Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) by Karen Amanda Hooper Page B

but he loved April and had been pretty good about not flirting with other girls. “We’re just friends. We relate to each other.”
    “Relate how?”
    “Music. Friends. He lost his father at a young age and I…lost everyone.”
    “You didn’t lose everyone. Lots of people here love you.”
    I couldn’t believe it. Carson said something nice to me. “Thanks for saying that, but don’t worry. River’s not interested in me. Plus, I’m friends with his girlfriend.”
    “How come you never had a boyfriend in Maryland?”
    “I don’t know, guess I never—wait, how do you know I didn’t have a boyfriend?”
    He fiddled with his rearview mirror. “Lucky guess.”
    I refused to let Carson make me feel inferior again. “I made the choice not to date. Why waste my time with the wrong person? I like the idea of waiting for that one person meant for only me—no matter how long it takes to find him.”
    The car slowed. Carson gaped at me as the engine grew quieter, then he fixed his eyes on the road and accelerated again. The shock of me sticking up for myself must have temporarily incapacitated him.
    He reclined in his seat. “I guess we’re opposites. I don’t date because I know there’s no one person meant for me.”
      “You don’t know that. My mother says everyone has a soul mate.”
    “If she believed that then why—” He paused. “Never mind.”
    Sadness body slammed me against my seat. I realized something for the first time. My mother would never see me fall in love, never attend my wedding, and never know her grandchildren. “Say it. If my mom believed that, then what?”
    I thought I saw warmth flicker in his eyes before he covered them with his sunglasses. “Then she’d agree that River isn’t right for you, and to be on the lookout for your soul mate. I’ve heard they’re never far away.”
    My stomach felt queasy. My mother used to tell me the mean boys on the playground only teased me or said cruel things because they liked me. Was Carson’s crappy attitude his twisted way of flirting? I didn’t know what to say, so I grunted and watched the desert zip past us for the rest of the ride.
     
    ∞
     
    By the time we arrived at our hotel, the sun had disappeared and the temperature dropped. I put on my sweater before climbing out of the car. Shiloh had already parked his truck and Faith was bouncing around the parking lot.
    “How exciting is this?” She clapped her hands together like a toy monkey with cymbals.
    Carson, Shiloh, and Dakota grabbed bags from the truck. Harmony didn’t bother waiting for anyone. The back of her black-and-purple head disappeared through the hotel entrance.
    Louise and Anthony looked even happier than usual. I felt so out of place. This was an important family event, and I didn’t want to be a party pooper. I faked a smile. “Woo-hoo, my first trip to Albuquerque. I’m stoked.”
    Faith’s smile fizzled, and she reached for my hand. “Come on, ya big liar, let’s go see if Nathan’s here yet. Shiloh, you guys can handle our bags, right?” She didn’t wait for an answer.
    We entered the lobby and found Harmony sitting in a chair shuffling several keycards. “Sorry to kill your buzz, but he hasn’t checked in yet.”
    Faith stomped her foot. “Dang it!”
    “Don’t worry. He’ll be here soon.” Louise patted Faith’s back. “Let’s get settled into our rooms. My head is vibrating from listening to that engine for the past five hours.”
    I knew how she felt. Mustangs were loud, and my head was rattling with a headache too. Then again, I always had headaches, but complaining never helped.
    Faith, Harmony, and I were sharing a room. Louise and Anthony took the one next door to us. Carson, Shiloh, and Dakota claimed the room across the hall. The illustrious Nathan would be staying in the guys’ room. I had to admit I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I’d heard about Nathan every day since I arrived in Sedona. It was time to put a