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“Carter Kane,” he answered, offering her his hand. She took it, but acted like it was going to bite her. “I live next door.”
Totally unfazed, Carter brushed past my mother with ease and made his way over to Rex, where my son immediately greeted him and started explaining the ins and outs of supermarket aisle arrangement. Carter pretended to be fascinated.
My mother raised an eyebrow and zeroed in on me.
“No prospects, huh?” she wondered.
“You heard him. He lives next door.”
“Oh.”
She nodded. She looked over at Rex and Carter on the sofa for a moment, surveying their easy conversation and my son’s excited laughter. Not to mention… Carter himself. Even in his work clothes, there was no missing how attractive he was. How rounded his shoulders were. His rough hands. His square jaw with his five o’clock shadow that was just scruffy enough to make him look rugged.
“He’s way too young for you, Zoe.”
I knew that. But that was the least of the issues.
Ten
Carter
Zoe’s mother left, so we got started painting. Zoe and I pushed all of Rex’s bedroom furniture into the center of the room and covered it with a big tarp. Rex helped us put down drop clothes and use painters’ tape around the windows and doorframe.
Rex helped us out for a while, but eventually got bored and asked to go do his homework in the living room for a while, leaving me and Zoe alone.
She poured more of the light beige paint into the tray and we set to work on the second wall. She was quiet while she painted, staring at the wall like it had the answers to life’s biggest questions.
“Exciting, huh?” I asked, teasing her.
“Yeah, totally.” She wasn’t paying attention.
I pursed my lips. “No, it’s not, Zoe. It’s literally watching paint dry.”
She offered a pity laugh at my joke and bent down to pick up a roller. I reached over and gently took it from her.
“What’s going on?” I wondered.
“Nothing.”
“Try again.”
“Huh?”
“Sorry,” I started. “I just… you can tell me. You might feel better if you do.”
“I mean… I’ll tell you. But I’m not sure it’s going to make me feel better,” she said with a sigh. “My mom just told me that Rex’s father is going to petition for full custody.”
“Can he do that?” I asked. “I mean, hasn’t custody already been arranged?”
“It has. And, frankly, I’m not totally sure that he can challenge a judge like this. But… Desmond is wealthy and smarter than me and has lawyer friends. Even if he can’t legally do this, or even if he won’t win, he can still drag me to court and mess my life up.” She ran her hands through her hair, getting a streak of beige paint in it. “He can drag me to court and drain me financially until I can’t fight him anymore and he… he gets what he wants.”
I felt something in my jaw tick. I gripped the paint roller harder.
“Your ex sounds like a dick,” I told her.
Instantly, she shot a concerned look towards the door.
“What?”
