AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Heat burned through my stomach at his suggestion. He was so smooth, and it had been ages since a man had flirted with me face-to-face and not through a computer screen. I couldn’t remember the last time I was picked up in person like this. I was still wearing an enormous smile, my cheeks starting to feel numb.
“I would love to.” We exchanged phone numbers, and he promised to call me in a couple of hours so we could plan dinner.
I arrived at the sidewalk café feeling buoyant and excited, distracted by fantasies of my date with Dennis. Could he bethe one? He certainly seemed a better choice than any of my other recent dates. Dennis was cute, non-threatening, and possessed a good sense of humor. He reminded me a lot of my best friend, Reid. I was definitely attracted to him.
“What’s that smile for, baby? Or, should I say whom?” my mom asked, sneaking up to the table while my head was still floating among the clouds.
“I may have met someone. We're going out tonight.”
“That’s wonderful, Ryan. What happened to your friend you told me about? The one helping you with dating.”
“Carson? He’s fine, I guess. Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” she prevaricated, an amused smile tilting her peach lips.
“Mom.” She was definitely hiding something.
“I liked your face when you mentioned him, is all.”
Liked my face? “I don’t know what that means, but the answer is no. Carson is just a friend, Mom. Nice try. Don’t go making something out of nothing.”
But long after lunch, her opinion stayed with me, fluttering through my mind like butterflies. Damn it, Mom! It was too easy to imagine Carson as my date instead of Dennis. Truth be told, whenever I dressed for a night out with a man, I dressed with Carson in mind, always choosing something I was sure he’d approve of. God, I had it bad.
No, I would go out tonight and enjoy my time with Dennis. In fact, I wouldn’t even tell Carson about my date. I might even wear the brown shirt that he hated!
When Dennis texted to tell me the plans, I smiled, determined to give him my all tonight. I would not compare his smile and his eyes to Carson. My mind needed to reset itself and start from scratch. After a hot shower, I dressed in the awful brown shirt and dark wash jeans.
I did not need a dating coach to find true love! I just needed a healthy dose of luck…and to eradicate all thoughts of Carson Carrick from my head.
14
CARSON
I breezedthrough the front door, arms laden with heavy grocery bags, and kicked the door shut with my foot behind me. It was like walking into a cave. The living room was dark, shades drawn and lights off. My brother was buried under a mountain of blankets, sipping a milkshake, the TV tuned into the Hallmark channel. He was knee-deep in a sappy romance and didn’t even look up when I passed by on my way to the kitchen.
After unloading the groceries, restocking Gordy’s energy drinks and Carly’s endless stash of beef jerky, I snagged a ginger ale and went to investigate my brother’s depression.
Milkshakes and Hallmark movies were his way of self-medicating. I plopped down on top of his feet, leaning over his lumpy quilted body to lie on his chest.
“What’s wrong, Carly? Talk to me.”
“Nothing, go away.” He pulled the covers up over his head, attempting to hide from me, but I wasn’t going to have it. It took some shuffling, but I ended up under the blanket with him. “Why are we hiding in here? Is there a big scary monster out there I didn’t notice on my way to the kitchen?”
“No. I just wanna be left alone. Can’t you see that?”
“Of course I can, which is why I’m bothering you. The sooner you spill your guts, the sooner Imightleave you alone.”
“I doubt it. I’m never that lucky.” He huffed, throwing the covers off our heads. “Susannah dumped me.”
“Susanna? That chick with the crater in her chin? Didn’t you tell me you weren’t even that into her?”
“Yes, so what? The point is, why did she dump me? I feel like this is a repeating pattern and I’m not seeing the common denominator, which is apparently me, but what specifically about me do they not like?”
“Who cares? They’re women, you’re never going to figure them out. Why bother? What you need is a night out to get your mind off things. Let your big brother cheer you up.”
Carly slurped his milkshake. “You’re like, two minutes older than me. You’re not my big brother.”
“Get up, Carly. Go comb your hair and put your big boy pants on. We’re going out.”
