A sudden flicker of regret cut deep at the thought, but he pushed the feeling away and concentrated on the story. He rarely allowed any messy emotions to throw him off-balance. There was no point, so it was much easier to push them away until they disappeared.
They’d gotten to book three in the series when the door flung open and Avery rushed in. She threw her purse on the table, kicked off her heels, and began tearing through a huge pile of thick folders stuffed with papers and mismatched fabrics. He looked down at Zoe, who was grinning at the fact her aunt hadn’t spotted them on the couch.
“Hi, Aunt Avery!” she shouted.
“Holy crap!” The files flew from her hands and scattered on the floor. “Wh-What’s going on?”
Zoe gave a deep sigh. “She says bad words, too, but I can’t say ’em ’cause I’m too little. Aunt TT says when I’m old, I can say all the bad words.”
“At least seven,” he said, nodding.
“At least.”
“What’s going on?” Avery demanded again, this time much louder. She stared at them in shock. “Carter, why are you here? Zoe, where’s your mom?”
“Your sisters had to both run out, so I told them I’d watch Zoe until you got back. It’s lucky I stopped in, since I would have missed the appointment at the bakery.”
The surge of pink in her cheeks confirmed her attempt at treachery. “How did you know about that?”
“Taylor looked up your schedule. She was kind enough to give me a printout so I can be aware of any future appointments. I’ll be honest, I expected more organization and follow-up from my sister’s wedding planner.”
She winced. “It’s not a big deal. I intended to overnight a few samples she can taste with Jason and make her final decision.”
“Ah, but what samples? What if you give her the wrong three choices because I wasn’t there, telling you what she likes and doesn’t like?”
“Can I have cake, too?” the little girl chimed in. “I like chocolate and vanilla and pink cupcakes with rainbows.”
“I think we should all have cake. It’s been a disappointing day.”
Avery looked like she was going to scream, but Zoe reached over and patted his hand. “At least we got to read Fancy Nancy.”
“That was my highlight.” Oh, how he adored a precocious child. They made life so much more interesting. Bella and her husband were blessed to have her. “Is your aunt always so riled up?”
Zoe wrinkled her nose. “She runs around a lot.”
He laughed.
Avery groaned and walked over to the couch. “Hey, munchkin,” she said, “how about I put on PAW Patrol in the other room?”
“Yes!” The little girl shot up, and he knew he’d been replaced by the lure of cartoon puppies. Not a bad choice. “Thanks for reading with me, Carter. Can we eat cake later?”
“Yes, it’s a date. Wait. Are you old enough to date?”
She gave another charming giggle. “No, silly, but we can be friends.”
“Awesome. Catch ya later.”
She bounced out of the room, holding Avery’s hand. Carter got up from the couch and stretched, then spotted the Keurig coffee station. He could use a shot of caffeine for what lay ahead. He had a gut feeling Avery was going to make her disapproval of his visit loudly known.
Might as well get ready for the show.
He whistled and made himself a fresh mug.
When she stomped back in the room, he was perched halfway on the desk, drinking coffee. With his hip cocked out and legs casually crossed, it took her a moment to regather her forces.
He looked . . . different.
The suit was gone and replaced with shorts that showed off lean muscled legs and olive-toned skin. His T-shirt was a dark blue, stretching tight over an impressive broad chest and making his eyes appear less gray and more cerulean, adding a depth that threw her off. His usual shaven jaw now held a shadow of dark stubble. The glasses were gone, and a pair of trendy black sunglasses was perched on top of his head. He should’ve looked less intimidating, but awareness skated over her nerve endings, causing a vibration in her core that puzzled her. What was it about him that made her body buzz? Was it just dislike she was mistakenly dubbing as physical attraction?
She couldn’t be attracted to Carter Ross. He was everything she didn’t like in a man: rude, arrogant, boring, and her best friend’s pain-in-the-ass brother. Dear Lord, she had to get her dating life back in order or she was going to fall apart.
She gathered all those disturbing, rambling thoughts, balled them up into a tight knot, and shoved them in a lockbox. Then focused on something that made sense.
Her annoyance.
“You can’t barge into my place of business and get involved with my family,” she said, hands on her hips as she faced him down. “You should have never been watching Zoe. I can’t believe Bella left her with you!”
His gaze flicked over her body with a lazy assessment, as if he were bored by her outburst. “I tried calling and texting first. You chose to ignore me, even though I’m your client just as much as my sister.”
“No, you’re not. You’re just the ManOH.” She practically spat out the words. “Ally’s happy with our current arrangement; I haven’t gotten any complaints from her.”
“Yet. Let me make things crystal clear so there are no longer any misunderstandings.” He sipped his coffee and took his time. “I spoke with Ally before she left and confirmed I’d be involved with every step of this process. I’m her only family, so you’re stuck with me. I will attend every vendor appointment from now on. And if you somehow forget to include me, this time I’ll be sure to jump on the phone and tell Ally you’re cutting me out on purpose. I’ve been kind enough to spare you the discomfort of a confrontation in order to protect my sister, but if it continues, I won’t be as forgiving.”
She gasped. He wouldn’t dare. He’d never deliberately stress out his sister. Would he? Or maybe he’d grab the opportunity to once again prove she was lousy at her job and that he’d been right about her all along. Was he that mean and twisted?
Yeah. He was.
Her quick afternoon at the bakery suddenly took a bad turn. She thought of all the appointments she had lined up the next two weeks for Ally’s wedding and wanted to weep. This was her fault. She’d been so sure he’d just go away if she ignored him. She should have known Carter had too big of an ego to leave her alone. Somehow they’d gotten into a weird competition over Ally’s wedding, and he viewed it as a challenge. Ridiculous.
She needed to regather control and create a plan B. Maybe if she ran him ragged, he’d get tired of the endless choices over minute details. It happened to grooms and FOBs all the time. They’d be enthusiastic about the decor in the beginning, until they needed to view dozens of centerpieces, discussing the benefits and disadvantages of lilies versus roses, white versus pink, and tall vases versus small bowls. Give the men one or two of those appointments and they’d beg off the rest, deciding to trust the bride and the planner, and go play some golf.
Yes, Carter would be the same exact way. Eventually, he’d retreat and she could finish planning this wedding on her own.