The Man I Thought I Trusted - E. L. Todd Page 0,37
more. “Yeah, I know.”
His eyes moved to the TV as he continued to enjoy his beer, his blond hair getting a little long, like he needed a haircut. He leaned back against the booth and rested his arm over the top, his eyes still on the TV, sitting with me like I was Matt instead of the man seeing his best friend. It seemed like we were actually friends, not just acquaintances.
“Can I ask you something?”
His eyes shifted back to me. “Go for it.”
“This stays between us, alright?”
“Oh shit…” He dropped his arm from the back of the booth. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Should I worry about Carson? You know, with her job.”
Charlie stared at me in silence, a deer in the headlights.
“She ran into one of the guys she’s trying to lock up at the charity event last weekend, and I know she brushes off stuff like this and makes it a joke…but she seemed different, even days afterward. And there was one night she was tailing some guy at a club I was at, and he was about to punch her in the alleyway, but thankfully I was there.”
He was stone-faced.
“Never mind…I have my answer.” I’d hoped Charlie would tell me something to make me feel better, like they had the best security to look after them, but I knew that wasn’t true. Carson’s job was just as dangerous as I’d assumed it was.
He continued to stare at me, helpless to say something to make me feel better.
“What would happen if I asked her to stop?”
“As in…quit her job?”
I nodded. “Not necessarily quit. Just move into a different department. Do something less dangerous.”
He gave a long and drawn-out sigh. “Unlikely. She worked really hard to move up the ranks and get this position. There’re not a lot of women who have been promoted this high, and if she steps out, she’ll see it as an insult to all women.”
“It’s not insulting. It’s not even about gender. It’s dangerous to anyone who does it.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” he asked.
“Are you in the same boat?”
“No,” he answered. “I have some high-profile articles, but not at her caliber.”
“And if you could, would you do it?”
“Uh…” He gave a long shrug. “I really don’t know. I’m almost thirty, and I’m hoping to settle down so…maybe not.”
Charlie thought this way, so why couldn’t Carson?
“I always remind her that the article is never worth her life. That nothing is worth her life. But you know how she is…”
Fearless.
“I don’t think you’d accomplish anything by asking her to step down. It would probably just put distance between you. So, you’re just going to have to accept it if you want to be with her. I know that’s hard, but…”
I couldn’t accept that. “I don’t care if she’s a workaholic who cares more about her job than anything else. I just want her to be safe. Why can’t she work at Runway like in The Devil Wears Prada or something?”
His elbows moved to the table as he chuckled. “Wow, I could not picture Carson doing that.”
Me neither.
“You guys are finally together, so I would just leave it alone.”
“We’re together—for now.” I rubbed my jawline as I sighed. “But I don’t want to be together just for now. I want to be together forever. I told her I want her to be my wife, to have a couple kids with her. How is that possible when she’s out there risking her neck, going head to head with corporate criminals? When she’s hanging out with the mob?”
“Yeah. I get it.” He gave a slight nod. “In life, things change, priorities change. Maybe in time she’ll feel differently as your commitment changes. I know she’s stubborn, but she’s also realistic. And I know how much she loves you, so if it gets to that level, I’m sure she’ll reevaluate. Who would pick a job over the love of your life, you know?”
“Well…I feel like our commitment is already changing.”
“Yeah?” He set down his beer and examined my expression. “As in…you do want to ask her to move in?”
When we met, I wasn’t even ready for a serious relationship, which was obvious by all the lies I told. Having a fake apartment for my hookups was pretty indicative of my mental state. But once the truth was out, everything was different. She was the one thing I wanted more than anything, and my money didn’t mean anything to her. I wasn’t worried about the past repeating itself. All