Chapter 662 Better To Sort Out Your Own Feelings
Carter stood outside the Larson residence, where he remained until all the lights inside the house went out.
As he drove, his thoughts were all over the place as he questioned his own feelings toward Jennifer. When he saw what a difficult time Jennifer was having outside the bar, it surprisingly wrenched at him in a way that left him quite confounded.
The thought of Jennifer’s aloofness toward him also threw his heart into disarray. By the time he came back to his senses, he fortuitously spotted a dog dashing across his path not too far ahead. In a moment of panic, he turned the steering wheel, and with a protracted screech, the car was spun around until it came to a complete halt.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Carter was finally able to settle his nerves.
He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel in a cold sweat and rested there for quite some time before he restarted the engine.
Back home, he took a hot bath. Afterward, he poured himself some wine and stood by the window that overlooked the sights and sounds beyond.
He appeared distant, though it was less obvious what was going through his mind.
It was the solitude of the night that usually made one especially contemplative.
The very next day, he received a call from Faye summoning him over.
He drove home with pace and stepped inside the hall before greeting, “Mom.”
Faye was pouring some coffee into a cup with sublime elegance. When she saw him coming in, she pointed at a couch at the side. “Sit.”
Naturally, Carter did as she asked.
Placing one of the cups of coffee in front of him, Faye said, “Give it a try and let me know whether my skills have improved.”
Sampling a mouthful, Carter replied, “There’s sweetness amidst the bitter notes and a good mouthfeel. Not bad.”
“Glad you liked it.”
Placing the cup down, Carter said, “Go ahead, Mom. Why have you asked me to come over today?”
Dapping at the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, Faye regarded Carter. “What’s going on between you and Jennifer?”
“What are you getting at?” Carter countered.
Faye shot him a look and said, “Don’t you play dumb with me. You know exactly what I’m getting at.”
That elicited a chuckle from Carter. “There’s nothing going on between her and myself, Mom. Didn’t you already know that?”
“That’s good to hear. I used to think that she’s a pretty nice girl, but now, I’m just not sure whether she’s the right one for you. So, it’s wonderful that she’s no longer pestering you. Saved me a ton of worries, at least.” As she smiled in satisfaction, there was a hint of smugness in Faye’s tone.
Carter’s expression dimmed. “Weren’t you very fond of her, Mom?”
“I am, still. It’s just that I’m not convinced that she’ll make the ideal partner for you, that’s all. Now that that’s out of the way, you should go on to work. I’d be heading out to do some shopping with a couple of friends myself,” said Faye while she fiddled with her meticulously manicured nails.
Looking intently at his own mother, Carter suddenly realized how selfish his mother was in her willingness to dictate his love life to further her own ends.
“Don’t you find your own words a little cold, Mom?” Carter asked bluntly.
“Are they?” Faye looked up at him in puzzlement. “Weren’t you disinterested in Jennifer before? Shouldn’t you be relieved that I’m not going to push you to marry her anymore?”
“More than anything else, I think you’re only doing this just to preserve your own reputation, Mom, as you never did take your own son’s opinions into consideration, ever,” Carter’s expression turned frigid in an instant.
“Whatever do you mean by that, Carter?”
“You know very well that you’re only thinking less of Jennifer because of the video of her you’ve seen online, Mom. Severing your ties with the Larsons just because of the scandal that happened to them? Don’t you think that’s being a little ungrateful?”
“How could you say that, Carter?” said Faye in slight dismay. “I’m just doing what’s best for you!”
“I’d say that you’re doing what’s best for yourself, Mom. I’m leaving.” Carter then about-faced and straight up walked out.
“Carter! Come back here!”
However, he pretended that he did not hear her.
Leaving the Scott residence, Carter thumped his fists against the steering wheel, feeling extremely low.
Following that, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and sent the car shooting out like a bullet. It was not until he slowed the vehicle to a halt that he looked up at the building in front of him through the car’s windshield.
Scoffing, he found himself below Amelia’s workplace once more.
Coincidentally, Amelia was stepping out of her office, and her keen eyes were swift to spot Carter’s car. She walked over and rapped upon his window. “Amelia,” said Carter after he wound it down.
“Were you looking for me?” asked Amelia with her brows perked up.
“I was distracted and somehow ended up here. Didn’t mean to disturb you at work, but I had not expected to be discovered either,” replied Carter sheepishly.
Pointing toward a beverage shop across from them, Amelia said, “I have an hour to spare on my break. We could head over there if you don’t mind.”
Carter did not turn her down, so the two of them crossed the street and went into the beverage shop.
Amelia ordered an orange juice on a whim, as did Carter.
“Why is Jolin not with you today?” Carter asked.
“I asked her not to follow.”
“Did she agree to it?”
“While it’s true that it was Oscar who hired her, she isn’t here to monitor my movements,” Amelia casually explained before she turned her focus back to the subject at hand. “Well, you don’t seem to be in a good mood today.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just had a little tiff with my Mom. I’m getting a little tired of her dictating my marital options at her own convenience,” said Carter, smiling in poignancy.
“But you did not agree to it, didn’t you?”
Carter nodded.
“Then, why does it continue to trouble you?”
“I’m not sure how to explain this either.” Noticing Amelia scrutinizing him intently, he hastened to ask, “Uh, why are you looking at me like that?”
Amelia shrugged. “It’s rare that I’m able to chat with you calmly like this, so it’s kind of new to me. Suddenly, I realized how dashing you are and how it makes you and Ms. Larson a great match. I think you guys would look cute together.”
Carter’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Lowering his eyes to shield his own emotions, he laughed. “That’s funny, Amelia, especially since you know very well how I feel.”
“We’ve known each other for over ten years now, Carter, so I daresay my own understanding of you is at sixty percent at the minimum, if not a hundred. Though you might act annoyed whenever I mentioned Ms. Larson, I could always sense that lingering doubt in your eyes, so it occurred to me that you might not really dislike her as much as you think you do.” Amelia’s words were pointed.
That tickled Carter. “Stop teasing me, Amelia. You know who it is that I fancy, so don’t you try to pair me up with other women just because you’ve got Oscar now.”
Pursing her lips, Amelia decided to swallow her unspoken words.
Still, she regarded him ambivalently.
“What?”
“I think it might be better for you to sort out your own feelings first, Carter. Like I told you before, don’t wait until it’s too late for regrets,” cautioned Amelia solemnly.
She did not want Carter to get hung up on his infatuation with her, for that would not only put her in a difficult position but, at the same time, cost him a true soulmate.
That aside, she genuinely felt that he and Jennifer would be good for each other.
With his head dipped, Carter appeared thoughtful.
