Chapter Twenty-Nine
Wade
“Thanks for letting me come over. I’m sorry it’s on such short notice,” I say as Scarlett lets me in at The Serendipity.
She looks at me with suspicion. “You’ve never apologized before. Do you have a guilty conscience or something?”
I wish it was the “something.” Unfortunately, it is guilt. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
A Boston terrier bolts up the main staircase, barking away and making both of us jump. I was so focused on Scarlett that I didn’t realize anyone else was in the lobby. A man follows the dog, calling after it.
“Just ignore them. That dog is a grump. Now, what was it you wanted to say?” She folds her arms across her chest and stands there with a stern look on her face.
My heart beats a little faster until she throws back her head and laughs. “You looked so scared there for a second.”
“You think it’s funny to scare your boyfriend?” I growl and leap forward, pulling her into my arms and planting a sound kiss on her cheek.
“Your beard is tickling!” she shrieks.
“Oh, really?” I lean in and bury my face in her neck. She finally pushes me away, and we glance at the elevator bank. There’s an older woman standing there with wide eyes, looking wholly traumatized by our physical display.
Scarlett clears her throat and gives the woman a little wave before she turns back to glare at me. “Okay, do you want to go to my apartment or sit out by the pool? It’s a nice day out there.”
I point behind her toward the hallway that leads to the courtyard exit. “Pool.”
Scarlett spins on her heel and leads the way outside, her apartment keys still dangling from her fingers. We reach the courtyard, the fountain lending a peaceful background. A couple of people are scattered around the pool area, sitting in the loungers, but no one is actually swimming.
“I have a confession.” I swallow the lump in my throat as I turn to face Scarlett. There’s a reason I’m telling her outside next to The Serendipity’s pool. I want there to be witnesses to my possible murder.
“You do?” She looks at me in surprise. “Why does this sound so serious?”
My shoulders sag, and I try to decide the best way to confess this.
“Well, you see, Phoenix—then I—and maybe it wasn’t a good idea—in fact, now I see that it wasn’t, and we should have done something completely different.” I stutter over the last couple of words.
“Wade, it must be bad if you can’t even tell me what it is.” Scarlett’s face is going pale. Those big earrings dangling against her cheeks glint in the sunlight.
“Yes, well. I guess I’ll just say it.” I feel sick to my stomach. Maybe Phoenix can show up and take the brunt of her anger. I don’t want to be the reason that Scarlett gets angry. But I also can’t start out our relationship with subterfuge. I’m not living a Hallmark movie. This lie won’t work out in my favor in the long run. I’m sure of it.
Scarlett brushes her hair out of her face and adjusts her sunglasses.
“Phoenix isn’t mad you’re dating me,” I rush the words out all in one fell swoop. There’s hardly a pause at all, and I begin to wonder if she even understood what I was trying to say because she doesn’t move.
I’d like to snatch those sunglasses off her face so I can see what she’s thinking. Because right now, her expression is scarily stoic.
“He thought—we thought that maybe it would be better to let you think he was mad at us for dating. He was hoping it would mean you would stay with me.”
Scarlett shifts back a step and clears her throat. “You mean to tell me that yesterday was him throwing a fit just for my benefit?”
I nod once. “He’s not mad that we’re dating,” I whisper. “In fact, he was the one who told me I should man up and tell you how I really feel about you. Because I told him I was falling for you.”
Scarlett dips her head and slowly removes her sunglasses. When she looks up at me, I see a glint in her eyes that’s hard to decipher. “And so the two of you decided to play it up and hope it would strengthen the start of our relationship?”
Just call me a bobblehead by this point because all I can do is nod.
Her eyes narrow and she steps toward me again and points at me with her sunglasses. “Listen, you, you are one lucky sucker.”
I gulp. “How so?”
Scarlett’s face splits into a grin. “Because you came clean and told me. I overheard you guys in the living room yesterday. I’ve been trying to decide how I felt about you being sneaky behind my back. But the good news is you’re horrible at it and actually honest. I guess I’ll have to wipe your name off my payback list.”
I can’t help but grin back at her. I’d like to laugh maniacally, but I’d better not. There are other people in the courtyard.
“You’re laughing,” I say slowly. “This is a good sign, right?”
She takes another step toward me and wraps both her arms around my waist. “I appreciate you telling me so soon. It only makes me trust you more.”
I run my hands through her loose hair and appreciate the feel of the silky strands between my fingers. It’s like holding a cloud in my hand.
Scarlett’s face is pressed against my chest, and her head fits perfectly under my chin. It’s like we were made for each other. Two perfect puzzle pieces that complete each other. That complement and enhance rather than smother and detract.
I take in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of her shampoo.
Scarlett sighs and tightens her hold around my waist, and then I feel her hands move. They dip into the back of my jeans pocket. My eyebrows shoot up at that, but I don’t complain.
Then she steps back and smiles up at me. “Thank you.”
With a sigh, I let my hands fall to my sides. Maybe a public display of affection is not a good idea next to the pool.
But something in the air shifts. Scarlett’s sweet smile turns sinister. I know because I’ve seen this same smile many times over the years I’ve known her.
The last time she had that wicked grin, she’d left a confetti bomb in my car.
“Scarlett, what—” I freeze when I see what’s in her hands. It’s not just her sunglasses anymore. She has my phone and my wallet too. That’s why she reached into my pants.
“What are you doing?”
She just grins and gives my chest a hard shove with one hand. I lose my footing and begin freefalling backward. I might shriek. Or maybe it’s Scarlett. But then I’m hitting water instead of pavement.
Cold water.
Scarlett just shoved me in the pool.
When I resurface, I find Scarlett standing there, doubled over with laughter.
“Your face! The way you screamed!” She can barely talk, she’s laughing so hard.
That’s it. I swim to the edge of the pool and climb out slowly. I want her to know retribution is coming. I stalk toward her with revenge on my mind.
She finally gets her laughter under control enough to realize I’m there to get even. She holds my phone in a tight grip. “You can’t throw me in the pool! You’ll ruin both our phones!”
“Oh, I know, Scarlett, but man, am I wet. If only I had something to dry off with…”
She tries to dodge my hands when I reach for her, but she’s laughing too much to make a good evasive maneuver. I wrap her up in my arms and bury my wet face in her neck.
“My neck!” she shrieks. She’s convulsing with laughter at this point, and so am I.
“You shoved me in the pool,” I growl at her. She starts fighting back by tickling my ribs. I blow a raspberry on her neck, and she shrieks again.
I hold her tight against my chest as we both catch our breaths.
“Well, have you learned your lesson?” she gasps out .
“Hmm, I think so. If I ever cross you, I can expect swift retribution. Is that what you mean?”
Scarlett tips her head back and grins cheekily at me. “Yes, that’s exactly it.” She wiggles loose, then turns around to wrap her arms around my neck. “And the other thing.”
“What would that be?” I ask as I wrap my arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground and walking us toward one of the side doors to The Serendipity.
“I want you to know I’m in this for you. I’m not dating you because my brother wants—or doesn’t want—us to date.” She looks me in the eyes as I slide her down to the ground and open the door, letting her go inside first. “Whatever you might think, I’m not that easily manipulated.”
I bend down and kiss her cheek as she hands me my phone and wallet. “I know. Why do you think I came clean today? I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. And I want you to know you can always trust me. I will always have your back, and I will always support you in making your own informed decisions.”
She laces her hand through mine and sets her sunglasses on her head as we walk down the hallway toward the back staircase. I’m leaving a trail of wet footprints.
“So, are you going to get even with Phoenix too?”
“I’m worried.” I pace back and forth in the Fernsbys’ living room. Phoenix is staying at the Fernsby house while he’s here this weekend, and he texted me this morning to come over. I haven’t told him that Scarlett knows.
Scarlett is ignoring both of our texts. And we still belong in the doghouse for not coming clean to her. She told me she’d talk to me in a couple of days—after she took care of business.
I have no doubt that business is called getting even with her brother. I’ve been a vault of secrets today, not telling Phoenix that she confronted me.
Phoenix stops his own pacing and stares at me. “Wait a sec…”
I look away quickly. He’s a professional scrutinizer, and I don’t want to give anything away.
“You told her about me, didn’t you?”
I try to look at him with wide-eyed innocence.
He doesn’t buy it. “You didn’t keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes. I told her you were happy about us. And then she pushed me into a pool. We had a good talk. But now I haven’t heard from her all day, and I’m starting to worry.” That part is also true. I’m halfway worried she’s decided I’m not worth it.
“See? I told you you should have kept it a secret. You shouldn’t have told her I was rooting for you guys. Now she’s going to ghost us both.”
Phoenix flops down on the couch, taps his hand on the arm three times, then stands up and starts pacing again. “You should have just carried that secret to the grave with you.” He stomps into the kitchen and rummages around the fridge for a water bottle.
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure lying to Scarlett would be a great foundation for our relationship. Good plan, Phoenix,” I reply. I might be on a shaky foundation right now, but I’m glad I told her the truth. I could not look her in the eye and lie to her. I just couldn’t.
“What are you going to do now?” Phoenix asks as he paces back and forth in the kitchen.
“I promised her I would give her time.”
“Not a good idea. Too much time, and she’ll realize she can do better than you.”
“Geez, thanks for that vote of confidence.” I pull my phone out of my pocket when I hear a chime. “That’s not mine, it’s yours.
Phoenix picks up his phone from the counter. “It’s my neighbor from across the street. He says there’s a chicken in my yard. That’s weird. I don’t think any of the neighbors have chickens.”
He sets his phone down, walks to the big bay window, and slides the curtain to the left a few inches. His head swivels back and forth and then stops abruptly, a look of surprise on his face. “What the?—”
I move next to him and pull the curtain back a little more so I can see this rogue chicken.
I snort with a burst of laughter when I see it.
There is a large, blow-up chicken standing in the center of the yard. It looks like it’s at least seven feet tall.
“Did someone just prank you?” I ask with a laugh as we both stare at the chicken.
But then the chicken starts to move. And soon, it’s running back and forth across the yard.
“I’m pretty sure there’s someone in that chicken suit,” Phoenix finally manages to say between bouts of laughter.
“And I’ve got some pretty good guesses as to who.” My cheeks are hurting from smiling.
Scarlett Fernsby is getting even with us.
I make it onto the porch first. “Scarlett! What the heck are you doing?” I call out.
She runs—waddles, really, in that suit—past the porch, clucking loudly.
“Scarlett Tiffany Fernsby. You’re tearing up Mom’s yard,” Phoenix shouts at her with a laugh.
He makes the rookie mistake of walking out onto the lawn…and getting mowed down by a giant blow-up chicken. He’s laughing too hard to do anything about it, and she’s soon up and running again .
She’s so spry in that costume. I brush a fist against my cheek and realize my eyes are watering from laughing so hard.
Phoenix crawls back to the safety of the porch before she can get him again.
“Why are you wearing a chicken suit?” Phoenix calls out.
Scarlett stops running for a minute and tips up the chicken head so I can finally see her face. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair is clinging to her face. It’s a warm day today, so I’d imagine running around in that blow-up suit makes her pretty hot.
“I just wanted to come wearing appropriate attire to hang out with you two cowards ,” she says. Extra emphasis on the last word. She points at me with a blow-up chicken wing. “You’re a little less of a coward because you told me, but you’re still complicit.”
I nod dutifully. Sometimes, it’s better to admit your guilt. Accept it. Grovel. And hopefully, move on.
“And you.” She points a wing at her brother. “You think you’re the mastermind behind all of this, don’t you? You think you’re the genius who orchestrated this between Wade and me?”
Phoenix concerns me sometimes with his lack of sense of self-preservation. He doesn’t seem to have one at all because he responds, “Yes! You two never would have figured out you were meant to be!”
“Then why was I the one who moved out into a grown-up apartment? Why did I stay away when Wade was dating Rebecca? Why did I suggest he kiss me?” She flaps both her wings in the air. “You don’t get to claim that you orchestrated this relationship when it’s obvious I’ve had to be the emotionally mature one and make it happen. If it were left up to you two ding-dongs, you would still be sitting on that porch drinking beer and figuring out how to ruin some more of my dates.”
Phoenix and I look at each other guiltily. She kinda has a point—as embarrassing as it is to admit.
I jog down the steps from the porch and head straight for my giant chicken.
“Don’t come near me! I’m sweaty, and I don’t know if I’ve forgiven you yet.” Scarlett frowns at me as I get closer.
“Thank you for getting me to admit my feelings for you. Thank you for being the emotionally mature one.” Although I do seem to remember being the one chasing her down in my car.
Scarlett nods each time. “See? If it hadn’t been for that mop that made you so mad, you wouldn’t have finally admitted it.”
I grin as I slide closer to her, grabbing a chicken wing and tugging her close.
“If it hadn’t been for you angry mopping and demanding that goodnight kiss…I don’t know if I would have ever had the courage. I was so scared to lose you.”
“Well, I’m glad one of us wasn’t afraid to take a risk.”
“See? You’re not afraid to run toward something that scares you,” I whisper to her as I kiss her cheek.
She turns her head at the last second and presses her lips against mine. “I guess it just has to be something I want bad enough.”
I’ve never kissed a chicken before. But I do my best to hug her close as I kiss her.
“No public indecency in my yard!” Phoenix yells from the porch.
“I’d like to keep kissing you,” Scarlett says. “You’ve proven I can trust you in our relationship…”
“I’ll happily do any test you need.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t need you to keep proving yourself. But I think I would like to run over my brother in my chicken suit one more time.” She grins up at me.
I wink at her and step to the side, flinging both my arms in the direction of Phoenix. “Be my guest.”
She powers those little chicken legs and chases a shrieking Phoenix all the way into the backyard.
And I can’t help but think this is what it means to be truly happy.