excused himself from the table, with definite reluctance. He wanted to know what Sophie had to say. Damn it. He led Zach down the deck to an empty pair of bar stools against the back railing. “What’s up?”
“You know that Jillian and I are still broken up, right?”
“Yeah.” Carter remembered wanting to throttle Zach for being stupid enough to let someone as awesome as Jillian go. But he’d refrained. If Zach didn’t have enough brains to hold onto Jillian, then he didn’t deserve her.
“I thought it was the best thing at the time, you know?” Zach leaned over the railing and laced his fingers together. “I told myself I could concentrate on my career and not have…”
“A woman dragging you down?” Carter finished, biting off the words one at a time.
“Well, yeah. I mean, that sounds shitty, but that’s what I thought. So I didn’t try all that hard to get her back. I thought I was making the right choice.”
“And now, three months later, you’re thinking, gee, I was a total friggin’ idiot?” There, he’d said it.
Zach let out a long breath. “Yeah.”
“And why are you talking to me about this?” Carter said. “There’s nothing I can do. I mean, she’s my sister, but you know her. She does what she wants, and never asks anyone for their opinion first.”
“I know that. But…” Zach turned to him then, and in Zach’s eyes, Carter saw pain. The kid was hurting, and that tugged on Carter’s sympathies, even though his first allegiance would always be to his sister. “Can you talk to her? Put in a good word for me?”
Carter wanted to say hell no, but then he took one look at Zach’s heartbroken puppy dog face, and caved. He’d been there—he still remembered how he’d felt when Louise Johnson had broken his heart right before senior prom—and try as he might to hate the guy who had broken Jillian’s heart, he couldn’t. Zach was clearly in pain, and maybe, just maybe, the three or so months apart had taught him what a valuable person Jillian was. Carter knew his sister was miserable, too, even if she refused to admit it. “Yeah, yeah, I can talk to her.”
Relief flooded Zach’s features. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
Just as Zach started to turn away, Carter put a hand on his shoulder. The moment of sympathy he’d had for Zach was passing, replaced by Carter’s instinct to protect his sister. “Tell me one thing first.”
“Anything.”
“What’s changed? Far as I can tell, your career is still first.”
“Because I’m playing here tonight? That’s my job, Carter.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the kind of job that feeds a family. You want to get back together with Jillian, don’t do it half-assed. Prove to her that you’re ready to be everything she deserves.”
Zach scowled. “You mean give up my music.”
“I mean get a job that has health insurance and a 401k plan and a regular income every week. Play music on the weekends or whatever.”
Zach looked past Carter, out onto the water. He didn’t speak for a while. Then he nodded. “If that’s what it takes.”
“That’s what it takes to be a grown-up, Zach, and that’s the kind of man my sister deserves.” Carter clapped him on the back, half support, half get-your-act-together, then walked away.
TEN
The Outsiders were just starting their first set when Jillian finally got a chance to take a few minutes to visit with Carter. She welcomed the break outside, especially when she heard the first emotional notes of “You’re The Everything.” She couldn’t watch Zach sing that song, couldn’t listen to the words. When they’d been dating, he’d always called her over when he sang “You’re The Everything,” delivering the words right to her. As if he meant them all.
The music muted when Jillian shut the glass door leading to the deck. It was a warm night, and she should have left it open, but the door could wait, at least until that song was over.
Their kiss lingered in her
“You know that Jillian and I are still broken up, right?”
“Yeah.” Carter remembered wanting to throttle Zach for being stupid enough to let someone as awesome as Jillian go. But he’d refrained. If Zach didn’t have enough brains to hold onto Jillian, then he didn’t deserve her.
“I thought it was the best thing at the time, you know?” Zach leaned over the railing and laced his fingers together. “I told myself I could concentrate on my career and not have…”
“A woman dragging you down?” Carter finished, biting off the words one at a time.
“Well, yeah. I mean, that sounds shitty, but that’s what I thought. So I didn’t try all that hard to get her back. I thought I was making the right choice.”
“And now, three months later, you’re thinking, gee, I was a total friggin’ idiot?” There, he’d said it.
Zach let out a long breath. “Yeah.”
“And why are you talking to me about this?” Carter said. “There’s nothing I can do. I mean, she’s my sister, but you know her. She does what she wants, and never asks anyone for their opinion first.”
“I know that. But…” Zach turned to him then, and in Zach’s eyes, Carter saw pain. The kid was hurting, and that tugged on Carter’s sympathies, even though his first allegiance would always be to his sister. “Can you talk to her? Put in a good word for me?”
Carter wanted to say hell no, but then he took one look at Zach’s heartbroken puppy dog face, and caved. He’d been there—he still remembered how he’d felt when Louise Johnson had broken his heart right before senior prom—and try as he might to hate the guy who had broken Jillian’s heart, he couldn’t. Zach was clearly in pain, and maybe, just maybe, the three or so months apart had taught him what a valuable person Jillian was. Carter knew his sister was miserable, too, even if she refused to admit it. “Yeah, yeah, I can talk to her.”
Relief flooded Zach’s features. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
Just as Zach started to turn away, Carter put a hand on his shoulder. The moment of sympathy he’d had for Zach was passing, replaced by Carter’s instinct to protect his sister. “Tell me one thing first.”
“Anything.”
“What’s changed? Far as I can tell, your career is still first.”
“Because I’m playing here tonight? That’s my job, Carter.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the kind of job that feeds a family. You want to get back together with Jillian, don’t do it half-assed. Prove to her that you’re ready to be everything she deserves.”
Zach scowled. “You mean give up my music.”
“I mean get a job that has health insurance and a 401k plan and a regular income every week. Play music on the weekends or whatever.”
Zach looked past Carter, out onto the water. He didn’t speak for a while. Then he nodded. “If that’s what it takes.”
“That’s what it takes to be a grown-up, Zach, and that’s the kind of man my sister deserves.” Carter clapped him on the back, half support, half get-your-act-together, then walked away.
TEN
The Outsiders were just starting their first set when Jillian finally got a chance to take a few minutes to visit with Carter. She welcomed the break outside, especially when she heard the first emotional notes of “You’re The Everything.” She couldn’t watch Zach sing that song, couldn’t listen to the words. When they’d been dating, he’d always called her over when he sang “You’re The Everything,” delivering the words right to her. As if he meant them all.
The music muted when Jillian shut the glass door leading to the deck. It was a warm night, and she should have left it open, but the door could wait, at least until that song was over.
Their kiss lingered in her
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