Stacking the Deck (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 2)(16)

“No, pretty much in a ‘I think I need to gouge my eyes out’ sort of way.” He put a hand to his gut. “I feel nauseous.”

“So, you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Just a randy grandmother looking for hook-ups.”

“It’s not like that.” He looked askance at her. “Okay. It’s a little like that.”

“And people wonder why I wanted to get out of Sugar Falls.”

Carter chuckled, a self-deprecating, charming rumble as he started the engine, and for the first time since seeing him again Liz felt… relaxed.

She grinned back and began rummaging through the bags at her feet. “Do you remember where they packed my pretzels? I’m starved.”

“Forget pretzels. Where are the swiss cake rolls?”

Liz sat up. “You can’t be serious. Those are pure sugar! You’ll feel sick eating those on an empty stomach.”

“What are you, my mother? Have you ever even had a swiss cake roll?”

“No. But—”

“Then how would you even know? They happen to be the perfect balance of light, chocolaty cake and whipped confection.” He leaned over the shifter, the back of his hand grazing her calf as he fished around for the box. “Ah! Here they are! I’m doing the happy dance now.” He tore the box open and offered her a plastic-wrapped treat.

“No thanks.”

He shrugged, peeled back the cellophane and ate half a cake roll in one bite as he threw the truck into reverse. He closed his eyes decadently as he chewed. Liz would have preferred he look where he was going.

“Speaking of dancing,” she said, doing her best to ignore his little moans of pleasure as she simultaneously wrestled with a teeny package of pretzels and checked for obstacles in the truck’s path, “what’s this dinner dance thing you and Valerie were talking about?”

“The Tenth Reunion Alumni Dinner Dance,” Carter said around a mouthful of chocolate as he drove toward the exit. “Val’s chair of the organizing committee. She’s been sending e-mails and calling people for months. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”

Liz’s mouth began to water as Carter finally swallowed and bit into the second half of his swiss cake roll. For all their empty nutritional value, they did smell awfully good. “I didn’t see any reason to provide a forwarding address when I moved to Chicago, seeing as I didn’t expect to be back.”

“You’re here now,” he said, holding the second treat toward her mouth.

She shook her head, but he didn’t move his hand and was coasting awfully close to the car in front of them, so she took a tiny bite. “Reunions aren’t my thing,” she said around the chocolate.

“What? Afraid everyone will be staring at you?”

“I just don’t see any reason to reconnect with people who weren’t important enough to keep in touch with in the first place.”

“Don’t you even want to see who has gotten fat?”

Liz gave him a look as the remaining cake roll disappeared between his lips.

“Jenny Whitmeyer. Now Jenny Otterman.”

“No.”

“Yes. Big as a tank, sad to say.”

“But she was so tiny in school! What happened?”

“I think the sixth kid is what really tipped the scales.”

Liz’s jaw dropped. “Sixth?”

Carter nodded. “They’ve been busy. So you sure you don’t want to come? See who has hair plugs? Who’s on probation? Who’s already divorced twice?”

“Someone’s gotten divorced twice? Who? It’s only been ten years!”

“You’ll have to come to find out.”

“I don’t know...”

“Come on. I’ll be the envy of everyone to have you walking in on my arm.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“Unless you’ve already been asked, which, seeing as you’ve just found out, seems unlikely.”

“I’ll probably be back in Chicago by then.”

“Look, if you don’t want to go, just say so. No hard feelings. I’ll just ask my girlfriend.”

She gave him a look. “You’re right. It’s not funny,” she said.

“Told you.”

Liz fought not to smile as she looked out the side window, the familiar old brick facades of downtown passing by. Well. It wasn’t like it would be a date-date, she silently rationalized. More like a friend-date. Like tonight. “If I’m still here, I don’t suppose there’s any reason not to.”

“Gee. Don’t get too excited.”

“It’s not that. It’s just—”

“Hey, don’t sweat it.” He stopped at a red light and laughed. “You always took things way too seriously. I’m just poking at you.”

The light turned green, but before he started moving, he grabbed another pack of swiss cake rolls from the box and tossed it in her lap.

“For you,” he said. “Even though you’ll never admit it... I know you want it.”





CHAPTER SEVEN


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