Page 22 of Practice Makes Perfect

“Maybe Billie doesn’t like all this male posturing and can speak for herself.” She looks at the two of us, her expression defiant as her gaze moves back and forth.

Feeling like a jerk, I shove my hands in my pockets and offer a contrite look. “Sorry,” I tell her. One look at Jake tells me he isn’t going anywhere, and there is no way I’m going to make myself the third wheel, so I nod at the two of them and step back. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

A semi-heated conversation starts to take place, but I can’t make out the words as I beat a hasty exit. The warm weather on the walk back to the shop does nothing to help cool me down from both the heated exchange Billie and I shared in the office and the one I had with Jake outside of it. Jake is a great guy, and I know Billie respects his opinion, but it seems like she puts a little too much stock in how he and other people see her when she’s already the most amazing person I’ve ever met. As I cross the threshold into my workshop, my steps falter as I repeat the words back to myself in my head. The exact words I just thought are what Billie has been trying to tell me. I’m already great, I just need to see it and believe it myself. With her help, I’ve started to, and with a little luck, maybe I can be that same source of assurance for her that she’s been for me.

Smiling at the thought, I start to arrange my tools for another rocking chair order when I hear the door to the shop creak open. When I glance over my shoulder, I see Billie walking in with a sad smile on her face. “Sorry about that,” she says, hiking a thumb over her shoulder. She comes over and sits on the bench where my tools are spread out. Picking up a pair of small bandy clamps, she raises a brow at me. “Kinky.”

“What can I say, I have hidden depths,” I say wryly. Taking them from her hand, I set them back on the counter. “And there’s no need to apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry. I just know how hard you’ve been working at the store while trying to figure things out. Seeing Jake push you even harder to make a plan got me a little irritated.”

Billie holds out her hand and drags me over to her. “I don’t like it either, but that’s how he is. Though, I did finally tell him I’m not on board with the party planning anymore.” A slow exhale from her lungs brushes over my skin. “He took it surprisingly well.” A sly smile plays at the corners of her mouth. “I think he was afraid that I might call my bodyguard back to protect me.”

Her arms wrap around my neck and I chuckle at the thought that I would need to protect this fierce woman from anything. “I think you’ve shown that you are more than capable of handling yourself. I guess I just forgot that for a minute.”

Billie shrugs. “Unnecessary though it was, it was actually kind of hot. Maybe next time the two of you could wrestle shirtless or something.” Her smile brightens. “Oh, there could be some kind of oil involved too.”

Pinching her side, I give her a mock stern look. “Only happening if you’re the one I’m wrestling.” Leaning down, I brush my lips against hers, keeping it light since technically we’re both still at work. Pulling back, I cup her cheek, running my thumb across her skin one last time before stepping back. “Who’s running the shop?”

She smiles and pulls me back to her. “I put the ‘back in ten’ sign up before I walked over here.” Her hands dance up the back of my shirt before making their way into my hair. “Time to make use of our last remaining minutes.”

As she leans up and takes my mouth with hers, I know that I will try everything I can to be able to keep her. I may not have felt worthy of such a person in the past, but I’ll be damned if I let my own doubts get in the way of having the kind of future I can see with Billie.

Chapter Sixteen

Billie

After the long and surprisingly eventful day at the store yesterday, today has been a breeze. Even though it’s a Saturday and the shop has been constantly flooded with tourists enjoying spending summer in the mountains, it hasn’t been nearly as complicated as yesterday was. Making out with Carter is getting increasingly confusing. I told him I would help him practice dating, but it’s starting to feel a lot less like practice and whole lot more like the real thing, especially when he presents me with such beautiful things like the sculpted rose he must have spent a good chunk of time working on. The petals and leaves were so intricately carved that if I didn’t know any better, I would mistake it for the real thing. The fact that he spent his time on something like that for me had a warm, tingly feeling spreading all through my body, and when he handed it to me, I wanted to do a lot more than show my thanks with our little grinding session in the office. Too bad the whole effect was ruined the moment Jake spotted my gift on the counter.

As soon as Carter left the two of us alone, Jake pounced. “What is this?” he asked, reaching for the rose. Luckily, I snatched it before he could take it from me. The warning look in his eyes was enough to tell me he knew who it was from. “Billie. I told you not to mess with him.”

“I’m not,” I had insisted. “Carter wanted to do something nice for me, so he did. That’s all this is.” The lie felt sour on my tongue the second I uttered it. Not only was I denying that there was nothing more to the rose when I knew it was something significant, but I was denying my own growing feelings for the man that gave it to me.

“Is he why you’re dragging your feet on the business plan?” Jake asked. A chastising remark was on the tip of my tongue, but it disappeared at the heavy look on his face. “I’m just concerned about my best friend.” Finally fed up with hiding from him, I let him know that I wasn’t really interested in party planning anymore, and after thanking him for his concern but telling him it wasn’t necessary, I was able to rush him out of the store.

After the confrontation with Jake, there was only one way to improve my mood, so it was no surprise that I found myself in the workshop, pulling Carter close to me, hoping his kisses would help erase the memory of my little spat with Jake from my mind. It worked, for the most part. Last night when I was trying to go to sleep, the memory crept back in as did the thoughts that I wasn’t doing enough to get my act together. Though the longer I stay with Carter and worked in the store, the less it seems like my life is spiraling. In fact, the only time I have ever felt that recently was when someone else brought it up or I felt like I should be working toward something else instead of simply enjoying what I was already doing. Surely I couldn’t stay here and work in the shop forever, right?

“You’re either thinking awfully hard about something or you’re extremely constipated,” Carter remarked as he stepped into the store. The late afternoon sun streaming through the front window indicated it was almost time to close up, but that didn’t register right away. What did register was how good the man in front of me looked, his face glowing and the occasional caramel-colored strand of his hair highlighted from the sun’s golden rays. His eyes also struck me as they looked lighter than I have ever seen them, and he carried himself with a lot more confidence than he did even a few days ago.

Finally, his words hit me and I frowned. “Ew. I’m not constipated, nor would that be something we talked about anyway.”

Carter shrugged and leaned against the counter next to us. “Sorry. I probably spent too much time talking about the contents of JJ’s diapers to remember what isn’t allowed in polite conversation.” He nudges me with his elbow, his eyes searching mine. “So what were you thinking about?”

Not ready to confront the increasingly complex feelings I have towards Carter, I tell him a half-truth. “Still trying to figure out what I’m doing as far as the old career is concerned.”

Carter nods sagely. “Pretty heavy stuff,” he tells me. His expression turns thoughtful and he smiles at me. “You need a camping trip.” Before I can respond to that, he walks over to the sign on the door and flips it over before locking up.

Checking my watch, I gape over at him as he strides back to me. “We don’t close for another hour. We can’t lock up now,” I rebuke. From the determined look in his eye, Carter’s not giving in to my demand.

He shrugs again and pulls me along by my hand. “Owner’s prerogative.” He smiles over his shoulder at me and winks. The sexy wink as well as the feel of his hot skin against mine has me wanting to forget whatever camping idea he’s thinking about and steer him over to my bedroom, or his room, or the couch. Honestly, at this point the sexual tension is so thick between the two of us that I would do it on the floor, bruised knees be damned. “Come on. We’re going on a little trip.”

Remembering his words from moments ago, I start to drag my feet as we climb the stairs to the apartment. “No way. A hike is one thing, but camping is another. I don’t camp.” One time I went glamping with some friends and even that was a stretch for me. The accommodations were gorgeous, but we were still out in nature and I had a hard time sleeping without my custom head pillow and white noise machine. I may be a bit of a pampered princess, but it’s what I need to get a decent night’s sleep.

Carter stops at the apartment door and smiles at me. “I bet I could get you to like camping,” he declares. Pushing open the door, he holds it open for me before stepping inside. “I already have a tent and pack ready to go. We can do a quick overnight and be back in the morning.” He gives my hand another squeeze and smiles sweetly at me. “Please? It will help clear your mind. I promise.”

Spending any time with Carter always sounds like a good idea, and even though being near him all night won’t clear my mind of my complex thoughts and feelings, I can’t say no to him. “Fine,” I announce. Heading into my room to change into more camping appropriate attire, I stop and give him a look. “But if I can’t sleep, you have to make soft whooshing noises to help relax me.”

Carter walks over and tips my head up to his before his lips bestow a feather light kiss on mine. “I promise to do whatever you need me to in order to help you sleep.” He smiles mischievously before heading into his own room, leaving me to wonder exactly what I could ask of him that he wouldn’t give me. Probably nothing. That’s how selfless he is. The real question is, can I keep myself from being selfish with him?

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