"They do!" Harris insisted, holding out his phone to Carter.
"What the—that's not even your picture! Who is that? Is that Grant's picture? Grandpa, you can't lie on these dating apps!"
"It's just for fun. I use the Seeking Sweetie website to find sugar babies. It's great. You should join."
"I'm not paying some woman to pretend to be my girlfriend," Carter said. Then he remembered that he already did, sort of. But what he had with Allie was different, right? What if she actually thought he meant it when he said he didn't get his money's worth? Maybe that was why she slept with him. He felt slightly sick.
"Where's that nice girl you had over for Thanksgiving?" Harris asked and downed his drink. "I liked her."
"We should press charges against her," his father said.
"No!" Carter snapped.
"Well, at the very least, I hope you don't have anything to do with her. Let me see your phone."
"No!" Carter shouted.
"Jack," Nancy said.
The waiters brought their food, and they ate their meals in relative silence, only punctuated by an off-color comment from Harris.
"You need to do something about him," Jack hissed to Walter when they returned to the estate.
Carter slumped in a chair in the study.
"Me?" Walter said.
"Yes. You're his favorite, so he's your problem."
"I can't keep giving him money," Walter said. "He burns through it so quickly. Plus there's the latest soon-to-be ex-wife."
"Give his wife a settlement and tell her to get lost. I don't want him here anymore. Also, he's a bad influence for Carter."
"Stop trying to control me!" Carter yelled.
"Yes, Jack, you're too hard on him."
"Carter ismy son. You think that just because you spent a lot of time with him, you should have some say in his life," Jack yelled at Walter.
Walter glared at his brother then said, "I'll find Harris a nice apartment, something small, and set him up with an allowance. I'll have Kate jump on that right now."
As he walked out of the study toward the stables, Carter received a picture of Margot from Allie. He texted her back immediately.
How are you? Sore? In pain?
What did the doctor say?
She replied,
Fine.
Thanks for the money.
Carter desperately wanted to sneak away and see Allie. Sleeping with her had felt better than good. He didn't really do casual sex, but with Allie, it hadn't felt like a hook-up at all. He definitely didn't want to end up in a situation like with Harris and his ex-wives or Walter and his now-deceased wife, but Allie seemed safe, he thought. Safe enough.
The weekend before he was to start his internship, his family helped him move to New York City.
"So where's my swanky apartment?" Carter asked.
