Page 27 of Unraveled

His lip curled up in a sneer, and he forced himself to look away before he snapped and said something that would jeopardize his job. Tables were spaced evenly around the large room, giving the impression of privacy and intimacy. Couples talked quietly amongst themselves, and Carter couldn’t help the little pang in his chest, wishing that Audrey was sitting across from him instead.

Though he’d texted her a few times over the past two weeks, and they’d spoken once, right after she’d begun her new job, she’d been mostly reserved. He didn’t know what to make of that. He’d hoped she would begin to open up a little bit, but it hadn’t happened yet.

He admired her decision to postpone a relationship until after her divorce was finalized, but… he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping for a little more from her—some indication that she was open to dating him. Something—anything—other than polite, stiff replies.

He scanned the sea of faces, and his heart stopped as he caught a familiar profile across the room. Soft light overhead made her hair shimmer, turning it even more red, and a soft smile graced her lips. Dressed in a conservative black dress, her hair twisted up into an elegant updo that showed off the sleek column of her neck, she made his mouth water.

Across from her was the woman she’d introduced him to at the health center—Hannah. A large man sat to Hannah’s left, his back to Carter, and he recognized him as Luke Stone, Hannah’s boyfriend. It took him several long moments to notice the fourth member of their party, so caught up was he in his fantasies of Audrey.

His stomach clenched, and he ground his molars together as he studied the man sitting to her left. Tall, muscled, and good-looking, there was no doubt in his mind who he was. Audrey’s date for the evening—and the guy who’d made Carter's high school years a living nightmare.

Mason Kane was the biggest prick walking, or at least he had been twenty years ago. Carter doubted anything had changed. From the wrong side of the tracks, he’d had a huge chip on his shoulder and hated pretty much everyone, and Carter seemed to be the lucky person at the top of that list.

His twin brother, Miles, wasn’t much better, but Carter had at least been able to tolerate him. Mason, for whatever reason, seemed to go out of his way to insult Carter every chance he got. It was petty to still feel distaste for the man after all this time, but he couldn’t help it. He had to know if she was really with him.

As if she could feel his eyes on her, her head whipped toward him, and they locked eyes. Their gazes held for a long minute, then Mason dipped his head toward her, and Carter watched as she laid her hand on his arm. Jealousy and anger reared up, turning his skin hot.

Edward’s laughter boomed out, ripping Carter's attention away from Audrey, and he forced himself to tune back into the conversation. “Who could blame you for that?”

Darlington stabbed at the table with his forefinger. “Tara’s expecting a ring, but I can’t propose to her until this ordeal with Beverly is over. I need to expedite this divorce, but I want to retain all assets.”

Carter blinked hard. “You may want to consider settling.”

“Why would I do that?” His lip curled up in a sneer. “She didn’t bring anything to this marriage. Why should she get anything out of it?”

Edward shot Carter a quelling look over the table, and he snapped his mouth shut. He knew for a fact that the idiot had refused to let his wife get a job. Beverly, in fact, was a very intelligent woman. She’d gone to UT for pre-law but had met and married Darlington prior to finishing her degree. Once they’d married, he guilted her into becoming a stay-at-home wife and mother, the perfect image for his political aspirations.

Being a young bride, Beverly had wanted to make her husband happy. She’d done everything expected of her, yet risked leaving the marriage empty-handed if Darlington falsified evidence that showed she’d cheated on him. Carter hated people like him. He prayed with all his being that Beverly’s lawyer would shred whatever evidence he presented and force him to give up half his assets on principle.

The waitress finally deposited the check on the table, and Carter breathed a sigh of relief. He felt on edge, and he couldn’t wait to speak with Audrey. It seemed like kismet that she had shown up here tonight, and he wasn’t going to let her run away from him again.

Edward glanced at the check, then across the table at Carter and gave a slight lift of his eyebrow. Staring back impassively, Carter reached for the check. The moment his fingers brushed the leather folio, Edward let out a laugh.

“I’m just messing with you, Carter. It’s on the company tonight. Unless, of course, you want to buy.”

Carter heard the faint thread of challenge in his voice, and he gritted his teeth. He wished the slimy jerk would just make up his mind and spell out what it was he wanted. He was tired of his mind games, tired of dancing around the subject. He wanted to be partner, no doubt about that, but he wasn’t going to jump through hoops to get there. He was a good lawyer, and that in itself should speak to his credibility.

He smiled blandly back at him. “You know I don’t mind.”

Next to him, Darlington laughed and slapped a meaty palm on Carter's back. “Gotta work for what you want.”

That was ironic coming from him. His wife had put up with him for years but wouldn’t have a thing to show for it if Edward had any say in the matter.

Edward’s face kicked up in a condescending half smirk Carter detested. He was the epitome of a scumbag lawyer and precisely the reason the rest of them were stereotyped as such. “Nah, I’ve got it.”

He threw down what Carter assumed was the company card, then snapped his fingers at the waitress. Carter bit the inside of his cheeks at the pretentious show of dominance. Jerk.

The waitress hurried away, and Carter listened with half an ear as Raines and Darlington gossiped over the last of their scotch until she returned with the checkbook. Raines scribbled his signature, then slid his card back into his wallet and stood.

Carter did the same, noting with fury that he hadn’t left her a tip. He tensed as Edward clapped one hand on his shoulder. “Nice job, son.”

Carter forced a smile to his face and pulled away. “Thank you, sir. I need to hit the head. See you Monday.”

He glanced back toward Audrey’s table as he moved across the restaurant, but she was gone. He wasn’t about to let her hide away from him. He’d used the bathroom excuse to get away from Edward, but he had a gut feeling that was where Audrey had slunk off to, so he headed in that direction. He didn’t care if he had to stand there like a stalker for the next twenty minutes; he was going to get an answer.

The doors to the kitchen were close to the hallway where the bathrooms were located, and he noticed their waitress exit just as he approached. He pulled a couple twenties from his wallet and discreetly passed them to her. “I believe we forgot to add a tip to the bill,” he lied.

She nodded her understanding, her expression grateful as she tucked the money into her apron. “Thank you.”