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I smiled at him, “Sure. I’ll show you where everything is.”
“You sit, sweetie. I’ll show Josh around.” Mom rose from the couch. “We still haven’t gotten around to remodeling the small bathroom, and the shower is temperamental. I don’t want you to end up scalded. Come on; I’ll give you the grand tour.”
Uncertainty glittered in Josh’s eyes, a look that said he would have preferred to have me show him around. But not wanting to be impolite, he forced a smile and said, “Thanks, Judy.”
Josh leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips. I braced myself for the over-the-top PDA I expected to follow, but it didn’t come. Nonetheless, I still blushed.
Almost twenty-two and blushing. Yeah, I was lame, but it was the first time I’d been kissed by a guy in front of my dad and Carson, and from the embarrassment weighing heavy on my chest, it was going to take a while to get used to.
“Mr. Ben— I mean, Derek, Carson, nice meeting you both. I’ll see you later.” Josh followed my mom out of the living room, and I sank back against the oversized cushions lining the couch.
No one spoke. Some documentary played on the television in the background, but we hadn’t been watching it.
For the last hour, we’d talked about everything and anything. Everyone was just happy I was back and in one piece. Well, everyone except for Josh. I still wasn’t sure how he felt about me moving home. But he knew my plans when we’d first started dating, so he’d had long enough to get used to the idea.
I looked over at my father in his armchair, his hands clasped in his lap. He gave me a tight-lipped smile. I tilted my head to one side, trying to figure out what he was thinking, when I caught the same expression on Carson’s face.
“Okay, you two, what is it?” They both shot me a ‘we don’t know what you’re talking about’ look, and I groaned. “No, come on, out with it. Lay it on me. I’m a big girl.”
Carson’s seriousness slipped away for a second, and I used it to my advantage. “You.” I jabbed my finger at him. “Out with it.”
His hands flew up at his sides in surrender. “Oh no, I think this is a conversation for a father and his daughter, right, Derek?” My dad made an uncomfortable choking sound in his throat but still didn’t say anything.
“Unbelievable,” I mumbled. “Well, in that case, I’m going to wash the dishes. I’ll let you two stew over whatever it is you want to say but are too chickenshit to do so.” I arched my eyebrow at them and left the room.
I fully expected Carson to lay it on me, but he’d wait until the time was right, which usually meant out of earshot of my parents. That was just how we worked.
For as long as I could remember, he’d been the little voice over my shoulder, telling me when something wasn’t such a good idea or reassuring me that everything would be okay. And he’d always been right.
Somewhere along the way, he’d become like a big brother to me. Sure, there had been a time when I’d crushed on him so hard that I couldn’t look him in the eyes, but that was before. Now I loved him like I’d loved my brother.
Right on cue, I felt his presence behind me as I rinsed off the dishes in the soapy water. “I know you’re there,” I half laughed, sweeping the sponge over the plate.
“You always could sense me a mile away, Dayna Bug.” He moved closer, leaning back against the counter next to me, folding his arms over his chest.
“You look good. Older.” I shot him a playful look. “But good.”
Broad shoulders and muscular arms that bulged out from underneath his black tee and gave way to a tapered waist and a firm stomach. I knew because I’d seen him enough times working out, mowing the lawn shirtless, or hanging out at the beach.
Carson was the epitome of good-looking with his mischievous smirk, sparkling green-blue eyes, and styled hair that was a shade of browny-blond most girls only prayed the salon could achieve. It was annoying, really. And don’t get me started on the girls, the never-ending rotation of girls that had been present in my school days, vying for his attention. But he was a good person—the best kind.
He shook his head with laughter. “I’m almost twenty-six, Bug, hardly ancient. And I know I look good. I spend at least five minutes every morning telling myself that very thing in the mirror.”
Snatching the towel off the hook, I snapped it in his direction. He ducked, laughing.
“You are so full of it.”
Our laughter didn’t last long enough, and then he asked the question I knew he was dying to, “You didn’t tell me?”
The question was like a knife to my heart, and my hands sank further into the water. I’d known he would be disappointed.
For the last seven years, keeping something from Carson had been impossible. When two people went through what we had, there was no room for secrets. But this—Josh—was different.
“I…” My head craned up, meeting his heavy gaze. He deserved the truth. “I wanted one thing that was mine.”
He just stared. He didn’t speak, smile, or even frown. Carson just stared.
“Besides, it’s not like you haven’t been busy with your own life too, Cars.” I deflected the limelight back on him. “How is Lakeshore U, by the way?”
