AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So you’re staying?” Voodoo wondered.
“It’s a three-month lease. The place was on the market but didn’t sell. The owners want to wait a few months and relist it with a different agent. It’s perfect for me. It’s already staged, so I don’t have to purchase or lease furniture.”
“And after three months?” she asked, wanting to both know and yet avoid hearing the answer.
“Don’t know... not yet.”
“Have you seen or talked to Ivy or Ghost?”
“Talked to them last week.”
“And? Are you going to make me draw everything out of you?”
Chuckling, Carter slowly sipped his water, never dropping eye contact before he answered.
“I can’t give them an answer...even if I knew. I’m trying to give you time. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here. Until then, I’m putting feelers out.”
“Where?” Even she could hear the urgency in her voice.
“A few places in Texas—Dallas and Houston. There’s a detective agency in Katy that sounds promising.”
“You, a PI? I don’t see it.”
“Well, there’s not a lot of places that mirror my skill set. It’s not like I can add a skill for wet work or sniper to my resume.”
“And ECP? Have you spoken to them?”
“No. If it doesn’t work out for me with ALIAS, I’m not going to circumvent your feelings and join a family business.”
“I wouldn’t think you’re ignoring my feelings. They are good guys. I think you’d like them.”
“So you want me to move to San Antonio?”
“No! I was just saying they would be a good company to work for.”
“Do you want me to move to Dallas or Houston?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Do you want me to move out of Texas?”
“No,” she said softly.
“Do you want me to leave Austin?”
Voodoo wasn’t sure how to answer him. He deserved an answer, but she was scared.
“Right, well, when you do know, I’d like to be the first you tell.”
She saw the hurt he was trying to hide. She was being cruel and she knew it.
Reflexively, she placed her hand over his. Carter laced their fingers together and stared as if he was seeing something foreign, and in some ways it was.
“You don’t have to say anything, Gwen.” He felt her fingers tighten, and then he realized why.
“Look, it’s obvious that you don’t like me calling you Gwen, but I don’t know this Maxi or Voodoo that you’ve created. To me, in my heart, you will always be my Gwendolyn Rose.”
He briefly recalled the story behind her name. All three girls were named after various types of greenery. Flora, their mother, desperately wanted to name her Rose, but her father said it didn’t fit her personality. He believed she’d shine above all other roses. So she was named after the blushy-pink colored rose that featured an unique pale green brim at the tip of the bloom. Carter had to agree with his father-in-law. Gwendolyn did outshine everyone around her.
