Finding Carson Lee (Oh Captan, My Captain #3) (23 page)

“
Carson, I hope that you’re hungry. I made a big meal to celebrate.”

“
Yes, ma’am, I am, but to celebrate what?” I tentatively ask.

“
This joyous relationship between you and our sweet Kinley,” she states as if it’s obvious.

“
Told you, wedding bells,” Kinley leans over, whispering in my ear as she places a pot down.

I gulp because I was really hoping she was mostly kidding. “Oh, right,” I mumble before speaking up so Mrs. Wright can hear me. “I guess Kinley and I are worth celebrating.”

They sit down and Kinley quickly says softly, “Bet you wished you didn’t jerk that phone away from me now, don’t you?”

“
More than you can imagine,” I reply back.

“
Don’t go overboard, Ruby,” Mr. Wright begins as we start scooping food onto our plates. “They’ve just started dating. You don’t need to celebrate too much yet.”

“
Yes, Mama, please listen to Dad.” Kinley nods in agreement.

Mrs. Wright sighs loudly. “I guess I can’t express my elation at all in this house. Fine then. We’ll sit here and eat this food that doesn’t mean anything.”

“
You’re so dramatic, dear.” Mr. Wright laughs.

I clear my throat, desperately wanting to change the subject. “Are you the one that taught Kinley how to cook, Mrs. Wright?”

“
Oh no, it wasn’t me.” She shakes her head. “It was my mother that taught her. Kinley would never listen to me, but she would always listen to my mom.”

“
Your mother taught her well then. I’m sure your cooking will be just as delicious. Has Kinley always been so stubborn?” I ask.

Mr. and Mrs. Wright both say, “Yes.”

“
Let’s not beat around the bush here, shall we?” Kinley mumbles.

“
Kinley has always been hardheaded. She gets it from Perry.” Mrs. Wright gives a pointed look at her husband.

He returns it with an even look of his own. “I do recall knowing a certain woman who is very difficult to persuade and still doesn’t half listen to anyone else.”

“
Ha! Well, it’s not me.”

Unthinking, the words spew from my mouth. “Are all families like this?” Forks stop moving and all eyes are on me. I quickly correct myself. “I mean, is everyone in your family like this?”

“
Families who care about each other are just like this,” Mr. Wright answers with a serious look.

I nod. “Right. I was just wondering. About your family,” I add to clarify.

Mrs. Wright looks a little confused. “Carson, doesn’t your family have little
tiffs
every once in a while?”

“
Not as often as you might think, actually.” God, can we please change the subject?

My saving grace ends up being Mr. Wright. “Are you ready for the season to start?”

“
Yes, I am. It’ll feel good to get back to work and start playing and traveling again, to get back into my routine.”

“
I hear that Ashton Campbell in Utah is going to be hard to beat,” he says.

“
No harder than the rest of them. I’m just hoping for us to have a better season. And maybe get Kinley interested in hockey enough to use the correct terms, at least. Otherwise, I’m not sure how long this will last,” I joke.

Kinley rolls her eyes and slightly shakes her head at me.

“
She better know the terms if she might be working with more players. What did you end up deciding, Kinley?” Mr. Wright asks her.

“
Working with more players?” I look at Kinley for an explanation. What is he talking about? What decision?

“
Um, yeah,” she starts shaky. “I was going to tell you the other day. My boss gave me a choice between the hockey campaigns or football, and I picked hockey.” She clears her throat and shrugs like it’s no big deal.

But it’s a big fucking deal.

With worry, Mrs. Wright asks, “Does that mean more traveling and long hours?”

She nods. “Yes, Mama, it does.”

“
Wait a second.” We need to backtrack here because I’m not understanding this at all. “What do you mean you picked hockey? What happened to football? That’s all you talked about.” She was close to falling apart with the pressure she felt from wanting the football promotion so badly. And she just gave it up?

“
It was. And while it would have been a promotion, it was still a lesser position than if I chose hockey. I wouldn’t be able to lead campaigns like I do now. Plus, I’m working on signing more players soon, so I wanted to see it all through. I was going to tell you,” she adds like that’s the most important part of this discussion, but it’s not.

“
Oh, I see.” I nod, even though I don’t see it. “That makes sense then, I guess.”

Mr. Wright smiles at his daughter. “Well, I’m proud of you, Kinley. Your hard work and determination has paid off, and I think that’s what we should be celebrating tonight.”

“
Yeah, to Kinley’s success,” I add, but the bad feeling just keeps growing.

The rest of dinner goes smoothly, but I can’t stop thinking about this turn of events as we drive back to my house, so Kinley can drop me off. Things have been quiet until she breaks the silence.

“
That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

“
Guess not,” I answer simply.

“
Okay,” she trails. “Are you mad that I didn’t tell you about the promotion? Because I was going to, but then we went and met Gracie, and I sort of forgot until tonight. I was going to tell you.”

“
I’m not mad, Kinley. Mostly confused still, but if you’re satisfied, then that’s good.” It doesn’t feel good though.

“
Well, I might need your help teaching me more hockey because I still don’t know the difference with offsides and icing,” she says trying to lighten my mood.

“
Okay. We’ll have to go over some games at some point then.”

“
Oh, will it be classics of the great Carson Lee?”

“
Is there any other way?” I smile as we pull into my driveway. Before she can make a move to get out, I clear my throat and tell her, “I have an early start in the morning, so I’m heading to bed early. I’ll see you at the party?”

She doesn’t believe me. She shouldn’t because I’m lying, but she doesn’t question me. “Um, sure, yeah. I’ll see you at the party.”

I lean over the console, kiss her, and then head inside. Her explanation doesn’t make sense to me. Yeah, the promotion was bigger if she went with hockey, but football was her
dream
. Why wouldn’t she choose that and work her way up until she reached the position she wanted in the field she’s been going after for who knows how long? Surely, she didn’t choose hockey because of me.

Kinley wouldn’t do that, right? We’re not even serious. I mean, we’re serious enough that we’re in a type of relationship that requires no lying, cheating, and trust. We are not, however, in a type of relationship that should affect our careers and the decisions we make regarding it. If something were to happen and I were traded, I wouldn’t think about the relationship at all. Career first. Everything else second. I thought Kinley was that way too, but maybe she isn’t.

Either way, I’m not so sure about things anymore.

Kinley

I’m sitting at my kitchen table, staring at my phone. I had texted Carson last night, and I still haven’t heard anything from him. It’s been almost a week since the dinner with my parents and I’ve barely spoken to Carson. The only time we really talked was about the campaign, but nothing personal.

I’m not sure what really happened. I know Mama freaked him out a little, but I told him that’s how she was. On top of that, I know that I should have told him about the promotion, but I really did forget about it.

I send him a text asking if he still wants me to come to the party, but he never answers me. I don’t know what to do. I call Cassie and tell her everything that happened.

“
Should I not go to this party?”

“
I think you should go because you already said you were going to. Plus, I know that you’re dressed and sitting at the table.”

I look down, and she’s right. “Fine. I’ll call you later.” I hang up and head to my car.

The gate to Carson’s is open and there are a ton of cars, but I’m able to park in my usual spot by the garage. I count to five, fluff my hair, and get out of the car. The heat is intense today so I’m wearing a strapless maxi dress and sandals.

I walk towards the noise coming from the side of the house. When I turn the corner, there is a larger crowd than I actually imagined. Kids are splashing in the pool, and everyone is standing around in groups. I see Carson with a small group of guys, and I make my way over to him. I’m not sure what to expect when I touch his arm. He turns, giving me a small smile.

“
Hey, you made it.”

I smile back. “Yes.”

“
Hey, guys, this is Kinley Wright. She is the campaign director of the clothing line I’m modeling for.” Carson starts rattling off their names, but I’m not listening because I keep thinking about the introduction. I’m not even a friend. He didn’t have to say girlfriend, but I figured at least a friend. I keep my smile plastered on my face as the guys ask me how Carson did in Utah.

“
He was almost pleasant.” I try to attempt a joke but it doesn’t come off that way.

“
Kinley!” I turn to my name being yelled, and Tyler hugs me. “How are you?”

“
I’m good.”

Tyler introduces me to his girlfriend, who is a real sweet girl, and we begin chatting about all sorts of things, including growing up in Alabama. Tyler even takes us around and introduces us to the head coach, and even the owner of the Blacksmiths.

After about an hour, Carson hasn’t even looked in my direction, and I know what that means. It’s sad to think he’s going to end it like this, but it’s his choice, I guess. I quietly walk away from the party and go back to my car. There’s no point in staying.

When I make it back to my apartment, the first tear falls. I’m stupid. So, fucking stupid. What the hell was I thinking getting with Carson?

Damn it. I knew how he was about relationships and girlfriends.

I shouldn’t have taken him to my parents.

Shit, I shouldn’t have slept with him. I shouldn’t have stayed at his house.

Fuck.

I fucked up again.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I see that it’s Carson. I quickly wipe my face and cough away my tearful voice.

“
Hello.” I try to be nonchalant.

“
Hey, where are you? I went looking for you and saw your car was gone.”

“
Oh, well, you seemed super busy, and I have a lot of work, so I just took off.”

“
It’s a party. I wasn’t busy, but I can understand that you left because of work. Thanks for stopping by at least.”

“
Yeah, thanks for the invitation. Good luck at camp. I’ll see you at the launch party in a couple of weeks.” I quickly hang up because I don’t want to hear his voice anymore.

~ ~ ~

If there’s one thing about being single for so long, it’s that I can bounce back pretty well. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway. I haven’t talked to Carson in over a week, and I know that he’s started training camp already. I’ve actually been keeping up with his schedule.

I’m flipping through emails when someone begins to pound on my door. It scares me so badly I almost drop my wine glass.