4. Scarlett
FOUR
SCARLETT
FIVE YEARS LATER
"How bad is it?" I ask Evelyn, my gaze firmly on my son, Brandon, who's currently sitting on the sofa with Tilly on his lap, and he's petting her. "Evelyn, please," I plead with her. "You need to be honest with me. How bad is it?"
With a shaky hand she reaches for a stack of mail. "It's pretty bad," she tells me as she hands me one of the letters.
I look at it, and my heart splinters as tears spring to my eyes. "Oh, Evelyn," I whisper. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask her.
Her shelter has no funding any longer, her sponsor died, and her family is no longer willing to continue to contribute to the shelter. She's worked hard, all her blood, sweat, and tears have been poured into the shelter, and now it's going to be shut down if we can't find a new shelter.
"How much do we need?" I ask her, trying to work out the calculations in my mind. I'm barely scraping by as it is, but Evelyn has been a Godsend to me. When I met her and adopted Tilly, I started to volunteer at the shelter, and soon we became friends. When I told her I was pregnant, I broke down again and cried, and everything that happened spilled out of me. She held me as I sobbed and then promised me everything would be okay.
When Brandon was born, she was the one by my side. She was the one that held my hand through the contractions and pain. She urged me to contact Axel, but the hurt I felt that day still affects me today, and I just couldn't bring myself to contact him. It was Evelyn that watched Brandon when I was at college and working. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure what I would have done, she's been my light when everything felt dark. I owe her so very much, and I'm not sure I can ever repay everything she’s done for me.
She tells me how much she needs per month to keep the shelter running, and I can't help but gape at her. That's a lot. So much money. "I can get a second job," I tell her. I currently work from home doing project management for different companies, as much as it would pain me, I could push that tonight time work, and I could get a day job while Brandon is at pre-school. It wouldn't be ideal, but it can help.
She shakes her head. "I can't ask you to do that."
"Just until we can find another sponsor, or even a few sponsors. It wouldn't be forever, Evelyn, but it's something that needs to be done soon. I can find another job, get some extra money so we can use it for the shelter while we figure something else out."
She nods. "Okay," she whispers, and I know it’s taking a lot for her to agree to it. "But it won't be forever. I'll see if I can get a part-time job too. Maybe work nights."
I sigh, she's fifty-nine, perfectly capable of working, but the shelter is her dream, it's what she's worked toward for her entire life, and now she's on the cusp of losing it all.
"I'll search today and see if I can find anything." I reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. "It's going to be okay," I assure her, hoping I can repay a tiny bit of what she's given me.
"Brandon, hunny, I'm sorry, I know it’s not what you wanted. But mama has to go to the office and see if she can get a new job. Wouldn't that be great?" I say as I hold his hand as we hurry toward AllBeck Management. Hedge funding isn't something I know, but I'm great at office work and have a degree in business.
"Okay, mama,” he says.
I hate that I’ve broken my promise to bring him to the playground today, but I’m hoping I can take him once I’ve finished the interview. "How about we get pizza for dinner this evening?" I say with a smile, hoping that my words will cheer him up.
Just as I hoped, his lips curve into a blinding smile, and his brown eyes are wide with happiness. "Yay," he cries as he skips along beside me. Seeing him so happy, my heart restricts, whenever he smiles, he looks so much like his dad. Brandon is Axel's double. Even his mannerisms are Axel.
We quickly make our way into the office building and toward the smiling receptionist. "Hello, welcome to AllBeck Management, how may I help you?" She greets me.
"Hi, I'm Scarlett Moore, I have a job interview with Simon Crimmings. I'm really sorry, I wasn't able to get a sitter for my son."
She doesn't bat an eye as she keeps her smile firmly on her face. "Don't worry, we understand that sometimes not everything can work out as planned, and the interview was very last minute."
That's an understatement. I applied for the job two days ago and received a call late yesterday afternoon asking me to come in today. I called everyone I know, asking if they could watch Brandon, but there wasn't anyone available. Bringing him here was my last resort.
"Mr. Crimmings isn't here today, but the COO will be interviewing you," she tells me as she hands me a visitor badge. "If you take the elevator to the seventh floor, your interview will begin shortly."
I give her a warm smile. "Thank you so very much. Have a wonderful day."
"You too, Ms. Moore. I hope your interview goes well."
I hold out my hand, and Brandon takes it instantly, we walk toward the elevator, and I see him bouncing a little. "Go on," I encourage him, knowing that he wants to press the call button for the elevator. "Are you okay?" I ask once he's done it.
He nods slightly, and I know he’s a little scared, he's not used to being around people he doesn't know, and I hate that I'm going to have to leave him alone while I have the interview. "Mama, are we going swimming tomorrow?"
"Of course," I assure him. Whether it means we're going early in the morning or later in the day, I'll be taking him. "You know I love our swimming dates."
He looks up at me with a smile. "Yay," he cries, and there's nothing better than seeing him smiling and happy. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my boy.
The doors to the elevator open, and we step out, my gaze firmly on my little boy. "Be good for me, okay?"
He nods. "I will," he assures me. "I'll sit over there," he points to a sofa in the corner. "I'll be good mama."
I smile at him. "I know, baby," I whisper as I run my hand through his hair.
A low cough draws my attention, I turn my gaze from Brandon to the newcomer. My heart stutters as I stare with wide eyes at the man. He's watching Brandon and I with suspicious eyes. Ones that I know so well.
Fuck. It's Axel Beckett. What the hell is he doing here?