Page 39 of Coaching Prince Charming

“Don’t I know it?” I mused as I walked over to the front door. Before I could look at the feed from the downstairs camera, Carter’s sharp inhale stopped me in my tracks.

“Shit, Nate. Shit,” he hissed.

“What is it?” My heart dropped. Something bad, judging by his tone.

“I’ve got seventeen missed calls from Dad,” Carter said, his voice thin and almost childish with anxiety. It made me want to wrap my arms around him and let him know I would make everything alright.

The doorbell rang again, and I hurried to let my nephew in. Carter would have to slip into the bedroom, and we would deal with this once I found a way to send Beckett away. Why on Earth would he be here unannounced? Unless something bad had happened to him, too. My own anxiety flared to life, but then I stumbled as I saw the screen by the door.

“He’s here,” I whispered. “Carter, Dana’s downstairs.” My old friend had a hard, cold expression on his face, distorted by the angle of the camera.

“What?” Carter gasped. “My dad?”

Carter was growing more pale by the second. I crossed the room and grabbed his forearm, pulling him close to my body and wrapping one arm protectively around him. “It’ll be fine,” I said as he looked up into my eyes. I bent down to kiss him softly and gently and savored it like a drop of water when I was lost in a desert. After kissing him, I stepped back. “Go to the bedroom, Carter. Don’t come out.”

My heart was hammering, but I wouldn’t show that to him. Right now, I needed to be the strong one, the calm one, so that Carter could be as brave as he had to be. Dana was here, which couldn’t mean anything good. Even the fact that he was in the city was a bad omen, let alone standing outside my door.

Carter blinked once, slowly, and nodded. His gaze was on me as he retreated around the kitchen and dining area, through the door, and into the bedroom. He shut the door quietly as if any sound might give him away.

Why would Dana seek me out in the city unannounced? I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think about it. The first thought that crossed my mind was the most terrible one. But as he impatiently shifted the weight from one leg to the next, I knew I had to let him in. I could pretend I wasn’t home, but that could only make things worse if he were onto something.

“Dana?” I spoke in a surprised tone after pressing the speakerphone button. “What the hell are you doing here, man?”

“Nate, buddy, sorry to come so suddenly, but I need your help,” Dana said, his gaze searching and finding the camera. “Would you let me in?”

“Come right up,” I said, wondering if something in my tone had already betrayed me. I’d had a lifetime of practice in the art of lying. I had lied to everyone I had ever met. Hell, I’d lied to myself more often than anyone, but those lies had only been about me alone. This was about Carter, now.

My heart lurched, and I snatched Carter’s warm jacket from the coatrack and rushed into the bedroom. “Take this and stay here,” I reminded him, making my voice as composed and calm as I could. “It’s gonna be fine.”

Carter’s expression was all but cool. He bit his lip, his face growing pale and eyes white with fear. “Promise?”

“I promise,” I said. “I’ll make everything right.” I pulled the door shut as I stepped back, regretting not stealing one more kiss before having to face my old friend. My lover’s father.

I walked over to the front door and balled my fists. Tingles crashed against each other in my arms as I forced myself to stand still. Every part of me wanted to pace with worry, but I wouldn’t give in to that.

When the elevator dinged, I unlocked and opened my door. Dana’s footsteps rushed up the hallway in a businesslike manner and with urgency. When he reached my door, he seemed relieved. “I’m so glad I found you here,” he said.

To that, I had no idea what to say. “Come in.”

Dana entered my apartment and glanced around, thrusting his hand out. It was an awkward shake, considering how long it had been since we’d last spoken to each other. Things weren’t exactly sour between us, but some words had been exchanged that made all our future interactions a little more challenging. He’d always felt like I had overstepped, but I had felt like I hadn’t done enough.

I closed the door after the handshake, and we stood in silence for a heartbeat too long. My mind raced, and I remembered to use my lips and tongue. “Wanna drink?” I asked.

“Sure, I could use a drink,” he said.

The way he phrased it gave me an opening. “Is everything alright, man? You come here after all these years, not a word to give me a heads-up. What’s chasing you?” We moved into the kitchen, and I avoided looking at my bedroom door. Acting as naturally as I could, I picked up two clean glasses, poured a couple of ice cubes inside, and splashed a bit of whiskey over them.

After I pushed one across the island, I lifted mine to my lips, watching my old friend curiously. We were the same height, but Dana had always been broader than me. The creases on his forehead were full of concern. His thinning hair was a little wet from the rain, as were his shoulders, packed tightly inside his coat.

“This place didn’t change a bit,” Dana said, glancing around the apartment. “How long since that party? Four years? Five?”

“Something like that,” I said in a flat voice. I waited for him to state the reason for this visit, but his reluctance worried me. I watched him intently until he returned his gaze to my face. The friendliness winked out, and steel determination set in his eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, his voice rising a little.

“What do you mean?” I wanted to clear my throat, but I knew it would make me extra suspicious. How did people without secrets speak? What kind of tone? Which inflection? I seemed to have forgotten how to be a regular person.

“When I left,” he said as if that explained something. He was a good-looking man. Suddenly, I saw some of Carter’s features in Dana, but it was the mother’s beautiful genes that dominated in my boy. Dana brought the glass to his lips and sipped his drink. “Did I insult you?”

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