Jamie hadn’t been able to distract Mrs. Conan long at all. We’d barely been dancing for more than a minute before Mrs. Conan had tapped the mic, asking everyone to take their seats. And after the ceremony, the Pembletons had left too quickly for me to make my way over.
I’d DM’d Carter last night and told him I’d be at Alderton-Du Ponte for today’s activity with two motives in mind.
One, of course, to actually talk to him more in person. While I still wanted—needed—to meet Dr. Pembleton, I wanted to get to know Carter-slash-Mr. ASMR a bit more beyond that.
Two, because people might recognize him, and recognize that he was here withme.
So maybe Lydia butting her way into our pickleball game was fine after all.
“Awkward to walk up when I was the topic of conversation,” Carter mumbled, giving an uncomfortableheh.
Beck didn’t seem to be embarrassed for being caught making fun of Carter. Then again, I wasn’t sure Beck had the capacity to be embarrassed.
“Would you like to play with us, Carter?” Lydia asked suddenly, stepping up to his side. Her fingerstraced his shirt sleeve. “You’re not quite dressed for it, but we could find?—”
“Oh, gosh, no.” Carter wore a pair of dark linen pants paired with a cream-colored shirt, looking even more handsome out of the suit. But definitely not pickleball attire. “I’m the most uncoordinated person on the planet. You put a racket in my hand, and I’m likely to hit myself in the head with it.”
“Much more used to studying?” I asked him with a teasing lilt.
Carter’s eyes were knowing. “Yeah.”
Lydia looked between us. “Do you two know each other? I mean—did you meet before last night?”
“We kind of did, actually.” He didn’t elaborate, but it didn’t seem mean-spirited. “Can I speak with you in private for a moment, Eleanor?”
“Of course.” I easily rose to my feet, grabbing my practice bag at my feet and setting it in my chair. I pulled out my paddle and tossed it onto the table. “Beck can step in for me when Raelynn gets back.”
Beck looked at the paddle as if it’d bite him. Then he raised his gaze to me. It was still hidden by his dark sunglasses, so I stared at my own reflection in the lenses. “Pass.”
I could tell Lydia didn’t want to come across jealous, but it swept through her expression anyway. “Hurry back.”
“Five minutes,” I promised Daisy.
She nodded, eyes flicking over at Carter. Then she gave her eyebrows a not-so-discreet pump.You go, girl.
I followed Carter down the bricked walkway that ledaway from the tennis courts, where rosebushes obscured the view. My footsteps faltered when he turned down a path, away from the direction of the east pool and toward the serenity garden.
My feet stuttered, and I caught at his arm. “You don’t know where you’re walking to, do you?” I made sure there was warmth in my voice.
Carter turned, sheepish. “Ah. No. But I wanted to be sure we were out of earshot.”
“I think this is good, then.”I don’t want to go any further.
“I just—I wanted to apologize for how little time we got to talk last night.” He looked so different in casual clothes—so much more approachable. His smile seemed easier, too, without the glitz and glamour of the chandelier and marble floors. “It—it really was lovely.”
“I should apologize for being late, but I had a nice time, too,” I told him, giving him a gentle smile. “I’d been hoping to meet your parents.”
“Ah, sothat’swhy you reached out last month? Because you knew my secret identity?”
Carter was joking, but I wanted to leave no room for confusion. “I had no idea who you were until last night. In fact, I actually can’t believe someone like you would be a secret YouTuber.”
“That’s how I felt when you first reached out. That someone like you would watch my kind of content.”
I arched a brow. “Someone like me?”
“I was—well, I was worried. About how you’d be.” Hischeeks began pinking again. “You’re so beautiful that I—well. I was worried you’d be… not nice.”
It was funny. Carter’s compliment was far more direct and obvious, but it was Beck’s that echoed in my ear.I’d hoped you’d be uglier.
