I flinch as our eyes meet. His are filled with worry.
And compassion.
And something I can’t define.
He reaches a hand down to pull me up. I don’t move. Just stare at him.
He lets out a sad sigh. “I guess I deserve that,” he says slowly, bending to sit on the ground a few feet from me. Eric props his elbows on his knees and sits across from me. “Yesterday I was an ass. I am so sorry.”
Mark’s words pop into my head:
Stay the hell away from Eric and Claudia.
How can I do that when I run into them nonstop?
“Thanks,” I reply. I know the old Carrie would have said, It’s okay or No problem.
The new Carrie won’t do that. He really was an ass. The truth hurts.
So does having my best friend kidnapped and missing. If Mark thinks Eric might be involved, then maybe I need to do my own sleuthing. Mark’s overly worried about me. I can take care of myself, especially with Eric.
He’s over-reacting. Eric would never harm me.
“Did I hurt your wrist?” Eric asks.
I look down.
Okay, let me amend that. Eric would never intentionally hurt me.
“Yeah, but it’s not bad,” I mutter. Damn. There I go again. I shuffle my feet and literally bite my tongue. I need to stop talking. The more Eric says, the more I’ll learn.
“I really meant what I said back at the office,” Eric adds. He’s wearing a hunter green polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The green sets off his hair and creamy Irish skin, making him look very crisp. Like something from an L.L. Bean ad.
“What you said? You mean your threat?” My skin starts to crawl. Sitting here, no one can even see us. We’re hidden by my parked car.
Eric could do anything to me right now and I would have no way of getting any help.
“Threat?” His eyes go wide and he looks horrified. This is more like the Eric I remember from when I was his student. Earnest. Helpful.
Nice.
“You told me not to mess with the Landau family. You grabbed my arm and hurt me.” Mark warned me about Eric and Claudia. Eric warned me about the Landau family.
I’m sensing a pattern here.
“I didn’t mean it as a threat, Carrie!” He reaches for a handful of dead grass and starts ripping it in his hands, shredding it. “That was a warning. They’re dangerous.”
“Dangerous? How?” I play it cool. Meanwhile, my heart’s thumping in my chest like popcorn in a JiffyPop.
“They’re playing a game and innocent people get hurt.”
“A game?”
His shoulders sag. The collar of his shirt is folded inward. I instinctively reach over and pull it out, putting it where it belongs.
Eric’s eyes go a deep color. Oh, God. Is that passion? His face moves toward me. My mind spins a thousand miles a minute as I realize he’s coming in for a kiss.
He’s about to kiss me? Seriously?
And then:
“STAND UP AND PUT YOUR PALMS FLAT AGAINST THE CAR.”