Page 27 of The Other Plan

“You what?” I swiveled my head toward him. “You tried to find me?”

Carter diverted his gaze and shrugged. “We had a couple friends who went to school there, so we had them try to find you so I could get in touch and find out what happened to you. But we didn’t have a last name, and there were a lot of Jenna’s at that school.”

Ouch. My idiot conclusion-jumping had damaged him even more than I’d damaged myself.

“So, you two were... a couple?” Evan asked, and I could see the delight in his eyes. Another piece of the puzzle snapping into place.

“Briefly,” I said. “It was just over spring break.”

“Yeah,” Eric laughed. “It may have been brief, but damn girl, you did a number on my main man here. Oof.”

Aunt Tilly looked at me with a sad expression. “Jenna, dear. Why on earth did you abandon poor Carter? That doesn’t sound like you at all.”

“It was a misunderstanding. A stupid, terrible misunderstanding and I feel awful about it.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, dear. I would hate to think you hurt poor, sweet Carter on purpose.”

“No. Of course not. I would have never hurt him. I lo—” I stopped myself short of blurting out that I’d loved him and instead finished with, “liked him a lot. I thought he’d done something to hurt me, so I left. Just a misunderstanding we have now sorted out.”

“Yes,” Carter agreed. “It’s all sorted out. So, now that we have that out in the open, what is next for tonight? Or are we heading back to get some sleep?”

Grateful he’d changed the subject, I pressed forward. “Yes. What are you all up to now?”

“Flaming coffees at the Bayside,” Valentina said quickly. “We have to stop for at least one.”

Eric smiled wide and nodded. “That sounds perfect. You all in?”

Carter shrugged. “I go where you go, man.”

“I’m tuckered out. I need my beauty sleep,” Lydia said, and Aunt Tilly, Linus, and Alfred all nodded in agreement.

“You in, Jenna?” Valentina asked.

Desperate to put an end to this evening, I shook my head. “I wish we could, but Evan has an early day tomorrow, and I really should get home and get some rest.”

“Actually,” Evan said with a smile, “my morning freed up. We’d love to go.”

“We would?” I ground out, begging him with my eyes to back down.

“Of course, we would.” He grinned wider. “Bayside’s flaming coffees coming right up. I’ll get your coat, darling.”

“Great,” I said through gritted teeth. “Can’t wait.”

Carter gave me a sideways smile, and I pushed up from the table. Looked like I’d be getting a Bayside coffee after all, with a heaping side of torture.

CHAPTER NINE

JENNA

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“Are you trying to die?” I whispered to Evan as we walked out to our cars. “Because I am going to kill you! What the hell are you doing?”

Evan opened my car door but blocked me from getting in with his body. “I’m helping you out, Jenna. That’s what I’m doing.”

“By torturing me? Yeah, big help.”

“Do you remember the summer after you came home from college, and we got wasted at the Blue Ox? The night Kenny fell over the railing and ripped his pants?”