Page 37 of No One Else Can Have Her

Sarah scrunched up her face, wrinkling her nose. “Lied to? I don’t feel like you’ve been lied to. Taken care of.”

“Manipulated?”

“Look, I see what you mean, but it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t done with malicious intent. It was all done in the spirit of love and taking care of you. Wanting the best for you.”

Carly laughed. “What about being paid?”

Her friend sighed. “I know that part looks bad, and yes, if you took money to stay with me, I’d be upset, but here’s the thing—it wasn’t about the money.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No, I wanted to stay with you, and then when Nate offered me cash, of course I was going to take it. I’ve been broke. I know what it’s like to go hungry, and even though it happened when I was a kid, before I met you, those feelings haven’t gone away, not once. They’re feelings you never forget, so yes, I work and I save money, and I have fun. The money Nate has given me is in a savings account for a rainy day, just in case everything goes … to shit.” Sarah shrugged. “I know I’m not the best person to plan or be prepared, but I don’t know, I don’t want to go cold and hungry again. You’re my best friend, Carly. I love you, and I want the best for you, and I know there is no man on earth better at taking care of you than Nate. He is the only one that deserves you.”

Carly felt close to tears.

“You know, it hurt thinking that you only hung around with me because of the money.”

“That’s not true. I was never here because of the money. I loved you, but I wasn’t going to tell Nate no. Besides, you know what he’s like when he gets an idea in his head. It wasn’t like I was going to take the money and run away. It was there in case of an emergency, or if you and I had to leave, or something bad happened. I was planning for all eventualities, but hopefully one where neither of us ended up bankrupt.” Sarah shrugged. “I was thinking of the future. Of both of us.”

Carly knew Sarah, and without a single doubt in her mind, her friend was telling her the truth, and she could believe in that.

“I love you, Carly,” Sarah said.

She put down her spoon, shoved out her chair, and then rounded the table to hug Sarah. “I love you too.”

This time, much to Carly’s guilt, Sarah burst into tears.

“I’ve been so afraid of you hating me. I just can’t stand it. I love you and I want what’s best for you and Nate. Please don’t be angry with him.”

She held onto her friend, and knew deep in her heart she couldn’t be angry with him.

Chapter Eleven

One Week Later

Carly paid the driver and then climbed out of the cab. She had already told the man to leave, as he didn’t need to be waiting around for her. She’d be done very soon. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and then started the long trek toward Nate’s front door.

She absolutely loved his home and had even encouraged him to buy the place when he showed it to her. Now, as she approached Nate’s front door, she watched as the main door opened and Reese came out of it, closing it behind himself.

At first, she stopped and just looked at him, and then she moved closer. Reese looked up to see her, and she was pretty sure she saw relief in his eyes.

“Hey,” she said.

“It’s about time you came.”

She frowned and looked behind him at the closed door. “Is Nate in?”

“Yeah, he hasn’t moved since you left. Well, he has moved, but he hasn’t left the house.”

Carly frowned. “You haven’t come to see me.”

Reese shrugged. “I figured you could be pissed all you want because you clearly got the wrong end of the stick. Yes, Nate paid us all, but if you had used common sense, you’d have known that we love you.”

“If this had happened to you, you wouldn’t have had your doubts?” she asked, not quite believing him.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

She put her hands on her hips and started to glare at him. “I call that bullshit.”

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