is,” I say.
Carter shakes his head. “Oh no. That’s not from Nash. I heard that from JT, who is out of town at a golf tournament right now. He’s somehow connected to all the gossips in town, and his phone has been blowing up all week about you being in love with Izzy.”
“Oh, I’m definitely not in lo—” I start to say.
“Please don’t tell me,” Carter practically begs. “Just don’t break her heart, or Kelsey might make us drop you as a client. I can just hear her now. ‘I can’t in good conscience murder him while he’s a client, Carter. It’s not my fault if I’m better than all his other options and will be able to sneak past them and strangle him with my bare hands once he finally hires someone new.’”
I shudder. “That’s a terrifying picture.”
“Both Kelsey and Bryn adore Izzy, and I wouldn’t want to be on either of their bad sides,” he warns. “So don’t fuck this up.”
“So, I shouldn’t mention the fact that I’m supposed to hang out with Izzy all afternoon?” I ask, only kind of teasing.
“Lord have mercy on your soul,” Carter says as his mom brings out our food.
I thank Alice for the pancakes I didn’t order, and when she leaves, Carter apologizes.
“Honestly, this is what I wanted anyway,” I say, secretly pleased that now I get to eat pancakes and look like a good person. A real win-win.
“Hey, Matt!” Carter says as a tall, vaguely familiar man walks by.
“Carter,” the man says, tipping his head at my friend. “And Jaxon, right?” he asks, extending his hand to shake mine.
“That’s me.”
Matt offers me a smile as he says, “I was a few years behind you in school.”
“Matthew Thatcher?” I ask, realizing I can still see the boy I once knew behind the hard lines of the man.
“That’s me. Hey, now that I’ve got you here, I’ve been meaning to reach out to ask about your farm.”
I internally cringe. No matter what my dad seemed to believe, it was nevermyfarm.
Matt continues, clearly unaware of my discomfort around the topic, “We border you on two sides, so was wondering if you’re planning on renting it out or if you’re going to try to sell it.”
“I’m selling it,” I say, forcing a smile to help cover up the harsh tone of my answer. “End of the month.”
“Ah. Alright, then,” Matt says. “I figured as much.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’ll be easier to have it dealt with. It’s a lot a land, and even having a renter would require quite a bit of work on my part.”
“I understand,” Matt says, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Well, I’ll let you two finish up. Nice seeing you again, Jaxon.”
Matt leaves, and Carter and I finish up our breakfast not long after. I still have two hours until I’m supposed to be at Izzy’s house, so I head back to my dad’s place, giving myself a mental pep talk the entire time about spending the time cleaning out my dad’s room.
Shit.
There’s a car out front when I pull up, parked in the far spot. I can see Nash tailing me in, so I know it’s not him. I stop, waiting for him to catch up.
My security team has been on my ass about making sure I stick to all my safety protocols, but I really thought I was safe in Wild Bluffs. I guess not.
