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Carter: See you soon. ??
Darcy set her phone on the counter before shoving the pizza into the freezer, turning off the oven, and racing upstairs to change her clothes.
***
“What’s that smile for?”
Carter glanced across the shop to where Gage watched him with interest. Smoky sat nearby, happily taking a bath on a box containing quarts of oil.
“Nothing.” He tried to mask his excitement as he pocketed his phone, but it was impossible. Darcy had texted him and asked him out!
He had planned to see if he could take her out tomorrow, but she had beat him to the punch. Not only could he not wipe the silly grin off his face, but he thought for sure the adrenaline surging through him would cause him to float away. “I need to get going.”
Gage held up a finger. “Hold on. You had the same look on your face Saturday night when you got home.” He came to stand next to Carter. “Did you meet someone?”
Carter hesitated. He wasn’t ready to tell anyone about Darcy.
“You can trust me.” Gage’s expression was earnest. “I won’t say anything to Shauna if that’s what you’re worried about. I know she’s always nagging you about getting back into the dating scene, and as soon as she finds out you’re seeing someone, she’ll hound you about a wedding date.”
“It’s not about her nagging. Honest. I just don’t want to get Shauna’s hopes up if it’s not going to lead to something serious.”
“Why are you convinced it won’t work out?” Gage wore a serious expression that Carter rarely witnessed.
Carter sat on his nearby stool and pressed his lips together. “Because I have nothing to offer her. I have no house. I’m still crawling out of debt... What woman would want to get tangled up in my mess?”
“You’re wrong.” Gage tapped his shoulder. “You have plenty to offer, and the debt isn’t permanent.”
“The thing is, she has money. Her parents have money. When she finds out who I really am, she’ll see that she can do so much better.”
“No, she’ll understand what you’ve been through and realize that your good health is a gift.” Gage smiled. “That’s the thing about love, man. It changes you. When you find it, your life will be transformed forever. Don’t be afraid to let yourself experience it. It happens when you least expect it too. Shauna and I were acquaintances all throughout school, and then one day our junior year of high school, we sat at the same lunch table. Out of nowhere, I saw her in a new light. I thought she’d never even go out with me, but look at us now.”
Carter swallowed. He couldn’t imagine Darcy planning a life with him, but he also couldn’t deny that his feelings for her were surprisingly strong. “I really need to get going,” he said, setting his tools in his toolbox.
“Are you sure you’re not just using money as an excuse? What are you really afraid of, Carter? Getting hurt again? Getting sick again?”
Carter swallowed, and his thoughts wandered to the last meal he’d shared with Gabby nearly four years ago. While he had believed they were just enjoying a date, Gabby had waited until their meals had been served to tell him she wanted to end their relationship. His illness was too much for her to handle, she had said. And she hadn’t been pleased when he’d decided it was best for him to work in the office for Ernie and Glenda rather than make more money with her father’s race team. She had made it clear he wasn’t enough for her, and instead of standing by him as he faced his illness, she ended things.
Looking back now, he could see the fractures that were forming in their relationship long before she broke up with him. Their arguments had become more frequent, they had stopped speaking as often, and they had started living separate lives. Carter could also blame his permanent bad mood for pushing Gabby away, but if she had truly loved him, wouldn’t she have been his support during his kidney failure and dialysis?
Carter examined his own heart. Was the real issue his fear of getting sick again and becoming a burden to Darcy? Or was he afraid of her rejection?
Carter shook his head, shoving those issues away.
“Is she the woman with the Lexus?”
Craning his neck over his shoulder, Carter met his brother-in-law’s curious gaze. “How’d you know?”
Gage shrugged. “Just a feeling. You mentioned she had money, and that was a nice car.”
Carter pushed the toolbox drawer closed. “Her name is Darcy, and I’m meeting her at a car show in Mint Hill.”
“She’s into cars and willing to go to car shows?” Gage pointed at him. “You need to propose to her right now.”
“You sound like Shauna,” Carter said with a laugh. “I’ll see you later.” He started toward the door.
“Have fun!”
Carter smiled. “I plan to.”
