Exasperated, I’m close to stomping my feet.
“I don’t want to explain it to you. You rented out the cabin, not the rights to my life story.”
A buzzing breaks the glaring contest. I extract my phone from my back pocket and freeze, staring at Jared’s number until the phone stops vibrating in my hand.
Carter’s eyes slide from the phone to my face but he doesn’t say anything. Hands planted on his hips, heinhales deeply and, in the daylight, I notice the lines of muscles contracting where his light-blue shirt stretches over his torso. It looks firm and safe, the kind of place you rest your head when you have a bad day.
You’re losing it, Eliza.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he says, and it’s obvious from his tone that he’s made a decision he’s not pleased with. “We share the lake house. You make me a light breakfast and show me around as payment, until you get your life in order, and I can continue my stay in peace.”
I gape at him, blinking slowly as I do my best to make sense of what he said. It’s the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth. It’s one thing to not throw me out in the middle of the night, but offering to share the place—
“I can’t do that,” I argue, shocked. “You…” I babble. “We’re strangers and you rented the cabin for yourself.”
It’s absurd. He’s been eyeing me with the same disgust reserved for a fly on his gourmet lunch ever since he arrived.
“If you come here, I’ll call the police on you.” He crosses his arms, and tension ripples through the tendons.
“You wouldn’t dare!” I splutter.
“I’d have no qualms about it.”
“Fine, I’ll go somewhere else,” I bluff, to get him off my back.
“Great, let’s go. I’ll drive you there.” His tone is mocking. The man can see right through me.
“You can’t. They don’t like strangers,” I stammer. “I—”
“I’m not doing this because I’m nice.” Carter cuts me off. “I’m used to having help in the house. Consider it a part-time job until you do something about this.” He waves his hand dismissively toward the little house.
I stare at him in disbelief. He wants me to be his cook. I’m not surprised he has help where he lives but to ask the first person he meets here is another level of audacity.
“You want me to work for you?”
“It’s a fair deal,” he says in a detached tone. I can picture him in a boardroom discussing multi-million-dollar contracts without batting an eye. “A non-leaking roof over your head in exchange for basic cooking skills and showing me what this wonderful area has to offer.”
The way he keeps dismissing the town makes me wonder why he chose to spend his holiday here.
But he does have a point and I find myself contemplating the offer. What’s the alternative? Sleep in a tent here on a hard floor and wake up like Snow White with forest creatures around me. Or accept Sam’s offer. Not an option. It sounds whiny and ungrateful, but I’d rather cook breakfast for a spoiled icy stranger than bear my soul in front of my oldest friends and burden them with my problems.
Carter is arrogant and cold, too put together and attractive. Best case scenario he ignores me. The worst that could happen is he throws some polite insults my way. I’ve lived through harder times.
“Yeah, sure. What could go wrong?”
I can almost hear the ominous sounds coming from the forest behind us. The spirits mocking my naivety.
Chapter Four
ELIZA
On our way back, I already regret accepting his offer. He moves with purpose, not once stopping to admire the view. I hate silence when I’m not alone. It makes me nervous. I’m desperate to ask him questions but there’s an aura about Carter like an electric fence. I’m afraid it will zap me to a crisp if I get too close.
The longer we walk without talking, the higher the itchy bubbles of restlessness rise inside me. I cave after thirty more seconds.
“You know what you want to visit while you’re here?”
Carter doesn’t even spare me a glance. “I’ll be doing something more productive most of the time.”
