Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“Perfect.” A few photos, and proof of her well-being would be all over Soleil, announcing her new relationship status the same week she joined Parliament. “Where do you want us?”
Brayden held Scarlett in his arms, and she was hyperaware of his body next to hers as the photographers’ cameras clicked. The group of teenagers Scarlett had spotted on her way into the water had gathered and were eagerly taking pictures with their phones.
Scarlett would never understand why people found her so interesting.
“Can you two look at each other?” asked Tom.
She stared up at Brayden and couldn’t help but grin. “Do you find this tedious?”
His lips curved into a smile. “Nothing is tedious when you’re in a swimsuit.”
“That’s great stuff,” called Tom. “Now can you two kiss?”
Brayden leaned down, and their lips met as she shut her eyes. His face was rough, but she liked it. His tongue brushed against hers, and her fingertips trailed over his stomach. The kiss was so good she forgot about their audience.
Someone whistled, and Brayden pulled back, glancing at the onlookers. He draped his arms around Scarlett’s shoulders. The cameras hadn’t stopped clicking.
“Who’s your new boyfriend, Scarlett?” called one of the teenagers as Scarlett beamed for the cameras from her comfortable spot in Brayden’s arms.
“I’m not her boyfriend,” he said. “I’m her husband.”
His declaration was met with excited giggles and laughs.
“What about Alastair?” yelled one of the girls.
“We broke up a while ago,” said Scarlett.
One of them gasped, and when Scarlett glanced their way, several of them were on their phones, probably texting their friends the huge scoop.
It felt unnatural to expose her private life like this.
She’d been trained to be polite but distant to anyone who photographed her or spoke to her in public, but for once, Scarlett’s goals were aligned with theirs.
This was an announcement she wanted to share with the world.
She was more than fine, she was married, and she was here to put things right.
Scarlett couldn’t stop looking at Brayden as they moved to the water’s edge for one last round of pictures, and he was equally wrapped up in her, watching every step she took.
They posed for one shot with Beni in between them, and another with Scarlett and Brayden kissing at the edge of the ocean.
“Is that enough?” she asked after lots of kissing photos.
“Oh yes, Lady Heroux,” said the blond man. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
“When will you print these?” asked Brayden.
“As soon as possible,” said Tom. “And if you ever want your photo taken again, call me anytime. Day or night.”
“You’ve always been a true professional, ever since I was a kid. Thanks for that,” said Scarlett.
With a wave to the reporters, she and Brayden jogged to where Beni was waiting.
By now the news had spread that Lady Heroux was at Lilac Beach, and a crowd was rapidly growing.
A handful of teenagers was one thing, but now there were thirty people milling around, staring at her with their phones out, snapping pictures.
Her chest tightened and her desire to leave spiked as she pulled her dress on over her swimsuit.
Brayden offered her his hand, and she took it.
“Goddess above,” muttered Beni. “Let’s get out of here.”
“On it.” Scarlett retrieved her phone and sent Charlie a text asking to be picked up at the Lilac Island Dock.
That evening, after a tense boat ride, they were seated in Laylani’s preferred private dining room at The Twig and Vine.
A chandelier hovered over a round table in the quiet room, which was so unlike the rest of the bustling restaurant.
But that made sense, because Laylani had always preferred the exclusive, sanitized version of whatever the public got.
The restaurant wasn’t far from where they’d surfed that morning; one of the walls was transparent glass and gave them a phenomenal view of the Lilac Beach boardwalk.
The moonlight illuminated the distant waves.
“This place is gorgeous,” said Brayden as he sat in the high-backed chair next to Scarlett. He looked gorgeous in his midnight-blue dress shirt, with a clean-shaven face.
“It is,” she agreed.
Beni sat on her other side, leaving Laylani the chair directly across from her.
Scarlett wished they could’ve come here without her.
She straightened the silk skirt of the black dress she’d worn to dinner and took a deep breath.
It had been an active day, but she needed to stay alert around Laylani.
The waiter appeared, decanted a bottle of red wine Laylani had preordered, and jotted down their dinner orders. As soon as he’d left, Laylani started in.
“Scarlett, I read in the paper you’ll be taking your father’s seat soon. What are your plans, exactly? What will Brayden do while you’re working?”
Scarlett shifted in her seat. “Yes, I’ll go to Parliament in the morning. I’m keen to begin.”
“How industrious of you.” Laylani’s tone was falsely bright.
“I’m going to accompany her to and from Parliament until we can hire a security team,” said Brayden.
“Is that necessary?” asked Laylani. “She’ll be a junior peer. Jules didn’t have security until he was prime minister.”
Beni stared at his mother like she was daft. “And look what happened to him with security.”
Scarlett shot Beni a grateful look. She couldn’t have said it better. “Right, and also, we still don’t know who killed him. While that question remains unanswered, I’m hiring protection.”
“Perhaps you can get someone on a short-term contract until the assassin is caught. I’m sure the Soleil Bureau will have a breakthrough any day now,” said Laylani with a small smirk.
Scarlett’s eyebrows narrowed. What did that smug smile mean? Nothing good, she was sure.
Laylani sipped her wine as she watched them both. “So, Brayden and Scarlett. Tell me more about your relationship. How did you meet?”
“Through my grandmother,” said Scarlett as Brayden grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers on top of the table, directly in Laylani’s line of sight.
“She introduced you? How?” Her dubious expression suggested the idea was absurd.
“Letters.” Brayden smiled adoringly at Scarlett. “We’ve been writing to each other since we were eleven.”
Her stepmother’s smile was acidic. “Pen pals. Isn’t that sweet? But I can’t recall ever seeing Scarlett traipsing around with a treasured secret missive from Clair de Lune. Did you write often?”
Unlike Laylani, Brayden was perfectly at ease. “I sent them to her at school.”
“I’ve seen the letters. You never pay attention.” Beni’s voice was full of irritation.
Scarlett smiled at her brother. “Yes, Beni caught me with the letters. He loves Brayden now that they’ve met in person. We can’t imagine life without him anymore.”
Brayden lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. Her heart fluttered at the touch. He was really laying it on thick for Laylani, but she loved it.
“I see.” Laylani looked like she wished she’d poisoned Scarlett’s wine.
Scarlett studied her stepmother, considering which levers she should pull.
“Ask her about your mother,” said Nori.
Scarlett thought of the journals and how Sabina had met Laylani. She hesitated for a split second, but then she asked a question she knew the answer to without knowing the details. And the details would be everything. Even a lie would be revealing—she was sure of it.
“You know, while we’re on the subject, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the story of how you met my father. How did you and Jules fall in love?” asked Scarlett.
Something shifted in her stepmother’s expression. A flicker of resentment shone through. “Your mother introduced us.”
Scarlett’s eyebrows rose. “Then she died, and you married him three months later?”
Laylani rolled her eyes. “No, your father didn’t cheat on your mother, if that’s what you’re asking. He may not have waited long before he moved on, but infidelity was only a feature in our marriage. Lucky me.”
Scarlett tensed. Beni, who’d been taking a sip of water, sputtered and coughed.
“I suppose he could get away with a lot, given the hours he worked,” Scarlett said almost to herself.
She didn’t want it to show on her face, but Laylani’s words had immediately damaged her view of her beloved father.
She’d believed he was a good man, the kind who wouldn’t cheat on his wife, even if that wife was Laylani.
Her logical mind also understood Laylani was trying to distract her, and it was working.
Her sudden resentment toward Jules, her hurt at his behavior—it was visceral.
He should have been better. His expectations for me were so high—
“Oh yes, and your hair would curl if you knew with whom.” Her stepmother took a huge slug of her wine, holding her chin high as she glared at Scarlett under the dim light of the chandelier.
A wave crashed on the beach outside, but it was as quiet as death in the room.
Scarlett’s mind raced. Did she want to know who her father had cheated with? Who would be so bad that Laylani would bait her that way? She could be lying, but why? It was uncharacteristic for her to reveal anything that could make her look less than. Poor Beni, having to listen to this.
Laylani dumped the rest of the wine into her glass. “That’s one of the reasons why…” She shook her head as if to clear it. “That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t wear black for long.” She gestured toward her elegant white cocktail dress.
“I don’t know what to say.” Scarlett glanced at Beni. He was staring down at his empty plate, his expression blank, but she was sure there was much more under the surface. He tended to disassociate—like her—but that didn’t mean his feelings weren’t there. They were just buried deep for now.
“Shocked your father isn’t perfect? I know you idolized him. Let this be a lesson to you. If you look hard enough, everyone’s shitty. My advice for a newlywed? Don’t ever pin your self-worth or your dreams on anyone else.”
The waiter arrived with their dinner, and Laylani signaled to him to bring another bottle of the wine. Cutlery clinked as they ate in silence. Scarlett hadn’t gotten anything useful out of Laylani, but what a bomb she’d dropped on them.
Brayden looked at Scarlett as if waiting for her to make the next move.
Laylani was well on her way to getting drunk, and Scarlett could certainly try again, but her heart wasn’t in it.
She didn’t want any more wild revelations in front of her younger brother, and with that in mind, she decided to keep the peace for now and try again another day. Perhaps in a less obvious way.
She looked back at Brayden and shook her head ever so slightly, and he reached underneath the table, resting a comforting hand on her knee.