Page 40 of The Other Plan

“I am going to sneak into your bedroom at night and stick dirty cat litter up your nose! I swear to God, Jo! I’ll do it! Call. Me. Back!” I screamed into the phone and hung it up.

My eyes flicked to the oversized clock above my fireplace.

Two-fifty-nine.

In one minute, Carter would roll in to pick me up for what was basically a date. A date I’d been tricked into. A date that wouldn’t—couldn’t—end with any kind of romance. There was no way in holy hell I was putting myself out there again. As a smart girl, I learned from my mistakes on the first try. And I’d learned from my love affair with Carter that I didn’t handle heartbreak well, so it was best to just avoid the whole damn situation in the first place. Like a toddler singeing their fingers on a hot stove, I didn’t need to put my hand on the burner twice to decide it was a stupid idea. Nope. One heartbreak was enough for me, and letting myself fall for a guy who lived across the country was like shoving my whole damn head in the oven.

The sound of tires grinding on my gravel driveway alerted Arnold to someone’s arrival. His deep, gruff bark shook the house as he lumbered to the front door. I followed behind him, and when I heard footsteps coming up my steps, I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Carter stood on my porch wearing board shorts and a tank top that accentuated his bulging biceps. He may be living in the city now, but it looked like he never missed a day at the gym. Even though his hair was shorter, seeing him in his beach clothes sent me tumbling backward in my memory to how he’d looked the same in Hawaii. Pangs of nostalgia twinged in my stomach, but I fought to keep them quiet.

“Hey, Jenna,” Carter started, but Arnold launched out of the house, barking and jumping at him. “Holy shit, don’t kill me, dude.” Carter lifted his hands and froze while Arnold grumbled and snuffed around his feet.

“That’s Arnold. He won’t hurt you,” I assured.

“You sure? That huge underbite really accentuates his teeth. They look awfully sharp.” Arnold gruffed and sat back on his meaty haunches. “We cool now, big guy?” he asked as he slowly lowered himself down to Arnold’s level. Arnold responded by rearing up and putting his paws on Carter’s shoulders, giving him one big, sloppy kiss on the face.

“Aw, good boy, Arnold.” Carter ruffled his brindle and white head. Then he looked up at me. “Your dog isn’t scared to kiss me. Maybe you should follow suit?”

I scoffed and spun on my heel, disappearing into the house.

“Kidding!” Carter called after me, then followed me inside.

I whipped around and squared up with him. “This is not a date. This is not romance. We are not going to end up kissing. Just two people going out on some paddleboards. Okay?”

Carter raised his hands in submission and answered, “Okay,” but I saw the lie in his eyes.

“I mean it, Carter!”

“I won’t kiss you.”

“Good.”

“Unless you want me to.”

“Carter!’

He grinned wide and shrugged. “We’ll see.” Before I could argue back, he walked past me, looking around. “Hey, nice house.”

After regaining my cool, I exhaled a breath and answered. “Thanks. I had it built a few years ago.”

He walked to the back porch and looked out over the lawn that stretched out to the fields surrounding the house. “How many acres do you have?”

“Twenty.”

He spun around, eyes wide. “Twenty? Holy shit. I have a twelve-hundred-square foot apartment in New York, and I thought that was big. Twenty acres?” He blew out a breath. “Man, I can’t even imagine having that much space and privacy.”

“I wanted lots of room for Arnold to run around.” I opened the door and let Arnold out into the yard. He raced around in circles for a few seconds before collapsing into an exhausted heap.

“Doesn’t look like he really has the energy to utilize it.” Carter laughed.

I joined him and shrugged. “Yeah. He really doesn’t do much more than bask in the sun. I installed a doggy door and invisible fence so he can come and go as he pleases, even if I get stuck late at a wedding. And he has an automatic dog food dispenser too.”

“And it doesn’t look like he’s ever missed a meal.”

I looked at my roly-poly dog and chuckled. “Yeah. I should probably cut him back.”

“At least he looks happy. And I guess who wouldn’t be, getting to live here in this big house with this big yard... with you.”