With just a little difficulty, he finally did decide and they were able to order. Fiddling with the straw in his glass of coke, he watched the bubbles float around the ice. This was... awkward. He felt badly, but didn't know what to do or say when they weren't talking about Aaron or Elite paperwork. He really had failed in the socializing department as of late.
Finally glancing up at Sam, he just studied her face for a few moments, wondering what made her tick. He'd made some assessments about her, but in reality he knew very little. The best way to find out was just to ask, right? "So... I know you've got five brothers but... that's about it. How'd you end up in the FBI?"
Hunter would have said more, but Ryan was evidently done for now. Chuckling at her, he shook his head. "Right, right, sorry." He slid into the ground. "Guess I lost track of time." He threw her a smirk before getting into the car. "All aboard!"
They stopped a couple more times in the next few hours, eventually making it to the little town Hunter had had in mind. Right off the main route was a hotel - not too expensive but clean and safe.
Getting inside and to the counter, Hunter put his sunglasses up on his head and smiled at the girl who was working. "Hi. We need two single rooms for the night if you've got them."
She nodded and blew a bubble with her chewing gum as she checked the computer. "Next to each other?"
"Yeah that's fine."
"Yep. Got 'em."
"Thanks." Hunter slid her his credit card. "Charge both of them." He didn't care what Ryan thought. They hadn't planned on this extra expense, and it was the least he could do to make it easier on her. Getting the two key cards, he handed one to Ryan and winked. "Come on."
He shouldered his backpack and wandered towards the hallway that led to the rooms. "I smell chlorine," he mused, tossing a glance over his shoulder. "I may need to take a dip later."
"Do you like working here? Making pizzas day in and day out?"
Carson's eyes roamed his glass of coke before he took a sip and shrugged. Justin had stopped by the restaurant after session with Mackenzie. "It's more than that. It's running the restaurant and all that entails."
"Yeah, but do you like it?"
There was a long pause. Carson eventually lifted his head enough to see Justin out from under the brim of his ball cap. Things had been hard lately. From his struggle with Misty, to losing the baby, to losing Alec, to dealing with Mackenzie, to finally finding the man who had helped destroy his family. The restaurant had been a stable point but had also been a bit of an irritation. "I've learned to appreciate it. It brings income. Stability. A safe job for when Mackenzie is around. I don't know where I'd be if Herb hadn't taken me under his wing to begin with. And him giving me partial ownership and free rein...most people never have that kind of opportunity."
Justin's lips pursed in a small grin. Carson wasn't one of his cases, but that didn't keep him from probing. "But do you like it?"
Caron's gaze dropped again, as did his shoulders. "Not really, no." It wasn't easy to say it out loud. "Some days I just wanna take a hot pizza out of the oven and see how far it'll go as a frisbee. Stuck in a kitchen all day is...less and less enjoyable every day." He shrugged again. "But it's what I've got. It's safe. Wise. Responsible. All those things I'm supposed to be as a husband and father, right?"
It was Justin's turn to think for a moment as he stirred his iced tea with a straw. "What you say is very valid. We all come to a point when we may need to set aside what we really like, in order to make the best choices." He cocked his head. "What would you do, if you didn't have this place?"
"Go full-time to the Elite." Carson's answer came without hesitation.
"Why?"
"I miss it. I miss the people. I miss the action. I miss the feeling of closing a case and knowing I did something to help innocent people."
"You've been working over there lately though, haven't you?"
"Some - nights, or on my day off. Now that we've found answers to Alec's case and mine, I'm not involved in much. Reese wants me though. He'd like to have me full-time, and even offered me good pay."
Justin sat back and mulled over their conversation. "So do you stay here because you think it's best as Mackenzie's father... or because you don't want to let Herb down?"
Carson chewed the inside of his lip. "Both."
"If Herb wasn't in the picture, would you give up the restaurant?"
"Well he is in the picture, so how can I-"
"Pretend."
Carson sighed. "If Herb wasn't here...I'd probably go back to the Elite. I don't like the risks when considering Mackenzie, but that comes with being a law officer. But Herb is here...and I can't let him down. Not after all he did for me."
Justin's eyes squinted slightly. "Do you feel you owe him that much for getting you on your feet... or do you feel you still owe him after helping kidnap and torture his daughter?"
Carson got to his feet and aimed for the kitchen. "This conversation has no purpose," he responded over his shoulder.
"You can't live in guilt, Carson," Justin called after him. "You've got to deal with that."
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