“She may not want you to spoil her, but geez, a twelve year old car? Why didn’t you just pay for the other one to be fixed up?”
“Because it would have cost too much!”
“So, you’re saying you’re cheap and went with the less expensive car that wouldn’t cost you as much.”
I gripped my hair and squeezed my jaw shut to keep from shouting. “No, I’m saying I was trying to do what she would have liked!”
He shook his head and pointed to the window. “Well, your date just walked out with another man. And I can guarantee that he’s taking her to an actual restaurant, where he’ll buy her food, and he’ll probably also pay for dessert, you cheap bastard.”
“I was trying to be sensitive!” I shouted.
“Well, you were just so sensitive that you friend-zoned yourself. Congratulations, you’re an idiot.”
I headed for the door. “I’ll just go get her back.”
“Whoa, you can’t just crash her date,” he said, standing suddenly.
“I can do whatever the hell I want.”
He ran in front of me, blocking the door. “And make yourself look like an asshole in the meantime. Trust me, if you go track her down and ruin her date, you won’t even be in the friend-zone.”
“Well, then what the hell am I supposed to do? Let him kiss her, or worse, fuck her before I make my move?”
His brows furrowed for a moment. “We’re having Thanksgiving together. That’s your shot.”
“Yeah, and she’s bringing him along.”
“What?”
“Yeah, apparently, he invited himself along and she didn’t stop him.”
“Hmmm, that does pose a problem.”
“That’s more than a fucking problem. That’s a catastrophe!”
“Well, you’re just going to have to remind her of the good times. We’ll all help you out. We used to hang out with her. We can all help her remember how good the two of you had it together.”
I nodded slightly. “That could work.”
“Of course it will work. What the hell could go wrong?”
I looked up at him sharply and blew out a breath. “Why the hell would you say that? Now everything will go wrong.”
“What did I say?”
“What could go wrong? That’s like stepping on a crack on a sidewalk or saying piece of cake. Or crossing your fingers for the winning goal. You don’t do that shit!”
“What, are you twelve? Don’t tell me you believe that shit.”
“Well, I didn’t before, but now I do! You just screwed me over, and when this all goes south, you’re the one to blame.”
“Yeah,” Eric snorted. “Because I’m the one that screwed up your life, gave your ex-girlfriend a job, and have been buying her donuts to keep her happy for the past year!”
“Exactly!” I shouted.
“That doesn’t make any sense!” he shouted back.
“I know!” I shouted as I walked out the door and slammed it behind me.
Anna
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Carter as we pulled up to Eric’s house.
“Of course,” he grinned. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you know something is going to happen.”
He looked at me with a wink and a grin. “Now, what could I possibly know that’s going to happen?”
I had no idea, but the way he seemed so relaxed made me think there was definitely something going on that I didn’t know about.
“I’m not even sure why you agreed to come along. You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder what’s in it for you.”
He shrugged slightly, his hand resting lazily over the steering wheel. “Things can go one of two ways tonight. I’m really hoping things go in my favor, but if not, it should be quite the show.”
“What show? You’re talking in riddles and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He grinned and nodded to the house. “Should we get inside?”
I realized in that moment that I wouldn’t be getting any answers out of him. I flung my door open with a huff and jumped out. I was wearing the only nice dress I owned. Scratch that, the only dress I owned period. It was black and I suppose a little sexy, but more just a nice black dress for any semi-formal occasion. And since I couldn’t remember the last time that I went to an actual holiday meal at someone’s house, I figured that I should look nice. Carter was dressed nice in dark jeans and a nice button-down. He had shaved, which only made his sexy grin more prominent.