AllFreeNovel
Share Us
AfterCarlyfailstoreturn from the cupcake stand, I go looking for her.
“Have you seen Carly?” I ask Holly.
“We talked about an hour ago,” Holly responds as she hands a cupcake to a little boy. “She’s lovely, William. And not just because she volunteered to help me grow my business,” she says, grinning at me.
“An hour ago?” I ask, not returning her smile.
A woman in line overhears our conversation. “Is Carly the pretty woman you were walking with earlier?”
I look at the woman. She looks vaguely familiar, with gray hair and kind eyes, but I can’t place her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I saw her leave with a man a little while ago. He had dark hair, like yours, so I assumed it was you. My eyes aren’t as young as they once were.”
“You and me both,” I say, recalling the conversation I just had with Theo. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Trying to tamp down the panic rising in my chest, I sprint out of the cupcake tent.
She left with a man? Who? Why? Was she abducted?
I know there’s no reason to jump to that conclusion. The woman hadn’t mentioned any signs of a struggle. Nevertheless, the thought is there, taking space in my brain, and leaving little room for rational thought.
I spot a familiar redheaded woman with a baby in the crowd. “Sierra!” Running over to join her, I quickly tickle my niece under the chin the way she likes and ask Sierra if she’s seen Carly.
Sierra frowns in confusion. “Yes. She said she had a headache and asked if Romeo could take her back to your place. I thought you knew…?”
“A headache?” She’d seemed fine before. And I hadn’t moved from my spot with Theo. Why hadn’t she just asked me for a ride home?
Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.
Eleven
William
Islamonthegas pedal, winding up the mountain faster than I should. But I know in my gut that Carly’s leaving me.
Again.
And I have to at least try to stop her.
What went wrong?
Everything was going so well. Holding hands with her on Main Street, waiting for the perfect moment to kneel on one knee and ask her to marry me.
Had she sensed the proposal coming? Is that why she left?
Maybe she doesn’t want to get married. Not to me, anyway.
I meet Romeo, driving from the opposite direction. He slows to a stop, rolling down his window, but I blow right by him. I’ll talk to him later. Right now, I need to talk to Carly.
When I pull into the driveway, she’s sliding into the driver’s seat of her rental car. Her eyes grow wide, and she cranks the key in the ignition, causing the engine to roar to life.
Quickly, I throw the truck into reverse to block her from leaving. I leap out of the truck, vaguely aware of the sound of tires on gravel. Someone else is coming up the drive now.
But it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Nothing except Carly.
I stomp over to her, rapping my knuckles on her window. She stares straight ahead, ignoring me.
“Carly, roll down the window. We need to talk.”
