Page 3 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
As he waited at the corner for the light to change, he snatched his phone from his back pocket, then crossed the street with the crowd, beginning the ten-block walk to his penthouse. His temples tightened with a headache as he clicked on his sister’s name and waited. Emma picked up just as he came to the next cross street.
She was already laughing.
“I guess you thought that was funny.”
“I don’t even have to hear your version of what happened to know it was damn hilarious,” Emma said, her laughter nearly choking her. She always reminded him of sunshine, which allowed her to get away with far more little-sister shit than he would like to admit. Today, though, he’d forgotten his sunglasses and wasn’t in the mood.
“Putting Zoey in that position wasn’t funny.”
Emma’s laughter didn’t dim the least bit. “She was in on the whole thing. How’d you like the outfit, by the way?”
He growled.
Emma snickered. “Lighten up,Daddy.”
“If you’d like I can come over there and show you what corporal punishment is all about.”
“Don’t think so,” Emma sing-songed. “Even our daddy couldn’t get away with that.”
Not that he’d tried much. Emma was a force of nature, bowling all of them over. When she got her head wrapped around an idea, there was no shaking it. Unfortunately his dating life was the idea she’d wrapped around, and she wasn’t letting loose.
He had to stop appeasing her.
“Tell me you didn’t have a little fun,” she said. “You could be at home in that New York loft, looking out on a bustling city with silence behind you. With Thad at his mom’s…”
“It’s quiet. I know.” He sighed, releasing his irritation with his breath. “I actually do like quiet every once in a while.”
“You’d wallow in it if I let you.”
“At least next week I’ll be gone and you won’t be able to throw any new prospects at me.” He and Thad were headed to the Tennessee mountains to see JD and his new fiancée. Apparently the mansion was surrounded by woods that would be perfect for Thad to get out and explore. Even if the idea of woods gave Carter hives. Talk about quiet. He definitely wasn’t a woods kind of guy. He wasn’t sure why JD seemed to enjoy it so much. Or Lincoln, who thrived on the adrenaline of his constantly packed Manhattan restaurant.
Guess sex could addle any man’s brains.
“Watch it or I’ll follow you down there,” Emma warned.
He shut up and let her babble on about meeting Zoey, which led to various other topics in a stream of consciousness he could barely follow. Yes, he was definitely looking forward to getting away next week. He loved his family, but their mission to make sure he was happy since his divorce was getting a little too intrusive.
Especially Emma. Maybe he’d get lucky and his cell phone wouldn’t get reception at JD’s place.
Emma was winding down about the time he reached the door to his building. “I’m about to hit the elevator, Sis. I’ll have to catch you later.”
“You better. I plan to get all the juicy tidbits from Zoey in the meantime. Bye!”
Carter groaned. Of course she would. And every last moment would be dissected until she found just the right pieces to rib him about.
Great.
When was he leaving?
ChapterTwo
Erin clutched the collar of her coat closed against the chill wind sweeping through the valley, and glared down at the arrogant male blocking her exit at the bottom of her front-porch steps.
“Willard!” She stomped her booted foot. “Go away! I’ve told you, I’m not interested in you.”
Willard stared up at her, blinking his beady bird eyes, his gorgeous display of turquoise and yellow and purple peacock feathers spread high into the air. At her words—or maybe it was her tone—he shook the feathers and began a slow turn, circling to show off his beautiful plumage.
“Yes,” Erin admitted, “you’re stunning. Okay? Now go away.”
