Lover's Roulette (17 page)

16

Scarlet

I realized that the sooner I came to the point in my life when I stopped cari
ng about what other people thought, the happier I’d be. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite there yet, but I was working on it.

The next morning we were sitting at the kitchen table, having the breakfast I prepared. I got up early and made sure everything was ready. Dian
e kept her gaze averted to her food. She was very quiet. Instead of being offended, I decided to take the high road. I admit that kissing Monnique was a stupid, drunken mistake, but that’s what it was—a mistake. I did nothing wrong. Sean didn’t seem to care and none of my friends did. Ryan, my only family member, couldn’t care less. Sure, they teased me about it, but they would all take it to the grave. I really shouldn’t care what this snooty, old bat thought. Sean was the man I was marrying, not her. I decided to let it go.

“So, how’s work?” she asked Sean. “You still working for that recycling company?”

I didn’t detect a tone of disapproval, but I knew she was thinking it.

“Actually, I quit.”

That seemed to catch her interest. “Really? Why?”

I wondered if he would tell her the truth. That would be awkward if he did.

“I just didn’t like the working environment.” He shoveled the rest of his pancakes into his mouth then drank from his coffee.

“Are you looking for something new?”

“I’m going to wait until after our honeymoon.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How long haven’t you been working?”

He shrugged. “A month or two.”

“Sean, that’s unacceptable.”

“Scarlet makes great money doing what she does. One income is more than enough to hold us over. I don’t even need to work if I chose to.”

“You still need to work. You’re the man.”

I was annoyed with her traditional thoughts. I really didn’t care if Sean worked or not, even though I knew he would never stay home. I was passionate about my job and I loved what I did for a living. I always had the feeling that Sean didn’t feel the same way. He had been bred to take over their company and he didn’t know anything else.

“Mom, don’t worry about us. I’m looking for a job—one that I actually want.”

“What are you interested in?”

“Good pay and good hours.”

“Sean, your father and I are getting older.”

He rolled his eyes. “I already said no.”

“Just hear me out.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

“Aren’t you tired of working for someone else? The company is yours, Sean. You could work the hours you wanted and just oversee everything. The more stressful things have already been handled. Anyone would kill for the opportunity.”

“I
live in Seattle with Scarlet. We aren’t moving.”

“Ever?”

“No,” he said quickly. “Scarlet and I live here.”

I was moved that he was so stubborn about this. The only reason why I
was here was because of Ryan. Sean knew how important my brother was to me, especially after he had an insight look to my past.

“You could do a lot of work from home,” she said. “And you really only need to be in the office two to three days a week. If you get your brother on board, you could split the work. Your father and I would be able to relax if we knew the company was being taken over by our sons.”

“Well, it’s my life, Mom. I’m not going to do something just to make your life easier.”

I’ve never heard Sean speak to his mother like that. Their relationship really had changed. He wasn’t taking shit from them anyone—not at all. Now I felt worse. It was my fault this happened. Sean was like a rabid watchdog, lashing out at anyone who even slightly insulted me.

His mom didn’t respond for a moment, clutching her hands in her lap. “I understand that, dear. I just thought it was a good opportunity for you. You would be rich, richer than you’ll ever be if you work anywhere else, and you could even commute a few days a week.”

“I’m not leaving my wife for a few days a week. That’s not negotiable.” His voice was as sharp as ice. “And I don’t care about money. Scarlet and I are happier than we ever could be. We have what we need. We don’t need anything more.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry I said anything. I just want to make sure you have all the facts before you turn it down. If your brother doesn’t accept the company, we’ll sell it.”

“I think that would be best.”

An awkward silence filled the air. I felt like I shouldn’t have witnessed the conversation at all.

Diane spoke first. “I’m going to freshen up then we can head out.”

“Okay,” I said. “Cortland will be here in a few minutes.”

She stood and walked down the hallway.

Sean moved to the couch then turned on the television. I followed him and moved closer.

“Sean?”

He placed his arm over my shoulder then held me close. “Babe?”

“What if you did take over the company?”

He raised an eyebrow as he stared at me. After a moment he grabbed the remote and turned off the television. “What are you talking about?”

“I want you to have a job that you want. You hated working for
that recycling company.” He sighed as he listened to me. “Your mom is right. You won’t find a job better than that. You’re the boss and you don’t take orders from anyone else. Plus, you have job security.”

“To be honest, I would take it if we didn’t live in Seattle.”

“You would?”

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I loved my job in New York, but you’re right. I didn’t like not being in charge. I guess I’m OCD when it comes to the office.”

Now I felt worse. Sean was sacrificing everything for me, even his family company. “Then you should take it.”

“What about Ryan?”

“He’ll understand.”

He stared at me for a long moment. “I can’t believe you would do that for me.”

“You’re my husband, Sean. Besides, he has Janice now.”

“And as much as I appreciate that sacrifice, I can’t do that. I’m not making you leave him.”

“What?”

“I know how much
he means to you. You want him to see your kids every day, to go to Mega-Shake with him, to know he’s only ten minutes away. Scarlet, when I said I would do anything for you, I meant it. You are number one, not me. I live my life for you. I’m giving you the love, respect, and the life you deserve. Your happiness is more important to me than any job.”

His words were so sweet I thought I would cry. I couldn’t believe how much things
had changed between us. When he said he would die for me, I believed him. “Why don’t you commute?”

“What? And leave you three days a week? Are you crazy?”

“I work from my laptop. I could come with you every time and stay at the hotel. I would be there every morning, and every night when you came home from work.”

He was qu
iet for a moment. “And while that sounds like a good plan, what about when we have kids? You can’t just take them with you.”

“Well, then you’ll commute by yourself.”

“I can’t do that, Scarlet. I can’t stand the idea of leaving you alone for three days. It freaks me out.”

“I could always stay at Ryan’s.”

“You can’t intrude on his life three days a week.”

“That’s the best I can do.”

“Which is why it won’t work.”

I sighed. “I don’t want you to give this up for me.”

“Believe me, I got the better hand.”

“I’ll ask Ryan if he would be willing to move.”

“What?”

“Janice has family in New York. She would probably rather live there.”

“And his shop?”

“Not to overstep my boundary, but couldn’t we give him money to open up his own shop in New York?”

Sean stared at me. “I would be willing to do that if Ryan agreed, but I don’t think he will.”

“I think he would if I talked to him about everything.”

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Can I say one more thing?”

He looked at me.

“I appreciate how much you take care of me and put me first, but this is a two-way street. We need to do what’s best for each other, not just me.”

“No. Your happiness is my happiness. I’m sorry.”

We stared at each other for a long time until Diane came back into the living room. “Are you ready?”

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. “Cortland is waiting for us downstairs.”

Sean stood up then walked me to the door. “Have fun.”

“Come with me,” I said.

“What? Why?”

“I need your opinion.”

“Babe, you would look amazing in a damn chicken suit.”

“I still want you to be there.”

“I want to be surprised when I see you walk down the aisle, more beautiful than
the setting sun. And you have your family there to give you some feedback.”

“But they are family.
Of course they’ll say I look nice.”

“Ask Cortland.
He’ll tell you if you look hot or not.”

I looked for a train of anger in his eyes but there was none. I was surprise
d by the look.

He grabbed my face and kissed me, slipping his tongue inside my mouth. I was aware of his mother nearby, but since Sean didn’t care, I didn’t care. He pulled away. “I’ll love anything you pick out. Just get wha
t you like. Besides, I’m going to rip it off anyway.”

I blushed, knowing his mother heard that.

“I love you, babe. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Okay. I love you too.”

He opened the door and ushered us out. We walked down to the street toward Cortland’s car. Cortland left the driver’s seat then walked around the car, opening the back door.

“You ready, future Mrs. Preston?”

I smiled. “I think so.”

Cortland looked at Diane. “Hello, Mrs. Preston. I’m Cortland—a friend of Scarlet’s.”

She smiled. “Call me, Diane.”

“Dian
e, it is,” he said with a smile. He held the door open. “After you.”

She got inside and scooted over. I got in beside her then Cortland shut the door. Cortland walked around and got back into the driver’s seat.

Monnique turned around and smiled at us. “Hello, I’m Cortland’s girlfriend, Monnique.”

Diane’s eyes widened when she looked at her. I knew she recognized her from my lesbian video.

“Uh, hi,” she mumbled.

Monnique raised an eyebrow, unsure what was happening. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said.

Monnique gave me a look, wondering what the problem was.

Since I was forcing myself not to care about what Sean’s mother thought, I just decided to be honest. “She saw the video of us making out in Vegas and she hasn’t processed it yet.”

Cortland suddenl
y swerved on the road then corrected the wheel. “What?”

Monnique glanced at Diane. “Oh.”

“Sean had the video on his phone and she saw it on accident,” I explained.

“That’s awkward,” Cortland said with a laugh.

Monnique cleared her throat. “Diane, I can assure you it was just a mistake. It didn’t mean anything.”

“I’m sure,” she said.

Cortland stared straight ahead and kept his eyes on the road. Monnique turned around and remained silent. To say it was awkward was an understatement.

Cortland cleared his throat. “Anyway, Ryan and Janice are meeting us there.”

“Okay,” I said. I looked out the window and watched the buildings flash by. It had just rained the day before so the streets were still wet. The concrete was a darker shade than it normally was. I didn’t bring my jacket because I knew I wouldn’t be wearing it much anyway.

“How
are you liking Seattle?” Cortland asked Diane.

“It’s nice,” she said. “A little wet.”

“I heard Connecticut has some bitter winters.”

“Yes, but the summers are beautiful.”

“I like the constant coolness. I hate being so hot that I’m sweating all the time.”

“I love it,” she said.

“Is there anything you’d like to see while you’re here?” he asked. “I wouldn’t mind giving you a tour.”

I was thankful Cortland was such a gentleman, taking the burden of her visit off my shoulders. I could push her onto him if I really wanted to.

“Actually, I’m leaving tomorrow, but thank you for the offer,” she said with a smile.

I could tell from her tone that she already loved Cortland. I wasn’t sure how she felt about Monnique.

Cortland pulled over until we stopped in front of a small boutique shop.

“I thought we were going to David’s Bridal?” I asked.