by Alina Jacobs
"Immature? He has terrible taste in women," Walter said with a snort. "Not that I should talk, considering my wife killed our children and her parents and tried to kill Grant and Kate."
"Maybe you should try dating again," Carter told Walter.
"Nope. I'm done. Never again. A good, honest woman is hard to find. Allie seems real. I don't know her, obviously, but if she has a good heart and you love her, don't worry about what Jack says."
11
Allie
Allie woke up to what she thought was rain. She rolled over and looked. The sun was shining, reflecting off of the light snow that had dusted the ground the night before. Carter was standing on the balcony, completely naked, taking a leak.
"That is disgusting," she said loudly.
"I had asparagus for dinner last night," Carter said over his shoulder, still watering the plants.
"Gross."
"Well, one of us has to act trashy. I spent ten thousand dollars on you, and I feel like you’re not giving me my money’s worth."
He walked inside and slammed the French doors behind him.
"Put some clothes on," she told him.
"Why?" he said, stalking over to her.
He leaned over Allie on the couch. She went wide-eyed as his naked body was right there in front of her.
"You don't want me to show you a good time instead?" he murmured.
Yes, Allie wanted to say.
"Nah, I'm just kidding," Carter said, going into the closet.
Allie took a deep breath and fanned herself.
"What else are we doing today?" she called to him. "Am I just supposed to stay here and harass your parents?"
"No," Carter said. "I'll show you around New Cardiff. First, breakfast, though, if you're hungry."
Allie dressed and fixed her hair, then she followed Carter out of the suite.
"Mark!" Carter said as he and Allie came down the stairs.
Mark looked at Allie, aghast. "What is she doing here? This is who you're marrying? I can't believe you, Carter. After all the terrible decisions you've made, this has to be the worst!"
"You know her?" Jack asked, coming into the foyer with Nancy.
"She's the bartender at the Wildcat. She’s a real—"
His mother coughed delicately.
"Let’s just say she has a reputation."
"I remember you," Allie said to Mark. She smiled as she watched him squirm. "I hope you’re better about holding your liquor and that you aren’t as naïve about women."
Mark blushed.
"Don't you remember? I had to rescue you from that one dumpster fire that was about to poke a hole in the condom. I hope you have raised your standards a bit."
Mark looked down at the floor and mumbled, "What time is dinner?"
"We’re starting at four," his mother said.
"Great," Carter said. "Allie and I are going out after we eat."
Breakfast was the most impressive spread Allie had ever seen. On the buffet were waffles with lobster, crab omelets, and eggs benedict, and of course pitchers of mimosas.
His family drinks a ton, she thought, but as soon as she ate the food, she was carried away by the delicious flavors.
"Where are you from?" Carter's grandfather asked her.
"The Midwest," she said after swallowing a large bite.
"And your family?"
"Gone," she said.
"A woman of few words. I like that!" Harris boomed.
Goodness, he's already drunk, Allie thought. She supposed she wasn't going to be the trashiest person at the table after all.
"What website did you find her on?" Harris asked Carter, noisily eating his food.
"No website. We met in person," Carter replied.
Harris nodded and poured himself another drink. "I use this great website called Seeking Sweetie to look for sugar babies."
"She's not with me for my money," Carter said sharply.
Well, actually, Allie thought, contemplating the money now sitting in her account.
"Do you have any friends?" Harris asked her. "Just… I want one with bigger tits than you—you're too flat chested."
"What the—Uncle Walter, can you do something?" Carter said.
Walter stood up. "Harris," he said, "cool it down, or you're going to stay outside."
"You can't put an old man out!"
"I most certainly can. Allie is a guest."
"So am I!"
"No, you're a mooch. You still want to keep your allowance, yes? Then stay on good behavior. I mean it."
"You can't speak to me like that," Harris said, gesturing wildly with his fork. "I gave you and Jack the money to grow that business!"
"Yes, and it's a good thing you did. Otherwise, there would be no money left. You frittered away what few millions your father left you."
"You done?" Carter asked Allie. "Let's go. I'm not staying here any longer."
"Be careful," Jack called after them.
Carter ignored him and dragged Allie and Margot out of the house.
12
Carter
"If we’re taking my car, you have to pay for gas," Allie said when they were standing outside the house.
"You need to calm down about that," Carter said as he put on his sunglasses. A black town car pulled up, and Carter opened the door for Allie.
On the drive into New Cardiff, Carter pointed out the various landmarks. They passed by one empty lot where there were dumpsters and backhoes.
"Stop the car!" Carter shouted.
"Why, are we here?" Allie asked.
Carter ignored her, wrenched open the car door, and sprinted toward the pile of rubble.
"They demolished it. I can't believe it," he said, staring sorrowfully at the spot where his little cousins had lived their final moments.
Allie jogged up the hill after him. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"They tore it down. My three cousins died here in a house fire a few years go. No one told me they were demolishing the house."
"This must have been a shock for you, I bet," Allie said to him.
Carter nodded then started sobbing.
Allie rubbed her hand in circles on his back as he sniffled. "Were you close to your cousins?"
"Yeah, they were like my little shadows. I would spend almost every day after school with them. It's been years since they died, and it still hurts."
Allie offered him a tissue, and he wiped his eyes.
"Everyone said it would be better in time, and it's not. Especially this time of year. The youngest one loved fall, and she adored Halloween and Thanksgiving. Said it was better than Christmas, even though she didn’t receive presents. She just liked the food and the family gatherings, and I would take them to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I’ll never do that again. Like, that will never happen again. Ever. Because they are gone. It’s just so awful."
Allie sighed and sank down next to him in the dry brown weeds that sprouted on the neglected property.
"It’s a lie that time makes grief better. You just learn to ignore it. Some days it works, and some days it doesn’t."
"I can't ever ignore it," Carter said.
"I’m really sorry, Carter. I really am."
She held him close to her chest. Carter could feel her shivering slightly in the November chill.
"We should leave," he said finally.
She took out another napkin from her large canvas bag and wiped off his face.
He let her pick bits of grass and leaves off of his coat before they climbed back into the car.
Carter watched Allie's face as they drove into the little downtown of New Cardiff. In all his years of seeing her at the Wildcat, she had never seemed overly angry, frustrated, or excited. She always had an even temperament. The most excited he had seen her be was when she saw the bathtub in their suite at his uncle's house. But when the car drove into the town, her face lit up.
"Wow!" she said. "This is like a postcard."
"They’v
e already started decorating for Christmas," Carter said as the driver let them off. "My mother can’t stand when they start Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, but people will want to shop tomorrow, so that’s why they started yesterday, I think."
Most of the shops were closed, so Carter and Allie strolled along the brick-paved sidewalks, looking at the elegant display windows and all the lights and decorations on the lampposts and street furniture.
"You didn’t bring anything warmer?" Carter asked Allie.
"I’m fine," she said.
He tugged at her thin jacket. "This might be enough for North Carolina, but it won’t cut it in New England."
He took off his wool overcoat.
"I'm not taking your coat," she growled.
"Good, because I’m not giving it to you." He took off the jacket he was wearing under the coat, wrapped it around her, and put his overcoat back on.
Allie hugged the jacket around herself as they walked past the Scottie Dog Groomer and Pet Boutique.
"I can’t believe Ginny’s working today," Carter said and walked in.
Allie followed behind him.
"Carter!" Ginny yelled from the back of the shop.
The whole store had high-end pet items. Ginny had married a friend of his, Eric Davenport, a couple of years before, and Carter hadn’t seen either since their wedding.
Ginny fluffed out the corgi she was grooming and ran over to give Carter a big hug.
"Are you done with the military?" she asked.
"Almost," Carter replied.
"Who’s this? Is this the famous Allie?"
"Excuse me?" Allie said.
Ginny laughed. "Kate told me all about you."
"Interesting," Allie replied. She didn’t smile.
"And what’s your name?" Ginny asked, holding out a hand for Margot to sniff.
"I found her in a trash heap," Carter said. "I rescued her."
"I see. She’s a… well… she has character," Ginny finally said.
The corgi barked.
"Is that… Gus?" Carter asked. "I can’t believe my cousin is forcing you to work on Thanksgiving."
"It's okay." Ginny laughed. "Gus is my last one. Everyone wants their dogs in top form for Thanksgiving. Brandy… my sister," she explained to Allie, "was supposed to help me. Of course she's not here."
"Shocking," Carter said dryly.
Brandy was notoriously flakey.
"I franchised the dog grooming business, and my New York City shop is pretty busy today, so my other workers are over there."
"Where’s Brandy?"
"Who knows? Off with Fernando, her fiancé, probably."
"When is their wedding?" Carter asked.
"End of September," Ginny replied. "She convinced poor Liz, my husband's sister, to be her maid of honor. No one else wanted to do it."
"I can’t imagine why," Carter said wryly.
"Why not?" Allie asked.
"Oh," Ginny said, flipping through some of the items she had in stock, "Brandy is very intense and demanding."
Ginny pulled out a knit sweater and handed it to Allie. "For your Chihuahua. She looks chilly."
"Thanks," Carter said. "Put it on Grant's tab."
"Will do," Ginny said. She handed him Gus’s leash.
"Kate was supposed to come pick him up, but she’s not here, and you are, and I really do have to go shower and change."
The door swung open, and Kate rushed in.
"So sorry I’m late! Oh, hi, Carter. Hi, Allie. Hi, Margot!" Kate said and moved to pet the little white dog.
She growled.
"What’s wrong with your dog?" she asked Carter.
He grimaced. "She’s feral, I think."
"Are you sure it’s a dog?" Grant asked, coming in to the shop. "Hi, Ginny. Sorry we’re late. I was on a call."
After they left the dog-grooming boutique, Carter studied Grant. His cousin had been previously unknown to their entire family until after the fire that killed Carter’s younger cousins. His uncle Walter revealed that he had had a son who was a full-blooded sibling of the kids who died. Kate had found Grant after months of searching.
Grant was everything Carter always wished he were. Strong, steadfast, confident. He had always thought he was his uncle Walter's favorite, but seeing Walter with Grant reminded Carter that he wasn’t all that important to his uncle. Or to his father, really.
"And they thought that it was a cat! But it was a possum!" Grant said, laughing as he finished some story.
"I think Margot’s a dog. Partially," Kate said.
Carter looked the dog over. In the sunlight, her missing eye and leg and patchy fur coat were glaring deficiencies.
"Come with us," Kate said. "We’re stopping by the bakery and picking up the desserts for tonight."
"I thought your grandmother was cooking something," Grant said, casually wrapping an arm around Kate and kissing her on the cheek.
Carter watched her blush.
"She said she didn’t feel like it," Kate replied as Gus trotted along beside them.
They looked so elegant, like a magazine ad, he thought. Kate was perfectly done up and wearing expensive designer shoes, and Grant looked impeccable in his suit and wool overcoat.
He wanted what Grant and Kate had. He looked quickly at Allie, but her face was unreadable.
Could he have it with Allie? She clomped beside him in her heavy boots, and her black hair was pulled out of her face with a rubber band. She didn’t have any makeup on, and Carter could see the smattering of freckles on her nose. The dog refused to walk, so Allie held Margot in her arms, and clumps of white fur rubbed off on Carter's black jacket that she wore.
She was nothing like Kate. That was for sure, but she had her own charm, he decided.
After Kate picked up the cakes, they all rode back to the estate in separate cars. Carter was taking Allie to the park by the water as an excuse to not have to go home with Grant and Kate. Carter didn’t think he wanted to sit and watch his cousin be so in love. He sat in the car with Allie and glowered on the ride to the park.
"They seem happy," Allie remarked as they stood on the pier and looked out over the water.
The sky was grey, and the waves were choppy. Carter sank into the cold, wet gloom. It matched his mood perfectly.
"Yes, they do," Carter said.
"Newlyweds, right?" she asked.
Carter nodded.
"Is that your life goal for when you are done with the Marine Corps?"
"Say what?"
"You want to be like your cousin Grant and run a huge division in an international corporation, have a nice, well-bred wife, a big house, and a purebred dog."
"I don’t know," he admitted.
"What do you want to do?" she asked him.
"I'm not sure."
"You aren’t sure?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You have all the money, all the connections in the world, and a strong family. You could do anything you want, so what do you want to do?"
"I don’t know!" he shouted at her.
She was unfazed by his outburst. "You do know what you want. You're just too afraid to admit it to yourself."
13
Allie
When they returned to the Holbrook estate, Allie could smell food cooking. She'd never had a real Thanksgiving, and she was a bit intrigued to find out how exactly the Holbrooks celebrated.
She went into the kitchen and found Nancy and Kate there, wearing aprons and preparing food for the meal.
"Can I help with anything?" Allie asked. She knew Carter wanted her to be obnoxious and trashy, but she really didn’t think she had it in her right then.
Are you worried his parents won't approve of you dating their son? As if you would ever have a chance with someone like Carter, her thoughts nagged at her. She tried to ignore the part of her that always tried to take the cynical path. Realistic, she thought. After this weekend, she would never see Carter or his family again, so what did any of this matter? The mone
y was already in her account—she had checked that morning—so she was going to put it out of her head and enjoy her brief taste of the good life.
Nancy gave her a polite look. "Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving dishes? I’m sorry. I should have asked you yesterday when the stores were still open."
"No, my family never really celebrated holidays," Allie said, washing her hands.
"I see. Well, they still must miss you," Nancy said as Allie found a knife and a cutting board.
"Nope," Allie replied. "I haven’t seen or spoken to them in almost ten years."
Nancy sniffed and turned back to the dinner preparations. Allie took off the fake engagement ring and started chopping vegetables.
"You’re a guest. You don’t have to do that," Nancy said.
Allie ignored her and continued chopping.
She stayed silent as Kate and Nancy talked about the dinner, various people around New Cardiff, and Brandy’s upcoming wedding.
"She wanted me to be her maid of honor. As if," Kate said. "I can’t believe she’s marrying Fernando."
"Fernando was Kate’s old beau," Nancy said to Allie as she wiped her hands and came over to inspect her work. "Very nicely chopped," she told her. "Do you like to cook?"
"I used to work as a line cook," Allie explained. "It was my first job when I went to Les DesChamps. Then I switched to bartending since it pays much better. College is expensive."
"Oh, you’re in college."
"Yes, I'm working my way through slowly, but I’m almost done."
Allie helped prepare the appetizers, and then she helped Stefan cart everything out to the parlor.
"Would anyone like a drink?" Nancy asked.
"I can do it." Allie took the bottles from her. "Bartender, remember?" She pointed to a pitcher. "I premade a mix for a cocktail, or I can make you something special," she announced to the group.
An older woman was there. Allie assumed she was Kate’s grandmother.
"Well, doesn’t this all look wonderful?" she said, inspecting the offerings.
Carter grabbed a plate full of appetizers and held out his cup for some of the cocktail. Allie put an ice cube in his glass.