Page 55 of So Wrong It Must Be Right

“Did you want to celebrate? Because you seem kind of not in the mood for that.”

“It’s weird. I just don’t know how to . . .” She swallowed and looked around his yard, so many emotions on her face he couldn’t read them all. “Could you just kiss me?” She laughed, but there was no happiness behind it.

He reached out to touch her face, but he stopped because his hands were filthy. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She looked away from him, and it was like the moment in the bar when her grandmother had dismissed him. She looked lost and confused, but he didn’t know how to reach her.

“I just don’t even know. Nothing today quite went the way I anticipated and . . . I . . . I think I need to go talk to Kayla. Kayla would know what to do.”

“Okay. But, you know, you could talk to me too. I might have a few ideas.”

She forced a smile that was probably the most fake thing he’d ever seen.

“It’s just such crazy family stuff. I think I can explain it better if I talk to her first.”

“Baby, I’m worried about you. Can’t you tell me what happened? You look like you’re about to cry.”

That’s exactly what she did. She started to cry. Carter didn’t have the last fucking clue what to do with that, but even with all the dirt and crap on his hands, he pulled her against him.

She cried into his shoulder for he didn’t know how long, but as she slowly got ahold of herself he didn’t miss how tense she felt.

Eventually she stepped away, refusing to make eye contact. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”

“It shouldn’t be. It’s okay to cry.”

She made a sound, something he couldn’t figure out—a scoff, a laugh, another sob?

“I have to go,” Dinah said, shaking her head and backing away.

“You can’t leave without telling me what’s wrong. Come inside, I’ll—”

“No, I really have to go,” she whispered, backing away, step by step, still not meeting his gaze.

“Dinah.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head and turning to leave.

He wanted to say something. A lot of somethings. But he bit his tongue. Whatever she was dealing with, she didn’t want him to have anything to do with it. He’d been there. He knew how that went. People kept secrets and did what they wanted without his input.

That was life. Might as well accept it.

His gaze raked the yard, looking for something to pound or destroy to get this impotent anger out of him. Instead it landed on a person stepping through the gate as Dinah scurried out.

“I’m in no mood for another fight, Jordan,” Carter called out, because he was afraid if Jordan tried to pick another fight with him, Carter wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pounding his friend.

Jordan put his hands up. “I actually came to apologize for how I acted the other day.”

“What changed your tune?”

“Grandma threatened to beat me with a wooden spoon?” Jordan laughed and shook his head. “Seriously, man, I was . . . I was worried about Grandma. She’s been forgetting things. She fell. It was easier to worry about, well, the house and dumb shit than it was to worry about her.”

“Yeah, man, I get that.”

“So I’m sorry I jumped down your throat. Grandma even thinks this is a good thing, so I gotta agree whether I want to or not.”

“If nothing else, I’ll get the inside scoop on Gallagher’s.”

Jordan snorted. “The only inside scoop you’re getting is on Dinah Gallagher herself.”

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