93 Sampler Read Free

attention.
    I’ll never understand him.
    I make his ambiguity slip from my mind as a text sets my phone off.
    Jackson: Free for lunch?
    I’m about to reply and tell him I can’t, that I need to prep for my afternoon class, but another alert on my phone makes me question that decision.
    Mother: I’ve given Chad Winston your cell phone number. He’s perfect for you, and for us. Please respond to him with interest. We cannot afford to lose him.
    And that’s all it takes to change my mind about lunch.
    Me: Yes! Can we please go to The Salad Bar on 3 rd ?
    The Salad Bar  is my favorite buffet restaurant, and though I know Jackson doesn’t care about it too much, he knows I only ever want to go there when I need to talk about my parents.
    His response is instant.
    Jackson: See u there
    With a small smile, I switch directions to meet up with my best friend.

    ▼

    “Hey, Carter!” Jackson hugs me as soon as I walk in, and I let him. He’s the only person who can get away with anything like that. It’s something I don’t even allow my parents to do.
    Not that they would, anyway.
    “So, why’d you agree to lunch? It normally takes a lot to get you to say yes to anything that isn’t thoroughly boring.” Jackson leads me towards where he’s been seated, and I sigh as I sit down.
    “Mother has decided that Chad Winston is the one. I’m to allow him to court me to a potential engagement, which I should expect, and then accept, in a sensible eighteen months.”
    Though none of this was stated outright in the text I’d received, I’d been given the same speech with every single husband candidate. I had memorized the speech by the time I was nineteen.
    “Ugh. The future husband problem. This one’s straight, right? Have you at least met him?” Jackson asks.
    I know he’s asking because of the last guy my parents liked. Jason Moore, the son of a famous actor, had only been taken off of the list when it was revealed (ironically enough, through Redford Entertainment) that he was gay.
    I hold off on answering Jackson as we’re joined by a server, and while Jackson asks for a Dr. Pepper, I request a water. When our server leaves, we make our way to the salad bar, where Jackson immediately begins stacking his plate with the provided chicken. I notice how he only adds a couple of pieces of lettuce.
    I do the opposite and load my plate with the actual salad options, barely even touching the chicken.
    “Yes, he is straight, and yes, I’ve met him…” I trail off as we return to our table, remembering the one time I’d met Chad over the summer.
    “And..?” Jackson hinted.
    I sigh again, deciding to reply the way my mother would. “He’s a perfectly lovely gentleman, with an impressive reputation and a booming business that he will take ownership of in just a few years,” I say.
    “Is he nice? Hot? Come on, Carter, you have to give me something!”
    I take a bite of my salad, trying to figure out how honest I can be. “He’s… okay. He’s exactly what my mother wants me to have in a partner. And when we met him, my father loved the idea of making a business deal with him, so I can’t see him being against the idea. I guess he’s attractive, and my mother would say he and I could be a beautiful couple if given the chance.”
    Jackson looks at me for a few seconds, then shakes his head sadly when he realizes that’s all I’m going to say.
    “But what about you ? What do you  want?” He asks.
    I shrug, my response automatic. “I’m a Redford. We do what we have to do for the family name.”
    Jackson groans, sounding so frustrated I actually feel my eyes widen slightly. “Carter, let’s be real. You’re talking to me , remember? If you didn’t have to worry about anything, if your parents weren’t who they are, would you want this Chad guy?”
    “There’s no point in this, Jackson,” I say, knowing this is something we’ve argued over before. “I do  have to worry, because they are  the