37
SCARLETT
YOU’RE OVERREACTING
Isit in Sebastion’s window hours after my phone call with Detective Mills and…
the things that happened after. I scribble in my notebook in between texts with my brother, not even necessarily because I’m feeling anxious.
Simply because drawing is something that brings me joy, even if my sketches would never impress anyone but myself and, once upon a time, my therapist.
At the vibration of another incoming text, I do as I’ve done for the last half hour and trade my pen for my phone.
I set one down and pick the other up, while outside, I cast my gaze to the men exercising in the snow.
Right there with them, Sebastion sweats and scowls.
His clothes are soaked, his lips are a light shade of blue, and dammit, his eyes consistently stray back to mine.
Shaking my head and biting down on my smile before he realises I sit here specifically to watch him work, I drop my gaze and read Linc’s texts instead.
Lincoln:
I think I’ve got something over here. A lead, maybe.
Was I objectifying Sebastion Jameson in all his muscled glory just a second ago? It seems impossible in the face of my brother’s words and the wild gallop of my heart.
Frowning, I tap my screen and type out a fast response.
Me:
What lead? What did you figure out?
Lincoln:
Can’t tell you yet. Not over this line.
Me:
What the hell are you talking about? Can’t tell me, my ass! Tell me, Lincoln!
Lincoln:
Jesus, crazy. Relax. Everything’s okay. I just wanted to give you a heads up that I’m not nearly as useless as I seem lately.
Half of what I do when I’m searching for some asshole is sit in my car and hope to regain feeling in my ass someday.
I’ve eaten more drive-thru this month than I would normally eat in a year. And my girlfriend is about to disown me because apparently I’m annoying and grumpy after sitting for six consecutive hours.
I just wanted to let you know I met a guy yesterday who happens to be a CI for the local cops. The CI was willing to sell information to me for a tidy hundred bucks, which actually gave me a good reason to get out of my car and use my legs.
The CI said some stuff that tweaked my brain a little, but that stuff can’t be talked about via text.
Me:
So call me! Tell me that way.
A tap-tap-tap at the window scares the crap out of me, my eyes swinging up to a not-very-smiley Sebastion as he asks, without words, what my problem is.
I slam my hand against my pounding chest and gulp for fresh air before I pass out.
Beyond loud grunts and shouted go’s, I can’t hear the guys outside, which means Sebastion wouldn’t be able to hear me, even if I decided to speak. So I don’t bother. Instead, I shake my head and look back down at my phone.
Lincoln:
I can’t call you either. But I might be coming to see you soon.
Another tap on the window brings my eyes up, then Sebastion points at his wrist. He’s not wearing a watch, but when he holds up five fingers, I get the message he’s giving. He’ll be done in five minutes.
Nodding, I brush him off a second time and go back to my brother.
Me:
Coming to see me where?? HERE? Do you know where here is?
Lincoln:
When it’s time, I’ll call Tank and have him lead me in. He’ll be pissy about it, but he’ll fucking do it. Because I’m pretty sure I have information for him, too.
Me:
LINCOLN! You’re killing me over here. Give me a hint.
Lincoln:
You’re being dramatic, Scar. Chill the hell out or I won’t give you updates, ever.
The CI said something that made me think of something else. That something else led me to someone else. I plan to meet that person tomorrow. I called Mills to line it up.
Me:
You called Mills??
Ugh!
Lincoln:
What?
Me:
I talked to him earlier today, too. But I said this whole thing has basically blown over, and nothing is coming of it.
So now he’s gonna know I lied. Again!
Lincoln:
That’ll teach you for talking about a team sport without consulting the team, dumbo.
It’s fine. He’s been here since the dawn of time, remember? He knows you lie when you’re scared to admit something spooked you.
I’ll let you know once it’s done tomorrow. Other than that, take a fuckin’ breath.
How’s it going with Dipshit over there, anyway? Come to your senses and dump his ass yet?
I still get the heebie-jeebies thinking about it.
Those heebie-jeebies are the reason Nova’s gonna disown me. She reckons I’m obsessing and annoying about it.
I call bullshit. I reckon if the tables were turned and her brother was dating someone we’d already decided we didn’t like, she’d be obsessing, too.
A knock at the door brings my eyes up, then instinctively, I swing them back to the window to search for Sebastion, only to find him thirty feet away in a discussion with his dad and Maverick.
“Scarlett!” Koda’s playful yelp and giggle settles the nerves sitting heavy in my stomach. Drawing a deep breath, I type out a fast text to my brother and push to my feet.
Me:
You said Sebastion was good. You promised. Don’t make me question everything again when I’ve only just started to trust myself.
Lincoln:
I said he was good.
I didn’t say I liked him or that he was good enough to date my sister.
I also mentioned shooting him in the face. So basically, shit is still up in the air as far as I’m concerned.
Snorting, I shake my head and glance toward the quickly shuffling feet of a little boy just on the other side of my door.
Me:
Don’t shoot him. Anywhere. It would bother me.
I’m done with this conversation now, since you said you had some shit to tell me, but didn’t actually say anything at all.
Be safe, stay in communication, and hurry the hell up. I wanna see you almost as much as I wanna ask Sebastion to stop working so he can hug me.
I hit send and choke out a satisfied giggle, knowing my words will have tossed my brother straight back to those heebie-jeebies he hates so much, then I slip the phone into my pocket and swing my door wide with a smile that lasts a mere half second.
Until I lock eyes with Arabella fucking Aster and realize she used her own son as bait.
Classy lady.
Bringing the door back again, I use it as a shield and leave it open only far enough for a five-year-old to squeeze through if he decides to jump ship.
Be brave, Scarlett. She’s just a woman, no scarier than Nova probably considered me way back when I was just a legend in her eyes.
I lift my chin and do that princess’y thing he says I’m so good at. “Sebastion is still working outside. You could probably see him if you go out—” I hook my thumb to the right. “That way.”
It seems Arabella and I have something in common, because the fearsome potentate lifts her chin and meets me, snoot for snoot.
“I was looking for you, actually.” She swallows whatever flavor is on her tongue—poison, perhaps, like the evil queen from every single Disney movie ever—and shakes her shoulders back. “It’s almost dinnertime.”
“Okay…?” I pull my phone out again and narrow my eyes. “Agree to disagree. Chow hall filled and emptied an hour ago.”
“No, I…” She exhales a frustrated breath and drops a layer of her bitchiness. “I mean, it’s dinnertime for the family. In just a few minutes.”
“Oh, well…” I close the door another two inches, since it’s obvious Koda isn’t planning to toss his mother over for me. “Cool. Like I said, Sebastion is outside. If he comes back soon and doesn’t know, I’ll tell him to find you.”
“The whole family,” she seethes. God help the woman, she can’t be fake for the sake of pleasantries. I’ll give her that. “That includes you.”
“It includes you,” Koda parrots gleefully. “You’re invited to dinner, Scarlett.”
I bring my eyes back to Arabella’s.
“You’ve been invited to dinner every night,” she grinds out. “Technically. But it’s reasonable to assume tensions between you and I kept you from our table.”
Tensions? Or straight up homicidal get her out, Sebastion!
“In the interest of my son’s happiness, I’d like to invite you to dinner.” And then another layer of bitchiness. “It’s been a really good day for Bas. He’s feeling well enough to wander down for dinner, so while we have the window, we intend to enjoy him. I’d like you to join us.”
“Why?”
“Wh—” She snaps her teeth shut, unaccustomed to being questioned. Ever. “Why would I like you to join us?”
“Yes. Why?” Don’t cry now, Scarlett! Refuse the angry tears. You’re doing great! “I can’t help but feel my presence would have the opposite effect you’re looking for. If Bas wants family dinner, it would be best that dinner didn’t come with an underlying layer of tension.”
And now I shed my bitchiness too, lowering my shoulders, and, right after those, my chin, too.
“You should enjoy your evening with the boys. I’m truly happy Bas is feeling up to leaving the medical wing for a short while.
” I take a step back and close the door another inch.
“You can tell them you offered, and I was the asshole who declined. Tell them I wasn’t interested. ”
“No, please.” She jumps forward and presses her hand to the door before I can shut her out.
For the first time since I came here, I’m met with a pair of eyes exactly like her son’s.
Hard when they’re angry, but so, so vulnerable when they’re not.
“Please. I don’t want to lose my son, Scarlett.
I don’t want to chase him off because I’m too stubborn and selfish to see past my own stubborn and selfish ideas.
I wasn’t always like this.” She gulps and inches the door open a tiny bit.
“I swear, as a mother of three sons, I’ve dreamed for a very long time of the relationships I would someday have with the women they brought home. ”
“You’re the first one,” Koda chirps happily, wriggling away from the hand Arabella tries desperately to clap over his mouth.
“She messed up, cause she never had practice before.” Giggling, he leans forward and whispers loud enough for the whole friggin’ state to hear, “She’s actually pretty nice.
Pinky swear. She watches cartoons with me all the time, and sometimes she even does sword fights and lets me poke her. ”
Behind him, Arabella’s cheeks glow bright red.
“Foam swords,” he snickers. “Dad said real swords aren’t allowed anymore. Not since Mav poked Sebastion that one time.”
My brows shoot high in question.
“Alright. That’s enough of that.” Arabella yanks her son back and holds him tight enough to immobilize his little limbs.
She glances up at the ceiling for a beat, two, three, four, then exhaling, she brings her eyes back to mine.
“Please come to dinner. It would mean a lot to have my son back at our table again, especially tonight while Bas is well, and I know it would mean a lot to my son if you joined us.”
“Mom!” Sebastion’s sharp tone cuts a line straight down the hall and makes two of us jump.
Koda merely grins.
Pushing my head through the gap in the door, I peer along the hall and stop on Sebastion’s fiery eyes.
“What the hell did you say?” He barrels forward, his chest puffed wide and, for a single second, his scalding glare melting me into the floor.
Like I’m the one he’s mad at. Like I knocked on her door and interrupted a perfectly good evening pretending not to exist so the matriarch isn’t inconvenienced in her own home.
But then he weaves straight past his mother and pops the door wide, grabbing my wrists in one hand and shoving me behind his back. “You made her cry! What the fuck, Mom?”
Wait. What?
I peel one hand from his and swipe a traitorous tear from my cheek.
Dammit, Scarlett!
“I warned you, Mom! I told you to stay the hell away and leave her alone. Jesus! Why can’t you just—”
“Wait.” Sit down, Scarlett. Shut up. But noooo. That’s not what I do. I squeeze into the gap between him and the door and tug his arm. “Relax. She was inviting me to dinner.”
“She—” His eyes flare wide. “You—” And again. Then processing my words, he turns back to his mother and explodes. “Just stop it already! Whatever you’re doing, just fucking quit it!”
“Uncle Bas is coming to dinner.” Arabella forces her lips into a small smile and wipes her face.
Lucky: at least she doesn’t cry when someone scolds her.
“He insisted on escaping the medical wing tonight and demanded I cook my special lasagna.” She casts wary eyes across to me.
“My invitation was genuine. No gimmicks, no strings, no drama. My husband, best friend, and all three of my sons swear you’re actually really lovely, Scarlett.
So…” She shyly peeks up at Sebastion. “I’ll understand if you’re not interested.
But I hope you’ll reconsider. Just…” Finally, finally, the dam breaks and her eyes sparkle with tears ready to overflow.
“Don’t run away, okay? Please don’t leave without saying something to me first. They didn’t hand manuals out at the hospital when I had you, and since you’re my first, you’re stuck with all of my bumbling first attempts for each new stage of parenting.
” Taking a long step back and pulling Koda with her, she expands her chest with a deep breath, then exhales it again and nods.
“If you don’t come, I’ll understand. But if you do, dinner will be served in twenty minutes. ”