For a guy who wouldn’t go anywhere without styling his hair, he’s come a long way.
“Are you gonna tell us what happened between the two of you last time, or do you want us to guess?” Vex sits forward and stares at Carter with me.
“We met on the strip, slept together and never spoke again. I did my usual and left without saying goodbye. It wasn’t a proud moment.”
“No shit,” I say.
“She was my last one.”
“Last what?” Vex chuckles. “Victim?”
“Last girl before karma gave me a big fucking reality check.”
“What was the reality check?” I ask.
This isn’t the first time Vex and I have asked questions about Carter’s past. Even though the three of us have been good friends now for a year, Carter still likes to keep his cards close to his chest.
“Don’t worry. It’s unimportant.”
Whatever happened, it must’ve been big. People don’t pack in their millionaire-womanizer careers for no reason. Carter had it all. The fame, the respect, the money and girls.
I always despised people like him; they were always like fingernails on a blackboard to me—intolerable. But Carter is living, breathing proof that people can change.
He rakes a hand through his hair and sighs. “I hate to admit this aloud, guys, but I had a fucking good time last night.”
“Not so pissed about being dragged to the auction anymore, are you?” Vex grins. “Looks like I reunited you with someone special.”
“Carmen isn’t special. Not like that.”
“But shedidmark the end of CEO Carter Trescott’s reign.”
“It doesn’t matter who she is,” Carter says. “We’re not supposed to be in each other’s lives. Last night was a fluke. A coincidence.”
“Coincidences don’t exist.”
Carter glares at me. “I don’t want your voodoo input in this, Skipper.”
“Tough, you’re gonna get it. Ever heard of a soul contract?”
“No,” Carter deadpans. “Because I live in the real fucking world.”
“People keep reappearing in your life for a reason. My old friend Chuck and I split ways because I stupidly slept with his ex. He moved to Canberra and we never spoke for years…until we both happened to dock our boats at Airlie beach ten years later. We made up, tied loose ends, and then he died two weeks later out at sea during a storm.”
Carter looks at me like I’ve just given him a death sentence. “You’re saying that one of us is going to die?”
“No. I’m telling you that there was a reason you saw Carmen again at the auction last night.”
Carter’s face turns even more sour. “There’s no reason. Life’s much simpler when it’s lived alone, away from girl drama. Vex can vouch for me on this.”
“Yeah. I’ll die on that hill,” Vex agrees.
“Coincidences don’t exist,” Carter says. “We won’t be seeing Carmen again, so we might as well drop this conversation and move on with our lives.”
All I’ve ever fucking done is move on.
For me, that statement is quite literal.
I don’t need much in life to be happy—just a good tide and a sturdy boat.
