Page 56 of A Forever Love

Carter: Were you serious about being my fake girlfriend?

I rub my eyes and reread the text, praying my mind isn’t playing tricks on me.

“Are you paying attention?” Brandon asks, his pen still pointing at the line of code on his screen, where we’ve just set a breakpoint for debugging.

“Yes, yes. Can you give me a minute?” I get up from my chair and leave my cubicle. Without thought, I run while the phone vibrates in my hand.

Carter: Forget my previous text. I don’t know what I was thinking.

My feet come to a sudden halt, and I let go of a calming breath. But the phone vibrates again.

Carter: Okay, don’t forget it just yet. Give it some thought, and we can talk this evening.

Crap! What have you done, Merida?

I head in the direction of the restrooms. As weird as it may sound, that place has become my sanctuary for thinking these days. But just as I reach for the door, two strong hands grasp my shoulders and pull me back.

“Mere.”

I let out a surprised yelp, dropping my phone in the process. I turn around as Oscar picks up my phone and holds it out to me. Oscar Hawthorne—Kristy’s husband and Clementine’s older brother. Despite his imposing above-six-foot stature and muscular build, I’ve always noticed a gentleness in his face, much like my dad’s.

Clem says it’s something that comes naturally when you become a parent.

“Oscar. All okay?”

“You tell me, kiddo.” He tips his head to the side, studying me with rapt attention. “Is Kristy giving you too much work?”

“Um, no. Why do you ask?”

“Then why are you headed into the men’s room?” He nods toward the door.

“Damn!” I hit the phone against my head.

“Are you alright?” Concern laces his voice.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just need to talk to Clem.”

Oscar lets out a chuckle. “You sure about that? Maybe Keith would give you better advice for whatever you’re dealing with.”

“No, it has to be her.”

“In that case, I won’t stand in your way. Go ahead and find a solution to your problem with your mom.” With a sweep of his hand and a wide grin, he gestures toward the ladies’ bathroom.

I quickly check that all three stalls are empty before I lean against one of the sinks and dial Clem’s number.

“How’s my bestie?”

“Panicking. On the verge of a meltdown. Having thoughts of running away.”

“Oh, wow. Hold your horses, cowboy. Bring me up to speed so we can panic together.”

“Can you please summon your mom alter ego and tell my crazy friend to take a break?”

“Ah, you mean her. Give me a sec. Let me switch my roles.”

I start to feel better even before I’ve explained my predicament to Clem.

“Your mom is here, kiddo,” she says. “What’s up?”

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