"You're going out with Carter?"
Marsali practically screamed the question the following evening. Eliza glared at the cell phone on the tiny stool beside the soaking tub and rolled her eyes. Well, that news certainly didn't take long to travel.
"Eliza? Hello?"
She moaned and slid deeper into the water. "We're going out for a business dinner because I have designs I want to discuss with him. How'd you find out?" she asked, her tone revealing her upset with herself for allowing a pair of slate-gray eyes and a wicked smile to sway her.
But combined with the fact Carter Hayes had opened up to her with his story about Piper's mother—well, dinner shouldn't be such a big deal. Misery loved company, right?
She sipped her glass of wine and tried not to think about how Carter would look dressed in his best-man clothes in a few days' time. Or the fact she couldn't wait to see him wearing the hand-crafted leather suspenders Amelia had special ordered.
"I stopped by Mac's on my way home. Carter was there."
"And my name came up how?" Eliza pressed her damp hand to her face and rubbed hard. She'd rather Carter had kept his mouth shut but obviously he hadn't.
"Carter was telling Mac about how he'd run into James today."
Eliza sat up in the tub so fast water surged to the edge like a tidal wave. "What? Where? When? What did Carter say?"
Marsali laughed at the barrage of questions.
"On a jobsite, this afternoon, and he said he set James straight."
"About what? What does that mean?"
"You'll have to ask Carter."
"Marsali, tell me."
"I didn't get all the details. The story was mostly over by the time I got there. I'm sure Carter handled it fine. He's a good guy. You've got to see that by now."
"I know you know more than you're saying. Since when do you keep secrets from me?"
"Fiiine. Apparently James tried to work up a deal with Carter similar to one the two of you have—which, by the way, when did that happen?"
"It… Recently. Very recently. Things have been so crazy I just forgot to mention it."
"You think?"
"We haven't actually worked together or anything," Eliza said, explaining Carter's offer. "I've got some great ideas."
"That sounds awesome. And it definitely raises the bar for you. How exciting," Marsali said.
"Yeah. But James tried to hire Carter?" Seriously? Was the man ever going to hit rock bottom in his underhanded dealings? Just when she thought James couldn't sink any lower, he did!
"Yeah. And no worries, Carter said no. And a bit more would be my guess."
Eliza bit her lower lip and folded her arms on the side of the tub to rest her chin on top. "What makes you say that?"
Marsali's low chuckle warned Eliza that whatever her friend was about to say? She probably wasn't going to like it.
"Lizzie, you can lie to yourself all you want, but we both know you and Carter have some serious chemistry. When you two are the in same room, you can feel it."
"Chemistry isn't everything."
"No, but it's definitely important. Just… let yourself trust that you've learned from the past, and you'll make the right decisions in the future."
But would she? Because she'd made an awful lot of bad ones, and who was to say there weren't more in her future? "I… don't trust myself anymore. Not when it comes to men. I can't help it, I second-guess everything now."
"I get it. But Carter has been honest with you, right?"
"I suppose. How would I know?"
"Have you seen any red flags?"
"Other than the fact he's too pretty for his own good?"
"You can't hold that against him when he had nothing to do with it."
Maybe not. But she didn't have to like it. "It… scares me."
"You do realize you're beautiful, right? And besides, looks have nothing to do with cheating. Cheaters lack some very important things. Integrity and honesty. A grounded moral compass."
"I know that."
"Good. Because actions speak louder than words, and Carter has gone above and beyond for you, and not just with the weddings."
She closed her eyes and nodded to herself. He had. And even though it was sweet and friendly and honorable, a part of her still waited for him to change and not for the better.
"And if that's not enough, he's gorgeous and ornery and fun, and I think he's just what you need in your life."
"I don't need him." She'd made the mistake of letting James convince her she needed him and look what happened.
"Eliza—"
"No, I'm cancelling. If we do the business stuff, we'll keep it professional. Meet in his office or something." Not over candlelight.
"Absolutely not. What will it hurt to go to dinner? He's someone I'd totally set you up with to get you out of your shell, as a practice date."
"Why do you hate me?" Eliza groaned, sliding back into the tub with yet another splash.
"Hate you? Seriously?" Marsali asked.
"Yes, seriously. I don't have a 'shell,' and my schedule is insane and not about to let up anytime soon. I don't have time to date, and yet somehow I agreed to a dinner, which means I'm obviously not in my right mind."
"Silly goose, your schedule is what you let it be and completely in your control."
"Says the woman who has me planning a wedding—which has grown exponentially, by the way—in two weeks for one of her clients."
"Well, there are a few exceptions to the rule, but that's a perfect example of why you should be dating, whether it's Carter or not. You can't work nonstop and never have any fun. Just don't lie to me and pretend you aren't drawn to Carter. I see how you look at him."
Drawn? Yes, but not in any way healthy to her well-being. Or future.
Or heart?
Eliza's mind filled with an image of Carter Hayes with his dark good looks, sexy smile, and inked biceps, and she groaned.
Did she admit to being attracted to Carter?
Yes.
Did it scare her?
Unbelievably so.
Because it wasn't just attraction she felt. It was the way he'd helped her, but more importantly, the way he treasured his baby girl and his brother, and how he'd stepped up for the mother of his child only to be rejected…
He'd been there. In her shoes.
And up until that point, she'd had the willpower to walk away from him from fear alone, but knowing he'd experienced the same kind of betrayal and walked through the fire and understood her fear because he'd lived it?
It was like something inside of her had just latched on and bonded instantly to the shared pain.
"You're becoming a boring workaholic who is so jaded you don't honor the love you work so hard to showcase with all of those beautiful weddings you pull together. You're filling your loneliness with busy-ness, and I'm seeing major signs of burnout. You see them, too, right?"
"Maybe." The word was a breath, soft and shallow.
"So," Marsali said, her tone changing over to one of persuasiveness, "go have some fun and flirt—even if it's only as friends or business associates. Recover some of the magic behind why you do what you do. Remember how much fun it was in the beginning? The love and romance?"
"You think I'm just going through the motions."
"Aren't you?"
Eliza pinched the bridge of her nose and willed the nagging chronic headache to go away. Dang it, she hated when Marsali was right.
"Look, what James did was awful but he wasn't your equal to begin with."
"I know that. I see that now."
"Good. Because this thing with Carter? This is an opportunity to find something better. Even if it's just a friendship that shows you there are still trustworthy people in this world."
Eliza remained quiet, listening, pondering. Mulling over the wisdom Eliza had just imparted.
"Lizzie, do you trust me?" Marsali asked softly.
No, Marsali wasn't going to go there, was she? "You know I do, but—"
"No buts. Yes or no? And remember years of friendship weigh in the balance."
Tears stung her eyes, and Eliza blinked them away and blamed her upcoming period and stress and a diet lacking in chocolate—which she would rectify immediately. If she ever remembered to buy groceries. "You know I do."
"Then do this. For me. Because I want this for you."
She pressed both hands to her face, over her eyes, coming to terms with some hard truths. "I know you're right. Okay? I said it. Rationally, I know all men aren't sleazeballs, but—"
"It's dinner. With someone I know and trust and feel good about for you. Even Mac likes Carter."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"He does. He's protective of you, that's all. Because we know how hurt you were. The thing is, you will never heal locked down the way you are. You have to get back out there and accept invitations from gorgeous single men, even though the meticulous control freak in you can't plan or predict the future because it's not in your control. That's all part of the fun. Remember fun?"
Fun? Not really. And that was sad, wasn't it? "We need a change of subject," she said. "Tell me about you. Any more news on your book?"
Marsali was silent a moment before Eliza heard her friend exhale.
"My editor said they're getting lots of orders. Like, a lot. It's a little terrifying."
"That's great! And not terrifying at all."
"Okay, fine. Intimidating? Maybe that's a better word. I'm working on an outline for another idea now."
"I'm happy for you, Marse. Congratulations. We'll have to go out and celebrate the day it releases."
"I'd love that."
"Mark your calendar. It's a date." The moment the words left Eliza's mouth, she winced because she knew it would bring Marsali full circle.
"Don't cancel, Lizzie. That's an order. Or a personal request. A plea? Whatever holds the most weight."
Eliza leaned her head against the back of the tub and stared at the ceiling.
Once Lincoln and Amelia's wedding was over, Carter would be freed of his promise to keep his interest in check. Which meant, when the time came, would Carter want their business dinner to be more?