But Carson knew it wasn’t an idle threat.He knew she would.Try at least.He was a lot bigger than he was back then and knew how to protect himself better now.Not that he would harm Sandy, but he would restrain her, so she didn’t harm him or herself.
“Well, Sandy, if she’s looking for a real man, you can send her my way.I won’t leave her feeling sad,” Jack remarked, stepping forward, giving her a wink.
“Hey, hands off,” Carson defended, though he had no claim to the woman.He had already forgotten about her.He couldn’t even remember her name, but for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of Jack dating her.
It was in the woman’s best interest, he reasoned.Jack was a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of guy.He didn’tdo serious, and he was sure Miss High and Mighty was looking for Mr.Right and Mr.Forever.Jack was neither of those things.
“Why do you care, you ditched her?”Jack challenged him.
Carson ignored him and turned back to Sandy.“You’re right, Sandy.I was rude to her, and I apologize.”He should have handled last night’s dinner better.Honestly, he should have cancelled, but by then it had been too late, and the date had already started.It would have been a more dickish move calling the restaurant to tell her he wasn’t showing.
“It’s not me you should apologize to, but her, though I doubt she’ll be wanting to talk to you any time soon.”
That he could imagine.He hadn’t been at his best, and he couldn’t explain it to Sandy.If she knew about the shipping container of women, she would totally be on his side, just as the guys would be once he explained.
But he couldn’t tell Sandy the truth.She would just have to keep on believing he was an asshole and eventually stop trying to set him up.Sandy had set him up a few times over the past few years.All of them were boring and easily forgettable.He was going to stop letting Sandy set him up.Each date got worse and worse.
“Believe me when I say, the situation couldn’t be avoided.Just apologizefor me and find her a nice banker or something.Someone she would have more in common with.”He doubted she was as adventurous as Sandy was making her out to be.The woman looked like she wouldn’t know a good time if it bit her in the ass.
“Or someone who would give her the time of day,” Sandy mumbled.“You know you’re not the first guy who has treated her poorly, but I’d told her you were different.That you weren’t that kind of guy.”There was accusation in Sandy’s tone.She wasn’t wrong though.Normally he was a great guy.Attentive.Anniehad deserved better.
“What happened before?”Jack asked eagerly.Carson didn’t like how much interest Jack was showing in knowing more about his bad date.
Unlike him, Jack didn’t have a certain type of woman he liked.He liked all women.Tall, short, skinny, large-boned, it didn’t matter to him.And now hearing his behavior toward her, Jack was sounding all too eager to show her a real man.One who would wine and dine her.
Not onlythat, but leave her just as quickly as he’d come into her life.That fate wasn’t any more appealing than a series of bad dates.
“She’s been ghosted.Men have led her on,” she told Jack before her accusing gaze swung back to him.“You were her first date in close to a year because she’d been hurt so many times.”
Well, now he felt like an ass, though he couldn’t say he would have changed what happened even if he had known about her past.He had told her it was a work emergency.She should have understood that took precedence over a date he didn’t see going anywhere.
“It’s just not like you, Carson.”Sandy shook her head as her voice turned soft as if her anger had finally drained out of her.He much preferred the hostile tone.The heartbroken one made him feel like the worst kind of person.“I’ve never known you to be like that with someone before.That’s why I came down here to talk to you.”Scolded more like, but semantics.
“There was a crisis with work.I should have rescheduled instead of trying to do both things at once.”
“That’s just an excuse.”
“If she’s free next weekend, I’ll take her out,” Jack offered.
Sandy rolled her eyes.“There isn’t a woman on earth I would ever set up for you.”
“Ouch.”He clutched his heart in fake pain.Carson knew it was fake because Jack didn’t care if one woman slipped through his fingers.There were millions more to replace her.Few women turned Jack down, so he never lacked for company.
“You have to have a heart to hurt it, Jack.”
“I have a heart, Sandy.One that beats for you.”Jack’s voice dropped seductively as he moved closer to Sandy.
“Alright, enough of that.”Carson stepped between them.Jack was the resident playboy, and while Carson was used to hearing his antics, he didn’t want Jack practicing on a woman he considered his sister.“Sandy, you better go.”
“No, not until you tell me why you were so rude to my friend.I was praising your glory, only for you to be an ass to her.The last few women I’ve set you up with, you were cordial, but that was it.It’s like you don’t want to date.Unless…” She took a step back and looked at him with new eyes.“It’s because of her, isn’t it?”She didn’t have to say a name for him to know who Sandy was referring to.
“Sandy, stop.”This was not the time or place to have this conversation.He looked around the room; they had the group’s attention.Fuck.He didn’t talk about his past relationship for a reason.It was a time he’d rather forget.
He should have known she wouldn’t stop.“That’s it, isn’t it?That’s why you didn’t care.ForGod sake, Carson.She is nothing like Jenny,” Sandy practically shouted.
Carson winced as if he’d been delivered a physical blow at hearing the name of the woman who had destroyed his heart.
“Who’s Jenny?”Barry asked.
