“What? Why is that funny?” I asked.
“Darling. Love. Angel.” Claire pulled my hand in hers, using both hands to cover mine. “If that was meant to be a secret, you’ve done a very poor job at it.”
I shot up to sitting. “You knew?” My gaze swept across Maeve and Aurora. “You knew?” I asked Maeve. Her small nod confirmed it. “There is no way you could have known,” I told Aurora.
“Really, Scarlett. Your face flushes when you talk about him. You radiate sunshine when you see him. You bring him up in every conversation.”
“I do not,” I yelled.
“I found this cool new musician—Luke got me onto him… Do you like the meatballs? I got the recipe from Luke… I was talking to Luke earlier. He said that I should drink more water…”
“Okay. Okay. But it’s not every conversation.” I huffed.
“What are you going to do about Eddie?” Claire asked.
“I like Eddie. He’s nice and…” I racked my brain for something else I could say about him. “He comes all the way down to Calla Bay from Braintree to hang out. I don’t want to string him along if it’s not going anywhere, but I’m not ready to give up on it either. Luke has been a fantasy of mine for so long it doesn’t actually matter if he’s married or divorced. We’re just friends. I can’t wait around for him to maybe, one day, see me as something more.” I shrugged.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it. There is something there between you,” Maeve said.
“That’s true. I caught the tension between you two right away,” Claire said. “He’s going through a lot right now, but I would hate to see you settle for someone just as he’s becoming available. Actually, I would hate to see you settle at all. You deserve the best, Scarlett. And in my humble opinion, that means a Wilder man.”
Maeve was nodding. “I wholeheartedly agree. They really are a different breed. The best breed.”
“That might be true, but don’t stop your life waiting for some man to pull his head out of his ass either,” Aurora countered. “Go on dates, keep looking for the right one. Maybe it’s Eddie. Maybe it’s Luke. Maybe it’s neither. But you’ve pined for that man long enough.”
“Ugh. It was easier when I was just crushing on him inpeace,” I groaned. “I’m going to keep talking to Eddie. We have a date next weekend. If I’m still on the fence by then, maybe I’ll cancel it.”
“You do whatever feels right,” Claire said.
I wasn’t sure if that was the case, but Aurora was right. I had kept my love life on pause for so long, even knowing it could never happen, and now that I was finally putting myself out there again, to stop and wait for Luke to catch up was just silly.
Veda’s doll-like cries sounded from the baby monitor. Maeve went to get her from her bassinet while Claire, Aurora, and I started cleaning up. I cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes in the sink. Claire swept the floors throughout the house while Aurora straightened up the living room.
“You guys don’t have to do all that. I didn’t ask you here so you could clean my house for me,” Maeve said after feeding and changing Veda.
“Maeve, you only get two to three hours to get anything done around here, and you gave that up to spend time with us. You have your hands full, and I know Wyatt does a lot too, but we can help,” I told her.
I spent some time cuddling sweet Veda in my arms after the kitchen was done. It was like a shot of serotonin straight to my heart.
Careful of overstaying our welcome, the three of us all left at the same time.
I gave Claire a parting hug, asking the burning question that had been on my mind. “Do you think Luke knows? About my crush?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. But I don’t think it is as one-sided as you think it is.”
Aurora had the music on blast on the ride home, rocking out to the hit songs playing through the speakers, but my imagination was too busy running wild with fantasies to even notice.
8
Luke
September had come in with a bang, a tropical depression gearing up to wreak havoc on our little coastal haven. I made sure my fridge was stocked with fruits and vegetables, and the pantry was loaded with granola bars, crackers, and cereals. Flashlight batteries were replaced, and all of the outdoor furniture and equipment were brought in.
I swung by Scarlett’s yesterday, just to make sure she and Aurora were all set, and had given her two new flashlights and some canned goods that would see them through if they were without power.
The rain was due to start overnight, hitting us hard in the early hours of the morning. Gale force winds were projected to take down trees and power lines. I pulled up in front of my house—my old house—to assess the property before the storm blew through.
My hand reached out for the doorknob before I pulled it back. I didn’t even feel comfortable enough to walk into my own house anymore. How fucked-up was that?
