by E. L. Todd
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Still not over him?”
“No, I think I am. I’m still in pain over the whole thing, but I’m not missing him. When we were happy, our relationship was perfect. But I’ve learned to let that go.”
“Have you run into him?”
“No. And I hope I don’t.”
“And you aren’t interested in anyone?” I asked.
“I haven’t met anyone.” She shrugged. “Maybe that will change when we start practicing for the performance.”
“Would you date another dancer?” I assumed most male performers were gay.
“Yeah. A lot of them have fantastic bodies,” she said with a smirk. “But the good ones are usually taken.”
“You’re going to be taken by somebody soon. Don’t stress about it.”
“I try not to.”
We fell into a comfortable silence. Hazel looked out the window, the light highlighting her green eyes. There was sadness deep within, but no words I could fathom would chase it away.
My phone vibrated so I picked at the screen.
Want to get lunch? It was Monnique.
I’m eating with Hazel. I didn’t care if it pissed her off. She could deal with it.
Okay. Ttyl.
Wow. She was actually being mature about this. I expected her to fight or throw a fit. But she accepted it. You’re welcome to join us. I miss you.
I don’t want to intrude.
You’re never intruding. You’re my girl. I always want you around. I knew her hesitation came from Hazel. She didn’t know how to act around her or how to talk to her. I really wanted them to get along. I hoped Monnique would make that effort.
Okay. Where are you?
Charles Bistro.
I’ll be there.
I put my phone away. “Monnique is joining us.”
“Oh.”
I studied her face. “She’s not going to be catty with you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It seemed like she hated me the other day.”
“She doesn’t,” I said firmly. “I’d really like it if you two got along.”
“I don’t have a problem with her,” she said quickly. “She’s the one who can’t stand me.”
“I slept with Scarlet and she got over it. She’ll get over this too.”
“You seem confident.”
“I know she loves me and will do anything to make this work,” I said. “That’s what I’m confident about.”
Hazel sipped her tea.
Monnique walked inside then spotted me. She was wearing her scrubs like she’d just taken a lunch break. Her hair was pulled back, and the clothes were baggy around her petite frame, but somehow, she still looked sexy as hell.
I stood up to greet her, wrapping my arms around her waist and giving her a warm kiss. “You look hot.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m wearing clothes that hide all the goodies.”
“But I already know what your goodies look like.” I rubbed my nose against hers.
She melted in my arms. I could feel the desperation she felt toward me, her constant need for my embrace. I kissed her again to give her what she needed. When I said and did little things to make her feel loved, she completely changed. I could tell how much she missed me when we were apart.
“You hungry?” I asked.
“I’m hungry for you.” Her eyes lightened in desire.
“Good response,” I said. “But maybe later.” I knew she was anxious to make love on a regular basis but I wasn’t ready for that. “I ordered a burger. You want to split it?”
“Hmm…”
“I take that as a yes,” I said with a laugh. I slid into the booth and pulled her with me. My hand moved to her thigh and gripped the muscle playfully.
When Monnique looked at Hazel across from her, the awkward tension arrived.
“Hi,” Monnique said. Her voice sounded completely different than it did a moment ago.
“Hey.” Hazel stirred her tea even though she already did it a hundred times.
I knew I would have to mediate the situation. “Hazel just got a gig on Broadway.”
“Wow,” Monnique said. “That’s impressive.”
“But she can’t eat anything.” I shrugged my shoulders.
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Who wants to see a fat dancer?”
“Actually, I would,” I said. “That would probably be funny.”
Talking about her new job cleared the air a little bit. Talking about something besides the awkward relationship between the three of us seemed to make Monnique more comfortable. She wasn’t crawling into my lap and grinding my crotch like she did a few nights ago. I hoped she would realize that Hazel and I really were just friends—nothing more.
“We’ll get tickets to the show,” Monnique said. “And we’ll throw flowers on the stage.”
I stared at Monnique, surprise in my eyes. I hadn’t expected her to make such an effort.
“That would be nice. I don’t have any friends or family that live here,” Hazel said sadly. “Unfortunately, Cortland and the gang are my only friends.”
Monnique gave her a sad look. “I’m sorry. Did you move here?”
“I came to be with my boyfriend, but he decided to leave me for someone else instead.” The bitterness was in her voice. “And my parents think dance is the stupidest thing in the world. They would never watch me perform.”
Monnique shifted her weight in the seat. A strand of loose hair fell from her ear. “For what it’s worth, they both sound like idiots.”
This lunch was going surprisingly well. “I agree.”
When the food came, I split my plate with Monnique. She hardly ate, so I encouraged her to take down as much food as she could. We demolished the food together then smirked at each other. I could tell she was loosening up around Hazel. And that made my life a lot easier.
“I need to get to class,” Hazel said. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye,” we both said.
Hazel dug in her purse for her wallet.
“I got your tab,” I said quickly. “You can get mine next time.”
“Thanks,” she said with a relieved voice. “Bye.” She bolted out the door then got into a cab.
I turned to Monnique. “Thank you for trying.”
“She’s not that bad…” She shrugged.
“I appreciate it. Really.”
“As long as you only love me, I don’t care who you’re friends with.”
I rubbed my nose against hers. “I will always only love you.” My hand moved up her thigh to her hip. “So…how long is your lunch break?” My meaning hung in the air.
She smirked. “Half an hour.”
“That’s plenty of time.” I tossed the cash on the table and we headed back to the apartment.
When I returned to the office, Ryan was waiting outside my door.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when I walked in.
“Sean said you went to lunch with Hazel, so I figured I’d wait for you to get back.”
I walked into my office then sat behind my desk. “What’s up? You seem down.”
He sat in the chair across from me. “I’ve been better…”
“What happened with Janice?”
He ran his fingers through his hair, the despair coming into his eyes. “I threw away the greatest relationship I ever had.”
I felt like I smacked into a concrete wall. “You broke up?”
“No,” he said immediately. “But I ruined the perfect relationship we had.”
“What happened?”
“I went to her office to have lunch and ended up spending it with her and Cal. I liked him less and less. He was so perfect and refined. The idea of her spending so much time with him every day drove me crazy. But he ended up knowing everything about me like Janice talked about me often. Her desk was covered in pictures of she and I. And to top it off, Cal is gay.” He covered his face
with his hands. “I made something so small into this huge ordeal and now Janice is pissed at me. I didn’t trust her and now I’ve pushed her away. She’s really, really angry with me. I’m fucking terrified she’s going to leave me.”
That was a lot to take in. I had to process it for several minutes. “Have you guys been talking…?”
“We haven’t spoken in days.”
“Where are you staying?” I asked.
“I stay at the apartment. But she doesn’t talk to me or look at me. Every time I look at her, I see the disappointment heavy in her eyes. I really fucked this up.”
I wished I could make my friend feel better, but there was nothing I could say or do. “If she was going to leave you, she would have done it already.”
“You think?” he asked hopefully.
“If she’s still at the apartment and she’s not sleeping elsewhere, I’d say you’re going to be okay.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I feel so stupid. Normally, I would just apologize until she forgave me, but I know this won’t be so simple. I humiliated her at her work party then I did it again in front of her boss. God, if I were her I’d dump me too.”
“Well, it’s pretty clear that Janice is head-over-heels in love with you.”
“I just hope that will be enough.” He rubbed his temples and sighed. His eyes were closed.
I let him be. Sometimes quiet companionship is what we needed to keep the fear from choking us. I opened my emails and scrolled through them.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” I said.
Andrew stepped inside, looking spiffy in a suit. “How’s it going?”
“Hey, Andrew,” I said in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
He shrugged. “I thought I’d stop by. Gets lonely at the house.”
I felt so bad for him. His wife was a total bitch and he was better off without her, but I could tell he was lonely.
Ryan stood up and patted him on the back. His earlier depression was gone, masked by the fake façade he put up. “Hey, man. Looking good.” He wiped the imaginary dust off his shoulders. “Chicks are going to be throwing themselves at you.”
Andrew’s cheeks tinted slightly. “I’m an old man.”
“Chicks dig that shit,” Ryan said. He nudged him in the shoulder. “Janice is like four years younger than me.”
“But you aren’t fifty,” Andrew said with a smile.
“Dude, now that you’re single, you’re going to get so much pussy,” Ryan said.
I covered my face. “Ryan, watch the language.”
Andrew waved his hand. “It’s quite alright. The door is closed.”
Ryan hopped on his feet. “We’re taking you to the strip club. There’s a lot of action you haven’t seen.”
“Oh…” Andrew looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know about that. Golfing would be nice.”
“And since you’re loaded, girls will beg you to sleep with them. You could bag a twenty-five year old for a wife.” Ryan continued to entice him.
“Golfing sounds like a good idea,” I said quickly. “Let’s get the guys together. We can have a round of poker afterwards.”
“Nah, that’s boring,” Ryan said. He hooked his arm around Andrew’s shoulders. “We’re going to show you a good time. Being single is awesome.”
Andrew was getting redder in the face. “After being married for twenty-five years, it’s hard to imagine being with anyone else.” The sadness in his voice killed me. He was always so jolly.
“You’ll be alright, Andrew,” I said gently. “Let’s go golfing this weekend. And then later, let’s play some laser tag and go-carts.”
A slight smile formed on his lips. “That sounds like fun.”
“Then the strip club,” Ryan pressed.
I gave him the eye. “If Janice is already pissed at you, do you think that’s a good idea…?”
“She knows I’m doing it for Andrew,” Ryan said with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about her.”
Andrew shifted his weight then adjusted his tie. “Thanks for the offer. I don’t have anyone else…”
Ryan and I shared a look, feeling sympathetic to the coolest guy in the world. He made my dad look lame.
I stood up and patted him on the back. “We’ll get you through this, man.”
Andrew adjusted his watch on his wrist and averted his gaze. “I appreciate it more than words can say.”
14
Scarlet
“What are your plans for the day?” Sean asked while he ate his fruit cup.
I sipped my coffee then browsed through the paper. “Just work and stuff.”
“What stuff?” he asked.
I hadn’t told Sean about my plans to see his mother. I knew he wouldn’t be thrilled about it. “Andrew and I usually have lunch.”
“He’s coming to work with me. He can’t sit still.”
I kept my eyes averted. “I need to go to the grocery store and pick up your dry cleaning. I’m stopping by your mother’s house and then I’ll probably make pot roast for dinner. You like pot roast, right?” I hoped he wouldn’t notice what I said. He didn’t listen to me most of the time anyway.
He stilled at my words. “Stopping by my mother’s? What do you mean?”
I heard the anger in his voice. “Your dad asked me to check on her.”
“Why?” he snapped.
“Because you wouldn’t,” I said with an attitude. “And neither would Mike.”
“Because she’s a fucking bitch, that’s why. Scarlet, I don’t want you going over there. She doesn’t deserve your compassion. When you were at your lowest point, she kicked you into the dirt. Forget her.”
“Sean—”
“No. I said no.” The anger burned in his eyes.
“It means a lot to your dad.”
“Who gives a shit?”
“I already told him I would do it.”
“That’s too damn bad.”
I expected him to disprove but I didn’t expect this amount of hostility. “Sean, I don’t care for your mom and neither do you, but it’s important to your dad. And I love him very much.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“Sean, be mature about this.”
“I’ll check on her,” he insisted. “This isn’t your problem.”
“I don’t mind, Sean. I know you’re busy.”
“Like I said, this isn’t your problem.”
We were going to argue about this all day. “I’m going whether you like it or not. Just get over it. Now finish your fruit and get your ass to work.”
He flinched at my words then smirked. “My baby is a hard-ass.”
“I have to be when you become stubborn.”
He sighed. “Fine. But I hope you know you really don’t need to do that.”
“I know, Sean. But your dad means a lot to me.”
He finished his coffee then adjusted his tie. “How’s he been around the house?”
“He’s usually in his room. When he comes down for meals, he’s pretty quiet. We played a few games of chess and took a walk on the beach. Other than that, he keeps to himself.”
“Man, I feel so bad for him.”
“I do too…”
“Well, my dad is a stud. He’ll pull through this and find someone new.”
“I don’t think he wants someone new.”
“He will eventually.” He grabbed his bag then gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Okay. Be good.”
He stilled. “Be good?”
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “It’s something Ryan and I used to say to each other when we were little. Sometimes habits die hard.”
He kissed me again. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He left the house and took off in his ridiculously expensive car. Olga took care of the dishes and the cleaning while I went to work in my office for a few hours. Andrew joined Sean at work s
o I had the house to myself. After putting off the errand as long as possible, I finally got in the overpriced car I didn’t even need and drove to my mother-in-law’s house.
I had no idea how she was doing. She might be a total wreck, sobbing hysterically every second of the day. She might be happy to take half of Andrew’s empire without any hassle. I really didn’t know.
When I arrived at the house, I stared at the outside. The fountain still squirted water in the air, and the plants were still lively with care. I took a deep breath then walked to the door.
A maid answered it like I expected.
“Hello, Mrs. Preston,” she said politely.
“It’s Scarlet,” I said quickly. “And hello.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Can I speak to…the other Mrs. Preston?” I hated sharing her name.
“Certainly. Please come in.”
I stepped into the entryway and stood awkwardly, expecting Diane to jump out of the shadows.
“Just one moment.” She disappeared down the hall.
I shifted my weight repeatedly then rubbed my arms, trying to find something to occupy myself while I waited. I feared she would scream at me and tell me to get out, somehow blaming the divorce on me. It was unlikely, but with Diane, anything was possible.
Dianne finally made her entry. She wore a pink cardigan with white slacks. She looked exactly the same to me. However, there were bags under her eyes. She seemed thinner than before. And her natural spark was gone. “Scarlet?” she asked.
“Hello,” I said. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by…” Did I play that off well enough?
“Oh.” Her blue eyes were no longer identical to Sean’s. They were dim and dark, almost black. She was calm and quiet, almost dead. She moved slowly, like every movement was painful to her. “Well, thanks for paying me a visit.”
I waited for her to mention the divorce but it didn’t seem like she would. “So, how are you doing?”
She held her hands together, rubbing her fingers over the pads of the opposing ones. “I’ve been better…”
Should I hug her? What do I do? “I’m sorry about everything. We were all shocked.”
She took a deep breath and her eyes watered. “I’ve been married to that man for twenty-five years…and he just walked out on me.” She breathed heavily then calmed herself. The drops of moisture didn’t fall. “And honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t leave me sooner.”