Page 31 of Carly's Heart

Resigned to having the conversation later, she stomped outside. The morning was blindingly bright. The sky blue and cloudless. Before she had time to react, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the truck.

Realizations struck like a freight train. He was always doing nice things like that for her. Helping her move. Helping her carry stuff into his parents’ house. Playing with Layla. Making snacks for her and Tanya. He delivered his mom’s chicken soup when she was out with a virus. She thought he was just being a good brother and friend; she had no idea it was all for her ... because he cared. She was an idiot. An unbelievable, face-palming idiot.

Holy hamburgers! He’d jokingly proposed at least a dozen times! How many of those were serious?

“Don’t be angry,” she said as he raced toward town. “I did see. You’re an amazing man. I just didn’t know how to approach you. You didn’t seem interested, romantically.”

“Yeah, the flowers and necklace at the hospital, that’s what all men do for their sister’s best friend. I thought that might be a clue. What was I supposed to do? Throw myself at your feet? Beg you to love me back? A man has pride you know.”

Icy silence filled the truck as she struggled for what to say. He skidded to a stop at the curb in front of her condo. “Do you have your keys?”

“It’s a combination lock. Thank you for everything. For last night, and for the ride.” She grabbed his forearm. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize...” She scrambled out the door and fled like the coward she was.

She’d only taken two steps when he roared off. That’s when she realized that on the odd occasion when he’d driven her around, he always waited until she was inside before pulling away. Chivalry at its finest. Except for today.

“Crap.” She’d screwed up a potential relationship with Birch by being totally blind. Of course, she wasn’t the only one who didn’t open up about their feelings.

♥ Chapter Fifteen ♥

Birch flew around the corner and slammed to a stop beside a greenspace. He couldn’t drive while he was mad, or he’d injure someone. He wasn’t paying proper attention to the road. He’d managed to drive decently with Carly in the truck, but after she was out of the truck, he’d lost his mind.

He slapped his palms on the steering wheel. Carly was infuriating. He’d waited years for her to notice him and then she turned around and accused him of being a stalker. What was wrong with her? Sure, she’d been joking, but still. Years. He’d wasted years on her. And this morning, after all that time, all that effort, all the times he held himself in check, his frustration busted through his self-control and he lost it.

“Damn. Damn. Damn.” Cussing wasn’t his way, but darn and heck just didn’t cut it.

If he was wearing runners, he’d go for a run to burn off his frustration. For the first time in years, he wished his favorite footwear wasn’t cowboy boots. If he were at the ranch, he’d work the frustration out by chopping wood. He closed his eyes, leaned his head back, and forced himself to relax. Anger burned inside him like an all-consuming flame. Ten minutes later, assured that he wasn’t going to drive like an idiot, he headed for his best friend’s house. He needed to talk to someone.

Jamison was pulling weeds from his garden while his four-year-old daughter played in her front yard sandbox.

“You look like crap. Are you hung over? How was the wedding?” Jamison asked. “Did you get to dance with Carly?” Jamison and his wife were the only people aside from his sister and father, who knew how hard he’d fallen for his sister’s best friend. He suspected his mother knew but if she did, she wasn’t saying anything.

“No. The wedding was nice. The aftermath was a crap-show.” He sat on the bottom step close to the flowerbed his friend was working in. Sissy left her sandbox to climb into his lap.

“Hi, Uncle Tree.” Cecelia had started calling him that when she learned that birch was a tree.

“Hi, Sissy Sis Sis.” He tickled her under the arms, making her laugh gleefully.

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