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“Carter’s still here. Do you know if he’s planning to stick around?”
He hadn’t mentioned Carter since Monday, and I wasn’t sure how he felt about him hanging around. “I don’t know his plans. The not knowing is making me a little crazy.”
“Sam used to go through this. He’d let Felicia uproot his life whenever she showed up. But when he took control of the situation, that’s when things got easier.”
“You’re saying that Carter should work around my schedule?” I turned the idea over in my brain.
“Something like that. He put himself in this situation. You and Delaney shouldn’t have to accommodate him.”
I rested a hand over his. “I don’t feel like I have changed my schedule for him.”
The muscles in his hand tensed under mine.
“You let him get to you.”
“It’s hard not to be worried about what he could do. Will he fight for custody or visitation? Will he move here?” I couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through my body.
“I think you have to try not to let his plans, or lack thereof, affect you.”
I appreciated that Mac was attempting to offer advice and wasn’t stuck on the fear of me getting back with Carter. I hoped this meant he’d worked through his past issues. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Planning a trip out of town was a good idea. It will give you a break from it.”
“I think so too.” I wondered if I should invite him. If he’d be able to go if I did. “Would you like to come with us? Alice said there were a lot of things to see and do there. It’s near Washington DC, if you’d like to go there.”
Mac shifted closer to me and smiled. “I’d love to go with you.”
“Can you get away from this place?”
He winked. “I don’t know. My boss is a slave driver.”
“I’m being serious.”
“We’re just putting the finishing touches on the inside. Sam’s doing the heavy lifting at this point. When we return, you can furnish the place and take your photographs.”
“Reservations should pick up then.”
“I think so too. You’re going to be so busy soon that you won’t have time for anything else.” Mac said it flippantly, but that was what I was most worried about.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I asked him.
“Hey, you’ve got this. You’ll get some tips from this other B&B owner, and you’ll return from this getaway refreshed and energized.”
“I hope so.” And maybe Carter would take the hint and go back to Texas or South Carolina. As much as I thought I wanted him in Delaney’s life, I wasn’t sure it was healthy for me.
We finished eating and cleaned up.
“I can think of a way to distract you,” Mac said after he put the last dish in the washer and turned it on.
Men doing dishes was sexy. How did I not know that before?
He stalked toward me, cupping my jaw with his large hands as he kissed me slowly, reverently, like we had all the time in the world.
He pulled away slightly to ask, “When will she be back?”
Glancing at the clock, I said, “We have an hour.”
“Perfect.” He lifted me in his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me down the hall into my room. He kicked the door shut behind us and lowered me to the bed. He followed me down, kissing me as his hands ran over my body. He pulled my shirt up, and his palm coasted under, touching my bare skin. My stomach muscles quivered in response.
