Chapter 3
"Watch out," Carter called out.
He reacted instantly, dropping his tools and darting forward to pull Nora back just in time.
Nora fell into his arms, clutching his waist tightly, her face buried in his chest as she began to sob, her shoulders shaking.
"Carter, that scared me so much. Thank you," she choked out.
The cameras immediately turned their focus on them, perfectly capturing this classic knight in shining armor moment.
[Ah, I'm shipping it so hard. Carter's too handsome.]
[Lock in Carter and Nora as my top idol couple. They're just too sweet.]
[Am I the only one who thinks Nora did that on purpose? The ground is so flat that you could drive a car on it. How could she possibly trip?]
[You're just jealous. Nora is just a little clumsy, and that's all.]
The comments section exploded.
I watched with cool detachment.
Nora's scheming was in full swing.
That little tumble didn't just lock in her "dumb beauty" persona; it got her shipped with Carter in no time, basically guaranteed to go viral.
Carter's brows were furrowed.
He wanted to push Nora away, but she was clinging to him like a koala, and with all the cameras rolling, he couldn't make a scene.
"It's fine. Just stand up straight," he said, his voice icy.
But Nora just turned it up a notch, wailing even louder. "My foot hurts so much. I think I twisted it. I can't walk."
As she spoke, she looked up at Carter with those big, teary eyes, her intentions as obvious as day.
She was basically begging for Carter to pick her up or carry her on his back.
If he actually did it, "Carter and Nora dating rumors" would blow up online and hit number one trending by tomorrow.
I set down what I was doing and walked over.
Without even looking at them, I bent down, picked up a stick from the ground, tested its weight in my hand, then tapped a rock right next to Nora.
"Snakes around here love squeezing into the cracks under these cool, shady rocks," I said.
My voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard me clearly. "They're not poisonous, but their bites hurt like hell, and trust me, they hold a grudge.
"If they think you've messed with their turf, they'll chase you all the way just to bite you again."
Nora's sobs stopped dead.
Her face went pale, and her body froze for a split second. Then she shot out of Carter's arms like a spooked rabbit, scrambling to hide behind Cole.
She moved so quickly that you'd never believe she'd hurt her foot at all.
The whole place went dead silent.
Carter shot me a look, something unreadable in his eyes.
Not caring at all about the looks I was getting, I turned to Carter.
"If you don't get it fixed before dark, you don't get dinner," I said.
With that, I walked off without looking back.
Behind me, the comments section went wild.
[Damn. Tessa is a total legend. She scared off that cunning girl with just one line.]
[Now that's what I call a pro at spotting fakes. I'm taking notes.]
[Wait, isn't Tessa supposed to hate Carter? Why would she help him out?]
For dinner, I whipped up a full spread of his childhood favorites.
These were all dishes Carter loved when he was little.
The crew members gathered around the table, and Nora was there, too.
She'd changed into a clean dress and wore a sweet smile, as if the whole mess from earlier had never happened.
The only one missing was Carter.
Cole seemed a little uncomfortable and asked, "Tessa, Carter is still out there fixing the fence. Should we let him come eat first?"
I picked up some greens with my fork, without even glancing up.
"As I said, no food until he's done."
Nora jumped in right away, her voice full of concern. "Tessa, how could you do this? Carter's not a professional worker. There's no way he could finish that huge fence in just one afternoon. You're just making things hard for him on purpose."
[Nora's at it again. She is so annoying.]
[Seriously, she's the one slacking off, and now she's judging me.]
[But isn't Tessa going a little too far? What kind of mom treats her son like that?]
[What do you know? This is just tough love. Don't you get it? Tessa's only pushing Carter because she actually cares about him.]
I ignored all those comments.
In my previous life, I did the same thing; my harsh words and cold attitude just kept driving him further away.
I thought I was toughening him up for his own good, training him.
But I never realized that what he really wanted wasn't a strict coach, but a mom who'd ask, "Are you hungry?" when he was worn out.
Even after time-traveling, I still didn't know how to get along with him.
Those words of comfort just got stuck in my throat; no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't say them.
All I could do was hold onto the fragile balance between us.
Just then, I heard footsteps at the door.
Carter was back.
He was covered in dirt and grass, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, looking totally worn out.
But the tools in his hands were spotless; he'd obviously cleaned up them before heading in.
He walked up to the table, sparing no glance for anyone else, and looked straight at me.
His voice came out rough as he said, "Finished."
The whole place fell silent again.
No one could believe Carter had really managed to fix the entire fence by himself.
My heart gave a little jolt, but I kept my expression steady.
I stood up, headed into the kitchen, and brought out a birthday cake brought out a birthday cake from the fridge.
It was his favorite flavor. Today was Carter's birthday.
I set the birthday cake in front of him, still keeping that frosty tone. "Eat. Wash the bowl when you're done."