27. Scarlett
27
SCARLETT
T he fire crackled. Ethan's eyes were wide as he took the roasted marshmallow from the metal tines Nick held out and pressed it between two grahams and a square of chocolate. S'mores was one of my favorite treats as a child and it warmed my heart that Ethan loved them too. He and Ryan had been full of camp songs, ghost stories, and energy all evening after we got our tents set up. With darkness falling earlier every day, we barely had any time to enjoy this first night of camping, but we were making up for it by letting the boys stay up late.
"So good," he said, grinning as he chewed. Chocolate dripped from his chin and sticky strings of marshmallow clung to his fingers and lips.
Ryan had his own s'more in hand, halfway gone. Nick had been cranking them out faster than I could produce a dozen cupcakes at the bakery, which was a sore subject. With the town gossip, business had been slower. Usually for Labor Day weekend we had dozens of orders for baked goods, especially pies and cookies for family cookouts, but this year I had a third of my normal orders. I figured when the smoke cleared and people stopped calling me a gold digger, business would return.
"Want another?" Nick asked me and he shot me a concerned expression. Ever since he was late getting to the apartment to pick me up my mood had been sour. His explanation of the office break-in only made it worse.
"No, that's okay." I stared into the fire, poking a few logs with a stick and listening to the boys chat about the best way to make a s'more.
I knew business would perk up, but without Nellie around to help me, there was no way I could manage, especially when the normal amount of orders started rolling in. It was almost a blessing that the town was turning against me, or so my logical mind tried to prove to me. My interviews weren't panning out, and if things did start getting back to normal—including large orders of my saltwater taffy at Halloween—I'd have to turn customers away. I'd be too busy.
I zoned out and thought about what I'd do if I ended up losing so much business I had to close the bakery. I had my culinary degree to fall back on, but it would mean taking a pay cut and working for someone else. The business classes I took gave me a bit of an edge and I had managerial experience, so it was likely I could land at a decent restaurant in the city, but that meant commuting and late nights. Childcare would be outrageous—which was why I opted to do my own business to begin with. It was all too much for me.
"Ms. Moore, what's a gold digger?" Ryan asked and my head snapped out of it.
I sputtered for words but Nick saved me by interjecting his soft chastisement. "Ryan, we don't really use that word, alright buddy?" Ryan, a full year younger than Ethan, but smart enough to be in the same grade, probably heard it floating around school. I was shocked, but I wasn't that surprised really.
"Well my parents said Ethan's mom was nothing but a gold digger, and they hoped I'd be a good influence." Ryan shrugged innocently as Nick stood and started packing up the stuff for s'mores.
"You are such a good influence," I told Ryan, trying to force a smile, but tears were welling up in my eyes. It was one thing for grown adults to say harsh things, but to say them in front of their children broke my heart. I wondered how many awful things Ethan had heard at school.
Nick helped me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me tightly. Then he whispered in my ear, "Why don't you go make the bed and get your pajamas on. I'll clean up and put the boys to bed."
I nodded because if I opened my mouth to speak, I was going to burst out crying. Then I backed away from him and kissed Ethan on the forehead before retreating into our tent. The air mattress was inflated, but I hadn't spread the blankets over it yet. So I made the bed and found the flannel pajamas I picked for tonight and changed.
I heard Nick talking quietly to the boys but I could only make out a few words of it. I hated that he had to do damage control with an almost-eight-year-old and a seven-year-old. They were so young. They shouldn't have to be coached on why adults were acting immaturely and why they shouldn't repeat what those poorly behaved adults were saying.
I did end up shedding a few tears and when Nick kicked off his shoes and slipped into the tent, they were mostly dried. I sniffled a little while I watched him strip down to his boxers and then pull a hoodie and some sweats on. He curled up around me and we covered up with a thick sleeping bag as he kissed my forehead.
"Don't you worry about a thing, baby. I took care of that, and Ryan won't be bringing it up again this weekend." He was so calm. It was like after the years of agony people put him through, this was lightweight for him, not the heavy lifting I was doing emotionally.
"Thank you…" I mumbled but I didn't feel better. The rumors were one thing. Losing business was consuming my thoughts. And the fear of total loss, or people emotionally damaging my son were at the top of my list.
"What is it?" Nick curled a few stray hairs around my ear and made me look up at him. The fire still crackled outside the tent, giving us a tiny trace of light left by which to see each other.
"I'm worried." I sighed into his chest and wrapped my arms around him. "If business doesn't pick up, I could lose everything. And with people talking about me still, saying things like that, it's driving business away."
His hands soothed me, rubbing my back, pulling me against his body. Nick never knew lack. He never knew what it was like to struggle financially. Not only did he have a very huge salary, he came from money. He grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, got everything he wanted, went to the best college, and landed the top-paying job. Yes, his career took a hit, but he lived off his parents' money and didn't even have to work for years.
I barely had a savings account, and that was going to dwindle very quickly if I had to rely on that for income. I'd already let most of my staff go. I just had two teens sharing the evening hours running register and it was up to me to come back to the store every night and lock up. Ethan had gotten used to sleeping on the couch in my office and being carried to the car and then to his bed when we got home. That was no life for him. And it was absurd for people to call me a gold digger when I was struggling so badly.
"It's that bad?" Nick asked softly, and he hooked his finger under my chin and pulled it upward so our eyes met.
"Yeah…" I felt like crying again. None of this was fair. I had finally done the right thing and Nick had forgiven me. Things were supposed to be going better than this. "I'm worried this is going to really affect me. This is why I kept Ethan a secret to begin with."
Nick winced and then pursed his lips. His eyes grew stormy, and for a second I thought I hurt his feelings. I hadn't meant that in a bad way, just that the scandal was the reason I shied away from him. I wasn't as strong as him. My life couldn't handle this storm.
"Then let me give you some money. We'll call it an investment into the bakery."
"No," I told him, shaking my head. "They're already calling me a gold digger. If you do that, they're right. We're just proving them right." My chest felt tight and I started to pull away, but Nick pinned me against his chest and refused to let me go.
"Okay, well I can see how you feel that way. And I can see how they might think that. So we'll make it a loan. I invest in your company and you pay me back with interest, the same way you'd do if you took out a bank loan. It's not gold digging that way, and you get to keep your bakery." I could tell he wasn't going to take no for an answer and I felt guilty.
"Scarlett, I love you and I can't think of any more worthy use for the money I have sitting in my back accounts decaying. Let the town talk. Who cares? Yes, I know it could affect Ethan emotionally, and I'm not trying to be flippant about it, but at some point we have to stop letting the rumors people spew about us dictate our lives. I have the ability to help you, and I want to do it."
Just hearing him talk so resolutely about the situation was starting to put me at ease. I didn't necessarily agree that we'd be able to just live our life without feeling the effects of the rumors and gossip, but I did want to move on from this and just be happy again.
"Alright," I told him, and I kissed him. This wasn't a permanent fix, but it would definitely help. It was already helping me feel more relaxed.
"Now, can we enjoy this bit of privacy we have before the kids scream about using a toilet?" he chuckled lowly and I felt my body tingle.
"Why, Dr. Edwards…Are you being forward with me?" I felt a bit playful even though I was still sniffling away my tears. His grip on my butt tightened and he ground his hips against my thigh.
"I'm saying, you have way too many clothes on for my liking. I'm thinking it's going to get hot in this tent and we should probably just strip."
Lying on an air mattress wasn't so comfortable, but trying to wrestle out of flannel pajamas while under thick heavy blankets and making out seemed impossible. So I did the next best thing. I folded my side of the covers back and stood, hunched over, and started a striptease while Nick shimmied his sweats down, keeping the blanket over his body.
"You're no fun," I pouted, jokingly and he let out a bark of laughter. I stood with my pajama pants and panties around my knees, trying to get the shirt off over my head and he lay there snickering. "Shh!" I hissed, giggling. The boys' tent was only ten yards away, and with only the crickets as a background track, we had to be very quiet.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," he said as he folded the blanket back. I tossed the shirt and looked down at the silhouette of his dick, which he proudly held upright. He was being very cheeky tonight and it made me feel like a kid again.
"We should be quiet, you know." I whispered, my hands on my hips.
"Well, then I guess we better use our mouths more," he said with a wink. He patted the now vacated space next to him, and I scurried over like a puppy. It had been a while since we'd been together like this and it felt…right.
I straddled him and our mouths met in a desperate kiss. His hands roamed over my body, cupping my breasts, squeezing my ass, and then he was guiding me down to where he really wanted me. I took him in my mouth and stifled a moan with his dick dipping into my throat. His hands laced in my hair and brushed it from my forehead as I looked up at him while I sucked him.
"Oh baby, that's it," he groaned. "God, you're so hot."
I felt a thrill go through me at his words and I sucked him harder. This was our normal. This was us. No rumors, no gossip, just us. I wanted to stay like this forever, safely tucked away in the middle of nowhere. We were so good together, and I hated that this town was trying to destroy us simply for being us.
With one last kiss on the tip of his dick, I climbed back up his body and straddled him. I guided him into me, feeling him fill me up. It took a moment to position my hips correctly, but I found the right angle.
"I love you," I whispered into his ear as we started to move in a rhythm that was so familiar. It was like we were made for each other, like destiny ordained that we would find one another and nothing would keep us apart. I didn't know why I felt like I should shy away from him or hide. The vultures would always be circling, and moments like this when our hearts and bodies were entwined and becoming one—those were the times that mattered.
"I love you too, baby," he panted in return. And for just a moment, the world outside our little tent didn't matter.
Nick's thumb rubbed my clit and I rocked my hips faster and harder, grinding against him as he met my thrusts. "Oh God," I gasped, feeling a climax building, "I'm so close." My words were only a whisper, but the way I had to stay quiet only made the sensations more intense. I gritted my teeth and clenched around him, bracing my palms on his hip bones as I rose and fell on his body.
"Yes baby, just like that," he encouraged, his voice low and gravelly. "You feel so good."
It wasn't long before I was coming apart in his arms, my body shaking with the force of my orgasm. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, and Nick noticed. He pulled me down across his chest and swallowed my whimpers with a kiss. His free hand kneaded my breast, then found my butt and pulled me down harder onto his shaft. He sank deeper, hitting my cervix and making me grunt. I knew I was too loud, but he was making it feel so good.
When the first orgasm passed, Nick flipped us over carefully. There wasn't nearly as much space on this tiny air mattress as either of our beds at home, and my head and hair dangled off the side. Nick backed away, pulling out of me, kissing a trail of fire across my chest, my nipples, my navel, and finally my core. His tongue lapped at the moisture collecting there after my orgasm, and his tongue drove me wild.
He licked and sucked at my clit until my back arched and I dug my nails into his shoulders. The second orgasm was even more intense than the first. I gasped then clenched my teeth and breathed hard as Nick licked me to completion again. My hips bucked against his face; my pussy clenched around his fingers, and I rode out the waves, feeling like I was teetering on the edge of passing out. Each sensitive flick of his tongue on my clit made me jump with pleasure.
Then he slowed, lapping gently, licking up my moisture, before gripping me by the backs of my knees and pulling me to the edge of the air bed. On his knees at the end of the airbed, my pussy was just the right height for him to take me. His knees had to be hurting, pressing against the thin plastic fabric of the tent floor that lay on the rocky ground. But when he slid into me, he sighed heavily in enjoyment.
"Shh," I reminded him as his thumb found my clit again and he started thrusting. The first tentative thrusts soon turned into urgent ones as his hips slapped my thighs with each contact. His pace increased and I gripped the sleeping bag tightly in my fists.
"Oh wow," I panted, my voice hoarse and raspy from biting back screams of pleasure. Nick's thrusts were erratic now, his breathing ragged in my ear. Sweat had formed on his brow and he brushed it away. The expression on his face was desperation, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He was close.
"Come with me," I whispered, knowing the orgasm building inside of me again was going to be the best one yet.
"God, I love you…" His soft response was barely audible. His words resonated deep inside of me, both literally and figuratively. I knew he meant them with every fiber of his being and I felt the same way. He was my other half, my rock in this crazy world.
Nick's entire body tensed, then relaxed as he pumped his seed deep inside of me. I bit into my pillow to muffle the moans that threatened to escape as we both came unraveled together. My pussy pulsed and clenched as it contracted around him. I felt the mess between us and sighed as his lips found mine, kissing me deeply.
Finally, Nick collapsed on top of me, his weight pinning me down and making it hard to breathe. When he pulled out and rolled to the side, I sucked in a deep breath. The chill of the night air hardened my sweaty nipples, and I couldn't even lie there and enjoy the afterglow. I was already shivering. I dressed quickly, ignoring the mess we made that was draining down my legs, and I flopped into bed next to him. He'd put his sweats back on, but his sweaty bare chest was salty as I kissed it.
"Breakfast at dawn? I'll make eggs and bacon," he said to me, finally able to use his full voice. I sighed happily and pressed a few more kisses to his chest as I wrapped my body around his and pulled the covers over us.
Before I could even put together an appropriate statement of gratitude for his offer to help me, he was snoring. I felt better that he would help me so I didn't lose the bakery, but now there was an even bigger niggling fear. If people found out that he really had given me money, they'd know I was a gold digger. No amount of self-defense would ever convince them otherwise. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe we'd be better off to just lie low and let whatever happen happen.
I just didn't want to go home and find the same mess was still there. I needed it to go away now. I needed life to be normal again.