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“To the battle of the bands that aren’t really bands?” Carson wanted to figure out what was bothering Evie, but now she was talking about Racoons, a place she said she didn’t want to go to.
Evie smiled too brightly. “I’ll introduce you around, so when you come back here, you’ll already know a bunch of people.”
“Okay,” he said, his heart twisting for some reason. What had happened in that school to have her acting like this?
Evie popped open her door the second he stopped at her ranch. “Thanks for the picnic, and plan on Racoons after dinner. It’ll be fun.”
“Evie, wait—”
But she’d opened the door and hopped down. She waved, then shut the door and hurried to the front porch. Carson watched her disappear inside. He wasn’t even sure what had just happened.
He tossed his hat onto the bench and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Then he drove back to his grandad’s place, only to find him on the phone with what sounded like a building contractor.
Carson went into his bedroom and dug out his laptop from the backpack he’d brought. He logged on, then connected to the hotspot on his phone. Moments later, he’d looked up the San Antonio Daily News, where Evie was interviewing next week. He scrolled through the website, and clicked on several featured links. The graphics had an outdated feel, and surely, Evie would bring a fresh look to them. From all that he could see, Evie would probably enjoy working there.
And he would miss her.
He knew that now. The connection he had with her in a short time already felt deeper than what he’d had with Stacee. Maybe it was because he was older, or had been through some harder things.
Carson sighed as he considered his options. There were really only two. Move to Prosper to work and be with his grandad. Or . . . not move to Prosper so he could be closer to Evie. But would she even want him around? That last few minutes in the truck had felt like she’d made up her mind about something, but wasn’t sharing it yet.
Carson shut down the laptop and headed out of his bedroom. His grandad was still on the phone, sitting on a barstool with paperwork spread before him. Carson set about doing the dishes in the sink. The place didn’t have a dishwasher, so he did them by hand.
When his grandad was finally off the phone, Carson said, “How are the plans going?”
“Good,” Grandad said. “I should have all the bids by next week, then I can decide who to work with. They’re promising the job completion in two months, but you’ll be here by then and can help oversee it.”
Carson nodded. “Right. We need to talk about that.”
“Oh? Sounds serious.” Grandad shifted on the barstool and clasped his hands atop the counter.
“I want to know what my options are with working for you,” Carson said.
“Is this about Evie?”
Grandad didn’t miss much.
Carson braced his hands on the counter across from Grandad. “Yeah.”
Grandad nodded and rubbed at his chin. The white whiskers there had never been shaven clean that Carson could remember. “When I met your grandmother, nothing could have changed my mind about her.”
Carson had heard plenty about his grandmother, a woman he’d never met. From all descriptions, she was a no-nonsense woman. She was the love of Grandad’s life, and when she was gone, he never remarried. Never wanted to.
“I wish I could have met her,” Carson said.
“She would have told you to follow your heart, son,” Grandad said. “I want you here, with me, in Prosper. But if a man has found his person, his woman, that’s more important.”
Carson exhaled and held his grandad’s steady gaze. “You’ve done so much for me and Rhett. You dropped everything when we needed you, and you’ve taken care of us ever since.”
Grandad rose to his feet and walked around the counter, then he placed a hand on Carson’s shoulder. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The beauty of being self-employed is that I can make choices. I’m not tied to one place, one house, or one office. Prosper is where I want to retire, since I’m getting on in years. And yes, I’d love to have my only grandson at my beck and call. But I don’t mean my decision to be a decision for you as well. Go out and live your life, son.”
Carson blew out a breath, then placed a hand atop his grandad’s. “Thanks for your blessing. I still don’t know what my final decision will be.”
“Don’t make a final decision, then,” he said. “One day at a time. It’s the Hunt way.”
“I thought it sounded familiar,” Carson said with a smile. “That’s what I told Evie, too, but I think she sees the only way forward is to not create more ties to Prosper.”
Grandad gave a curt nod, then a cheeky grin. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, son. But no woman is worth it who doesn’t take a bit of work.”
