“Probably because you’re looking at that rabbit like you want to trap him in a snare and roast him over a fire.” Lila grinned at me, clearly enjoying herself.
“Hush.”
“Hmm, he seems awfully good with kids,” she said, turning to watch him. “He’d probably make a great father.”
Carter had just picked up a couple of toddlers, holding them both on either side while the parents took pics. These kids were having the time of their lives with him, holding on to him like he was their long-lost uncle.
“Yeah, I guess he’s all right with kids,” I said, not wanting to engage with Lila because I knew where she was going with this. My mind was going there too.
Despite myself, I started picturing a future I already knew couldn’t happen. I had always wanted a family but I had never had a lot of chances to date and start one. At college, I’d gone out with a few guys, but it was never serious. And once I came back to Ferris, I didn’t have time for a personal life. Once my parents sold the farm and Allory shut it down, I had spent every waking hour trying to pick up the shattered pieces and rebuild some semblance of the life I’d been planning for since I was a child.
I had gotten things going on my grandparents’ little old farm. I had found new chickens and got them breeding and laying eggs, and I found some customers to sell them to. It took a lot of time and the progress had been slow going.
My whole life had revolved around the family business and now my life was all about my business, which didn’t have any family to support it. But watching Carter with the kids in the town square, I found myself wishing he would stay. That would never happen though.
Who would trade the big city for this? Sure, LA had traffic and way too many people, but it had lots of perks too, especially if you had the kind of money and resources that Carter did. Beingmein LA probably sucked, but being Carter in LA was probably like being royalty.
Lila nodded as she watched him. “And people in town sure seem to like him. For a rich bastard from Los Angeles, he’s fitting in like he grew up here.”
“But he didn’t,” I told her. “He has no roots here. No ties to the land or its people. This is just a fun little vacation for him while he tries to fix his company’s reputation. Don’t forget that.”
My best friend eyed me, searching my face. “You’re falling for him.”
“Fuck off.”
“You wouldn’t care about any of the things you just mentioned if you didn’t like him,” she said. “That’s why you’re mad about it.”
“I’m mad because of what his family’s company did to this town,” I insisted, but I couldn’t look at her while I said it.
“Nope, I know you too well, Shelby. You’re into him.”
“Well, yeah, we fooled around the other day,” I said quietly so no one else around us would hear.
“What?!” Lila looked at me like she had never seen me before. To my relief, she lowered her voice. “You and Carter? When did this happen? And why are you just telling me this now?”
“I was going to tell you.” I shook my head. “There’s just been a lot going on.”
“Apparently,” she said, bumping my shoulder. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me. What happened? Was it good?”
I gave her the quick version of what had happened the other night after the bake-off. She didn’t need to know all the details, so I didn’t give them to her, but I filled her in on the highlights.
When I was finished, she just shook her head at me and sighed. “I swear, something interesting finally happens in this town and you keep it a secret from me.”
“I wasn’t keeping it a secret,” I defended, shrugging. “I just didn’t even know what to say. We should never have fooled around with each other in the first place. And then we had a falling out. It’s all been so confusing.”
“Welcome to falling in love,” Lila said with a chuckle. “It’s awesome but it also sucks sometimes. Ain’t romance grand?”
“No, I hate it.”
“Yep, you hate it until you love it.” Lila laughed. “That’s how it was with Jake until we stopped being idiots and just let ourselves be in love instead of fighting it.”
“Well, I don’t think Carter and I will have the same experience as you and Jake,” I said. “Once Carter leaves, he’s never looking back.”
Mrs. Presley announced a carrot break for the Easter Bunny, and Carter came over to where we were standing. He popped the head of the costume up a little so I could see his face, which was a little sweaty and flushed from his time inside the suit. His eyes shone brightly, though. He had clearly been having a good time.
To my surprise, he kissed me. Just a quick peck on the lips like he couldn’t help himself. Fireworks popped in my brain but I played it off. “Ew, you’re sweaty and gross right now.”
“Don’t worry,” Carter said with a wink. “I’ll shower at your place later.”
