“There are some clothes in the den. I’ll be fine. Just get her upstairs.”
Oliver goes over to Scarlet and has her get up. She’s asking him a bunch of questions that he’s not answering. I let them go up first, following closely behind. I wait for the two of them to disappear upstairs and then cover myself up. There’s a pair of sweatpants in the closet, and I throw them on. I open the door, and I’m surprised to see,
“Jeremy?” What is he doing here? “What are you doing here?”
He pushes passed me, obviously cold. After taking a few seconds to warm up, Jeremy removes his scarf and answers me,
“Winston sent me. He wanted me to check up on you guys.” He’s looking around, trying to find something, so I step in front of him, blocking his way in.
“Our father sent you to ‘check up’ on us?” I’m royally annoyed now. Jeremy’s our father’s right-hand man. From what I can tell, he does all the dirty work.
“He’s worried about you guys. You don’t call. You don’t text. Not even a single email.” We don’t call, because we have absolute disdain for him and the way he does business, but I can’t say that; Jeremy would report it all back to Winston. Instead I say,
“He’s worried about his business prospects. And we’ve already told him we’re taking care of it. Anyway, we’re fine. You can go.”
Jeremy has been around our family too long to be easily susceptible to my intimidation. He tries to move around me to look upstairs,
“I’d like to say hello to Oliver before I leave.” This nosy son of a bitch. “Ah. Oliver!”
I turn and see Oliver coming down the stairs. He is distinctly sans Scarlet, and I pray she doesn’t come down.
“Jeremy! Sorry. I was working in my room, but I heard your voice and came to say hi.” Oliver had always gotten along better with Jeremy. He also dislikes him… strongly, but he’s hidden it a lot better. “We’d love to chat, but we’re awfully busy. Next time call so we can have a longer visit.”
Jeremy nods, seemingly satisfied with Oliver’s explanation. He heads back to the door, rewrapping his scarf, “You boys should call more often. Your dad would love to hear from you.”
“Of course. We’ll do our best. Have a safe trip home,” Oliver pats him on the back.
Jeremy leaves the cabin, and I’m finally able to relax. I look at Oliver, and we both start to laugh. Oliver rubs the back of his head, “Oh, my god. I do not like that man.” Because he is the worst.
“No one likes him. Not even Winston likes him.” Our laughter dies down then I remember that Scarlet is upstairs. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She wants to know why we were freaking out so much.”
I run my hand through my hair. I thought we could get away for a few days, but obviously, I was wrong. We go upstairs and head to Oliver’s room where Scarlet is supposed to be. We enter and she’s lying down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. When she hears us, she sits up and crosses her legs. No one says anything for a couple seconds, the tension palpable. I make the first move by sitting down on the bed next to her. Oliver goes to stand at the foot of the bed and says, “Sorry about all of that. We never get unexpected guests, and we were worried something might’ve gone wrong.”
Scarlet looks down at her hands, twisting them in her lap. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
I look at Oliver, not sure what to do. There’s so much to unload, but I don’t know if now is the time to get into everything.
Oliver places a hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at him. “A colleague of our father dropped by to see if we were okay. We were just surprised to see him. We’re also not his biggest fans.”
“Is that all?” Not even close.
“That’s the gist.” Oliver crosses his arms. We’re both closing ourselves off from her, and I think she can feel it. And just when things were getting better, too. I can see her starting to retreat in response to our standoffishness.
“I think I’m going to go to sleep. I’ll see you guys in the morning.” Scarlet moves around the two of us and gets herself off the bed. She goes to the door and looks at us one last time before leaving and closing the door behind her.
Oliver sits on the bed. “I think we fucked up, brother.”
Oliver is right. Too many sects of our lives are starting to cross over, and we are not handling them well. We’ve always been better at keeping things separate but apparently not this time.
I’m so tired and spent; I don’t even want to move. “We should also go to sleep. I’m tired, and I don’t think we’ll be great problem solvers right now.Can I sleep here tonight?”
Oliver gives me a surprised look. “We haven’t slept in the same bed in years. Not that I’m saying no; I’m just surprised.”
“So, I can sleep here? Awesome.” I move and get under the covers. Oliver joins me and we turn and face one another. “We have to go and see Dad when we get back.”
“We would have had to do that anyway.” He’s right, but now I’m going to be even angrier. I’m so sleepy that I find myself in a deep sleep rather quickly.
Chapter 13 – Scarlet
I didn’t fall asleep immediately after leaving Oliver’s room. I had gone to my room and decided to take a bath. Submerging my head in water helped me clear my mind. I came to the conclusion that I needed to go back to Coldgrove. What was supposed to be fun has turned into something more confusing. It’s not just them being shifty, which, to a certain degree, is understandable. I haven’t shared my complete life story with them, so I can’t expect them to, either. There are also my emerging feelings. At first, I was connecting with Oliver, concerned about how I would deal with their arrangement, but then I felt myself wanting to include Caden more and more. Is it possible to want two men this intensely at the same time? Is that even okay? This is why I need to leave. Chloe will be able to help me; she’s always been a better problem solver. The bath helps to calm me down. I spend way too much time in the water, and my fingers get wrinkly. I get out and go to bed. It takes me some time to fall asleep, because I’m still a little electrified from earlier. The three of us were truly connecting down there. Caden was finally giving me something to work with. Then the doorbell had to go off, and the real world came crashing in. It made me realize that we can’t isolate ourselves and expect everything else to come to a stop.
I wake up in the morning with the intention of telling the twins I want to go home. I find some clothes in the closet – a pair of pants, a shirt; comfortable things – and put them on. I go downstairs and hear noises in the kitchen. Caden must be up. When I enter, Caden and Oliver are hanging out. They’re eating breakfast, and there’s also a plate for me. I sit and eat.
“Good morning,” I say.
Then Oliver and Caden parrot back a good morning.
Oliver asks, “Did you sleep well?”
I nod. I’m a bit nervous to tell them I want to go home. I know they won’t get mad or anything, so I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way. Maybe because I want to spend more time with them. It has been fun. But I also need to leave. When they told me their father called, asking about business, I remembered the real reason they visited me was to buy my grandmother’s house. I could just be another business deal for them. Maybe if I spend some time apart from them, then I can make a clear, focused decision. I put my food down so I can ask them my question,
“Could I ask you guys something?”
They both say yes, a hint of concern in their tones.
“I need to get back to Coldgrove. There are things I need to think on, like your proposal and other things. Could you take me back?”
“Of course. That’s no problem. When do you want to leave?” Oliver asks. That went a lot easier than expected. Caden hasn’t said much of anything yet. Part of the reason I want to stay is because I felt like the two of us were starting to connect more. He seems closed off again.
“Today would be best. As soon as you guys are ready to take me back.”
&n
bsp; “Yeah. Let’s finish breakfast and then Caden and I will get ready to take you back. I hope you’re okay with waiting a little. We’ll have to since we didn’t make any preparations to get home.”
I say that’s fine, and we finish the rest of our breakfast. Afterwards, I wait in the den as Caden and Oliver get things ready for us to leave. It doesn’t take them long, and we’re out the door in no time.
During the ride back to Coldgrove, I try to avoid talking about anything serious, so I pretend to be in a state of constant awe at the landscape flying by in my window.
“Scarlet, is everything okay?” Caden places a hand on my shoulder. His gentle touch softens the hard armor that is my skin.
“Yeah, you’ve been quiet for a while,” Oliver adds. His words weaken the invisible barrier I put up.
I feign a nonchalant smile, “I’m fine! I think I’m just tired.”
Caden lips tighten into a frown and his hand follows suit in tender grip, “Are you sure?”
I place my palm over his hand, “Yes, I’m fine. I’ll probably nap until we get there.” And with that, I lean my head into the nook of the backseat and close my eyes, hoping that they will believe I’m asleep.
They drop me off at my house, and Oliver tells me to call them if I need anything or want to talk. Caden stays in the car, only offering me a wave as they drive off. I wish I knew what was going on with him. I wish they would let me in. When I get back inside the house, I lean against the front door, closing my eyes with a deep breath. Maybe this was a bad idea. I slowly open my eyes and look around the house, seeing all of my grandmother’s memorabilia, her decorations, her little knick-knacks. I can’t sell her house. There’s no way I can get rid of it all. This is all too precious. What do I do?
I take another deep breath before going into the living room. Once I’m settled in, I call Chloe and she comes over as quickly as she can. Soon, we’re sitting together on the couch, sipping wine, and I’m telling her all about Caden and Oliver.
“So, both of them? At the same time?”
It feels good to tell someone about what’s been going on. There aren’t many people I can talk to, and Chloe is the best. Plus, she has the best reactions.
I start reminiscing as I continue telling her the story, “We never got to both of them at the same time exactly. It was more like one of them would watch or touch me in another place or whatever. The logistics aren’t important.”
Chloe puts her wine glass down and shifts on the couch. “The logistics are for sure important. They’re the second most important things. First is, obviously, your feelings. But I need to know the positions, the acts… Are they any good? Is one better than the other? How long do they last? Anything kinky? Everything kinky? Are they… you know… sizable? There are so many logistical questions that need to be answered!”
“I don’t know which one to answer first!” I can’t help but laugh at all of Chloe’s manic questions. She’s rattling them off so quickly.
“Okay, then. How about this one? Are they any good in bed? I’m a little curious.”
“They were really good.” The sex was amazing. I’ll give the Blakesley boys that. They know how to please a woman. Or at least they know how to please me. I’m starting to daydream when I notice Chloe slumping into the couch. “What is it?”
“You’re not going to give me the details. I’m reveling in the disappointment of that realization.” She makes the saddest face, and I start to laugh again.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll tell you at some point. It’s just there are other things on my mind. And I’m still kind of processing everything that went down.” The reason I left. How I am going to take care of selling the house.
“What are you thinking about, Miss Scarlet Russell?”
“I’m thinking about how I’m going to sell this house. It’s still a problem, and I’m no closer to figuring it out. Plus, I’ve got my feelings and they’re getting all muddled up in everything else. It’s just becoming a mess.”
“Are you going to sell the house to them?”
“I don’t know. I thought I was, but now I don’t know if that would be a good idea. Mixing money and sex.” Things have already gotten terribly complicated. “Also, they kept going off and whispering to each other. I don’t know if they are just using me. How do I know they actually like me and aren’t going to toss me aside after I sell them the house? I don’t even know if I want them to continue to see them after. I mean, I don’t even want to stay in Coldgrove! I don’t think I do…” Chloe is starting to look uncomfortable, and I feel bad, because I’m unloading all of my stuff onto her. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I didn’t mean to dump all of my feelings. I just have so many of them.” My attempt at a joke doesn’t help rid of Chloe’s discomfort. “What is it?”
“It’s something I’ve been hearing around town. It’s probably just a rumor.” A rumor?
“About what?”
“There are some details about your grandmother’s death that aren’t sitting well with people, and some are saying that it wasn’t completely natural. I don’t know. Ridiculous, right?” Not natural? How was her death not natural?
“I thought she had a stroke? And banged her head? That’s what your dad’s autopsy said.” Her dad is the only coroner in town, and he would never lie about something like that, right?
“Well, apparently, it may’ve been faked or doctored, and yeah, I mean, they’re just rumors. But people think she may not have died that way. And things are a bit shady…”
Oh. My. God. I can’t grasp what Chloe’s saying to me: a doctored autopsy report. Why would anyone do that? I need to find out if it’s true. But how? Wait-
“Do you have the keys to your dad’s office?”
Her dad’s the coroner, so the report should be with him. Maybe he still has the original report. That would be a stupid thing to do, but it would also be security. I highly doubt Fred Winters doctored the report of his own volition. Someone would’ve asked him to do that, but the original would be somewhere else.
“I do. He’s away on holiday and left me to keep things in order for him.” Perfect.
“Well, let’s go to his office and find out the truth.”
Chloe agrees to take me. I’m happy to have her with me and that she agreed to help me without hesitation.
One of the perks of living in a small town is that the office is not too far from my house, so we get there quickly. There’s no one around, so we make our way inside with no trouble. It’s semi-creepy, but I’m not too bothered since I’m on a mission – that’s all I’m focused on. I turn to Chloe and ask, “Where would the reports be?”
She goes over to a desk and unlocks it. I look over her shoulder and see all kinds of files. After some sifting, she pulls out a manila envelope, “I think this is it.” Carefully, Chloe opens it up and pulls out some papers. The first one is an autopsy report, “It’s dated about a week after Rachel died. It says stroke and then head injury.”
Okay. Maybe the talk was just that. Talk. Flights of fancy are common in Coldgrove. Of course I was getting ahead of myself. It’s all this Caden and Oliver stuff. They’ve got me jumbled, tied up in knots. I’m about to tell Chloe we should get out of here, but she is still reading.
She turns the page, and a look of shock crosses her face. “Oh, my god. It’s another report.”
Another report! I need to calm down. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions again.
“Well, what does it say?” I sound pushy, but I can’t help myself.
“This one is dated the day after Rachel died. It says…” Chloe skims the page, looking for the cause of death. “This one indicates poisoning. Scarlet, Rachel was poisoned!” All the color fades from Chloe’s face, and the whites of her eyes take over the maple-color. I take the report from her, because I have to see it for myself. It, indeed, says what Chloe indicated; she wouldn’t lie about something like that. I fall into the nearest seat, shocked and confused.
“Are you going to be
okay?” Chloe’s voice sounds far away; I don’t give her much of a reaction. She kneels down in front of me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I think we should leave. I’ll drive you back home. Come on.” Chloe gets me out of the chair and we put the office back together. Then she guides me back to the car.
The ride back to my house is a quiet one. I’m still trying to process the idea that my grandmother was murdered. But why? Who did it? Who would do something like that? I’ve placed a wall around a potential culprit, and the more I think about it, the more I chip away. It can’t be them, but who else has a motive?
Chloe pulls into the driveway and we head inside. Once settled, I turn to her and don’t hesitate to blurt out what I’ve been thinking,
“Do you- do you think Oliver and Caden could’ve had anything to do with…”
I can’t even finish the thought. Because I don’t want to believe it. I allowed myself to trust them, and if they were just playing a game with me the entire time, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know if I could go on. Chloe takes my hands in her and looks me directly in the eyes.
“Honestly, I don’t know. There’s no way for me to know. You know them better than I do. But let’s hold that thought. Why don’t we wait for my dad to get back? He’ll have more information. We can’t jump to any conclusions. Okay?”
I nod. I’m basing all these thoughts on a few snippets of conversation I barely overheard. With patience, I can figure this all out. I just need to breathe.
Chapter 14 – Caden
It would appear that Scarlet cutting our weekend short was fortuitous. Winston ended up in Vermont somehow and called a meeting, which we have to fly up to meet him at once. Because that’s the way it goes. Winston says, “Jump,” we say, “How high?” His call was pretty vague. Something about a complicated business deal that wasn’t panning out like he wanted. When things don’t go the way he wants, it’s everyone else’s job to fix it. Ever since we started working together, Oliver and I have become his errand boys.
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