Page 61 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not. I’m perfectly fine,” I lied. There was no way I would admit to him that he was causing an uproar inside my body. I mean, who in their right mind walks around half-naked when spring has barely started? “Your father’s car?” I pointed to the Buick he was fixing, the same one we’d driven to prom in.

“Yeah. If I can get it going again, I get to keep it.”

“Is that hard to do? You know, fix it.”

“Don’t know yet. I’m taking it apart first to see what’s wrong.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Would you like to come in for tea or something?”

“It looks like you’re busy. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“I’ve always got time for you.” He winked. It was genuine and even a little bit happy, which was a good thing because making sure that Carter was happy and moving on from his loss was my goal. “I’m gonna grab a quick shower, if you want to wait for me.”

“Okay.”

“Wanna sit inside or outside?”

“I’ll wait outside. The weather is nice, and apparently my legs need some sun.”

He scanned me from the bottom up and back down again, stirring a weird feeling in my stomach once more, and said, “There’s a patio set in the back. I won’t be long.”

I wanted to tell him to take his time, because in all honesty, I had to pull myself together while he was showering, but Carter was gone before I got another word out, and I exhaled in relief.

Chapter 15

As soon asCarter disappeared through the side door, I pushed the gate open and strolled to the back yard. Tall trees ringed the perimeter, followed by a forest. Mr. Grafton’s yard turned out to be the size of a quarter of a soccer field. He was one of the other people who had died the night the tornado hit the barn. Evidence of old garden work was stacked to the right, propped against the falling fence: shovels, buckets, rakes, watering cans, and a weeder. The rusty edges of the tools flaked off here and there. Over-bloomed tulips and daffodils swayed to the gentle breeze, their last petals falling to the ground. There was enough space here for a future pool – make that three pools – and a garden. I wondered what Carter planned to do with the place.

I cleared a dusty chair and took a seat, extending my legs in the sun, and gently lifted my dress so that my thighs could catch some rays as well. Carter was right. My skin wasn’t usually this light, but the long winter and staying indoors while trying to keep up with the bakery’s orders and practicing my new pastry skills had taken a toll on my tan. If I didn’t get some sun before Nick returned at the end of June, he wouldn’t recognize me.

Ten minutes later, the back door squeaked open as Carter stepped through with a jug of lemonade, two glasses, plates, and a wet rag underneath his arm. I immediately lowered my feet and straightened my dress. He was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a white t-shirt. Carter must have made use of the nice weather earlier in the week because his skin already looked sun-kissed.

“Made lemonade last night and had some left over. Is that okay?”

“It’ll go well with the cupcakes.” I smiled. “Thank you.”

He pulled out another chair, set the tray with the lemonade aside, and wiped the glass table before taking a seat in the wicker chair across from me. Carter sipped on his drink while I did on mine. My gaze darted up every few seconds to see whether he was done, only to be caught in the act. He smiled politely, and I finally broke our awkward silence.

“I never realized this place was so big.”

“I know. Me neither. Old man Grafton had all this land and didn’t know what to do with it. I have my work cut out for me.”

“What are your plans?” I opened the lid of the cupcake box and set one on a plate for each of us.

“I don’t know. I have to get the garage organized first, clean this place up a bit, and then maybe once I get the business going, I’ll install a pool. This backyard definitely needs a pool.”

“You’ve got furniture in there?” I asked, looking back.

“I do, but it’s old. Most of it is still Mr. Grafton’s. It came with the place. I have no idea what to do with the old drapes, decorations, and girly things like that. I’ll probably throw them out. The fabric and walls are stained with cigarette smoke. Daisy would have known what to do.”

The mention of our best friend was heart-wrenching. I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s okay, Carter. It will get better. Maybe I can help out with the more girly things sometime.”

“Really?”

“Sure, just tell me what you need. I can’t promise when exactly I’ll be able to do it, because with just the one bakery operating, it’s been busy, but maybe I can just drop by whenever I have time?”

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