Carter opened his mouth as if to say something but then hesitated and nodded. "I'm sorry, and I understand. You’re a professional doing wonderful things for my father. I promise not to jeopardize your job again."
"Thank you. I appreciate that," I said even though deep down inside I was a little disappointed he wasn't trying harder to sweep me off my feet and carrying me to a bedroom like he had that last night four years ago. Of course, it was a good thing that he was being respectful because that's what I needed.
"Your father's down on the beach having a little nap,” I said.
Carter looked out over the beach where his father was snoozing under the umbrella. He smiled, and I was warmed by the genuine love I saw from him towards his father.
Then he turned his attention back to me. "I brought dad’s special Scandinavian cookies that he loves." He pointed to the box on the table. He picked it up. "I'll bring it inside and leave them in the kitchen. I'll come back later to visit with him."
He turned and headed back toward the house. As he reached the door, he stopped and turned to me. "I would like to catch up with you, maybe take you out for dinner."
I smiled, feeling a mixture of sadness and regret that I couldn’t take him up on the offer. "I appreciate that, but again I'm not sure it's right since I work for your father and this job keeps me pretty busy."
I saw the disappointment in Carter's expression, but he smiled and said goodbye, then went back inside the house.
I stood there for a moment, wallowing in my own disappointment, but then pushed it away so I could get back to the task at hand. I took my phone back down to the beach, texting Reggie to see if there was anything that I needed to bring home when I left today.
Alex was still lightly snoring on the towel, so I lay back on my towel next to him, and of course, Carter flitted back into my brain. He had behaved exactly like he should have; a perfect gentleman. But in doing so I felt so disappointed that he hadn't pushed me a little bit harder. It was a reminder that while he was attracted to me still, I wasn’t special enough to pursue harder.
7
Carter
The office was quieter than usual, and it took me a few hours to determine that it was probably because my brother, Hunter and his new wife, Natalie were on their honeymoon. The two of them had a very passionate relationship that often got boisterous when they were butting heads. I had the impression that when they were at odds it was a form of foreplay.
Of all my brothers, Hunter was the one I felt was least likely to ever settle down, so it was surprising that he beat both me and Noah to the altar. Some might say that Noah was the least likely to ever get married, but I was certain he was still just sowing his oats. Hunter hadn’t just been sowing his oats, he seemed to have a real aversion to relationships until Natalie came into his life.
I was really happy for him. While I told Noah that I had no intention of settling down, it hadn’t been because of any aversion to getting married. It was more of an inability to find a woman who enjoyed the excitement and adventure of travel and life like I did. Some of the prospects I'd met in the last couple years only enjoyed the five-star type of adventure, like the spas and room service, but not so much the hiking into places that many others didn't dare to go.
I shook my head off my personal life and focused on the European expansion that my brother Ryan started, and Hunter and Natalie were in Europe following up on marketing research for.
I heard voices coming up the hallway. I looked up in time to see my grandmother and her dutiful assistant Andi in the doorway.
I rose from my chair adjusting my tie and jacket, so I looked professional. While she was my grandmother, she was also still head of the company, technically my boss.
"I heard you were back, Carter, but you haven't come to see me."
I looked down feeling guilty. "I'm sorry Gran. I was spending much of my free time visiting dad. I'd missed so much since his accident."
"Quite right that you should." My grandmother entered my office looking quite regal. She took a seat in one of the two chairs by my desk, while Andy sat in the other chair.
"Would you like a drink Gran, Andi?" I asked.
She waved a hand. "No, no. I'm just wanting to find out what's going on with the European expansion and what you learned in Asia."
I came around from my guest desk and leaned against the edge. "Ryan would be a better one to talk to about the overall European expansion, but I can tell you the numbers are looking good. And I'm still working on numbers for the Asian expansion, but so far they look good as well."
"That's good,” Gran said, then she laughed.
"What's so funny, Margaret?" Andi asked my grandmother. She was one of only a couple people who ever called Gran by her first name.
"Well, to think this all started from my sitting and trying to repair a broken sandal at the kitchen table when I was pregnant with Alex."
I grinned. "It's like serendipity. And now here you are, getting ready to retire, which makes me wonder why you're here. You aren't behaving like a woman who should be off enjoying the freedom retirement brings."
"As it turns out, Carter, it's not so easy to walk away from your life's work, something that you also feel duty bound to make sure endures."
“Do you have concerns about us?” I asked. Gran had decided that instead of making one CEO when she retired, she’d put each of my brothers and myself in charge of what we did best. For me, that was money and numbers, so I would be the Chief Financial Officer.