14. Scarlett
Of course, when you’re living in Rhettlandia, everything’s easy. Simple. Totally uncomplicated. Not so in Scarletttown, sadly for me. Which was why I had to take Cassidy out to lunch at the diner, away from the buzz of the office, and make a full confession. Fuck.
I slid into the booth across from Cassidy, the vinyl upholstery sticking to the back of my legs. The diner was bustling, the noise of clinking silverware and muffled conversations, but it felt like we were in a bubble, just the two of us and the weight of my shameful secret. I grabbed the menu, not because I needed it—the burger and fries were practically calling my name—but because it gave me something to do, a way to avoid Cassidy’s gaze. I could tell she was desperately curious, and I was being a fucking oddball, but I couldn’t seem to get a grip on myself.
Brayden, the guy that owned the diner, came over with a bottle of water and two glasses filled with ice. “What’ll it be, ladies?”
I mumbled my usual order, not trusting my voice, and Cassidy opted for a Caesar salad.
As Brayden walked away, I found myself staring out the window, my gaze unfocused on the cars passing by. Get on with it. Turning back, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at Cassidy, so I traced the condensation on my glass with a fingertip, giving the action way more focus than necessary.
I guess Cassidy had had enough of my weirdness because she cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “Okay. The suspense is killing me. Spill.”
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. Do it, now. “I’ve, uh, I’ve done something really bad.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, um, like, really, really bad.”
“Okay. I’m starting to freak out a little, so you’re gonna have to hurry up and get to the point.”
“You know how I went to Stef and Grayson’s wedding on the weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“And, um, Rhett was there. He was a groomsman. His suit was really good, like, such a good fit and the waistcoat was really good.” Jesus fuck, I was losing my mind.
Cassidy obviously agreed, since she was staring at me with a slight frown and a confused look in her eyes.
Get it over with, already. “I slept with him. Rhett, I mean. On the weekend. Um, more than once. Like a lot, actually. Can’t even say it was a onetime thing, and I just got carried away.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I braced myself for the fallout, the recriminations that I knew I deserved. God, this was beyond awkward. But then Cassidy’s lips curled into a smile. “You and Rhett Rivers. I cannot be hearing this right.”
I watched Cassidy’s face, searching for any signs of judgment, but all I found was a look of pure astonishment, with a side order of amusement.
I let out a nervous chuckle. “Trust me, it surprised me, too.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
“So, um, how exactly did this happen?”
Oh, jeez, I wasn’t expecting her to ask for details. “Well, we were staying at the same hotel and I got locked out of my room. He, um…” Just the memory had me squirming in the seat and squeezing my thighs together. “Well, we kind of had an argument, and I followed him to his room. He gave me an ultimatum to get out or he would…”
“You gotta finish that sentence.”
I cleared my throat, shifting on the worn leather bench. “He would rail me so hard I’d forget my own name.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“And did he?”
More squirming. “He did.” Cassidy’s eyes widened, and then she made this face—a little twist of her lips, a crinkle in her forehead. It was weird. She was a very private, reserved person and I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop myself. “What’s that face for?”
She shrugged, letting her gaze drop to the table. “I just can’t imagine sex being like... that.” Her words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I was speechless.
“But you were married for how many years?” I blurted out.
Cassidy shrugged again, a small, almost sad smile playing on her lips. “Yeah,” she said softly, “well, it’s not all sunshine and roses for everyone, I guess.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Twice now, in a really short space of time, she’d volunteered personal details about her ex. I hadn’t really seen this side of her that much. She’d kept it all so well hidden, but maybe she didn’t want that anymore. “Do you want to talk about it?”
For half a nanosecond, I thought she was going to say yes. But then her composure returned, and she shook her head. “It’s in the past now, where it belongs. Thanks anyway.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
There was definitely a note of Just leave it, so I did. “Okay then. How about we get to the real reason I asked you out to lunch today?”
“Alright. What do you need?”
I could have kissed her for that - just her readiness to give me whatever I needed. “I’m gonna have to recuse myself from the Alliance of Susceptible Species case.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, exactly. And I can’t even pass it to you, since you’re just as compromised through our partnership.”
“Fuck.”
I let out a sigh. Fuck, indeed.
Brayden appeared with our meals and we waited for him to go before continuing the very embarrassing conversation.
“The problem is that I can’t think of a single law firm in the state that would take on this case. Frogs against a billionaire developer.”
“I know.” I swiped a fry, chewing on it meditatively for a minute. “Rhett thinks that so long I can be sure I’ll do everything I possibly can to win, there wouldn’t be a conflict of interest.”
“Does he now?” Her tone was light and teasing, making me smile.
“Don’t say it like that.”
Taking a bite of salad, Cassidy took a few moments to gather thoughts, then said, “I think he’s right, for what it’s worth.”
“Sure, he probably is. I really believe in this cause and I wouldn’t let one hot weekend stop me from doing what’s right. But it’s the optics of it. What if it ever came out? There were five hundred people at that wedding. And we weren’t exactly discreet.”
We fell into silence for a little while as we ate our lunch. “If you really wanted to, you could register the conflict of interest and go for informed consent from all affected parties.”
“Jesus, no!” Imagine having to have the dirtiest weekend of my life added to the public record. Oh, god.
“Why not?”
“Can you imagine going to the Alliance with this?”
“Well, you can’t win either way, because they’re going to want to know why you’re stepping down. They adore you and they wouldn’t take you recusing yourself lightly. They’ll be devastated.”
God fucking dammit!
“So go public, run the case, win and take all the glory. Step down, lie to the Alliance about your reason, and watch all that land wiped away under concrete and steel. Think of the frogs, Scarlett.”
“I guess I don’t really have a choice.”
“Sorry.”