The week passed quickly, and Eliza had spent nearly every evening of it watching Carter create two beautiful storage areas inside of her house.
She and Kellie did the organizing during the day while also working on upcoming events—including Piper's birthday bash—but she found herself looking forward to those evenings more and more.
Even though it scared her how quickly she'd come to like him. A month had passed since that night he'd walked her to her hotel room. A month that now ended with good-night conversations either on the phone or video chat or simply one last sweet text.
Piper's party was the most fun thing Eliza had planned in a very long time. It also made her think it was another business opportunity she needed to be more open to exploring. There were a lot of wealthy families in the Wilmington area who would be happy to pass off the tediousness of a kid's party to someone else.
"Okay?" Kellie asked from nearby.
Eliza looked up at the amazing balloon display that was the backdrop to the cake table and nodded. "Perfect."
Carter had taken Piper out to run some errands so she wouldn't see or hear the setup process at Lincoln's.
Lincoln and Amelia had returned from their honeymoon the day before, and when Eliza and Kellie arrived to set up, the happy couple joined in, along with Mac and Marsali, speeding up the process even more.
But it was Piper's expression when Carter returned with her in tow that opened the last of Eliza's guarded heart. Piper spotted her friends and the mermaid decorations and balloon arch and burst into tears from sheer joy. There wasn't a dry adult eye among the group as they witnessed the pure pleasure on Piper's face as her birthday dream came true.
Watching Carter comfort his thankful daughter broke the last of Eliza's reservations. Selfish men didn't work as hard as he did—or raise a child so sweet.
Eliza stood at the food station trying to get a handle on her thoughts when she felt Carter nearby and turned to find him watching her.
"You are a rock star," he said. "Eliza—"
She held up a hand, still recovering from Piper's teariness and way too on edge where her feelings for him were concerned. "Her response was all the thanks I need. That was too precious for words."
He moved closer and casually draped an arm around her shoulder, pretending to merely stand beside her to look at the food.
"It was—but I still intend to show you how thankful I am later," he murmured, grabbing one of the crabby croissant sandwiches from the stack and sliding her a wink before moving away.
The party lasted several hours, and while Eliza and Kellie kept things moving food and game wise, she noted Carter making a point to introduce himself to the parents who lingered on the sidelines, watching and taking photographs of the fun. Most of the kids had arrived with moms only, but a few couples were in attendance. Still, seeing the moms' reactions to Carter's looks meant tamping down more than a bit of unease at her jealousy. Carter's looks weren't his fault, but with every feminine smile shot in his direction, Eliza reminded herself that his looks were something she would have to get used to.
Finally the party drew to a close, and all the mermaids and pirates left for home except for the birthday girl. Piper was now curled up on one of the many lounges surrounding the pool, playing with one of her new toys.
Carter had taken an armload of bags and toys back to the house, and with the adults otherwise occupied elsewhere, Eliza made her way over to Piper. "Hey, birthday girl. You have one more present," she said, bringing the nylon bag with a mermaid on it from behind her back. "This is from me," she said. "Happy birthday."
Piper sat up and thanked her before reaching for the gift. She pulled the tissue paper out and gasped at the water globe complete with mermaid, seashells, sand, and a pearl. "It's a nightlight and music box, too. I thought you could put it on the table beside your bed."
"I love it," Piper said, awestruck as she held the gift to her chest. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
The girl hugged the globe as she surged toward Eliza and gave her the biggest, bestest hug. Eliza returned the embrace with more than a bit of feeling, unable to imagine anyone, much less her mother, walking away from the precious little girl.
"Daddy, look!"
Piper's hug ended as quickly as it had begun, and Eliza turned to find Carter watching them from a ways away.
"What do you have there?" he asked, his long stride closing the distance between them.
Eliza watched as Piper showed her father the gift.
"Wow. That's really pretty, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes! I'm going to go put it in my room right now so it's there for bedtime."
"Hey, wait a sec. Let's wrap it up so you don't break it on the way," he said, helping Piper place the globe back into the bubble wrap and tissue and back in the bag for easy carrying. "There you go. Breanne's over there. She's going to stay with you tonight for a birthday sleepover before she goes back to school tomorrow."
"Yay! Sleepover!"
Piper took off, her little feet flying and fish-tail costume swiveling with every step, not slowing her down a bit.
"You didn't have to do that, you know. This party was way more than I ever… It was amazing, Eliza."
She smiled and shrugged. "I saw the globe this week after I met with new clients and knew it was perfect. I had to get it."
He glanced around them before taking her hand and tugging her out of sight of anyone inside.
"Yeah, well, I have to do this," he said, lowering his head.
Carter took her mouth in a kiss that left her head reeling and her hands clinging to his biceps by the time he lifted his head.
"Lincoln and Amelia mentioned all of us going to Masonboro Island tomorrow on the boats. Will you come with us?"
With them? Like a couple? On a date?
He stroked his thumb over her bottom lip, distracting her even more.
"Um. I don't know."
"Eliza."
She forced herself to look up, and the moment she stared into those dark eyes of his, she knew she'd lost the battle.
"Come with me. Please."
She inhaled and nodded and knew there was no turning back. "Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
No one commented on Eliza's presence the following morning other than to greet her with smiles and hellos as they loaded up the boats and headed out.
A day spent on the water or sand was a day well spent, and Carter loved taking Eliza to the spot on the uninhabited island where he and Lincoln and Linc's twins had dug out a fire pit a few weeks ago to celebrate the twins' graduating high school.
Piper went, too, along with Breanne, who'd decided to stay a little longer to be able to spend the day on the water.
They anchored the boats and played in the shallows, baked in the sun, and rode on a Sea-Doo Mac had picked up sometime that week to add to their adventures since he didn't have a boat. By late afternoon, they had fresh-caught fish and roasted corn—which Eliza ate with gusto while avoiding his amused gaze—and sat in their beach chairs, sun-weary but content.
Lincoln and Amelia left first with Breanne in tow, heading back to work in the morning after their time away and so Breanne could get on the road back to her dorm. Mac and Carter took care of the fire and cleanup while Marsali and Eliza packed up what was left, leaving nothing behind but their footprints and some ash.
Now Carter looked out over the bow and spotted his towel-wrapped daughter curled up on Eliza's lap, and his heart twisted at the sight. He'd always heard that kids and pets had instincts about people, and Piper's read that Eliza was trustworthy. He thought so, too. But as Carter steered the group home, he couldn't help but think it had been as near a perfect day as possible, but if that was the case, why was there a knot in his gut because of the way Marsali looked at him? Watched him?
He realized the women were friends, but he'd done nothing shady or questionable.
Carter still pondered the question when they docked and unloaded. Piper asked Eliza to walk her home before she left, and the two now went hand in hand up the planks toward the yard. Mac walked behind him, loaded down with beach chairs to store beneath his house.
Marsali lingered, which should've been his first clue that he wasn't going to like whatever was going on in that head of hers. "Something wrong?" he finally asked, bracing himself. "You've been giving me the evil eye today."
"I'd say I'm sorry for that but… yeah. There is."
Her tone of voice left him even more wary, and he straightened slowly, facing her. "What's up?"
"I did something. Something you probably aren't going to like but… I do it on all my clients."
His gaze narrowed. "I'm not your client."
"Even more reason for you not to like it," she said softly.
He crossed his arms over his chest and waited her out.
"When it was obvious you and Eliza were getting close, I did what I always do when it comes to protecting someone I love."
He bit back the curse that sprang to his lips, wondering if there would ever come a time when his past wouldn't haunt him. "You did a background check. Without my permission," he all but growled. "Do I want to know how you got my info to perform the check?"
Marsali tucked her hands into the back pockets of her shorts and lifted her chin. "It's surprisingly easy. The point is, it's obvious that you haven't told Eliza, and since I know that you know honesty in a relationship—especially with her— is everything, I want to know why."