Page 25 of Training Maisy

Chapter 16

Carter took a seat beside Jesse at the bar, glancing at the TV screen above them to see they were showing highlights from the game the night before.

“Well, well, well. So, you’re still alive,” Jesse joked as he motioned to Steve, the bartender. “I was beginning to think you were buried under one of those ridiculous weights you like showing off with.”

“Just because it almost happened to you doesn’t mean it would happen to me. Besides, you don’t drop by the gym anymore. Why?”

“Been busy at work; business has been really good. Which actually means work has been crazy lately, so I don’t really have the time. Besides, I sent you all those messages, and you never replied to any of them. Not even once.” Now Jesse sounded a little accusatory.

“Well, you could say I’ve also been kind of busy lately, too,” Carter replied, feeling a little bit bad for having abandoned his friend like that.

“This thing you’re busy with the reason you’re always on the phone at midnight when I try to call you?”

Carter quickly took a drink of his beer in a bid to hide the guilty look that crossed his face. “Not every night.”

“Well,” Jesse said, not picking up on any of the guilty cues Carter was dropping, “every night I called, you were always on the phone. Also wanted to tell you that a new gym is opening across town. You know Brad, from Brad and Brooke Real Estate?” Carter nodded, indicating he remembered Brad who was a former classmate of both Carter and Jesse. “Yeah, Brad sold them the place some months back, and they’ve been renovating since. But I think they’re opening the place next week.”

Jesse waited for some sort of reply from Carter, and when he got none had to ask, “You’re not scared of the competition? Okay, maybe scared is the wrong word. How about concerned?”

“Nope,” Carter answered nonchalantly, appearing for all intents and purposes to not care. “I mean, why should I? This town is big enough for us all. Besides, I’m quite confident that almost none, if at any at all, of my clients would leave me.”

“You’re probably right about that. So, tell me, how have things been at the gym lately?” Jesse seemed animated, ready to hear some juicy tale about who was coming on to Carter, or any new gorgeous chick who just joined the gym. Carter quickly wondered if he should make something up, but felt that anything he made up would hit too close to home, so he said instead, “Been pretty boring; nothing really interesting to report.”

Jesse gave him a look that told Carter he wasn’t really buying that. “Boring? That’s the last thing I would ever expect to hear you say about the gym.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not that nothing happens, just not anything that’s interesting enough to report. I mean, Mrs. Feldman still flirts with me every chance she gets.” Then, seeing his friend wasn’t totally convinced, he added with a wink, “Maybe you’ve always been the one they were coming for, bro.”

Jesse laughed at that. “Yeah, right.” He moved on to tell Carter about the recent boom in his business. They were well into their second bottle of beer now, and Carter was coming to see that he really missed his friend. Then Jesse leaned in and whispered to him, “Check out your four o’clock. There are two gorgeous chicks there, and I think they’ve been eyeing us since they walked into the bar . . . Okay, more like eyeing you. You wanna give it a shot?”

The minute Carter heard the proposition, his reaction to it was a strong and violent no. He had no desire at all to pursue said avenue, and before he knew it, he found himself conveying his thoughts to Jesse.

“No, definitely not interested in any of them.”

“What, are you kidding me? The one on the right seems to be exactly your type.” Jesse sounded really surprised that Carter was turning down so quickly the potential of hooking up with two good-looking ladies without even considering it first. It wasn’t that Carter was particularly promiscuous, but at least he looked first before deciding he was interested or not, not shooting it down right off the bat.

“Come on, Jesse. I came here to spend some time with you. Not some meaningless hookup,” Carter said, trying to shut down that angle as quickly as possible. And it seemed to work when Jesse smiled and said, “I knew your sorry ass really missed me. So, how’s Alicia?”

They talked till late in the night. Saying their goodbyes, with promises to try to keep in touch more, they departed. As Carter’s taxi took him to his house, he couldn’t help but think back to the moment when Jesse had suggested they hook up with the two ladies at their back. He wasn’t really bothered by the fact that he had refused; it wasn’t the first time Jesse would suggest they hook up with random chicks, and, depending on his mood, Carter either went along or refused. What bothered him was how unappealing the thought of sleeping with anyone had sounded. That, and the fact that Maisy was the first thing that popped into his head immediately after he heard Jesse’s idea.

Apart from a serious relationship he had before he returned to Ashborne, this was the longest Carter had been with just one person. It was true sex with Maisy was amazing, probably the best he’d ever had in his life. And he almost convinced himself that was why he was still doing it. But thinking about it in the back of the taxi, he had to admit it was more than that. He loved talking to her. Could spend hours on things as mundane as what type of frosting she should put on a cake, or just about anything. He loved her spirit, her determination, and the way she came in each day dedicated to her goal of losing weight.

He loved how cute she looked when she had her legs around him, and how exasperated she made him feel when those little doubts started to crop up in her mind. Of course, he also loved spanking her for having those thoughts, which usually led to her making those cute noises, which made him want to do other things to her. The thing was, he was starting to like so many things about her he was scared he was even starting to like her, and not just like-like her. But really, really like her. The kind of like that made a guy want to do things for a woman to make her happy because making her happy made him happy. The kind of like that made a guy start to feel things for said woman.

Carter paid his cab fare and got out in front of his house, taking his key out of his pocket. He was glad he had opted for a house rather than an apartment when he came back to Ashborne, and even though sometimes the mortgage payment was like a noose around his neck, he still loved it. But looking at it today, the first thought that popped into his head was how perfect it would be for a family. And that thought was scary enough that Carter decided it was time. Time to end it with Maisy, because whatever it was that was between them just didn’t seem to lead to anything he wanted in his life right now. Decision made, he got ready for bed and spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to get even a wink of sleep.

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