Scarlett Heart (The Scarletts

by Brenda Barrett

  "Fine, Mom," Noah said to the top of her head, he towered over her. She was petite and graceful. She still had her 24-inch waist from her teenage years. No doubt because she still kept up her rigorous schedule of ballet and yoga at her studio.

  With her curly hair in a casual top knot and her light skin preserved from any discernible wrinkles, his mother was still seriously pretty and looked ridiculously young and fresh for her age.

  He followed her as she glided over to her sea-blue and white decorated living room with the patio doors opened to views of the sea and airplanes as they headed to the airport.

  Linda never walked; she was too much of a ballerina for that. She patted the seat beside her and said warmly, "Come honey, come and talk to me. I feel as if you and I never talk anymore."

  Noah grinned and sat across from her. "You always say that as a precursor to gossip. What's going on?"

  "Dotty called me." Linda widened her eyes. "I must say I am seriously out of the family loop. I heard about Bradley and the bookshop and affairs...and no one said a word to me. If I had known I wouldn't have invited him to brunch today, this is going to be awkward if he and Whitney are on the outs."

  "It doesn't sound like they are on the outs," Noah leaned back in the comfortable folds of the settee and watched his mother as she arranged her bilious African print dress around her. "Whitney sounds like she is keeping him."

  "But such a long term affair, though." Linda shook her head. "I can't imagine...I wouldn't do it.

  "I like Bradley but...no. The first time I found out your father stepped out on me I ended it."

  Noah sighed. Once more he was going to hear the story about Peter Scarlett and his infidelities and his promises and his generally unhinged view on life.

  "He's dead, Mom." He preempted his mother's ramble. "You divorced him ages ago. You have since been widowed and you are about to get married again. Let Peter Scarlett rest in peace."

  "Yes." Linda smiled sadly. "I still can't get used to that news. I like to think of him as alive."

  "I know." Noah frowned. "I still can't fathom why. It really doesn't matter to me one way or the other, it was like hearing about a stranger."

  "That's his fault, not mine, I would have been happy for you to know him." Linda sighed. "Did I tell you the story of how I met him?"

  "Yes, several times." Noah pre-empted a long drawn out story telling by summing up the well-told story himself.

  "You had just opened the dance studio downtown, and in walked this handsome guy who had the loveliest green eyes you had ever seen.

  And he asked you, "Miss is this 120A Lincoln Road? I have a delivery. It's marked slippers."

  And you said, "Slippers? Yes, those are for my girls."

  " You get to talking and shortly thereafter you started seeing each other. He wanted to bed you, but you let him know that you were an upstanding Christian woman with the strictest father on the planet even though you were twenty-one.

  "He was so smitten with you, he proposed and even asked your dad for his blessing and before you knew it you were married.

  "The dashing prince charming and the ballerina. You had one glorious year together where you were living in fairytale land and then you found out that Peter Scarlett did not know the meaning of fidelity or commitment. How am I doing so far?"

  "Very good." Linda smiled at her son. "And then we divorced when you were a couple of months old because though I loved him to death, I knew he was not going to change and I had no intention of being one of those pathetic females, lying to herself that marriage would change a man."

  Noah ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you going to tell this story to Whitney and call her a pathetic female?"

  "No, of course not." Linda looked through the window. "Give me another word for pathetic that is not so harsh."

  "Mom, come on," Noah grunted. "I told this to Dotty and now I am saying it to you, give Whitney a chance to do things the way she wants to. Don't interfere."

  Linda looked at him sharply. "Honey, I wish I could. I may not have given birth to Whitney but I raised her. She is my child. I can't sit down and let her go through the kind of misery I went through with your father."

  "She has to do things her way. Bradley is not Peter Scarlett, though I am not defending him. I just think we should butt out," Noah insisted.

  He had to subside in his chair, as his mother ranted and raved about looking out for Whitney—finally the door buzzer made a sharp shrill sound that had his mother stopping mid-sentence.

  She got up quickly and answered the door. It was Bruce, his mother's fiancé. A thickset heavy guy in his late forties who looked like he could dead lift him with one finger.

  His mother had chafed over the fact that she was five years older than he was but had eventually gotten over the age difference.

  As with all of her husbands she had met him at her studio. His daughter Beth had been a student.

  He was going to have one more stepsister added to his large family of stepsiblings and other siblings he had recently met. Noah smiled to himself. It wasn't so bad.

  He waved at Bruce.

  "Where's Beth?" Noah asked politely, when Bruce greeted him in his jovial way.

  "Her mother has her this weekend." Bruce smiled. "She wanted to come and play Chinese checkers with you though, she said you owe her money."

  Noah chuckled. "I actually do."

  "You are gambling with Beth, Noah?" His mother looked at him and shook her head. "She's just twelve, I do not want her gambling."

  "Yes ma'am," Noah said half mockingly. "It is not that serious."

  "I mean it." Linda gave him a warning look. "Ever since this new heart you have taken up bad habits. I almost believe your nonsense that it has changed you somehow."

  "Okay, okay." Noah settled back in the settee, searching for a way to change the subject. He didn't want to discuss his new heart. His mom had a book opened face down on the coffee table.

  "Say Mom, can I get your stash of books? I am buying the bookstore."

  It worked.

  Linda nodded vigorously. "Please take them. It would be a relief. I have like two spare rooms filled with books. You'll have to sort them out though, they are not all fiction. You have my old key?"

  "Yep." Noah nodded.

  "Well then, go at it." Linda shrugged. "Maybe I'll be motivated to move some of my other stuff and then rent the place out."

  The doorbell rang and his mother went to answer it. Whitney and Bradley stepped in, the couple were obviously not happy. Bradley, in an unwise gesture decided to place his hand in the small of Whitney's back to usher her inside.

  Whitney shrugged him off and snapped. "Stop touching me!"

  Bruce raised an eyebrow in question asking Noah what was going on.

  Noah muttered under his breath. "Ask mom."

  Bradley sat in the armchair, his usual sparkle gone. He was subdued. Usually he was the life of the party. He would have come into the house with some witty comment to get the conversation going. Today he looked like a man in pain.

  He was an extrovert to a fault. Noah always thought that he had lost his calling as a stand up comedian. He had an affable face and a very warm personality. People liked Bradley—women especially. He was a well-groomed, tall, dark man with a contagious laugh.

  Looking at him now and knowing what he had done to Whitney, Noah felt disappointed. That was the power of his personality. He could see what both Whitney and Raine saw in him, he was a good-looking guy. Not overly so, not bordering on pretty boy nor swoon worthy macho man, but middle of the road, his personality threw him over the top.

  It had often puzzled Noah how Bradley had no friends from his past. A man like him should have many friends, unlike Noah who was more of an observer than a participator.

  "Drinks, Noah." His mother snapped her fingers. "Come help me with drinks. You can do one of your blended concoction."

  Noah nodded and got up.

  He was surprised to see that Bradley
followed him and his mom into the kitchen.

  "I want to help too."

  His mom opened her mouth to refuse and then the doorbell pealed.

  "That must be Anthea and her brood." Linda squinted at Bradley, " I need to speak to you. You know what about."

  She turned to Noah. "Do strawberry daiqri, darling. I am going to get the door."

  "I didn't cheat on her with Raine," Bradley said in the heavy silence that descended upon the spacious kitchen when they were left alone together.

  Noah got some frozen strawberries from the freezer and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

  "Yes, really." Bradley sighed. "Whitney is paranoid and her version of events is so wrong."

  Noah gave Bradley a baleful stare. "I talked to Raine."

  "What did she tell you?" Bradley looked as if he was actually scared when he asked.

  Noah deliberately did not say anything for a while to make him squirm. "Nothing," He finally said, "but I am going to keep her on at the store, so maybe I will get the true story soon."

  Bradley exhaled loudly. "Well then...please don't tell your sister that you are doing that."

  Noah looked at him with a frown. "You mean keep Raine around like a dirty secret? Like you did?"

  Bradley laughed but it was high and weak. He almost sounded like a strangled cat.

  "Just a warning, your sister froths at the mouth like an angry animal if the word Raine is mentioned. Yesterday, I said it is going to rain and her reaction was quite memorable."

  "Jokes, really?" Noah said gruffly. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Bradley. Both women don't deserve your mirth."

  "Believe you me, I am ashamed." Bradley muttered pushing himself away from the counter and sitting on a bar stool with his head in his hands. "You have no idea how ashamed I am feeling right now. "

  Chapter Six

  Noah Scarlett was sitting in the back of the cafe at the table closest to the office when Raine got in Monday morning at eight.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. She had developed several scenarios in her head about arriving at the store after the weekend to find the locks changed or big burly security guards standing at the door ready to ecort her from the premises.

  What she found instead was Noah Scarlett, his curly hair tousled, his hazel eyes half sleepy. His lips still dark pink, his features just as perfect as she remembered.

  He was such a handsome guy. She wondered idly if he had any bad vices. In her experience, men as good-looking as he was, usually had some personality issue to counteract the good looks.

  He waved her over to the table. She hurriedly locked the door and walked toward him. She should have taken the time to look presentable this morning. She had tried a braid out style on her coarse thick hair and most of it was frizzy instead of curly.

  And she could not find her makeup. She figured it was wedged somewhere in one of her unpacked suitcases.

  Not to mention that the iron had given up the ghost. Instead of her usual no nonsense black pants and t-shirt. She was in a dress that her darling grandmother had sewn for her three years ago; the dress was made from a material that was more tweed than anything else. Its only saving grace was the fact that it did not wrinkle. It was a sleeveless dress, besides that it was boxy and shapeless and way below her knees, even the tallest heels could not carry it off and it wouldn't have been prudent to wear heels while working. She felt very unconfident.

  "Good morning, Mr. Scarlett." She sat down quickly so that he wouldn't see too much of her dress.

  He smiled at her, his eyes lingering on her frizzy hair. "Good morning Miss Childs."

  "Call me Raine," she said nervously.

  "Well, call me Noah." He leaned back in his chair. "Obviously, I am asking you to stay on. My accountant and business manager had high praise for you and your book keeping skills, and your managerial skills too. The only glitch seemed to be coming from the owners end."

  "Yes!" Raine nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you."

  "But I am going to need a resume. I did not see one in your file."

  "Oh yes, sorry about that." Raine felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn't gotten the job because of a resume after all. "I have one in my bag. Should I get it?"

  Noah nodded.

  She hurriedly rifled through her bag and extracted one of the resumes. She had a bunch of them rolled up and wrinkled in there. She pressed out one with her fingers and handed it to him.

  He took his time looking over the document before he looked up at her.

  "You are from Paddington in St. Mary? I've never heard of that place."

  Raine cleared her throat. "It's very rural. Off the beaten track, wooden houses, no running water or electricity. Though that has changed recently."

  Noah put down the resume and sat back in his chair. "So, what was it like growing up there?"

  Raine began to fidget. "Well, it was never boring. I am from a large family. I grew up with my grandparents who were farmers."

  Noah seemed as if he was finding her story interesting. "And your job at the hotel, it seems to me that you were doing particularly well there. Why did you leave? You were the assistant manager of housekeeping."

  "Yes," Raine nodded. "I worked myself up to that level and then I heard about a tourism scholarship offered to the workers at that hotel. I applied and got the scholarship. It was my ticket out of there."

  Noah folded his arms and stared at her assessingly.

  "Raine, the problem here is not whether you are capable of running this place. As I see it, the issue is whether you are still involved with my brother-in-law."

  "I am not." Raine held his stare for a couple interminable seconds while his eyes pierced hers.

  "Why did you get involved with him in the first place? Your private life is not a prerequisite to getting a job but you must see that I have doubts about your honesty and morality." He looked down at her resume and then back at her, "I wanted to keep you on but I..."

  "Wait, don't say it." Raine inhaled. "I know this looks bad but I..." she bit her lip. "I didn't know..." She paused at the lie. "I mean, I knew Bradley before Whitney."

  Noah raised an eyebrow. "You did?"

  "Yes." Raine nodded vigorously, wishing that she hadn't said anything. "I didn't know he... er... got married and when I did, it was too late, we ah...er ...were already involved."

  Noah narrowed his gaze on her and was silent for a while. She resisted the urge to close her eyes in mortification as Noah looked at her as if he was less than impressed with her explanation.

  Who knew what he was thinking, slut, whore, home wrecker...she squirmed after thinking each name.

  He finally cleared his throat. "Well then, we'll see how the next couple of weeks go. I am looking forward to personally see how you handle things here. Your salary before was more than reasonable." he paused, "We'll continue things as they were...for now."

  He gave her a faint smile. "Pretend I am not here. I am going to try to write, you can keep the hot chocolate coming."

  He opened his laptop and looked down on his screen.

  "Thank you, Mr. er Scarlett...Noah."

  He didn't look up, he just grunted. She had a feeling that he was not at all pleased with her and if she put one foot wrong her probation would be short, indeed.

  "My assistant, Marion will come in at one o'clock and leaves at ten, that's when we close in the evenings. The cashier, Hilda, works from nine until five."

  He nodded.

  "I go to school from two until eight this semester." She rubbed her hand down the side of her dress—a nervous gesture that she has had for as long as she could remember. It used to pre empt a beating when she was little. She was waiting for Noah to tell her: 'No, I am sorry that is not a part of the deal. You work here full time!'

  Instead, Noah lifted his head and looked at where she was rubbing her hands and then up to her face and frowned. "Okay, that's fine, Raine."

  She moved away from the table feeling shaky. Those eyes of his, they seemed
as if they were burning into her soul and leaving an imprint.

  ****

  Noah watched her walk away and then looked sightlessly at his screen. That gesture, he had the feeling that he had seen her do it before. He had felt a wave of compassion quite disproportionate to the situation or the gesture.

  To him this was further evidence that Raine and her secretiveness needed to be cracked. But what could he do? Lock her up in the shop, chain her to a chair and hook her up to a lie detector?

  His full senses were screaming that she was lying about many things and they were also screaming something else.

  Attraction.

  He couldn't deny it. He liked her. He had kept her on at the store because at the back of his mind was a granular of hope that overnight she would get to know him better and like him too.

  He had a crush on his sister's husband ex-mistress.

  This was quite the conundrum. He had a deep raw feeling of what he interpreted as yearning for a stranger named Cassandra Green.

  He had woken up with her name in his head after the heart operation. And now this...this...feeling of rightness with this woman, who was also a stranger.

  He felt incredibly confused. What on earth was happening to him? Was he still reflecting Dean Long's feelings for Raine or was this all on him?

  She was pretty, yes and had a banging body, even in her boxy looking dress, but her relationship with Bradley whether past or present was a turn off. He should be repulsed. He generally stayed far from women like Raine. Women who justified staying with a married man, women who used men to get ahead, and women who looked innocent but were like vipers underneath.

  So, why was he not repulsed and why did he keep her on when common sense dictated that he shouldn't?

  He glanced over at Raine. She was taking out the pastry from the display case and carefully putting them in a large square box. She was balancing the box on one leg and had her lips folded between her teeth—some of her hair had escaped her ponytail.

  He felt a sudden urge to walk over to her and smooth back the front of her hair? Cup her chin and look her in the eyes and tell her he loved her.