When 20-year-old Kara Bennett moves to Boston to escape her post-high school drama with her daughter, she didn't expect to fall straight into it in the form of Austin Mayer.
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All Kara Bennett...
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WHEN WE SAT AT THE DINING TABLE, I FINALLY ASKED THE QUESTION IN MY MIND.
"Isn't Kara coming?"
Sarah glanced at Nick with furrowed eyebrows, then turned to me. "She's with Derek." Of course, she is. When she lowered her gaze onto her plate, silence dominated the table.
Honestly, when Nick invited me, I thought Kara would be here—that it was the reason why I was invited in the first place. I was just here to the third wheel, though. Kara was with Derek. Where were they? I slid a hand into my pocket and pulled out my cell to check Instagram. No stories, no posts. Were they officially together?
"You're silent, Austin." Sarah's statement lifted my gaze. I honestly feared Sarah's gaze since the beginning because she looked at me like she could read into my mind and that was a bad thing. There was a sly grin on her face as if she knew that I was burning in flames.
"I rather devour my meal. This is awesome," I said, poking the chicken with my fork.
"Glad you like it," Sarah murmured skeptically. Nick cluelessly agreed to my compliment and squeezed her hand. It was nice seeing them getting along but it also made me sick. Third-wheeling sucked, especially when your mind was wandering around the dangerous territory—what was Kara doing right now?
I wanted to find an excuse and leave them alone right now. I didn't even know what I was doing here. I indeed focused on my meal until it was done and tried not to intrude on their conversation.
We cleaned the table afterward—Sarah placed the dishes into the dishwasher and I did the rest while Nick talked to a patient. "Thanks for coming," Sarah suddenly said, turning around to give me a smile. "I didn't expect you would show up." If I knew Kara didn't come over, I would bail on you. I was glad she invited me over, though. Nick was serious with her so we had to get along. Sarah was a good girl—she seemed like a keeper.
"Of course," I replied as we went back to the parlor. "Thank you for inviting me over. Means a lot."
Since Nick didn't help us cleaning the table, he offered to make coffee. It was a tempting offer and neither of us said no to that.
Once he disappeared into the kitchen, I shifted closer to Sarah. I still had the chance to turn this dinner to my advantage. I could fish information about Kara. "So," I started. "Are Kara and Derek official yet?"
"Why?" I rolled my eyes and leaned back. I should have calculated she wouldn't give in without a fight. "I'll tell you but you will answer my question first." I looked at her to let her carry on. "Do you like Kara?"
I let out a breathy laugh to gain time. Was the answer to my question that important? I knew she would never stop teasing me if she learned that I liked Kara. When I looked at her eyes, I found her watching me intently. She was smart; she knew I liked her but she wanted to make sure. But she was Kara's best friend and there was a high possibility she would tell her, too.
