“Cool. Hey, don’t say anything to Theo, all right? If I do ask him, I want to make sure he hears it from me.” Miles pushes through the door without waiting for my reply, which is good, because I will absolutely be telling Theo about our conversation.
And making sure he understands that if Miles asks, he will not, under any circumstances, be marrying Sarah Stone.
If anyone’s going to do it, it’s me.
But Ican’tdo it. And I have no idea where that leaves me.
4
CARTER
While I wait for Theo,I scroll through real estate listings and try not to think about Miles having the same conversation he just had with me…with Theo.
What is Miles even thinking? Talking about this like he can choose a guy at random and harness him to his sister for a year.
He made it clear the plan includedlivingwith Sarah. And he has a whole list of guys he’s willing to ask? Not to mention the fact that he shouldn’t be asking at all. It should be Sarah’s choice. He shouldn’t even be having the conversation without her explicit consent.
I grumble and send my brother another text.
Carter
Are you close?
His reply pops up almost immediately.
Theo
Five minutes out.
I lean against the wall just inside the exit and flip back to real estate, and for a split second, it actuallydoesdistract me from my spiraling thoughts. A new listing just popped up, and I really like the look of it.
Big trees, a sweet pool in the backyard, and a long driveway that looks like it would provide a lot of privacy.
That’s at least one good thing about living in the city. Our building has 24-hour security and a doorman who screens every single person who comes inside. Everyone on staff knows Theo and me by name—even if they sometimes mix us up—and are very protective of our privacy. Leaving that behind would mean having to consider things I’ve been able to take for granted thus far.
Still, if I want some autonomy from my brother, buying a house feels like a good way to get it.
My brother. Sarah. Miles. I groan in frustration.
I have got to be able to move on from this.
A minute later, Theo pulls up, shooting me a quickI’m heretext.
I go outside and find him idling right in front of the door.
“Thanks for coming back,” I say as soon as I’m in my seat.
“No prob,” he says. “Say hi to Mom.”
“How lucky am I that I get to talk to you both for once!” she says, her voice playing through Theo’s speakers. He shoots me an apologetic look.Sorry,he mouths, but I wave away his concern.
It’s been a minute since I’ve talked to Mom. I don’t love the timing—I’d much rather talk through the last forty-five minutes with Theo—but she’s already on the phone. I can’t just tell her I’m not in the mood to talk. That will only make her ask why, and the why behind my current frustration is something I definitely can’t discuss with her.
My mom is amazing, but she’s also a big talker. She likes to process verbally…witheveryone.Neighbors, friends, people in the checkout line at the grocery store. The woman never meets a stranger. Which is great. Unless those strangers are hockey fans.
Ask me how I know, and I’ll point you to a Reddit thread in which the story of me wetting the bed at hockey camp when I was thirteen is described with a level of detail that could only have come from her. According to the original poster, he sat next to Mom at a Jaguars game and got the inside scoop.
“How are you, Carter?” she asks. “I’ve already gotten an update from Theo. But what’s new with you?”
