by Alina Jacobs
He was in his tan Service B uniform, waiting for her outside of his barracks.
"Ready to go?" he asked cheerfully, settling down into the car seat. "I can drive if you want."
"No," Allie said. "I scrimped and saved for this car."
"It's a nice car," Carter said.
"I needed something to qualify for a rideshare," Allie told him. "I worked hard to buy this car. All cash. I don't do debt. No one drives this car except me."
"But you’ve been up all night!" Carter protested.
"I'm up every night," she replied, slipping on her sunglasses.
"When do you sleep?"
"In the mornings, sometimes. I run on caffeine." She pulled into a coffee shop drive-through.
Carter looked concerned. "Sleep is important."
"So is money. I have to work for a living. You want anything?" she asked him.
"Oh, I'm paying," he said, pulling out a credit card.
"I know you are." She smirked.
Coffee in hand, they turned back onto the road.
"Sit back and relax," she said, tapping her phone. "Google says it will take nine and a half hours. I think I can do it in eight, though."
Carter yawned. "I have some music."
Allie stopped him from plugging in his phone.
"I need to study," she said, tapping her music app. The playlist of lectures on auditing and risk management started playing over the car's speakers.
Carter groaned.
"Settle in," she said as the lecturer's voice started to drone. "You might learn something."
6
Carter
Carter spent the ride to his parents' house with his ear buds in. He did not want to listen to Allie's boring lectures. It reminded him of college, and he had hated college.
He fantasized about how his parents were going to react to Allie. She hadn't even showered after her bar shift. She reeked of alcohol.
"I hope we aren't pulled over by the cops," he muttered.
"What?" Allie asked, turning down the radio.
"Nothing," he said. "We might need to stop. I think Margot needs a bathroom break."
They pulled in at a fast food joint. Carter silently handed Allie his credit card while he clipped Margot's leash onto her collar.
It’s weird, he thought as he walked the dog on the grassy patch near the dumpsters. I feel like I've known Allie my whole life. They just seemed to fit so well together.
"Here's your lunch," she said, handing him a paper sack along with his credit card. She wolfed down her own burger as she checked her phone. "We're about three hours out," she said. "Looks like we won't hit any traffic."
"Great. We'll be there in time for dinner."
Ketchup spilled off of her burger, and she swiped it off of her shirt with her fingers, smearing it.
Carter laughed. "My parents are going to hate you."
It was late afternoon when Allie's Audi pulled up in front of the Holbrook estate.
"This is where you live?" she asked.
He could tell she was impressed.
"This is my uncle Walter's house," Carter said. "My parents, Jack and Nancy, their house is being renovated, so they're living here. My cousin Grant and his new wife live here, too, part-time. They're really busy with Holbrook Enterprises, so they haven't set up their own household. They spend a lot of time in my uncle's New York City condo, though."
Allie parked the car off to the side of the drive and popped the trunk. Stefan, the butler, opened the large front door and walked down the steps toward them. Carter saw his mother and father follow behind Stefan a few moments later.
"Carter!" his mother called. He waved and walked over to them while Allie pulled the bags out of the trunk.
"Thank you for driving him," Nancy said to Allie.
He could tell his mother had her detached professional face on. He was so looking forward to wiping that expression off her face. He tried not to laugh.
Jack pulled out his wallet and offered Allie a twenty-dollar bill.
She took it calmly and said, "Thanks. Where are we staying?"
Jack looked confused.
Showtime.
"Right this way, sweetheart," he told her and swatted her backside.
"Carter, what on earth!" his mother exclaimed.
Carter thought he saw Stefan give a little smile.
"Everyone, this is my fiancée, Allie. I met her in a bar."
He saw the shock register on his parents' faces as they took in Allie.
"And this is Maggot," Carter said, holding up the dog.
"We call her Margot, actually," Allie said. The one-eyed dog's tongue flapped out of her mouth, and she drooled.
"I rescued her out of a garbage heap," Carter said proudly.
"Who?" Jack asked. "The girl or the dog?"
"Jack!" Nancy exclaimed.
She had recovered quickly, Carter noticed. Allie was going to need to up her game.
"Allie," Nancy said, "very nice to meet you. Carter has never brought a girlfriend around before."
"Interesting," Allie said.
He could see Jack turn up his nose as the breeze shifted and they got a whiff of the Wildcat.
His mother reached out to pet the shivering little Chihuahua mix. The dog startled and nipped at Nancy's hand.
"Margot only likes Allie," Carter said.
"I'm just looking for a good time," Allie drawled. "Me and your son, we're real in love, you know. I can't wait to marry him." She gave an obnoxious fake giggle and wiggled her hand, the diamond ring flashing.
Nancy cringed, and Jack turned and stormed back into the house.
Carter stifled a laugh as Allie shrugged and picked up the bags and followed Stefan into the house, her boots clopping on the pristine floors.
She didn't even wipe off her shoes, Carter noticed with glee.
7
Allie
Allie felt bad about the first impression she had given Carter's parents. She knew Carter was paying her to act a certain way, but still, it wasn't in her nature to be rude.
The foyer was a rich cream color with large paintings and expensive-looking art decorating the walls. She noticed several wide hallways extending off the marble-floored room. Rising up above them was the most elaborate staircase she had ever seen. It was made out of ornate carved wood and rose majestically to the second floor. Allie wanted to sit in the middle of the grand space and take everything in. But Carter was walking after the butler—a butler!—as though this were the most natural place in the world for a person to be.
She sniffed herself and cringed as she followed Stefan the butler up the curving staircase. She couldn't help but gawk at the wealth she was surrounded by.
"Here is your room," Stefan said as he led them down a wide hallway.
"We're sharing?" Carter asked, sounding annoyed.
"Yes, of course, Mr. Holbrook."
"My mom is okay with that?"
Stefan looked at him blandly. "You and your future wife are allowed to share a room," Stefan told him as he opened the door to the room.
Actually, Allie thought, it was a suite.
"I will leave you two to freshen up. Dinner is in two hours," Stefan told them as he turned and left.
She dropped the bags on the floor and stared in wonder. The door opened up into a generous sitting room with large high windows overlooking a garden. There was also a private balcony with a small metal table and chairs.
Allie slowly walked through the suite. Through a set of French doors was the single nicest bedroom she had ever been in. Off the bedroom were a huge closet and an even bigger bathroom with a freestanding tub.
"Oh, I've always wanted one of these," she said enviously.
"They use a lot of water," Carter said, struggling to get out of his uniform.
Allie covered her eyes.
"I'm sure you've seen more than this before," Carter said.
"Yes, but in the context of my job as a bartender. Not in, you know, a bed
room."
Carter stood there in his boxer briefs and smirked at her. She tried not to blush. Normally, she was not fazed at all by good-looking men. In her bar, she would randomly have marines drunk stripping to show off a tattoo or self-inflicted injury. It must be the long drive and the lack of sleep that was making her feel this way.
"You want to come with me, Margot?" Carter said to the dog. She shrank away from him, shivering. "Is she cold?"
"Probably just scared and nervous because of the new surroundings."
"Poor doggo," Carter said.
"I’m going to take a shower," she told him. "Actually, no, I'm going to take a bath." She turned on the water and reveled in the tray of pretty little glass bottles filled with various liquids and salts she could pour in the water.
Carter shrugged and went into the walk-in closet, which was larger than Allie's bedroom in North Carolina. Coming out wearing jeans and pulling a T-shirt over his head, he said, "I’m going downstairs."
She waited until she heard the door shut then stripped down and sank into the bath. It was marvelous.
"This is heaven," she said to Margot.
The little dog had stumbled into the bathroom after Carter left and lay down in a ball on the carpet. Allie flicked some water at her, and the dog yelped as a single droplet of water landed on her nose.
"You need to toughen up," Allie said to the dog. When the water started to get cool, she pulled the stopper chain and let the tub drain. How was she going to be able to go back to her crappy little apartment after all of this?
She knew there were wealthy people in the world, but in her little corner of Les DesChamps, no one had this kind of money.
Checking the time, she realized that she needed to go downstairs for dinner. She pulled on her worn black jeans with the patches and a T-shirt that read Wildcat and roughly combed her tangled hair. Tucking Margot under her arm, she set off to find out where everyone was.
She wandered around downstairs and followed the low buzz of conversation.
When she entered a sitting room, everyone stopped and turned to look at her.
They sure drank a lot, Allie noted as she looked at Carter's parents. Jack had a glass of what looked like whisky, and from the way he was swaying, he seemed as if he'd been drinking since she arrived earlier in the day.
"You don't have anything nicer to wear for dinner, dear?" Nancy asked her.
Allie gave her a catty smile. "No, your highness."
Before Nancy could respond, two well-dressed people came into the room followed by the fluffiest, cutest dog Allie had ever seen.
"Hi," the man said, "I’m Grant Holbrook. This is my wife, Kate."
"Nice to meet you," Allie said, shaking his hand. Coming up behind her, Carter coughed and punched her lightly in the hip.
"I mean…" She inwardly cringed, repeated to herself, Ten thousand dollars, then said, "Maybe I landed the wrong Holbrook." She tried to give her best trashy look and show off the ring on her left hand.
Grant looked alarmed. "Is this some sort of joke, man? You're marrying this… thing that you picked up in a bar?" he demanded of Carter.
Carter looked at him in wide-eyed innocence. "Isn’t she great?"
"Oh my word!" Kate exclaimed. "Her dog is going after Gus!"
The adventurous corgi had tried to make friends with Margot, who was having none of it. The Chihuahua mix growled and nipped at Gus. The corgi yelped, and Grant swooped in to scoop him up.
He turned his cold gaze on Allie. But she wasn’t fazed in the slightest—she dealt with all kinds of marines at the bar, and Grant Holbrook was no different.
He handed the corgi to his wife. Allie noticed blood on his hand, from his dog, she presumed.
"I don’t know who you think you are," he said, advancing on her. "But you don’t belong here. I know what kind of woman you are. Some marine-hunting slut who is trying to take my cousin to the cleaners. You are not welcome here. You need to give that ring back and get out."
She held her ground and gave him a slow blink.
"Don’t talk to my future wife like that," Carter demanded.
Ah, and now the inevitable territorial fight, she said to herself. She loosened up and widened her stance.
"What is wrong with you?" Grant yelled in Carter’s face. "Don’t you see? She’s using you! She's going to take your money and drag you through the streets!" Allie could feel the ugly glares of Carter’s family on her. She didn’t care. She’d been in worse positions before. Just think of the money, she told herself. You can finish your degree. So what if these people hate you? Your worlds will never again overlap.
"I’m sick of all of you!" Carter screamed. "You’re hypocrites. All your work at the Holbrook Foundation, and you treat my fiancée like crap. You especially can shove it, Grant, considering where you came from."
"That’s not the same at all, and you know it!" Grant bellowed. "I tried to better myself. She’s just here to steal something, fall pregnant, take your money, and ruin our family."
"I hate all of you!" Carter yelled and threw a punch at Grant.
He blocked it and swung at Carter. Allie watched the Holbrook cousins grapple. She could tell they weren’t really trying to kill each other.
She waited a beat to match the rhythm of the fight then lunged between the two men, swung Carter over her back, and slammed him to the floor. She heard the air rush out of his lungs as Kate screamed.
Grant grabbed her arm. "What the—"
Allie snatched his hand and twisted it. Grant grunted in pain.
"Stop it," she said quietly, releasing Grant after she saw the grimace of pain on his face. "No fighting inside."
Carter stood up slowly, trying to catch his breath, and Grant massaged his hand.
Allie turned at the sound of slow applause. A tall, well-dressed man stood in the doorway. He was an older version of Grant and Carter, the same dark hair and blue eyes.
"I’m glad to see someone can put these boys in line," he said with a smile.
Allie gave him a nod.
"Walter," he said, introducing himself.
She recognized Walter Holbrook, Grant's father, from the pictures of Kate and Grant's wedding.
She supposed breaking up a fight was trashy enough for an evening. Carter’s family was still sort of looking at her, stunned, so she went over to the bar to make herself a drink.
"I can make something for you, Ms. Larson," Stefan said.
"No, thanks," she told him. "I'm a bartender, remember? I make my own drinks."
While Margot cowered at her feet, Allie made a Negroni for herself and took a sip as she turned around to face Carter’s family.
"Were you in the military?" Carter’s uncle asked finally.
"No," she said.
"Oh. Where did you learn how to do that?"
She shrugged. "They weren't actually fighting. No one had a knife or a gun."
"I see," said Walter. He motioned to the drink in her hand. "Can you make me one of those?"
"Of course," she replied and turned her attention back to the drink cart.
Walter took a sip of the Negroni she handed him. "Perfect. I think I have a new favorite person!"
Jack looked as if he were about to punch his brother.
"Dinner is ready," said Stefan, opening the doors to the dining room.
As they sat down to eat, Allie put all illusions out of her mind of Carter suddenly falling madly in love with her and inviting her to come live in this beautiful house and solve all of her financial problems. Aside from Walter, who it seemed could be bribed with drinks, this was probably the fastest she had ever alienated a group of people.
Stefan served dinner. Allie almost stood up to help him, but Carter dug his fingers into her thigh. She winced. That was going to bruise.
Dinner was an endive-and-pear Roquefort salad paired with a savory seafood gratin with a side of grilled asparagus. It was one of the tastiest meals Allie had ever eaten. She didn't even try to eat elegantly a
nd bent over the dish to shovel the piping hot food into her mouth.
Carter poked her repeatedly in the abdomen. She obligingly let out a burp. He snickered, and his mother looked appalled. She could tell they were waiting for her to say, "Excuse me." She took a swig of wine instead.
After everyone else finished eating, Stefan began to clear away the table, and Allie automatically jumped up and started bussing the table. Carter laughed.
"Oh, there’s no need to do that," Nancy told her.
"It’s fine," Allie said stubbornly and helped Stefan clear the table while the Holbrooks looked on in shock and bemusement.
When the table was clear, Allie helped Stefan serve dessert. It was chocolate crème brûlée. The burnt-sugar crust cracked delightfully under her spoon, and the chocolate crème melted on her tongue.
"So good," she mumbled. Licking her spoon, she said, "This was the best meal I've ever eaten."
Nancy looked taken aback, but she still smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it."
Jack glared angrily at her.
"Nancy is a bit of a chef. She prepared all of the dishes. Of course, she would never brag about it, so I'm doing it for her," Kate said cheerfully.
"It's amazing," Allie repeated and stood up to start clearing the dishes.
Jack reached for the wine bottle to refill his glass, but Allie took it away from him.
"You’ve had enough," she said to him.
Carter practically fell out of his chair laughing. Walter, who was sitting next to him, cackled and slapped his thigh.
"Where did you find her?" he asked Carter.
"A bar!"
8
Carter
After dinner, they all retired to the parlor. There was a fire going, and Carter started throwing things in it and watching them burn.