A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1)(52)

“Same old, same old, huh?”

“You know it.” Carter placed his box on the hood of the car and shook Max’s hand before they hugged with a slap of the back. “It’s good to see your ugly face,” he said, taking the smoke Max was offering. He regarded his friend as he took a much-needed drag. His hair was longer and he looked like he’d not shaved in a while. “How ya doin’?”

Max’s face pinched. “I’m okay.”

Carter sighed. “You sure?”

“Yeah, dude.” The smile Max offered was small. “Was that Parker?”

Carter nodded and leaned against the car.

“Carter!”

The two men looked up to see a flustered-looking redhead waving hesitantly and weaving through the parking lot toward them.

“Who the f*ck is that?” Max pulled his shades down until they were resting at the tip of his nose. Carter immediately noticed the size of Max’s pupils and the dark lines under his eyes that screamed lack of sleep. He was f*cking high. Jesus. It wasn’t even 8 a.m.

“No one,” Carter answered with an exasperated shake of his head. “Hold this a minute.”

He handed Max the cigarette and began jogging between the cars over to his Peaches. He didn’t need Max ogling her while they spoke. If he was high, the * might say anything.

“Hey,” he breathed, coming to a standstill in front of her.

“Hey,” she replied. “I’m sorry.” She glanced behind him. “I—I know you probably want to get going but, well, I—”

“It’s no problem,” Carter interrupted. “That’s just my buddy Max. He’s taking me home.” He pulled his shades off and tucked them in the neck of his T-shirt. “What’s up?”

Her gaze wandered over him in a way that made his heart race. “I got your present, the book, and I … I just wanted to say thank you. It was—” She bit her lip hard.

“Did you like it?” Carter asked nervously, slipping the tips of his fingers into the pockets of his jeans.

Her eyes widened. “Like it? I loved it. It was perfect and extremely thoughtful. Thank you.”

Carter rocked back on his heels. “Well, you know.” He scratched his head. “You said you’d lost yours and, well, now you have one.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’ve read it twice already. It’s wonderful.”

[page]Carter smiled wider. She seemed so happy. “Good. You’re welcome, Peaches.”


“I also wanted to give you this.” She reached into the pocket of her gray pants and pulled out a small card covered in numbers. “Our first session is scheduled for Tuesday at four at the library on Forty-second. Here’s my cell number and my … my home number in case, well, in case you can’t make it or you’re gonna be late or whatever.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I just thought you should have some way of being able to contact me.”

She handed Carter the card. Was she blushing?

“That’s a damn good idea. Thanks.” He pushed the card into the back pocket of his jeans.

“So,” she continued. “I’ll see you then?”

“Sure,” he answered. Her flustering was unsettling but cute as hell.

“Good,” she replied, taking a step back. “I’ll let you get going. Take care.”

He saluted with two lazy fingers at his temple. “You too.” She smiled bashfully, turned, and walked back toward the facility.