Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
The longer Scarlet stayed in Cole’s Hill, the deeper the bond grew between her and Alex. His family and friends had accepted her into their circle and she was feeling for the first time in her life that it might be okay to let her guard down with more than just a select few people.
Alec had been locked away in the den for several hours discussing something with Inigo, but she hadn’t missed him. She was seated on the couch with Helena, Hadley and Kinley, and honestly, she’d never had more fun.
She’d sent Billie back to New York to get ready for the launch of her newest lifestyle box, a quarterly subscription that included trendy products, and Siobahn was still lying low at the house that Scarlet had rented.
She’d started writing music again and Scarlet felt her friend was finally moving on from the heartbreak that had been dominating her life for so long.
Being surrounded by so much domestic bliss today brought her to an idea she’d been toying with for a while.
She’d never really been able to crack the market of women who were older and maybe settling down.
Her audience members were young and single and pretty much interested in working hard and partying hard.
But spending time with Helena and Kinley made her think of maybe curating a wedding/bride subscription box.
As the demographic of her audience was maturing, this might be a logical next step.
“Are you two available tomorrow to discuss a new project I’m working on?
” Scarlet said. “I’m sort of known for my monthly lifestyle boxes and I’d love to do one with a wedding or bridal theme.
Kinley, maybe I can partner with Jaqs if you think she’d be interested and include some exclusive content.
Helena, as a bride-to-be, it’d be great to get your input on what to include. ”
“I love this idea,” Kinley said. “I’ll text Jaqs after the party. She’s always looking to expand into new markets. We’ve been working on an exclusive tiara collection with Pippa and House of Hamilton. Maybe we could bring her into this as well with some bridesmaids’ gifts.”
“Sweet,” Scarlet said.
“I’m happy to help but honestly the things I’m interested in might be out of step with most brides. Like I’ve been majorly stressed by things that aren’t necessarily planning related,” Helena said.
“Hmm... Maybe we could include some tips from meditation experts, too. So it wouldn’t just be actual wedding products but wellness items, too. So will tomorrow work for you two to discuss the details?”
Kinley nodded, and Helena pulled out her smartphone, glanced at her calendar and then back at the two of them. “I could do early afternoon, but I have to combine it with lunch. Maybe around one or one thirty.”
“That’s fine with me,” Scarlet said.
“I’m good with that, as well. Tomorrow I’m working on Helena’s wedding, so I can move around a few things,” Hadley said.
“Mom won’t like that,” Helena warned.
“Your mom’s going to Vegas to meet with Jaqs. She and Jaqs have become closer after their blowup,” Kinley interjected.
Alec knew there had to be more to the story and she was interested in hearing it, but the main festivities of the baby shower were starting.
She realized she’d never been to a party like this one.
It was multigenerational, and almost everyone at the party had known each other for most of their lives.
There was a lot of joking and reminiscing.
She looked over at Mr. Velasquez and tried to imagine her father ever attending a baby shower but frankly couldn’t. He wanted nothing to do with babies because they’d make him seem older or settled.
She already knew he wasn’t going to be a doting grandfather... Why would he be? He hadn’t exactly embraced fatherhood.
Just then Alec entered the room holding a plate of food from the buffet and a glass of sparkling water. He came over and handed them to her. “Figured you’d be getting hungry.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking the plate and drink from him. They’d discovered while she was in Seattle that if she ate something every hour she didn’t get sick.
“Looks like someone has broken Alec,” Mauricio said as he joined them.
“Mo, he’s not a horse,” Hadley said.
“What is he?”
“A gentleman... In fact, you could take lessons from your twin. I don’t think you’ve ever brought me a plate of food.”
“I give you other things,” Mo said, drawing his fiancée into his arms and kissing her, much to the delight of everyone in the room.
Helena got up and Alec took her spot next to Scarlet. “I like your family,” she said to him.
“Me, too. They are a bit of a pain sometimes because everyone feels like they know best but at the end of the day they’ll always be there for me,” he said, stretching his arm along the back of the sofa and wrapping it around her shoulder.
Alec was turning out to be an even better man than she’d expected to find, and his family would be exactly what her child needed.
She felt better and better about the prospects for her baby, and that made her decision easier.
She knew that if things didn’t work out in her relationship with Alec—and frankly, she wasn’t expecting them to, because she’d never been able to make one last more than six months—at least her child would still have a decent family to raise it.
Sometimes she started to think that they might be able to be a couple and raise the baby together.
But there were times when she woke up sweating and scared thinking about the possibility that the baby would grow up and be in the place Tara had been toward the end of her life She had failed her sister and she didn’t want to fail her child.
Helena wasn’t too sure if she should bring up Scarlet’s request to Malcolm, but she wasn’t hiding anything from him.
They were doing pretty well but she had been careful not to do anything that would rock the boat.
She knew that wasn’t a healthy way to treat him but she’d been afraid of doing something that would drive him back to gambling.
So as soon as he got home from work after picking up takeout from Taco Heaven, she decided to talk to him about it.
“Scarlet asked me if I would contribute to a project she’s working on,” Helena said.
“Really? That’s interesting. Is it budgeting tips? You’re really good at that,” Malcolm said.
She smiled as he passed her a Dos Equis from the fridge.
“Thanks, babe, but that’s not it. She wants me to help her curate a wedding planning subscription box to go out to her mailing list and talk about stress and how to deal with it,” Helena said.
“Oh,” he said, looking over at her. She knew that his gambling and how he’d dipped into their wedding fund to cover his losses were still shameful for him and hoped that she wasn’t striking a nerve. “Well, I have to say you’re good at that, too.”
“I won’t mention any specifics... Actually, I was going to suggest that we write the text for the insert together. We have to just talk about why we chose the products. Maybe talk about how pretending nothing is wrong leads to a bad situation or something like that,” Helena said.
Malcolm was her partner in life and even though they weren’t officially married yet, the two of them had a strong bond—even stronger since everything had come out about his gambling and they’d taken steps to deal with it together.
“I’d like that,” he said, pulling her into his arms, lifting her up onto the kitchen island and stepping between her legs. “You’re still much too good for me.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you forget it.”
He kissed her and one thing led to another. Ultimately they had to reheat their tacos in the microwave before they ate them but neither minded.
Monthly poker night was a tradition in his group of friends.
Until Scarlet had come along, it had been his only activity outside of polo that wasn’t strictly work-related.
He’d always looked forward to it. It was a traveling game, and everyone took turns hosting it.
Malcolm was supposed to host tonight but since he had been dealing with overcoming his gambling addiction he’d dropped out of the game.
It made him feel better and it definitely reassured Helena, according to Bianca, who had given Alec an earful when he’d mentioned his view that harmless betting with friends wasn’t the same thing as gambling huge sums of money.
He hadn’t realized how insensitive the comment was until she’d pointed it out.
Betting of any kind was too much of a temptation for Malcolm.
Alec felt like an awful friend for not recognizing that so he’d suggested pool tonight at the Five Families Clubhouse instead.
That way Malcolm could join them. The rest of their group had agreed to pool instead of poker, so Alec was heading up there to spend the evening with the guys.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me going?” Alec asked Scarlet as they were sitting on the couch in her house. Siobahn had taken over the large armchair catty-corner to the sofa and looked over at him shaking her head.
“She doesn’t mind, dude. We’re planning girls’ night,” Siobahn said.
“She’s right, we are having girls’ night and I’m fine,” Scarlet said.
She had her legs draped over his lap and he rubbed her calf. She’d gone to the local pediatrician earlier and her visit—the first he’d accompanied her on—had revealed slightly elevated blood pressure. The doctor had advised her to stay off her feet so Alec had come to her house tonight.