Page 7 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
So did his dad.
Carter chuckled. “No apple juice. We swapped it out, remember?”
Oh, Thad remembered, but he’d get around it if he could. Carter didn’t normally give him a lot of sugar, but a milkshake had seemed like the perfect way for a ten-year-old to begin his vacation. A shake and an apple pie, though? He’d be bouncing off the ceiling of the SUV before they got twenty feet down the road.
The sound of Thad’s sneakers banging into the bottom of his seat was a sure sign of boredom. Carter didn’t enjoy being strapped in most of the day either, but a quick glance at his phone said they were almost at JD’s house.
“The GPS says ten minutes, son. Just a little while longer, I promise.”
Grumbling came from the back seat, but Carter gave it a pass and focused on the road. It had been raining since just outside of Nashville, and navigating the wet curves made him nervous with Thad in the car. He’d been sure to rent an SUV for the extra room and the four-wheel drive, but the strangeness of drenched, winding roads so unlike the ones at home and an unfamiliar rental car had intensified his awareness of the need to be careful.
A glance into the rearview mirror told him Thad was looking out the window too, into the woods, which was all there was to see. Carter could read the fascination in his son’s eyes as he stared out at a landscape that was certainly nothing like their New York apartment and its surroundings.
“Is Uncle JD’s place all trees and stuff?”
“He has a lot of land just like this, he told me. Once it dries up outside, we can do some exploring.” After Carter talked to JD about snakes and mountain lions and bears or whatever other hazards might await unsuspecting city slickers in the woods. “Hey, JD says they built a firepit in the courtyard behind the house. Maybe we can roast some marshmallows one night.”
More kicking of the seat. “Do they have sugar-free marshmallows?”
Carter felt a melting sensation in the center of his chest. Whenever Thad had a treat, he was adamant that his dad be able to join in. But Carter was a type one diabetic, so sugary carbs were 95 percent a no-no. At McD’s that had meant a Diet Coke instead of a shake, and s’mores would mean sugar-free marshmallows and chocolate. Carter and Rachel had kept a close watch on Thad for issues with his blood sugar, but luckily so far he had tested totally normal, for which Carter was so damn grateful. “I’m sure someplace has them.” If they didn’t, Amazon delivered.
The turnoff up the mountain appeared, and Carter slowed to make a left. JD had warned him that the road was under construction, in the process of widening so that traffic could get to and from the resort, but the crew hadn’t gotten far yet. Right now the drive was narrow, with no room for passing. A wide plane of construction on one side showed where the new lanes would be, but for now that area was a swath of running water rushing down the mountain, as was the drop-off on the opposite side. The setup reminded him of the one-car lanes he’d encountered all over Scotland when he visited his business partner, Gavin, there. Thad hadn’t been with him then, though, and he took extra care to keep the SUV centered as they made their way to the top of what JD had told him was the mountain that lent the town of Black Wolf’s Bluff its name.
As the road leveled out, he took a deep breath, blowing out his tension, and rounded what he hoped was the last curve before they reached the mansion. Out of nowhere, a massive red truck barreled around the blind corner, skidding to a stop dangerously close to the SUV. Carter slammed on the brakes, curses ringing through the air as he gave Thad a frantic glance in the rearview mirror. The white fear on Thad’s face had anger flashing through Carter’s chest.
Throwing the SUV into park, he reached between the seats with a shaking hand and gripped Thad’s knee, the bone so small and fragile beneath his fingers. “We’re all right, buddy. Everything’s okay.” He needed the reassurance almost as much as his son did, but since the divorce last year, surprises tended to set Thad off, as if he wondered what part of his life could fall apart next. He’d been slowly regaining his equilibrium, and had done remarkably well for this trip, but now… Carter squeezed down. “It’s okay. Are you hurt?”
Thad shook his head, lip trembling. One small hand latched on to Carter’s.
“It’s fine now. Just a little surprise around the corner. Didn’t expect that.” He tried to laugh it off, though the sound was tight from the anger squeezing his chest. Whatever dumbass had been driving that truck—
Thad still clutched his hand, but the color was returning to his cheeks. “It’s okay.” Thad drew himself up as if proving the words to himself as well as Carter, and Carter’s gut knotted to match his chest. Thad nodded. “I’m okay, Dad.” Cautious eyes looked beyond Carter out of the windshield.
So did Carter. His gaze narrowed on the blurred face behind the steering wheel of the truck. “Let me—”
Just as he was about to release Thad and step out of the SUV, intent on giving the other driver a piece of his mind, the truck began to reverse up the drive. Carter grunted, irritation flaring that the object of his anger was backing away without the chance to ream them for putting his son in danger. Nonetheless, he put the SUV in drive and followed the truck about a quarter mile until the road flattened out just before a set of massive iron gates. The truck backed farther, allowing space for Carter to turn between the gates, entering the circular drive before JD’s mansion. As he did so, a quick glance showed him what looked like a young girl in a flannel shirt, brunette braids falling over each shoulder. Jesus, was she even old enough to drive?
He pulled to a stop, but before he could jump out, the truck had surged forward just behind him and hurried back down the mountain. Carter grumbled under his breath, too low for Thad to pick out any curse words, as he circled around to park just outside the front door.
The quiet that followed the engine dying quickly filled with the patter of rain on the roof. Carter forced a deep breath, forced his focus off what had just happened and back on Thad. “We’re here, buddy.”
A glance toward the house showed the enormous oak door opening and one of his best friends in the world, JD Lane, and a slender woman he assumed was Lily, JD’s fiancée, moving onto the wide front steps to greet them. Now that he was paying more attention, he noticed the gray stone building was more castle in architecture than country home, with a turret-style entrance embedded in the center of long wings stretching out on either side. A small overhang protected JD and Lily from the falling rain, but as Carter watched, JD left his fiancée behind to hurry toward them, a huge black umbrella opening in his hands.
His friend jogged around to the driver’s side and stood waiting as Carter exited into the safety of the umbrella’s cover. The two men clasped opposite hands, their shoulders coming together in a classic bro hug.
“Glad you’re finally here,” JD said, grinning.
“Barely,” Carter huffed. “Someone nearly took us out at the last minute.”
“What?”
Carter slammed his door shut behind him. “Some asshole in a huge truck almost hit us outside the gates.”
JD’s frown turned into a shake of his head. “Must’ve been Erin; she was the only one here today.” He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s not like her. Normally she’s the most careful person I know, but Lily said she just got a call about a family emergency.”
“That shouldn’t entail putting others in danger.” Carter gave Thad a significant look through the window where he’d climbed from his seat to the driver’s side.
“No, it shouldn’t,” JD agreed, reaching to open the door for Thad to clamber out. “You’re totally right. I’m sure she’ll apologize when she gets back. She wasn’t aware you were arriving this afternoon.”
