Page 68 of Between Now and Always

I squint at her. “We’re closed for the wedding. Thereisnolunch,” I remind her in annoyance.

“Beth, heaskedto see you.”

My heart clenches. “Oh…I see,” I say, my scalp tingles in anticipation.

“Yousee?The lead singer from Blue Clover is here looking for you.” She says like I’m a moron.

I look over her shoulder at the door. She has no clue about our past and I can understand why she’s so excited.

But, Carter showing up here can’t be a good thing. Not after that scene at his apartment.

Our boss is always lurking close by, and I’m sure having a screaming fight with my…whateverhe is, wouldn’t be a good look.

We all went to do our DNA tests separately and we’ve been waiting for the lab to email the results. Because of the holidays, things moved slower, so the results could take ten days.

They warned us that any shared DNA markers, no matter how few, would render the test inconclusive. Having samples from our mothers would help them say with certainty, But that just wasn’t possible. So, I’m just hoping like hell we get answers that don’t lead to more questions.

“Beth, Carter Bosh asked for you,” she repeats snapping her fingers under my nose.

“I hope you told him I was busy.”

She looks at me like I’m demented. “Of course I didn’t. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning when I told him you’d be right out.” She waggles her eyebrows and I blanch in horror.

“You didwhat?” I shout. The rest of the kitchen staff look up from their work. Most of them shoot daggers at me before they get back to work. I smile apologetically in their general direction and turn back to my roux.

“Whydid you do that?” My whisper is sharp, my scowl deep and fierce—anyone else would be taking a step back.

Gia just smiles even bigger. “Because I’m not a liar. And Carter Bosh just walked in asking for you. It’s like…every girl’s dream.”

I glare at her and she shrugs, crosses her arms over her ample bosom, and tosses her head. The huge bun of chocolate brown curls sways beneath the cage of the hairnet she’s got on. It’s the same hairnet I’ve got on. I’m sweating and probably smell like pork grease. No way, am I going out there.”

She’s watching me intently and grinning like a drunk Cheshire cat.

“You can forget whatever you’re thinking. I don’t want to see him.”

That’s when I notice that the rest of the kitchen staff are frozen in place. All of them have turned and their gazes are all pointed to something over my shoulder.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m praying like hell I can change your mind.” Carter’s resonant, deep, melodic voice floats through the air and wraps itself around me in an intimate embrace that’s more tangible than the hand Gia laid on my shoulder.

I spin on my heels and my knees nearly buckle when I take a step back and trip. I grab the counter to steady my fall. But it’s not the counter my hand touches, but the blistering hot griddle I’ve been heating to toast the corn cakes.

“Oh, fudge cakes and damnation.” I turn my back to him and cup my hand. I can’t bite back the moan of agony as the pain in my hand balloons by the second.

“Beth, oh my God.” Gia cups my elbow and leads me over to the sink. I move with her, despite the throbbing pain in my hand, I’m also hyperaware of the presence behind me.

I don’t need to turn back around to know how he’s looking at me. I know his every expression. In my mind’s eye, I can see the way his full, wide, light pink lips are flattened and turned down at the corners. I can picture his heavy dark brows slashed downward with worry.

His glittering eyes are full of the tender concern that’s captured the imagination of every woman with a pulse.

“Beth,” he says softly as he comes to stand next to us at the sink that Dina is holding my hand over while she runs a stream of cold water over my blistering palm Goose bumps prickle my skin and even though I’m breathing—hard and fast—I feel starved for oxygen.

A gagging sound breaks the spell and I look to find Gia turned away from my blistering hand.

A strong hand wraps around my shoulder as I sway, the pain and the sight of the huge white circle on the fleshiest part of my palm

“I got you, Beth … I got you,” Carter whispers in my ear and the tears of pain that are welling my eyes don’t sting so badly suddenly. His words are like a shot of analgesic sunshine straight into my veins.

Every muscle in my body relaxes and I sag back against his broad muscular chest. I lean against him, not worried at all that he can’t take my weight. I know that Carter would never let me fall.

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