Chapter 2
He’s the sweetest
Scarlett
For the next hour, Endo Macarley and I mingle with the partygoers. He spins elaborate and detailed tales about our nonexistent relationship, and there’s no question in my mind that everyone believes him. Except my dad, but since he’s made himself scarce, I’m on my own.
Wilfred, the ever-dutiful Doberman, chats with my dad, the pair of them conveniently doing their best to avoid me.
Or maybe it’s Endo they’re avoiding, in which case, I don’t blame them.
But it makes me want to scream that I’m forced to interact with this delusional lunatic while my dad enjoys his partner’s company.
I have no idea why this man told everyone we’re engaged when I’ve never met him before. And I have no idea why my father seems to go along with it.
How does my father even know him?
I struggle with the morality of judging a man by his appearance, but I can’t help but notice that Endo is unlike the men he’s shaking hands with. Whenever he sticks his hand out, takes a drink, or runs a palm over his jaw, the tattoos on his middle fingers flash in my brain like a warning sign.
In my experience, most people’s tattoos hold some sort of meaning, even if it’s just an aesthetic one.
A pretty butterfly as a symbol of freedom and rebirth.
The face of Jesus because of faith. A tiger for courage and strength.
But a skull and crossbones makes me think of pirates.
And the placement on his middle fingers surely means something.
I don’t know if it’s a giant fuck-you to the world or if it’s a sign he’s given away all his fucks.
No matter the reason, the placement of his tattoos is provocative.
For me, since I have no tattoos, the liberty with which he carries this provocative sign is thought provoking.
I have no marks on my body, not even from the time I fell off Harriet’s pony.
When I was growing up, my parents made sure I was sheltered from the world.
I’m thirty now and can do whatever I wish, and I wish to visit the land of my mother’s roots and get to know her community, perhaps even meet some of my relatives.
I’m pretty sure I could never be as bold as this man, but taking a job in a volatile country with a humanitarian crisis going on is as bold as I’ll go.
We’re almost going to be seated for dinner when Endo leads me aside, a few feet away from the last table in the back.
Across the garden, I catch sight of my sister as she hands Beatrice off to a friend. She marches toward Endo and me, probably dying to confront this stranger.
Charlotte and I are very close, and she damn well knows she’d be the first person I’d tell if I met a man I was planning on marrying.
“Did you memorize our story by now?” Endo asks.
“I have. It’s a tale as old as time.”
His smile appears genuine now. “Except I’ll never turn into the prince.”
“No, you’ll end up behind bars.”
He laughs. “With your daddy in the cell next door.”
“Oh, please.” I suppress a snort because ladies don’t do that. “Why are you doing this? What’s going on?”
“We’re engaged to be married until your father comes through.”
“Comes through with what?” Charlotte’s almost arrived. Her heels dig holes in the grass as she stomps over the lawn.
“My brother’s location.”
Empathy stings when you have it, I tell ya. “Is your brother missing?”
“Yes, he is. And I have it on good authority that your father knows where I can find him.”
“Why would he know that?”
“They went into business together.”
Charlotte’s husband, Josh, intercepts her just as she nears us.
When she tries to go around him, he grabs her elbow and pulls her, harder than I’d like, but I told Charlotte he’s not a good man before, and it almost cost me our relationship.
I learned to keep quiet about Josh. I get the impression he doesn’t want her near me. Not just now, but in general.
As he pulls her away, Charlotte stares over her shoulder at me.
I reassure her with a thumbs-up.
What’s really weird is that my dad hasn’t spoken to me since the announcement, and even now, after my “fiancé” and I made our social rounds, he’s avoiding us.
I’ve got to give it to Endo. His social game gets an A+. He handled the partygoers with a charm that slayed even a fashion designer ice queen who smiled more tonight while chatting with Endo than she has since her late husband had a heart attack while banging her best friend.
After she buried her cheating husband, Abigail Laurent inherited his fortune and used it to fund a new fashion line called Karma Sticka.
The woman is an icon. I’ll be shocked if social media doesn’t blow up with a picture of the ice queen caught smiling at a much younger man. Especially a handsome one like Endo.
On their way to the table, Josh stops by the bar, and my sister uses his distraction to spin on her heel and practically materialize in front of me.
Charlotte rests her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you’re getting engaged.” She huffs. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Charlotte, he’s…” I pause because Endo opens his suit jacket and flashes me his holstered weapon.
Is he threatening us? I meet his eyes, which are devoid of humanity. I’m a physician, and in my job, I’ve learned to read people quickly, so I can tell this is not an idle threat. My sister and father are in danger. Endo means to hurt us, and by us, I mean my family.
What in the world is happening here?
I’ll find out later. Meanwhile, I’m not a dummy who will provoke an armed man, that’s for sure.
Not when it might come at the cost of others.
My niece, for one, but also my little sister.
As my grandmother “kindly” likes to remind me, I’m the unmarried sister and a doctor dedicated to a life she calls “chosen poverty.” Hence, of the two Pembroke sisters, I’m the more expendable one.
But I don’t want to lie to my sister either. She’s my best friend and an ally through thick and thin. She’ll know if I’m lying, and it would hurt her feelings.
“Scarlett?” Charlotte prompts, now looking between Endo and me.
He breaks the silence. “I asked my fiancée not to say anything to you because I couldn’t tell my brother either. It seemed only fair.”
“Oh. Oh, I see. Okay. I can get behind that.” Charlotte chews her lip. “That’s kind of sweet.”
Endo gives her a panty-melting smile. “I’m the sweetest.”
Charlotte inches closer and pinches my butt. She’s expressing her approval of Endo, who is deceptively charming. All women, no matter their relationship status, should avoid him.
“Congratulations.” Charlotte hugs me. “I’m so happy for you.
But also, you should’ve told me about him even if he asked you not to.
” When she steps back, she flashes him the brightest of smiles.
“You must come over for dinner tomorrow. My husband, Josh, will be pleased to meet you, and my daughter, Beatrice, already asked me about you ten times.”
“Let’s give Endo some room to breathe,” I suggest. He’s not integrating into our family any more than he already has.
“Thank you for the invite, pet. You can reach me at your dad’s house.”
Did he just call my sister pet? And why do I get the feeling he thinks he’s staying at my dad’s house?
The place where I’m staying before I leave for work.
I open my mouth to ask when my sister playfully slaps his shoulder.
“Sounds great, lion. I bet Scar looks forward to spending some time alone with you.” She winks at him. “If you know what I mean.”
Endo produces a masculine chuckle while Charlotte keeps smiling, as pleasant as ever.
A. She picked up on the pet reference and called him a lion in turn.
B. She’s playing along. My sister knows this is all wrong.
As we make our way to the table, I watch my step and wish the earth would open, swallow me whole, and spit me back out on the other side of the world. Like, for example, in my mother’s old country, where I could start working right away.
Unfortunately, real life doesn’t allow for such fantastical escapes.
I remain at the party, wondering if the man who claims to be my fiancé is really staying with us in the house. Surely, he’s not. Is he?