Page 87 of A Bossy Roommate
“We fuss because we care. I’m sure you would be fussing too, if you were in our shoes.”
Eleanor sighs dramatically. “Oh, I am sure you are right. I am sorry,ma chère. It is just that I am a very independent woman, I always have been. I have never had to answer to anyone, and I do not intend to start now. That is how I raised Carter.”
“You know, there is a difference between independence…and stubbornness.”
She turns to look at me, and even though her huge sunglasses take up half her delicate face, I can still feel the intense gaze through the dark lenses. She blinks twice. I smile brightly in return, daring her to deny my statement. A second later, it’s like a switch has been flipped and suddenly her face lights up, and we both start laughing.
“You are going to keep that boy on his toes for the rest of his life.” She gives a cute little giggle.
The driver pulls up outside of The Sweet Spot, and I thank him. Eleanor and I enter the small but cozy bistro. Even though it’s the lunch rush and most of the tables are full, the atmosphere is calm and quiet. Exactly what the three of us need. At least, it’s exactly what I need.
We settle ourselves in a booth toward the back, and just when we’re being handed our menus a few minutes later, Carter enters, dressed casually, helmet in hand, looking around. He’d hopped on his motorcycle and zipped through the sea of cars, dodging traffic to make it here in record time.
“I’ve never seen this place before,” he admits, taking the spot next to me. Aunt Eleanor sits across from us, her face hidden behind the large menu.
“Everything good?” I ask him in a low voice.
He nods and throws me an “I’ve restored order” wink, dropping his arm casually across the back of the booth, not quite around my shoulders, but as close as he can get, given thesituation. It’s so casual and intimate that it takes me a moment to process. He seems relaxed, which is strange, considering his aunt has just blown our cover to several employees.
He leans in close, looking at the menu I’d totally forgotten I was holding. “What’s good here?” he asked.
Smelling his aftershave and feeling the heat of his body has my libido immediately taking notice. I have to swallow past the lump in my throat before I can say anything. “I don’t know. This is my first time.” The last time he and I had been this close was when we were fooling around, and my body knows that.
Carter studies his aunt while I try to get my head on straight.
“Auntie, I’m not mad. You’re fine. We’re good.”
She immediately lowers the menu. “Oh, Cartie,mon chéri, I’m so glad! I was sure you’d be as mad as a wet cat stuck in a bathtub, but I’m relieved to see that’s not the case!”
He smiles at her warmly. “Did you make a choice?”
“I feel like a kid in a candy store! I hope my dentures are up for the challenge.”
“Hi, I’m Bess. What can I get you folks?” Our waitress, a peppy young girl with blue hair tied in a floppy bun and a pencil tucked behind her ear, places a basket of steaming rolls on the table.
We order our food, and Carter and his aunt talk the whole time. I’m not sure when it happens, but eventually, Carter’s arm slips down to rest around my shoulders. The booth is small, and between that and our legs pressing against each other’s under the table, my brain can only focus on him and him alone.
Cold water. Ice-cold water.Now. Quick. Where’s Bess?
Don’t ask me why his closeness does what it does to me. We’ve been inmuchcloser moments. But this, somehow it feels real.
Pressing his leg against mine isn’t for show. It’s for…me.
I can barely remember what I ordered. All I know is the food is superb, and by the time we leave, my head is spinning. After helping Eleanor into the car, Carter instructs the driver to ensure she arrives home safely since she insists on traveling alone. “I better go home right now and nap off this food coma. It’s a good thing I wore my stretchy pants. Cheerioooo, you two! Let’s make it a weekly thing!”
We return to the office,on his bike. Picture this: first, Carter wanted me to squeeze into a car with Auntie, go all the way to work, and then let the driver take her back home, which is like, the complete opposite direction. But then I gave Carter the cutest puppy-dog eyes and begged him to take me on his bike instead.
And guess what? He actually said yes.
As I plop myself down onto the bike’s seat behind him, the warm metal beneath sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. It’s like I’m straddling a wild beast—and I’m not talking about the motorcycle. There I sit, unable to stop a sense of déjà vu from washing over me. It wasn’t that long ago that I had been in this exact same position, zooming toward a motel with the same handsome man sitting in front of me. But this time, everything has changed. He’s not a total stranger anymore—in fact, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty darn well over the past few days. He’s let me peek behind the curtain of his life and see the real him, and I’ve let my guard down and shown him the real me. And you know what? He hadn’t run for the hills or made a beeline for the nearest exit. Neither had I. As unexpected and scary as that is, I’ve grown to appreciate Carter Bancroft on a deeper level. All of it feels like a little miracle and has turned my world upside down. I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s real.
I wrap my arms around his waist, feeling his strong muscles flex beneath my fingertips. His body is warm against mine, and I snuggle closer to him, reveling in his scent and the feel of my body against his. I lean into him, feeling safe and secure.
In the parking lot in front of the big Legacy building, I step off Carter’s motorcycle, hand over his jacket and helmet, smiling at him.
In another world, I would have leaned in to kiss him. Can he sense the shift in the air between us as well?
Just then, my phone goes off.