AllFreeNovel
Share Us
***
Despair consumed Darcy while she stared at her computer screen in her office Monday morning. After talking to Robyn late on Saturday night, she had taken her up on her offer and slept in the guest room. After breakfast Sunday morning, she drove home, pulled on Carter’s hoodie, and curled up on her sofa with a blanket wrapped around her.
She had considered Robyn’s words, and while she wanted to call Carter and ask him for another chance, she was still feeling weak and afraid—still feeling that invisible force holding her back from giving him her whole heart.
Although she hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours last night, Darcy had somehow managed to push herself out of bed and make it to work on time. But she wasn’t able to concentrate on any of her tasks. Instead, her mind kept replaying her last conversation with Carter. She longed to go back in time to tell him it didn’t matter about the transplant or that Jace was his donor. She loved him and wanted to figure out a way to move past her pain.
But would she ever be able to look at Carter and not think of Jace? She’d grown so used to living with constant guilt over his death. Could she really put that behind her? Or was it more wishful thinking?
Closing her eyes, she recalled what Robyn had said Saturday night:
Forgive yourself, sweetie, and start living again.
“Start living again,” Darcy whispered. She picked up her phone and began scrolling through the photos she and Carter had taken over the past few months. She stopped at a selfie of her and Carter sitting on their special bench in the park. She took in his coffee-colored eyes, handsome face, and gorgeous smile, and she moved her finger over the photo as the sound of his laugh filled her mind.
Her heart swelled.
After shutting down her computer, Darcy grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She knew what she had to do, and she prayed it wasn’t too late.
***
Carter tried to concentrate on replacing the brakes on the gray Dodge Charger in his stall, but his mind kept wandering.
He had spent the remainder of Sunday out in the garage working on his grandfather’s car, trying to comprehend what Shauna had said. Somehow, her words had started to make sense. Had he gone his entire life thinking he was a failure because of his father’s abandonment?
Their father had stopped by again last night, and although Carter had managed to sit through a meal with him without getting angry, he avoided more conversations with him by excusing himself and retreating to his room.
He was grateful that Gage hadn’t tried to cheer him up this morning and instead had just told him he was available if Carter wanted to talk. Carter had grabbed the first job he could and tried to bury himself in it, but his mind still whirred while his heart throbbed with grief.
When he felt something soft brushing against his leg, he looked down at Smoky purring. “Hey, buddy.” He moved his hand over the cat’s head. “It’s always good to see you.”
The cat continued to purr loudly and roll around on the concrete floor next to Carter, soaking up the affection.
The door leading to the showroom and office opened, and Glenda came into the shop. “Carter, you have a visitor.”
“Who?”
Glenda motioned for him to follow.
He wiped his hands on a red shop towel and made his way out front. When he found Darcy standing by a display of tires, the air left his lungs.
She looked up at him, and he felt a stab to his heart. He took in the shadows lining her dull green eyes. Had she spent the past couple of nights tossing and turning too?
Darcy’s pink lips formed a timid smile. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” He pointed to the hallway leading to the restrooms and the break room. “Follow me.”
Carter tried to control his stampeding pulse as he led her into the break room, which was complete with a kitchenette, a refrigerator, and several cabinets. A worn mocha-colored table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room.
He came to a stop in front of the kitchenette counter and then faced her. “What’s up?” he asked, trying in vain to sound casual despite the tremor in his voice.
“Well,” she began, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of days, and something occurred to me.” She paused, clasping her hands in front of her. “When I first met you in the parking lot, I felt something for you—something inexplicable. Something warm and familiar. It was as if I already knew you. I trusted you. That was why I didn’t hesitate to accept when you offered me a ride.”
He nodded and leaned back against the counter.
“I couldn’t understand it because I didn’t even know your name. But the more I thought about it over the weekend, it began to make perfect sense. People like us share a bond that no one else can understand.”
Carter cocked his head to the side, trying to decipher her words. “People like us?”
