Chapter Fourteen – Carter

“You know I was worried Caro would never meet the right man,” Jamie said as he and Carter moved the logs Walt had cut up from an old tree, which had fallen down across part of the garden.

“And you think I am the right man?” Carter asked.

“I do. I mean I didn’t, if am being perfectly honest.”

“I prefer perfect honesty,” Carter reassured Jamie.

“When I met you and I realized you were the man from the mountains, I had my reservations.”

“But now?” Carter asked, lowering the log down off his shoulder and adding it to the neatly stacked pile he would split to get ready for winter.

“I like what you are doing,” Jamie said. “You’re doing something for the community. At least for Walt. I’ve seen him looking through those gates so many times.”

“Yes, he is my main regret. I was selfish, only thinking of how I felt when I went off on my adventure.”

“We can’t always see everything from all angles,” Jamie said. “We can only do what we think is best at the time. Which is why you left, isn’t it?”

Carter hesitated and then bent down to pick up another log. “I thought so.”

“That’s all that matters. That and Caro’s happiness.”

“She told me about Rich. Your best friend.”

“Ah, I’m glad.” Jamie shrugged. “It was never meant to be, she knew it, he knew it, but she still ended up tying herself up in knots over it when he died.”

“No closure,” Carter murmured.

“What was that?” Jamie asked.

“She never got any closure.”

“No.” Jamie lowered his log. “Makes you realize that you should never go to bed on an argument and always tell the ones you love how you feel. Don’t expect them to know.”

“Good advice,” Carter said, his eyes straying over to where Caroline was working with Jordan to take out a tree stump. “She’s quite a woman.”

Jamie chuckled. “I hope you still think that after you’ve lived with her for ten years. She is an opinionated woman.”

“That’s exactly what I like about her,” Carter said.

“Well, you are biased. And I’m her brother. We have clashed so many times; she is obstinate and determined. And I couldn’t be more proud.”

Caroline looked up and squinted against the sun. It was late, they had worked all day, on and off, maybe it was time to stop and enjoy the evening. “This is the last of the wood. Shall we go and find something stronger than soda to drink?” Carter suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” He dumped his log and then looked at his watch. “We have an hour before we have to pick the kids up. I bet Kayleigh will be more exhausted then the rest of us.”

Carter and Jamie went over to Caroline, and between them they unearthed the tree stump. A sense of achievement swept through them as they met back at the house, surveying the work they had done.

“Here. I have a cooler full of beer,” Fiona said. “Help yourself. Or there is wine. And food, plenty of food, I know how you bears like to eat.”

“You are an angel, Fiona,” Will said giving her a kiss.

“I have been called many things in my life, but angel is not one of them,” Fiona told him.

“How old are you exactly?” Will dared to ask.

“Old enough,” Fiona replied tartly.

“Will, you should never ask a lady her age,” Freyja chided.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve been called a lady before either,” Fiona said with a laugh.

“I’ll come over on Monday with the ATV. I can leave it here for you to use,” Dylan said. “We won’t miss it for a few weeks.”

“That’s kind of you,” Carter said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to get moving with things in the next few days.”

“If the bank gets your money figured out soon,” Caroline teased. “I feel like I caught myself a true mountain man without a penny to his name.”

“I feel like one.” Carter had never experienced having to ask to borrow everything he needed. On the mountain he had everything he required, and before that he had everything money could buy; now all he had was the goodwill of people he was beginning to see as friends. Good, honest friends.

“If you want a job, I can find you something,” Dylan said, joining in on the fun.

“Thank you all so much for your sympathy,” Carter said.

“You could always go back and make Space Monkeys, the Sequel,” Will suggested.

“Oh yeah,” Freyja said. “I loved you as Captain Orang.”

Caroline laughed. “You know, when I drew the short straw to come find you, I thought since you were so moody you must be a serious thespian, a poor, tortured soul. If I’d have known you made junk movies, I think I’d have let someone else go.”

“They are not junk,” Will insisted.

Caroline laughed. “I have no idea, I’ve never watched one. But it’s good to see you have such loyal fans, Carter.”

“We should watch one now,” Freyja suggested.

“We can’t,” Jamie said, “We have to go and pick the kids up. Kayleigh will be exhausted.”

“Good point,” Will agreed and got up, pulling Freyja to her feet.

“I ache in every muscle,” Freyja complained.

“You need a nice hot bath, while Will watches the kids,” Dani suggested.

“Oh no, if Will is left in charge they will never get to bed. He makes them hyperactive.” Freyja kissed Will on the cheek. “And then he sits in the chair snoring his head off and leaves me to deal with them.”

“Guilty as charged,” Will said.

Freyja groaned. “Come on. You definitely missed your calling. I could just see you in Space Monkeys Two.”

“That would be epic,” Will said as they walked off together, holding each other close. “Have a good night, everyone.”

“Night,” Freyja called.

“Night,” the rest of them chorused.

“We need to go too,” Dani said. “Thanks for inviting us.”

Caroline chuckled. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

“No, it’s been good to get out together. Hasn’t it, Jamie?”

“It has.” He hugged Dani. “Not many couples have kids from the get-go.”

“But you two have made it work so well,” Fiona said.

“With all of your support,” Jamie said. “So this is us paying it back, or forward, however you want to see it.”

One by one everyone left, until it was just Caroline and Carter left. “We should go home.”

Carter stroked her arm. They were sitting side by side watching the last rays of sun disappear to be replaced by the inky blue of twilight. “I miss the stars.”

“When this is all done, let’s go back to your cabin for a couple of nights.”

“I like the sound of that. You and me.”

She sighed and snuggled into him. “It’s been a good day.”

“It has.” He sighed. “It’s given me time to think.”

“You’ve been surrounded by people all day, and that has given you time to think,” Caroline chuckled. “So that is where you went wrong. Being on your own doesn’t suit you.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Carter admitted.

Caroline sat up, studying his face, her own creased with concern. “Am I going to like what you have to say?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Are you going back to making movies?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. But one day… I don’t know. It’s a calling. But that isn’t it, although I guess it is wrapped up in it too.”

She sighed. “Tell me.”

“I need to find Fern. Or at least find out what happened to her.”

Caroline nodded. “I agree.”

His eyes focused in on her face. “You do?”

“Yes.” Her voice was firm; this wasn’t a surprise to her. “Closure. It’s all about closure. Fern is like an open chapter in your life. It needs closing. And maybe the only way to do that is for it to be exposed.”

“Exposed?” Carter asked.

“Yes. Not hidden away. Perhaps it’s time to set the record straight.”

“Perhaps it is.” Carter kissed her. “I didn’t know you were so wise.”

“Now you do.”

“Thank you.” He kissed her, drinking in the taste of her, the smell of her.

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what we are here for, to support each other.”

“But this is going to open up old wounds,” Carter said.

“Then let me help heal them.”

He nodded. “And then we move on.”

“And then we move on.” She took his face in her hands, her expression serious. “And then we move on. No matter what.”

He knew what she meant. He had no idea if Fern was alive or dead. He had to find out. But how?