Rob’s shoulders heaved up and down. Was he...crying? He was definitely not crying, because when his head lifted he had a smile from ear to ear. He was...laughing.
“It’s about time.”
“What?”
“I only recently pieced it together after Martina mentioned something. To be honest, I wasn’t
happy at first but you’re my best friend. You may be a prick, but I know you would never do anything to hurt me or Carrie.”
“And you think this is funny?”
“No, I think it’s great. I just wondered how long it was going to take you to figure it out.” “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“You had to figure it out on your own.” He was probably right. “Do you have any idea what
you look like when you look at her?” “What are you talking about?”
“Mr. Ladies man. Yeah right. You give yourself away every time you look at her. I’ve seen you with women, hundreds of women–”
“Not hundreds.”
“You’re always stoic, detached, like you’re going through the motions until you can escape but with my sister, not to sound like a pansy or anything, but you swoon.”
“I do not swoon.”
“You’re a huge swooner. And when you aren’t swooning, you look at her like you want to devour her, which is pretty gross to watch considering she’s my sister. Not to mention your dating habits have changed. We spend a lot of time at my parents’ house, which by the way I am no longer doing.”
“How long have you had this theory?”
“Like I said, I just recently put it all together but thinking back, it was apparent all along.” “No way.”
“Yup. Do you not remember criticizing or scaring off all of her boyfriends? You still do that.” “I was just protective, she’s like my little sister.”
“That was part of the reason I’m sure, but you know deep down the real reason.”
It was true that Carrie made him feel things no other woman had. Even at a young age she made him feel safe, like he was home.
“Have you told her?” Rob asked.
“That I love her?”
Rob confirmed with a nod of his head.
“Not in so many words. It doesn’t matter anyway, because like I said there’s nothing between
us.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. You weren’t the only one in that room, and you know Carrie doesn’t
do anything she hasn’t already analyzed a thousand times.”
Rob approached and slapped his hand on Aleks’s shoulder. “It’s up to you to make sure this works out.” He started to walk away but stopped in his tracks. “Just don’t break her heart. I don’t even want to think about having to choose between you two if something goes terribly wrong.”
Chapter 16
Carrie helped a woman settle into the fitting room. She pulled down the curtain and advised that she would be back in a few minutes to check on her. She headed out to the front of the store.
She picked up where she had left off. Using the computer screen, Carrie sketched out a design for a bride who was scheduled for a fitting later that afternoon. The computer that Aleks had bought for her. Would anything in her life ever not be associated with A