imagine eating anything else until tomorrow. But she’d promised Kayla she’d take her out in the evening for a couple of hours while Brent and the boys were enraptured by sports on TV.
At six thirty, Ruth began thanking Mrs. Wilson and saying her goodbyes.
“I’m sorry to leave so early,” she said as she stood up from a couch in the living room where everyone was hanging out. “But I promised my stepsister we’d have our own little Thanksgiving.”
“Of course you need to do that,” Mrs. Wilson said, getting up to give Ruth a kiss on the cheek. “But please come back afterward. You should stay the night. Lincoln and Summer are staying over until tomorrow, so you should too. It won’t feel like a real holiday if you leave so soon.”
Taken off guard, Ruth glanced over to Carter, who gave her a discreet nod. It made sense. If they were supposed to be engaged, then she should act like she was part of the family. “Okay. I will. Thanks so much. I’ll stop by my place and get what I need for tonight.” She smiled at Lincoln and Summer, who were lounging together in an oversized chair, looking very cozy and relaxed. “I’ll see y’all later then.”
Carter came with her as she left the room and stayed at her side as she exited the house and headed for her car. When she reached the driver’s side door, he said, “I hope it’s okay about spending the night. Mom will fix you up in your own room. It won’t be awkward or anything.”
“I guess it’s not surprising a mom wouldn’t want us sleeping in the same room.” There was a teasing lilt to her voice.
“Actually, she doesn’t mind about that. She’s pretty laid-back about sex.” Carter’s expression was sober but also soft. It was clear that he loved his mother. “She just prides herself on being a good hostess, and she’d never want to assume anything about the sleeping arrangements or put us on the spot. She’ll probably put you in the room that connects to mine, so we can sleep together or not without any big deal.”
Ruth laughed. “Very convenient. I really like her, by the way.”
“Yeah?” He didn’t take a step or anything, but it somehow felt like he moved closer to her.
“Yeah. She’s kind of unorthodox, but I like that in people. When they surprise me.”
“She used to be more traditional. Quieter. I think...” He glanced down as he trailed off.
“You think what?”
“I think my dad kind of held her back. She seems... It sounds like a terrible thing to say, but I think she’s happier now that he’s dead.” He darted a quick look up, like he was checking her reaction.
“Yeah,” she replied softly. “I can see that. I don’t think it’s terrible. He was pretty forceful, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. He was.”
She knew Carter still had a lot of emotional scars from his relationship with his father. In fact, many of them probably hadn’t healed yet. He wasn’t meeting her eyes right now, and his shoulders looked stiff beneath the soft brown sweater he wore. She reached to stroke his upper arm for a minute, squeezing it before she dropped her hand. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she didn’t say anything.
Carter swallowed and lifted his face, his expression returning to normal. “Well, I guess Kayla’s waiting for you, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. I should only be a couple of hours. She loves the cheese fries at Miller’s, so we usually just go there. They’re always open on Thanksgiving.”
“Okay.” He stood still. Didn’t step back or turn toward the house.
“Okay.” She was irrationally self-conscious. She shifted from foot to foot.
“Okay.” It was like he was waiting for something.
So she blurted out what she wanted to say, whether it was wise or not. “Did you want to come with me?” As soon as the question left her lips, she regretted it. Of course he wasn’t going to want to come get cheese fries with her and a teenage girl he didn’t know on Thanksgiving after a huge gourmet meal. Now she’d made it awkward. Like she was hoping for more from him than they’d agreed. “Not that you—”
“Do you think she’d mind?”
“What?” Ruth had no idea what was happening.
“Do you think she’d mind?” Carter repeated gently. “If I come with you. Would it bother her to have me tagging along?”
“Oh. No. Of course not.” A knot of tension had exploded in her chest, spilling something like joy out to flood