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“What do your parents do?”
“They’re older and retired now. They were orthodontists and owned their own practice. They also dabbled in real estate a bit.”
“Oh.” Now her beautiful car and clothes made sense. She’d grown up with all the advantages while Carter’s grandparents had never owned their own home. He was definitely out of his league with this woman.
“Yeah, I know. It’s impressive.” Her shoulders sank. “I’m sure I disappointed them when I didn’t go to medical school.”
He shook his head. “I highly doubt you’re a disappointment, Darcy.”
She blushed and looked adorable.
“Sorry about that,” Derek said as he and Haven appeared at the table, each of them holding a half-eaten ice cream cone. “We ran into a couple of friends from UNCC.”
Darcy slid to the far side of the bench, and Haven joined her. “Carter and I saw you talking to someone on the sidewalk, but I couldn’t see who out the window.”
“It was Candi and Rick Benedict,” Haven said.
“Really?” Darcy asked. “Candi and Rick got married?”
Derek nodded as he sat beside Carter. “And they have three-year-old twins.”
“Wow!” Darcy looked embarrassed as she turned toward Carter. “I’m sorry to talk about people you may not know.” She motioned between Haven, Derek, and herself. “We all met at UNC at Charlotte. In fact, Haven was my roommate all through school.”
“That’s right,” Haven said. “Darcy thought I was stuck-up when we first met. We didn’t even like each other.”
Darcy snickered. “Well, any girl as pretty as you should be stuck-up.”
“Speak for yourself,” Haven countered.
Darcy shook her head, but Carter silently agreed.
“Anyway,” Darcy continued, “we went to school with Candi and Rick.”
Carter smiled and continued eating his ice cream while Darcy, Derek, and Haven talked about old friends from college. He found himself wondering if he could fit into Darcy’s life. Was there a chance he could ever be good enough for a beautiful, successful woman like Darcy Larsen? After all, he hadn’t gone to college.
When Mason strolled over to the table, Carter did his best to mask his frown. Mason was a real jerk for ignoring Darcy and spending their date on the phone. At the same time, he appreciated having the chance to get to know Darcy better. Mason’s loss was definitely Carter’s gain.
“Sorry about that.” Mason had the nerve to look guilty. “An old friend needed someone to talk to.” He glanced at his expensive-looking watch. “I didn’t realize how late it was.” His eyes flitted to Darcy’s. “Do you need a ride home?”
Darcy’s brow furrowed for a moment, then a sugary-sweet smile overtook her pink lips. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll ride home with Haven and Derek.”
“Suit yourself.” Mason nodded at Derek. “See you at the office.”
Derek pressed his lips together. “Yup.”
After Mason disappeared from the table, Darcy pinned Haven and Derek with a look. “Do me a favor and let me find my own dates from now on, okay?”
Derek cringed. “I’m sorry. When I talked to Mason, he said he’d love to meet you.”
“Sounds like he’d rather get together with his ex,” Haven pointed out.
They finished their ice cream and then headed toward the street, where the sun had begun to set and send a vibrant rainbow of colors dancing across the sky. The air was cool but held the promise of spring, and the streetlights cast a warm yellow glow on the few remaining cars lining the sidewalk.
Carter longed to find an excuse to keep Darcy in Flowering Grove longer, but when he glanced down Main Street, he saw that the little shops were now dark and their Open signs had been switched to Closed. He couldn’t think of any other reason to convince her to stay.
Derek spun to face him. “We need to get together again soon, Carter. How about you give me your number?”
The air left Carter’s lungs. Perhaps the double date that Haven had mentioned earlier could actually come to fruition!
