Mr. Fix-It by Crystal Hubbard

Author:Crystal Hubbard [Hubbard, Crystal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781585715831
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp
Published: 2008-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“A lover doesn’t have to be your friend, but the best lovers start out as best friends.”

—from Mr. Wrong by Khela Halliday

Balancing three paper bags of groceries in his arms, Carter used his chin to shift the greens on the beets in the center bag to keep them from obscuring his view as he stepped off the curb and into the street. He stopped, waiting for a break in traffic. But Khela, walking beside him, was staring at her feet and continued forward. Blaring its horn, an oncoming Yellow Cab showed no sign of stopping. Dropping the bags, Carter lunged forward and yanked Khela from the path of the speeding taxi.

“Cockass!” he yelled after the taxi before turning his full attention back to a shaken Khela. “Wanna tell me what’s got your eyes turned so far inward that you’ve forgotten how to cross a street?” Carter’s heart throbbed painfully as he walked her a short way to a bench at a bus shelter.

She seemed to have trouble catching her breath, but had little to say once she had. “Someone’s going to steal our groceries.”

“Let ’em.” Carter squatted before her. “You’ve been odd and moody all day. What’s on your mind? Is it still Mangela?”

She shook her head, fixing her gaze on something beyond Carter’s shoulder.

He cupped her face, gently urging her to look at him. She obliged, and his concern shattered her emotionless façade.

“Hey, now,” he said tenderly. He used the pads of his thumb to strike away the tears seeping from her eyes. “Is it really as bad as all that?”

“It’s not bad at all,” she croaked. “It’s good. Daphne is getting married.”

Carter’s face broke into a wide smile. “That’s a good one,” he chuckled. “You almost had me there.”

“I’m not kidding,” Khela wept. “She told me yesterday afternoon. She’s running off with that auctioneer. She’s leaving in a few weeks. They’re getting married, and then he’ll be taking her to the other side of the Atlantic.”

“Seems kinda quick to me,” Carter said.

“Duh!” Khela agreed, giving voice to her inner adolescent. “And he’s a lot older than she is.”

“How old is he? Fifty?”

“He’s thirty-seven, but he looks fifty, doesn’t he?”

“No,” Carter grinned. “I was just being a smart ass.”

A big navel orange rolled into the street, and Khela recognized it as hers since it had a hole in it about the same width as Angela’s thumb. She got up and retrieved one of the bags lying on its side at the curb.

Carter collected the other two bags, shoving a cello-wrapped package of celery hearts and a box of whole-wheat spaghetti back into a bag. They continued to Khela’s building in silence until they reached the front door.

“You and Daphne have been together a long time, haven’t you?” Carter asked, standing aside as Khela unlocked the massive door.

“Since freshman year in college,” Khela answered. “We were assigned to the same dorm room. We’re total opposites, but we hit it off right away.” Clutching the heavy bag of groceries to her chest, Khela used her foot to hold the door open for Carter.

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