Page 24 of Tell No Lies

“I heard you were going to lie down, and it sounded like a good idea. Mind if I join you?” He said it like he was suggesting something else and broke into laughter before I could respond. “I’m kidding. I was planning on putting on a movie in the main cabin and putting together something to eat, but now that you’re sick, I’ll take care of you.”

He was such a teddy bear sometimes. A large, muscular, intimidating teddy bear.

“Sounds good. Thanks for coming with me.”

Nine

A few days later, I was slaving over the stove when I heard the front door open. I stopped stirring and leaned back to see who was walking in. Carter stood there, wearing worn jeans and a soft-looking T-shirt that clung to his shoulders. He was holding a bouquet of white cabbage roses, my favorite.

“You brought me flowers?” I sounded like a lovesick teenager.

He grimaced. “Oh, this is awkward. These are actually for Brandon.”

I swatted him with a dishtowel and took the flowers from him. “Well, he won’t appreciate them, so I’ll just take care of them.”

He moved around the kitchen as I cut the stems and arranged them in a vase I’d found hidden under the sink. I had to remember to ask Brandon about that later. When I turned back to the stove, Carter was looking down at the pans with his nose scrunched up.

“What is this?”

I moved next to him and bumped his hip. After taking the lid back, I covered the pan. “Chicken Marsala. What’s with the face?”

“There are mushrooms.”

He still looked disgusted.

“Are you three? You can eat around them. I promise you’ll love it. Everything’s ready, so we just have to wait for Brandon.”

Carter began pulling plates and cups out of the cupboards. “I forgot to mention … he’s going to be late.”

“Why didn’t he call me?”

He shrugged and got out silverware. It was concerning how well he knew our kitchen. I wondered if he spent even more time here before I moved in.

“Well, we can get started, I guess.” I picked up a plate and dished out pasta and chicken and passed it to Carter.

After we sat down at the island, I watched him, waiting to see his reaction.

He grimaced slightly when he slid a mushroom to the side of the plate. He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly for a few moments. Then his face lit up, and he smiled at me as he swallowed. “You’re amazing!”

I could feel the blush spreading across my face.

“I mean, your cooking. This is the best thing I’ve had in a long time.” He was already scooping another huge bite into his mouth. I laughed at his enthusiasm and tried to act normal.

The last time we’d been really alone like this was at his house, the night he cooked for me after my panic attack. Soon after that, he’d kissed me on the balcony, something we hadn’t really talked about since.

Now would be the best time to bring it up, since Brandon wouldn’t be home for a while. I took a few minutes to work up the courage as I moved food around my plate. I cleared my throat, and he met my eyes.

He removed his fork from his mouth slowly, as if he knew things were about to get serious.

“Can we talk?”

“You mean instead of eating?”

I stared down at my plate, suddenly enamored. “No, I mean, like, really talk.”

“I don’t understand.” He set down his fork and turned his body toward me.

“We just haven’t really talked in a while. Since …”