Page 69 of Hometown Hottie

33

NOVA

Carson showed up at the library again while I was volunteering, and my spirit sank when he walked in and sat down on the beanbag next to mine. Mrs. Norris smiled happily at him, handing over a copy of the story I’d been reading today and then hanging back to watch us do our thing.

We couldn’t quite fall into the same rhythm as before though, often interrupting each other and then pausing awkwardly while we tried to figure out who was going to read what. It was awful. Afterward, I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Sliding my purse over my shoulder as soon as we were done, I nodded goodbye to Carson and took off, hurrying out to the parking lot and hoping he wouldn’t come after me.

But he did.

I was almost to my truck when a large hand landed on my shoulder, and my body’s reaction to the touch told me exactly who it was. A tingle shot down my spine, warming me even as I tried to break free of his grasp without making it obvious that I couldn’t stand to have him touching me right now.

When I spun to face him, that faint trace of bergamot drifted to my nostrils, reminding me of the way he had smelled after our night together, and none of that helped my situation.

“What?” I snapped, then cleared my throat and dragged in a deep, calming breath. “I mean, what do you need, Carson? How can I help you today?”

“Well, you can stop acting like I’m trying to sell something to you,” he said with confusion drifting like clouds into his clear green eyes. “I just wanted to ask if you’d like to have lunch with me?”

“Oh, uh, I can’t.” I grasped for an excuse but I suddenly couldn’t come up with anything except the usual. “I have to go help my parents and do some baking. It’s a busy week. Busy, busy week. Goodbye, Carson.”

He fixed me with a look that made my feet forget how to move. I swore I even saw some hurt in his eyes. “Are you avoiding me for some reason?”

For some reason, huh? Yep. I am. For some reason.“No. Why would I be avoiding you? There’s nothing to avoid.”

I flashed him a tight smile and backed away toward my truck as soon as I remembered how to move. Carson wasn’t having it, though. He followed me, effortlessly matching my pace even if I had been trying to rush away.

“Please just wait,” he said, getting ahead of me and then turning to stand right in my path. As that gaze hooked on mine once more, he slid his hands into his pockets and dropped his head to one side, eyes never leaving mine. “Did I do something wrong, Nova? Did I hurt you, or make you mad somehow?”

“No. It’s none of that.” I waved him away and tried to step around him, but I didn’t stand a chance. The guy saw the feint coming from a mile away and once again easily kept up with me.

“What is it, then?”

“It’s nothing, Carson,” I snapped as exasperation flowed through me.

As I looked into those confused eyes, I wondered if he truly had no idea what it was about or if he was just pretending. I didn’t know why he would be, though. Or why he seemed hurt, for that matter. “What happened between us didn’t mean anything, did it? So stop it. I know it didn’t mean anything to you. Acting like it did is just a little bit cruel, to be honest.”

His face scrunched up, his nose wrinkling as he shook his head. “What?”

“What?” I threw the question right back at him, but the only thing it seemed to do was make him mad, too.

“What do you mean by that, Nova? Who do you think I am?”

Before I could stop myself, the words shot out of my mouth. “Someone who dates models and actresses, not plain, boring girls like me.”

Carson’s throat worked, his jaw dropping open. The anger left him and the confusion came back full force. He frowned, then barked out a laugh. “Are you serious right now? You can’t be, right? This has to be some kind of a joke.”

“It’s not.” Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes, but I pushed through them. He wasn’t going to leave me alone until we’d had it out, and right now, all I wanted was for him to leave me alone. “I’m dead serious, and I’m fine with it. So what do you want from me? A good time? Because we’ve already had that and it’s over now, so just…” I trailed off, collecting my thoughts before I continued, still looking him straight in the eyes and hoping like hell that he couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall. “If you did it out of pity because my family’s broke and you’re bailing us out⁠—”

He scoffed as he took a step closer. “That’s not what it was about,” he said, an underlying fierceness in his tone I’d never heard before. “In fact, that might just be the biggest bullshit ever. Where the hell are you getting this from?”

Before I could give him an answer, understanding suddenly sparked in his eyes and he snorted. “Oh, I get it. You’ve been talking to Ryan, haven’t you?” Clearly annoyed, he shook his head. “What else did he say, Nova? What other lies did he plant in your head?”

“Nothing. It wasn’t him. I’ve just been thinking and it doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

“Bullshit,” he repeated. “The actresses and models thing came from him. I know it.”

I tossed my chin up in the air, my eyes narrowing as I came to my brother’s defense. “So what if it did? Does that mean it’s not true? You haven’t been with actresses and models?”