Chapter Fourteen

Were her ears deceiving her? Surely Carson did not say he had a job lined up at Sugar? This was unprecedented! Living together was bad enough, but working together was a completely different story. How was Savannah supposed to control her insatiable desire to touch him when he was right in front of her every day? Not to mention the deal they had already agreed upon. Something about this seemed unethical.

It did not help that they were arguing right now. She never expected him to be so upset about her having lunch with Wyatt. If she had known Carson wanted to hang out after work, she would never have agreed to go. At the same time, Wyatt was one of her friends. It's not like she was forbidden from hanging out with him too.

Carson left her confused and stunned with everything he was dropping on her today. Savannah was experiencing a wide range of emotions at the time, which she could not put into words. Part of her was relieved that he was able to find work, but another part regretted that the position was at Sugar. They could use help, but not Carson's help.

"Yeah, Violet's gonna help get me in there," he explained. "With help from Maeve, of course." He took the remaining grapes and walked into the living room.

Savannah trailed behind him, looking for more answers. "You mean no other places were hiring?" She wondered. There had to be a reason he agreed to work for Sugar.

He leaned back into the couch, turning on the TV. "Oh, there was," he grinned. "But Sugar seemed like my kind of place."

"You don't even know the first thing about making coffee," Savannah said, squinting her eyes. "Especially not specialty coffee."

"No, but you can teach me, right?" Now he was only playing with her. He did not think she would make a big deal about him working with her. But now that she did, maybe it was a mistake to accept Violet's offer.

Savannah could only growl in annoyance as she stomped down the corridor. She could not understand why he was acting like an ass today. More importantly, why would Violet offer him a position at Sugar? It's not like she had the power to hire him but Maeve definitely did. She went from having a great time with Wyatt to dealing with Carson acting like a jerk.

Fortunately, there was at least one sane twin. Pounding on his door, Savannah was itching with frustration and needed someone to talk to who would listen. Cole was always willing to hear her rant about his dimwitted brother.

When he opened the door, Savannah was taken aback to see him standing there with a towel in hand and his shirt off. He was drying his hair with a gentle smile on his face. She had not expected to see Cole half-naked. He did look good, though. She assumed that was simply the Beasley way.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure of you knocking on my door?" He gave a playful smirk.

Savannah pushed him into his room, ready to explode. "Your brother is to blame," she explained. "What is his problem?"

Cole chuckled. “He has a million problems but what's the issue today?”

"Dude, I just walked through the door and he started asking me about Wyatt." She explained in confusion. “It wasn’t even a date, he just bought me lunch.”

Cole nodded. “He’s most likely just jealous,” he said, casually. He knew exactly how his brother felt about Savannah. He was not surprised that he would act this way toward her while she was hanging out with Wyatt. Cole thought it was stupid.

Savannah, on the other hand, could not understand why he was jealous. It was not like she was attempting to replace him as her best friend. Wyatt was a nice guy with a lot to learn about. Even after Carson left, Savannah never considered replacing him. Nobody would ever understand her as Carson does. Why couldn’t he see that, she wondered.

She scoffed. “Of what? Wyatt’s just my friend,” she huffed. "Besides, I never say anything when he allows Maeve to touch him all over. Something worth getting worked up about.”

“What can I say, my brother’s ass-backward but don’t let that stop you from getting to know Wyatt,” he was adamant about that. "Even if you only consider him a friend."

She smiled. “I won’t, he’s a nice guy.” The events of her day remained vivid in her mind. “He’s pretty funny too.”

"Well, I was going to ask you anyway, but since we are here, would you like to join us next weekend?" He asked her. “We were going to head out to his lake house because his parents are letting him use the boat.”

A weekend getaway sounded like fun. It was yet another surprise about Wyatt. Spending time in sweet luxury would be a refreshing change for Savannah. She was determined to experience everything life had to offer. What better way than to spend it on someone’s boat? The air would be pleasant, and the water begged her to swim in it.

The only other thing on her mind was whether Carson was going. She did not want to have to deal with his attitude just because she spoke to Wyatt. If he was this agitated from a distance, she could only imagine how he would act up close. It was best to keep the drama at a minimum.

"That sounds awesome," Savannah exclaimed cheerfully. "Who else is going?"

Cole scratched the back of his neck, nervously smiling. "I was thinking about asking Violet to come along." His cheeks flushed. “But that’s it.”

Savannah smiled knowingly. "Finally making a move, huh?"

"More, or less." He shrugged. "I just want to have a nice outing with my friends."

Savannah approached the door, in a much better mood than before. “Well, pencil me in. I’ll be there.”

>|<

Savannah went to the shower after her fun conversation with Cole to get rid of the coffee smell. She will end up smelling like that tomorrow afternoon, but it felt good to be refreshed. The scent of vanilla permeated her skin and hair as she lathered herself. Next time, she should take a bath instead.

Savannah found herself in the kitchen with Violet and Maeve after finishing her shower and hair wash. She promised Violet that she would let her know how things went with Wyatt. They did not do much except sit and talk, but she thoroughly enjoyed the car ride.

It was not her style of vehicle, but it was extremely sleek. The color was stunning, and the entire ride felt smooth. She was dying for another chance to ride in it but with a better outfit next time. Hanging out in her work clothes was not ideal. She’s sure the impression she left wasn’t stellar but they still had fun.

"You didn’t even kiss him?" Maeve wondered while munching on a salad.

Savannah rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? I just met this guy." She thought Maeve was crazy.

Violet laughed. “I’m more concerned about the Rolls Royce you mentioned.” Her eyes were beaming. “I hadn’t even noticed.”

"It was amazing! If he is driving around in such a vehicle, his family must be extremely wealthy." Savannah took note of it.

"He said his father owns several different nightclubs throughout the state," Maeve recalled. “His family has money.”

Savannah was enjoying the little moments she had with Wyatt, regardless of money. No matter how slowly things moved, she needed it. Some consistency in her life that she could not seem to find anywhere else. Everything was always hectic and loud. With Wyatt, everything was calm and settled. Maeve's desire to rush things put her under too much pressure.

There was already enough stress in her life with Carson. Trying to keep him satisfied with their agreement was stressful. They had already done things twice, and bringing Wyatt into the mix seemed to elicit strange feelings in him. Their friendship was not in danger, but he was open about his feelings for Wyatt. That much was certain.

“Thankfully, I’m not getting to know him because of his money,” Savannah said.

Maeve scoffed. "That would be my reasoning." She shrugged.

Violet exhaled. “Don’t listen to her Sav. The important thing is that you’re interested in him.”

"Interest is fleeting." Maeve went on with her spiel. "As your friend, have fun with it. It won’t kill you to enhance your sex life.”

Savannah folded her arms. "Do you even have an enhanced sex life?" She confronted her friend.

Maeve rolled her eyes. "No," she said, and Violet laughed. “But I’m working on it.” Her gaze traveled to the living room, eventually landing on Carson.

Savannah's eyes followed suit, as she also looked over at Carson. She knew Maeve was planning to sleep with him. The way she would be throwing herself at him made it all too clear. Savannah was not attempting to show her ass like Carson did today, but this subject always found a way to irritate her.

Carson, on the other hand, was sitting peacefully on the couch, enjoying whatever movie he was watching. When he felt eyes on him, he looked over to a blushing Savannah. She quickly averted her gaze, but it was already too late. Carson had caught her staring, which made him feel giddy inside. Perhaps he had been foolish earlier.

Violet, being the astute observer she is, seized the opportunity to drag Maeve out of the situation. She was always willing to go above and beyond to help her friend. Even if that meant giving her some alone time.

"Hey Maeve, would you mind assisting me with this new bathing suit I got?" The girl with raven hair inquired of Maeve.

Maeve looked at her, perplexed but agreed. "Yeah, I guess," she stood up. "Coming, Sav?"

"Yes, I want to—"

"No!" Violet yelled. "You stay right here," she said, pushing Maeve alongside her.

Savannah could not understand why she did not want her to see the bathing suit. Normally, they would go shopping around this time for their annual girls' summer haul, but Savannah suspected Violet had different plans. Or rather, she was up to her usual antics, which irritated Savannah.

When she looked over at Carson again, she realized why her friend had decided to leave her so suddenly. If Violet was not trying to set her up with Wyatt, she was attempting to steer Savannah toward Carson. One of them had to stick in her eyes. It did not matter which one, Savannah knew she had a better chance of pushing her towards Carson.

Despite their silly fight earlier, Savannah wanted to clear the air with him. She did not want to be on edge while he was still sleeping in her room. It is better for them to agree than disagree. After all, he will be starting work at Sugar.

As she approached Carson, she noticed him look at her before turning away once more. He appeared nervous in her presence, which could be due to a variety of factors. Instead of reading too much into it, Savannah would take a chance and see where idle conversation takes her.

Sitting on the couch, Savannah brings her knees to her chest, checking out what’s on the TV. “Whatcha watching?” She asked in a lighthearted tone.

He started flicking through the channels, avoiding eye contact. “Oh, you know, stuff.” He used very few words.

Savannah pouted and scooted closer to him. Her fingers traced beneath his chin before turning his gaze to hers. Those emerald orbs captured hers, igniting a fire in her soul. She could tell he was not mad at her and was just playing hard. This was nothing new for him; he had done this before. Even if he was over the fight, he would pretend to be angry just to get her attention. In other words, he was a big baby.

“Are you seriously going to do this?” She couldn’t help but laugh at him.

His eyes squinted. “What’s so funny?” He wondered.

"You," she said, laughing. “You’ve done this all your life. Pretend to be mad at me so I have to be the one to apologize first.”

He crossed his arms. "You should apologize first." He wasn’t backing down. "How could you allow someone else to take you to lunch?"

Savannah looked at him like he was insane. She could not believe it was all about Wyatt taking her to eat. It was ridiculous and completely out of character for him. Carson was better than this and never resorted to acting like an obsessive pig. It was both unsettling and flattering.

“Carson, it’s lunch,” she repeated. "You act like he was trying to get into my pants."

“Well, did he?” He asked, fully aware that this was not the case.

Savannah rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible,” she said, removing her fingers from under his chin.

Even amid his paranoia, Carson could not deny missing her touch. It was only her fingertips, but they were so warm. The comfort of being skin-to-skin with anyone was relaxing to Carson, but it was completely different with Savannah. He felt not only comfortable and warm with her, but also at home. As if he was meant to be in her embrace all the time.

That’s why he felt so annoyed about her getting close to Wyatt. However, he could not keep allowing that to interfere with their friendship. They had a good thing going. The last thing he wanted to do was fuck that up.

Savannah quickly felt her hand being squeezed for dear life as she looked back at Carson. She was astounded that he would take her hand so abruptly. But she also did not want him to let go. She only needed to feel him close to her to know everything was going to be okay.

"Carson," she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” he said with a huff. “I was acting like a dick.”

Savannah smiled at him taking some accountability. “Well that’s a start,” she cooed.

Carson chuckled. "But can I be the one to take you out to lunch next time?" He asked. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but I guess I have to plan ahead now."

“You’re such a special case,” she rolled her eyes again. “Lunch with you sounds great.”

Savannah felt her hand being squeezed once more as they settled in to watch the movie. She was confident that they were back on track, but she could not stop wondering how he would react to the boat trip.