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Darcy was cute and seemed nice, but they were from different worlds. He’d only end up in the same situation as he had with Gabby: nursing a broken heart.
“You have to take chances.”
Gage nodded. “She’s right.”
Carter did not agree, but sometimes caution was the better part of valor when his sister was set on something, and he didn’t need another pep talk about how much he had to offer a girlfriend. “I don’t want to be creepy by misusing her phone number.”
“There’s a car show on Main Street coming up,” Gage said.
“When?” Carter jumped on the change in subject and took another bite of his scrumptious taco.
“Next Saturday night. First car show of the year,” Gage said.
Carter relaxed as their conversation moved on to upcoming events and mutual friends.
When they finished eating, Carter offered to do the dishes. He carried the plates to the counter and began rinsing them off before filling the dishwasher.
As he worked, he peered out the window above the sink toward the detached garage, where he kept his toolboxes along with his grandfather’s pride and joy. Carter had dreamed of rebuilding the Road Runner’s engine and driving it to local car shows, but his kidney disease had derailed all of those plans.
His thoughts turned to Darcy and their conversation from the morning. He smiled, recalling how she’d said that orange was the best color for his car. He found himself wondering if Darcy ever attended car shows with her father. Would they come to Flowering Grove together in his classic truck? And if so, would Carter be lucky enough to run into them and spend the evening talking to them?
As if struck by lightning, he felt a jolt of excitement at the thought and laughed out loud at himself. Why was he bothering thinking about a beautiful young woman like Darcy? She would probably never think about him again. She had a successful corporate job, and he was just a mechanic.
Carter finished filling the dishwasher and started it before wiping down the table. The hum of the dishwasher filled the kitchen, and while he worked, he imagined finding a place of his own—a small house with a garage. That was all he needed. If only he could find a way to pay off that consolidation loan, then he could start living his life for real.
But it wasn’t only about living his own life. He also wanted to get out of his sister’s way. He hated taking up so much space day in and day out. Shauna and Gage had been married for six years, and Carter knew she had dreamed of starting a family. Carter didn’t want to be underfoot or in the way of those precious plans.
He had hoped to be on his own before he turned thirty, but his thirtieth birthday was looming only two months away. That would be impossible unless he won the lottery, but considering he didn’t even play it—
“Carter?”
He tossed the dishcloth into the sink and pivoted toward his sister. She stood in the doorway clad in a pair of jeans and a faded Trisha Yearwood concert t-shirt.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“You know I only want what’s best for you, right?”
“You’ve been like my mom since I was ten, Shauna. Why would I doubt that?”
She leaned on the back of a kitchen chair. “Whenever I mention that you should start dating, you clam up. You know Gabby was the one with the problem, not you.”
He busied himself with straightening the salt and pepper shakers.
“Carter, it hurts my heart to see you so lonely. You should really think about texting the woman you met today.”
He swept his hand over his mouth while choosing his words. “Darcy drives a late-model Lexus, a very nice car, and she mentioned that her parents were retired and own a beach house. And her dad has a brand-new Corvette Stingray and a Porsche SUV. Her father bought a very nice classic Dodge truck, which probably cost him more than this house to restore. She was dressed in what looked like a designer suit and expensive heels. She also was carrying one of those high-end designer purses, the kind you and your friends go nuts over, when I dropped her off at her job at one of the big banks in Uptown.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Darcy could do a lot better than someone like me.”
“You’re wrong.” His sister shook her head as her face clouded with determination. “You’re thoughtful, kind, generous, and giving. And you’re handsome.”
He snorted. “Whatever.”
“Seriously, Carter. My friends always used to tell me how hot you were, and I’d tell them to stop talking about my baby brother that way since it made me very uncomfortable.”
“I appreciate the compliments, Shauna, but I don’t think my path will ever cross Darcy’s again.”
“You never know, and if it does, she would be blessed to have you in her life. You just need to start believing that.” Shauna tapped his arm and then disappeared into the family room.
Carter stared at the doorway and wondered if Shauna was right. Should he take a chance with a woman as beautiful and successful as Darcy Larsen?
