Happily Never After

Chapter 7

When we arrive at the ground floor, Carter and Landon walk out the lift first, continuing the conversation that they stopped when they got in. I push myself away from the corner and walk out the lift with Rachel by my side. 

"Rachel, keep me updated about when we can go back into the office to work." I reach into my bag for my phone as we walk towards the exit of the building. 

"I will do," she smiles. "Shame we have time off for the wrong reasons." 

"You might have some time off but my work never stops. " I hold the glass door open for her to walk outside first. She nods as she walks out and I follow behind with my phone in my hand. "I take my work home with me every day and work seven days a week." 

"Not all bad when you look at which clothes we should sell in the stores." She pulls her woolly hat off and slides it into her bag. "I would take doing that any day." 

"Trust me, it's not all as it's cracked up to be." My eyes dart along the quiet road and stop when I spot Carter standing by himself to my left. "Rachel, I need to go. I've got something to do. I'll see you later." 

"Okay," she nods before I start walking towards Carter. 

I look down at my phone as I walk in Carter's direction, purposely trying to get past him before he notices me and offers to give me a lift home. 

"Trying to walk past me like you didn't notice I was standing here, terrible thing to do when I noticed you noticing me." He mentions, making me briefly stop walking and catch his gaze. 

"Standing about looking like a spare prick makes you look and seem needy," I retaliate before continuing to walk and look down at my phone. 

I hear him run a little so he could walk next to me. I smile faintly to myself and lock my phone, putting it away in my bag and looking up at him. 

"I wouldn't be a proper gentlemen if I didn't walk a lady to her intended destination," he smiles. 

"You have no idea where I'm going." 

"You've been told to go home from work due to unforeseen circumstances. My guess is that you're heading for a taxi to go home." We stop walking and just look at each other. "Am I right?" 

"Carter, what do you really want? Do you want me to pay off my debt to you after you gave me a lift to work? Is that what you hanging around me right now is?" I squint my eyes a little at the sun the shines from behind him. 

"I admit, you do owe me for that but that isn't what this is about." I raise my eyebrows and wait for him to continue. "Let me give you a lift home and I'll explain what this is about." 

I shake my head. "I'm not going to go anywhere with you again until you tell me what this is actually about." 

"Sarah, I'm just being a nice guy. Please, let me give you a lift back to your house." 

"So I can be in your debt even more? I think I'll pass." I continue my walk along the pavement and count in my head for how long it would be before he either said something or came after me. 

One...two... 

"Sarah, wait!" 

Bingo! I stop walking and turn round to look at him. "Yes?" 

"How about breakfast then? I can get Phillip to take us somewhere to go and get breakfast." The look on his face pleads with me to say 'yes'. 

"I've already had breakfast for today," I smile. "Nice try though."