Catching Mr. Right--A Clean Romance

by Carol Ross

  * * *

  GERARD LED THE group through the crowd. Victoria claimed a spot next to Henry and followed them outside onto the hotel’s upper terrace, where the photographer was waiting. Standing between Seth and Henry, listening to their good-natured ribbing, she could see that, in direct opposition to her, both men were completely at ease.

  The photographer was a pro, too, barking orders in a dry, funny manner that soon had everyone laughing. For the first batch of photos, he used the gulf as the backdrop, the next set was taken in front of a large expo sign, and the last on a wide set of metal stairs. Victoria managed to fake her way through it.

  The following hours continued with the same gale-force whirlwind. They were whisked back inside to a smaller room for dinner where they were seated at a large round table and served a steak and seafood meal. Everyone said it was delicious. Victoria’s may as well have been cardboard and plaster; anxiety had disconnected her taste buds. One speaker followed another, including a welcome by Miles Romeo. Victoria, Seth and Henry were introduced and asked to stand to a flurry of applause and camera flashes.

  When dinner was complete, a lull ensued while coffee and dessert were served. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Victoria slipped out to call Austin.

  This time he picked up. “Hello, Victoria.”

  “Austin, what is going on? Scarlett called me, and she’s distraught.”

  “Yes, I gathered that.”

  “The Duquettes invited her to this play months ago and—”

  “Yes, I know. Unfortunately, this isn’t negotiable. I want her with me on Friday.”

  “Austin, please, this is extremely important to her. Scarlett does not ask for much.” She wanted to add that before his recent renewed interest in parenting it wouldn’t have mattered.

  He sighed. “Well, Vic, I’m sorry, but this is extremely important to me.”

  “Okay, so you see the solution, right? Scarlett has something important to her, and you have something important to you. She does her thing, you do yours. You can keep her longer on Sunday to make up for it.”

  “No, that’s not it. I want my family with me at this event.”

  The statement bristled her already-frayed nerves. “What event? Why? How could it possibly matter if Scarlett is there? You guys go to stuff like this all the time.”

  “Because it is my event, Victoria. A kickoff fundraiser for my campaign. All my years of hard work, the long hours, weekends—the time I’ve sacrificed with Scarlett—it’s finally paying off. I’m running for district attorney.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  VICTORIA ENDED THE CALL. A mix of anger, frustration and disgust churned inside of her like a frenzied whirlpool. Deep down, she’d known something was up with Austin. She’d been too distracted with her own life to put the pieces together. The sudden adherence to the parenting plan, the family portrait, the apologies, the compliments, the thank-yous—it all made perfect sense now.

  He’d been laying the groundwork, trying to get on her good side.

  But using Scarlett as a prop in his picture-perfect campaign family was over-the-top. She would not allow it! Scarlett would not become another victim in Austin’s self-centered quest for political greatness. She’d already paid that price for the both of them.

  “Victoria?”

  Startled, she turned to find Seth standing before her. “Seth, hi.” Despite her state of mind, or maybe partly because of it, she wanted to launch herself into his arms. Like she needed his arms around her to feel normal again. She was craving his hugs now—was that normal?

  “Hello,” he said softly, his gaze traveling over hers, which sent her pulse racing and made her head buzz in a different way. A good way. “Finally.”

  “Finally,” she repeated, affection for him supporting the smile she did not otherwise feel.

  Locking his eyes on hers, he tipped his head. “Are you all right?”

  No, she wanted to scream. She nodded instead. “Yep. Just a little issue back home with Scarlett.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “It will be.” She would make it be okay.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Staring at his face, seeing the concern, she did want to. Desperately. She wanted to tell him everything. “It’s nothing. Just a disagreement with Scarlett’s father.”

  “Okay,” he said. But she could tell he wasn’t buying it. “It doesn’t seem like nothing. You seem pretty shaken.”

  Victoria didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Not without giving herself away. She needed a minute. Several, probably.

  “I hope you know you can talk to me about anything.”

  The problem with that was they’d specifically laid down ground rules, which included keeping Romeo Reels time separate from Seth and Victoria time. She’d even removed her necklace, deciding to wear it only when they had “their” time. Another problem, and one she could address.

  “People know who we are, Seth. Marissa told us there was going to be a media blitz, but I wasn’t expecting this.” Arms up, palms out, and fingers spread wide, she did a little half twirl before letting them fall. “Were you? This is...intense.”

  “Maybe not quite to this degree,” he answered, but the casual shrug of one shoulder told her he wasn’t surprised. Making her feel even worse. As if he could read that on her face, too, he quickly qualified, “But remember, I’ve been to these types of shows. I’ve been to this one before.”

  Victoria hadn’t ever attended anything like this. She’d questioned Seth about what to expect, watched YouTube videos of various events, including countless workshops in preparation for hers. She’d formed an accurate mental image of what it would look like to attend the show; she just hadn’t anticipated how it would feel to be the show.

  And she absolutely did not know how to separate it all, her growing affection for Seth, her problems at home, the encroaching feelings of inadequacy. She couldn’t shake the notion that she didn’t belong here. Pressure formed in her chest, tightening her lungs, and her skin felt prickly and raw.

  Seth smiled and added, “I will admit that Romeo’s promotion team has done a heck of a job. I can’t imagine what their budget must be. I got asked for my autograph.”

  “Yeah, me too. I think I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

  He glanced toward the doors. Vic followed his gaze and saw Gerard walking through. Lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s talk about this later, okay? Maybe I can help.”

  Help. The offer was like a trigger. Because she knew he could help, just talking to him about everything would help. But where would it stop? How could she explain her issues where Austin was concerned? Confiding in Seth would require a level of trust that she didn’t know if she’d ever reach again. And no doubt, due to Austin’s resurgence in her life, simmering anew in the back of her mind was the incident that she couldn’t share with anyone. Ever. And none of this was Seth’s problem. Nor should it be. She had to tackle this alone, just like she always had.

  “No,” she interrupted. “You can’t. It’s too much, and I don’t... You know what? It’s probably best if we just concentrate on what we came here to do.” But what she really meant was you. Seth needed to focus on doing what he could to get the job. She did not have the luxury of setting her personal problems aside.

  She needed to give him the freedom to do that.

  * * *

  SETH NOTED THE stubborn set of her jaw and the hardness in her eyes. Dread swept through him because this behavior reminded him of the Victoria he’d first met. The one who didn’t like him. She was having second thoughts. Already had them, if opting not to wear the necklace meant what he now suspected.

  “Victoria, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think if we sit down and talk—”

  “Seth, have you seen the schedule?”

  “The schedule? Uh, no, not
the final one.”

  “There is literally no time for talking. We should get back in there.”

  “What are you saying?”

  But she was gone, already walking away. And he knew what she was saying. Stunned, Seth headed the opposite direction. Because if he followed, he couldn’t trust himself not to do something reckless. Like beg her to reconsider.

  What had happened to change her mind so quickly? He needed to get out of here and... But then he looked up and saw Gerard deep in conversation with a woman named Monica, another Romeo Reels employee who could very well be a member of the selection committee. What was he thinking? This was his future. He couldn’t give up his dream because Victoria had decided to brush him off. In this sense, he needed to take a lesson from Victoria: set his emotions aside and do whatever it took to get this job.

  Steeling himself, he headed back in the right direction. On the journey, he made a joke that left Gerard and Monica laughing. Once inside, he was relieved to find that dessert was being served buffet style, which meant that no one would notice his delayed reentry. People were milling around, getting coffee or drinks from the bar, or choosing dessert from a long table set up along one edge of the room.

  Reluctantly, his gaze homed in on Victoria, where she stood with a group of unfamiliar faces save one, he realized as tension gripped his body. To go from a quasi-breakup to watching her laughing and talking with Wyatt Romeo made him want to punch the wall. Or Wyatt. Mostly Wyatt.

  Racking his brain, he couldn’t think of anything he’d done to deserve this. He thought about the last text he’d received from her, sent early this morning after she’d arrived, while he was still en route. It was the first thing he’d seen after landing: This place is WOW! But also kind of yikes. Can’t wait for you to get here. xox.

  “Hey,” Henry said, interrupting his reverie. “How’re you doing?”

  “Great!” He exclaimed, taking a cue from Victoria and dialing up the enthusiasm. “I’m great! Isn’t this great? How are you?”

  “Great!” Henry mimicked. “If this gig doesn’t work out, maybe you could get yourself a tiger suit and peddle breakfast cereal.”

  Seth chuckled and shook his head. “That was too much, wasn’t it?”

  “It was a lot of greats, buddy. Are you okay? You’re not doing drugs, are you?”

  “Funny.” He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired. Jet lag?” he offered unconvincingly.

  “I suppose,” Henry conceded, sounding doubtful. “Or,” he offered brightly, “maybe you screwed up with Victoria, and you need to figure out how to fix it?”

  Seth narrowed his gaze at the older man. “Excuse me?”

  Henry grinned. “I didn’t get this far in life by being an idiot. In my own highly esteemed opinion, one of my strongest traits is my keen powers of observation. No detail is too small for my notice. And one of the things I’ve noticed about Vic is that she always wears a certain necklace. The interesting thing, to me, about this necklace is that the pendant is jade, the most precious of Alaska’s gems. When she was in Minnesota, I asked her about it, and she said it was a gift from someone very special. That it meant the world to her.”

  Seth swallowed and glanced away. “Yeah. I thought it did.”

  “Well, what did you do?”

  “I have absolutely no clue.”

  “Hmm. She was wearing the necklace this morning when she arrived. But tonight, no necklace. That should give you a timeline to work with.”

  Meaning whatever this was about had transpired in a matter of hours.

  While they watched, Wyatt slipped an arm around Vic’s shoulder for a photo. Seth gritted his teeth. “Before I got here but after she met that guy. Maybe I’m being traded in for a better model.”

  “Pfft,” Henry snorted. “Vic is not interested in Wyatt Romeo.”

  “Yeah, of course not,” Seth agreed dryly. “Why would she be? Rich, educated, good looking, smooth talking, snappy dresser.” He hated how his thoughts turned to Ashley, that stomach-churning notion of not being enough.

  “Because he’s not genuine. She was already married to one of those. Victoria wants a man she can count on, one that she trusts.”

  Seth looked at him sharply. “She talked to you about this stuff, about her ex and trust?”

  “A bit.” Henry shrugged an easy shoulder. “I asked. I don’t know all the details, but it wasn’t difficult to piece the highlights together.”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Just remember how new, and how different, all of this is to her than to you and me. She’s never been to a show like this. The biggest city she’s ever seen is New Orleans. She’s barely traveled outside the south. Did you know that Minnesota is the farthest she’s ever been from home?”

  * * *

  THE CROWD BEGAN dispersing soon after dessert. People were grouping together in pairs and bunches, making plans to go dancing or out for drinks. A piano bar was the destination of a crowd that included Marissa, Henry, Seth and a bunch of other Romeo Reels staff. Victoria, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get out of there. It made her achy inside to watch a laughing Seth move off with the group even as she knew he’d be foolish not to go. At this point, they should be taking any opportunity that arose to make a favorable impression with the selection committee.

  And likely, this was why Marissa approached her. “Are you sure you can’t come with us?” she whispered conspiratorially. “I wouldn’t be quite so outnumbered, and I know Wyatt will be disappointed.”

  “I would,” Vic lied with an easy smile. “But I need to call my daughter before it gets too late.” No way was she going to admit that she needed some time alone. To regroup. Breathe. Get her head on straight.

  That determination lasted all the way up the long elevator ride, down the hall and into her room. Victoria turned on the light, kicked off her shoes, and sat on the bed. Where she was met with the glaring sound of her own struggle and failure. A sob formed right in the middle of her chest. Bringing her hand up in an effort to will it away made it worse, because it reminded her of the necklace she wasn’t wearing, and Seth, who she’d pushed away. Why had she done that? Why had she blown him off when she needed him the most?

  She’d never longed for the comfort, the companionship, of another person in this way. But when he was standing right in front of her, offering exactly what she needed, she’d gotten scared. The idea of trusting him terrified her, but the idea that she’d lost him was much worse. The sob broke free, and tears began to fall.

  “No, no, no...” she whispered, swallowing the next round and bolting to her feet. She hadn’t cried in years, not for herself anyway. She saved them all for her daughter. In this situation, tears felt like giving up. “Crying is not going to fix this.”

  Up and moving, she changed out of her dress, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. Then she put on her necklace and checked her phone because she’d only half lied to Marissa. She was waiting to hear back from Scarlett, and she wanted to answer if her daughter needed her.

  And she was glad she did because there was a text and three photos: Quinn made me go fish my troubles away. Check out this bass I caught! Chunky is almost as wide as she is long. Show Seth! Tell him I used the crimson dabber that I told him about.

  Victoria smiled at the photo of her holding up the fish. Quinn, who’d taken the shot, was next to her grinning goofily. “Thank you, Quinn,” she whispered, “for being my daughter’s friend.” Which caused a fresh and painful wave of longing for Seth. She’d gotten a taste of this type of friendship and was addicted. How would she get through this without him?

  The next image showed both kids with french fries and milkshakes:

  Dr. Duquette took us to Dairy Daisy for dinner. It’s a banana caramel shake kind of day. Love you a billion. Ps: I’m sorry I bothered you about daddy’s stupid d
inner. I’m fine. Quinn made me laugh and laugh.

  Vic checked the time and smiled because she knew Corinne was letting her stay up past her bedtime, and then typed out a response:

  You are NEVER a bother. Anytime, anyplace, it does not matter. There is nothing more important than you. I will work this out with your dad. I’m so glad you’re having fun! Jealous of that shake. Good night, my favorite daughter. Love you a billion x 2.

  Gratitude sank into her at this reminder of what was truly important. No matter what happened, she had Scarlett. And Quinn. And Mama and Mémé. They would all still love her if she returned home without this job. That would be the worst part, though. Scarlett seeing her do everything right, treating people with consideration and respect, and still failing. While Austin looked out for himself, used everyone in his path and then succeeded.

  The phone was still clutched in her hand when another text came in and made her jump. From Seth. Heart pounding, she read his message:

  Can I please come in? I’m standing outside your door.

  She ran to the door without a second thought. “Hi,” she said, opening it and waving him inside. “Hurry, Marissa’s room is right across the hall.”

  “Don’t worry. She and Henry were queued up to sing a Billy Joel duet when I left the bar.”

  That vision had her smiling through the bout of happy, fizzy nerves his presence was causing. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was thinking about what you said earlier, right before you told me you didn’t want to see me anymore.”

  “That’s not what I—”

  “I know. I was talking to Henry, and I realized that you said there was no time to talk, not that you didn’t want to talk to me. Can we please talk now?”

  “Yes, but before you say anything, I want you to understand how much this...” She paused to wave wildly around. “All this show stuff caught me off guard. I knew we’d be busy, but I thought we’d be able to, you know, sneak away for a coffee, and you could come to my room, order a pizza, and we could just hang out or whatever. I know that probably sounds stupid, but we don’t have pizza delivery back home. I never get to order pizza, so I was looking forward to that more than I care to admit.” Jeez, she sounded like her eleven-year-old rambling in her own defense.