Lie of My Life

10 The Vacation

I left as soon as the sunrise the next morning, making a lame excuse about how I had to get some work done before our standard group Saturday morning breakfast. He only had time to smile before I rushed out the door and ran to my apartment. I closed the door behind me, shaking, wondering what I had done, what I had ruined.

No. Maybe I hadn't ruined anything. This was Carter. This was my best friend. The man who loved me more than any other in the whole world, except perhaps Aaron. He would never hurt me, not intentionally at least. I could trust him. More than Elijah, or Doctor Kenton, or any other man I could find on the street or pick up in a bar. It was different, of course, and maybe it mattered more but I could trust him.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I forced myself to get ready, determined not to make the first sentence I spoke to him after our tryst a lie. I did have work to do. Though it may not have necessitated my waking up quite so early to do it. Still, he didn't need to know that. I sighed when I got to my closet and remembered I would be dressing for a friend's breakfast.

How were we supposed to act around each other now? Especially with all of our friends around us at all times. I rubbed my temples and headed for the shower. Had we made a mistake? It was good. Unbelievably good. Mind-blowing, if I was being honest. The release of a decade of pent-up tension had been nothing short of explosive and the very thought of it had my body craving it again. But now, standing alone in the shower with some distance between myself and the best friend turned sudden lover, I could think. And when I thought, I worried.

I worried while I dried off, got dressed, blew out my hair, and put on some light makeup. I stressed the whole time I locked up my apartment and headed down the stairs for the café across the street. I felt my heart pounding when I reached for the handle on the café door and felt it drop to my stomach when I walked inside and saw all of my friends seated around the usual table, chatting and laughing, drinking coffee and teasing each other as always. I took a breath and approached.

"There you are, Ava!" Emma called when I approached and I forced a smile for her benefit, hoping she couldn't see how much of a nervous wreck I was. I felt Carter's eyes on me but I did my best to ignore them, afraid if I looked his way, I would lose my resolve and everyone would know. "Slept in this morning?"

"Oh, yeah," I answered as breezily as I could, sliding into the booth next to Carter, the only available seat left. "I must have forgotten to set my alarm."

She nodded.

"Well, now that everyone is here," she started, shooting a megawatt smile in Shane's direction. "Shane and I had an idea."

We all set down our coffees and focused on her.

"With how well the company's been doing and the success of our fearless leader and her magazine debut coming up, we thought it might be a good time for a vacation. For all of us," she said. My brows creased in confusion as everyone else around me smiled and celebrated.

"Emma," I interrupted. "We can't just leave. We've got projects outstanding. Mr. and Mrs. Henson are waiting for their remodel and Mr. Cork's's condos are nearly finished-"

"You need this, Ava," Emma told me, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand in hers. "More than any of us, really. Let yourself relax. It'll only be for a week."

"A week," I repeated, falling back in my seat, not entirely convinced.

"Where are we going?" Carter asked casually, though I felt his thigh against my own beneath the table. I sat up straighter at the contact and chanced a look in his direction but he wasn't looking my way. Had it been an accident?

"Shane and I found a cabin out in the mountains. It's in Gatlinburg, only a few hours away. We can do some hiking, some campfires, disconnect for a while. There won't be any service, Ava, so you can't sneak away on your laptop. I think it will be good for us," Emma said and there was a finality to her tone and a genuineness to her smile that I knew none of us could argue with.