the store?”
“Yes, but—”
“Is Ian or Sadie with you?”
“Ian’s here, a customer too.”
“Don’t move. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Thirty tops.”
“Carter, you don’t have—”
“Don’t finish that sentence. Thirty minutes and I’ll be there. Then we can talk.”
The dial tone sounded before she had a chance to argue further. Okay, the reason she’d called him was more for the comfort factor than anything, and wasn’t that screwed up seeing as she’d only known him for a short time. Still, he was coming, and knowing that helped her ease up on her panic.
The baking smells and the soft laughter of Ian and Blue Eyes helped her spin down enough so she was no longer nauseated. Rick wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her with the guys around. And while he could probably figure out where she lived, she’d long ago had monitored security installed. She still had her phone unlisted, which would mean he couldn’t get to her that way.
Paige pressed her thumb to her wrist until her nail cut into the sensitive skin. The small burst of pain was enough to help center her mind. Closing her eyes and pulling her legs up, she sat precariously on the small stool and let her mind wander as she ran through the meditation techniques she’d learned.
Time melted, and it wasn’t until the door to the kitchen was pushed open that she realized she’d slipped out of reality and into her own head. When she opened her eyes, Carter stood there, his hands on his hips, staring at her with an odd expression on his face. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans despite the coolness in the air.
“Hi.” She tried to let her feet fall to the floor, but she’d lost the feeling in her legs. “Mind giving me a hand?”
Carter moved to her side and slipped an arm around her waist. The smell of sun and beer clung to him. “Go slow.”
The sting from the pins and needles returning had her sucking in a breath, fighting against the chewing sensation. “God, I hate this.”
“Then you shouldn’t sit that way.”
“It was that or beat my head against a wall. I figured this would be less painful for everyone.”
Carter chuckled. “Let me know when you can walk again.”
Paige put her hand over his, holding him in place, and leaned into his side. She’d missed the comfort his physical presence offered, even if they were in constant communication via text messaging. With the life coming back to her extremities, she looked up and shrugged.
“I could go for that burger right now.”
The scowl on his face told her the distraction wasn’t going to work for long, but for the moment he didn’t push.
“Can Ian do without you?”
“He’s a bit distracted at the moment, but I think he’ll be fine.”
“The guy at the counter seems pretty taken with him.”
“If Ian doesn’t ask him out soon I think Blue Eyes will. I don’t know why they’ve been playing this game for as long as they have.”
“Probably for the same reason you’re not telling me about Mr. Asshole who showed up and freaked you out. They are scared of the consequences.”
Paige didn’t like to think of herself as being scared of anything, but in this instance she couldn’t argue with him. “We can go to my place. Only if you want.” While the last thing she would normally do was to bring someone back to her place, knowing Carter was there in case Rick decided to show up was a comfort in itself. “I’ll buy the burgers.”
“I have beer in the car.”
Paige told Ian she was leaving. “Sadie said she could come in if you need her.”
Ian gave Carter the once-over. She knew he didn’t know what to make of the fireman yet, but his reaction was already better than it had ever been toward Rick. “No problem. We’re pretty quiet here today.”
Blue Eyes remained surprisingly silent for once, though he did nod at Carter.
The entire way from the store to his truck, Carter had an arm around her waist or a hand on her
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