Carter Brothers: Dane (OLD VERSION)

Extra (Tory) Chapter

 A/n this is just a little extra Tory chapter, if you don't wanna read, feel free to skip. It doesn't affect the main plot in anyway. 

Extra (Tory) Chapter

Meanwhile

Tory gazes wishfully at Emery's text again. Her daughter won't be home for a while-most likely gone with her incredible mate. And as much as she wishes all the best for her daughter, just like any good mother should, the idea of Emery with her mate, forces Tory to think of her own mate. David wasn’t all that bad. Not at the start at least. He’d been on the football team, he’d been smart and sweet and he’d done things any good boyfriend would do. He’d stuck with her through her pregnancy, even when her parents hadn’t but…then it all fell apart. The sleepless nights and cranky days were too much. And the rock of a relationship, Tory thought her had, turned into ash before her very eyes. No, that’s not true. She’d turned a blind eye to it; she’d pretended for so long not to hear things, see things until she couldn’t anymore. Until she finally came to her senses and realised that kind of toxic environment is not one to bring up her daughter up in. Now her daughter’s all grown up and sharing her life with someone, while she…
Tory flickers her gaze apprehensively to the napkin that had been sat on her dresser for the past few days. She could share it with someone too-theoretically. Unless that too falls apart. Is the risk worth it? Should she call him? Was now the right time?
Besides, how long do people wait until calling someone they’d just met?

Despite the heavy research into the long lost art of dating from the many Cosmo articles she could lay her hands on, she’s still clueless. Much of the information had been contradictory and some acts of bravery not even imaginable for Tory to initiate. So in the end, the by-product of her laboured hours ended in the recycling can being filled up and her calling Carol. If men are womanisers then Carol's a gold level maniser; she's the guru of guys, the master of mating and lucky for Tory, also a close friend.
Although admittedly Carol hadn't been much help either. 

But now...No. She has dinner to make. Maybe after dinner, she'll put that number to use...maybe.

                                    ****

Dinner takes less time to make than Tory wants and she wishes desperately for the clock to magically fast forward a few hours so she can put off that phone call, yet again. In a few more hours and Emery would return, then she'd be too tied up and wouldn't really have the privacy- no! Stop it. She scolds herself. Stop making excuses. A grown woman, should not be afraid of making one little, tiny phone-call!

Picking up the landline, she dials the digits and waits for a response. Her fingers play in anticipation with the thin silver necklace at her throat and she almost begs silently he won't pick up. A few more seconds and she's convincing herself it's all a great big joke. He must have given her a wrong number or-

"Hello?" asks the low tone of a sexy and familiar voice.
"H-hi...It's um, Tory you know from the mall. We met at the-"
"I definitely remember you, Tory," chuckles James hearing the woman's nervousness. 
He doesn't usually pick up women in a coffee shop but that day had been an exception. She had looked so cute, adorable even, completely the opposite to his regular type, but...the next thing he knows, he's walked away handing her his number and with the promise of a date. Thank God, she’s taking him up on his offer or he wouldn’t have known how else to contact her.

"Oh sorry. It's just that I don't really do this often-never in fact. Wait, crap, I shouldn’t have told you that. I’m sorry…I'm a bit nervous," Tory explains unable to contain the word vomit. Ah, there goes Cosmo's advice-be confident.
"Please, don't feel nervous. You have nothing to be worried about. I don't bite, unless...of course you'd like me to."