“At the restaurant after Pepper stopped by. He came in to give a report on Grandpa.”
Rigby’s eyes flashed with indignation. “Well, that was convenient.” He shook his head, disgust twisting over his face. “So, let me get this straight … Pepper comes in telling lies, which is no big shock. She tells you to read a post in Maryanne Wheatley’s gossip blog, and it throws you into a tailspin. Then Vernon happens to show up right after and mentions that you should go to the florist and find out who sent the flowers.”
Unease trickled down Scarlett’s spine. Rigby was making some very valid points. “Cindy said you paid cash for the flowers.”
A hard amusement glittered in his eyes. “Another convenience. Nothing can be traced, making it her word against mine.”
Scarlett’s jaw went slack as her mind ran through all the events. “Are you suggesting that Pepper and Vernon are somehow in cahoots? That seems a little farfetched.”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m only saying that I didn’t sneak around with Pepper McClain.” He winced. “The very idea turns my stomach.” Hurt brimmed in his eyes. “But what bites the most is that you were so quick to accept the worst.”
She gulped, swallowing hard. “It just all came at me so fast, and then when Cindy said you’d stopped by …”
Marbles popped out at the corners of his jaw. “From the minute I stepped foot back in Clementine, I’ve done nothing but try to prove my love to you. I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me, and that’s all you’ve done.”
“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been so quick to take up with Sadonna Roberts in Tampa, Scarlett wouldn’t have been suspicious,” Douglas piped in. “Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me.”
Rigby shook his head. “You’ve got it all figured it out, don’t you?”
“You may have my granddaughter fooled, but I see you for what you are,” Douglas countered, “A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
At this point, Scarlett had as much as she could tolerate. She turned to her grandpa. “You’ve said enough,” she spat.
Her outburst shocked him into silence as his mouth drew into a tight line.
“I can’t believe you would stoop low enough to sue Rigby, then hold a press conference with the very man who’s trying to destroy him.”
Uncertainty crept into Douglas’s eyes. “I’m doing this for you.”
She lifted her chin. “No, you’re doing it for you! I know you’re my grandfather, but if you continue with this ridiculous charade, I’ll never speak to you again.” She turned to Rigby. “I’m sorry … for everything.”
He nodded, rubbing a hand across his forehead, looking as defeated as she felt. “I’ve gotta go.”
Panic fluttered in her breast, and she knew she couldn’t let him leave without making amends. “I’ll call you later, and maybe we can get together?” She still wasn’t sure what to make of the blog and flower thing, but she could tell from Rigby’s vehement reaction that he was innocent. Or at least she was about ninety percent sure he was.
He gave her a slight smile tinged with sadness. “I don’t think so. I need time to sort through this.”
She nodded, the sting of rejection splattering over her. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her grandpa, then he turned on his heel and left.
Scarlett spun, tears rushing to her eyes. “How could you do that? Sue the very man who saved your life?”
“You may not see it now, but I’m protecting you,” Douglas muttered, hobbling over to a nearby chair and sitting down. He placed his crutches beside him and positioned his leg on the ottoman. “Let’s call Vernon, ask him to come over so we can get his take on the situation.”
A hysterical laugh gurgled in her throat. “Have you not heard a thing I’ve said? I love Rigby. I always have, and I always will.”
A furrow appeared between his brows. “But what about Pepper McClain and the flowers? Do you really want to be with a man you’re not sure about?”
“No, I don’t,” she snipped. “But I can tell you this, right now I’m a whole lot more sure about Rigby than I am about Vernon.” Something Rigby said stuck in Scarlett’s mind. Vernon had shown up right after Pepper left. And Cindy Stubblefield was one of Vernon’s patients, he’d just delivered her baby. Was there a connection? Maybe. She cocked her head, another thought occurring to her. “Who put you up to suing Rigby?”
He looked startled.
Bingo. She’d touched on something. She knew her grandpa well enough to know that even though he didn’t like Rigby, he wouldn’t come up with this on his own. “It was Vernon, wasn’t it?”
“That doesn’t matter,” he said, his lower lip wobbling like a limp spaghetti noodle.
“Vernon was the instigator.” It was written all over her grandpa’s face. A burning anger coursed through her veins. “How could I have been so stupid?”
“Vernon’s only trying to protect you. And besides, we’ll need money for the house and my treatments if the insurance doesn’t cover everything.”
Her voice went shrill. “You’re trying to pad your own pocket at the expense of Rigby’s career?” Bitter disappointment rankled her. “You taught me to be honest and good. That’s not how you’re behaving.”
He shrank back, not meeting her gaze.
“What does Coralee think about this?”
She saw the answer in his chalky expression as she gave him a vindicated look. “Uh, huh. Just what I thought.”
“My first priority is to you,” he grumbled.
“Your first priority should be to the truth,” she shot back, eyeing him. “‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’” His face seemed to shrivel into itself, and for the first time it hit her that he was old and frail. “You need to fix this.”
His eyes darted around wildly. “It’s too late. The press conference has already been called.”
She gritted her teeth. “I don’t care what you have to do. You’re gonna fix this. Do you hear me?”
Reluctantly, he nodded.
“So, get up. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this blog and flower nonsense, starting with why Cindy Stubblefield lied.”
His eyes rounded. “But I don’t have the strength to go hobbling to the flower shop with you.”
“Well, you were gonna summon enough strength to hobble to the town hall tomorrow to destroy an innocent man’s career. I suppose you can gather enough strength to find out the truth.”
Scarlett helped her grandpa through the door of the flower shop, then strode up to the counter noticing how Cindy Stubblefield ducked slightly when she saw her. Yep, she was guilty … guilty as sin.
Cindy offered a tentative smile. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you back here today.” She glanced around nervously. “Oh, you brought your grandfather with you. Hello, Mr. Foster. I’m so sorry to hear about the fire and your leg.”
“Thanks,” Douglas said tersely.
“So, what can I do for you? Are you here to place an order?” She reached for the notepad, a slight tremor in her hand. Beads of sweat formed across her forehead.
How had Scarlett missed the clues before? Probably because she’d been so blindsided by the accusations. “No order today.” Scarlett placed her hands on the counter leaning forward until she was eye-to-eye with Cindy. “But you can help me with one thing.”
Cindy glanced toward the door like she wished she could dart through it and disappear.
“You can tell me why you lied about Rigby buying those flowers.”
She jerked, her right eye twitching. “I … I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You said Rigby came in and payed cash for flowers, which he sent to Pepper McClain, but that’s not true, is it?”
She bit her lower lip, red splotches climbing up her neck.
Scarlett held Cindy’s gaze even though she could tell Cindy was itching to look away. “Why did you lie?”
Her lower lip trembled as tears pooled in her eyes. She shook her head back and
forth. “Dr. Stanley said all I had to do was say Rigby sent the flowers and that he’d tear up my delivery bill.” A sob tore through her throat. “I don’t make much money working here, and being a single mom and all … Well, it didn’t seem like one little white lie would cause too much harm.”
Scarlett arched an eyebrow. “Well, it did.”
Cindy brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her whimpering. “I’m sorry.”
Scarlett took in a deep breath, nodding. Then she turned to her grandpa, who had a black look on his face. “Rigby was telling the truth, and Vernon has been playing us.”
He shook his head, at a loss for words.
“Thanks, Cindy, for telling the truth.”
Panic registered in her eyes. “Am I gonna get in trouble with the police?”
Scarlett sighed. “No, there’s no law that can protect its citizens against lies … unfortunately.”
Cindy jerked, her face going whiter than the countertop.
“Good day,” Scarlett quipped as she helped her grandpa out of the shop and to the car.
A few minutes later, when he got seated, Douglas rubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe Vernon would do that.”
“And yet you were so quick to believe the worst of Rigby,” she said, repeating Rigby’s words. “And so was I,” she said quietly. She started the engine. “But we’re not finished yet. We have one more stop to make.”
Had it not been such a serious situation, the shock on Pepper McClain’s face when she opened the door would’ve been comical. She looked at Scarlett and then at Douglas.
“We’ll make this short and sweet,” Scarlett said. “We know you’ve been in cahoots with Vernon Stanley to make it seem like Rigby has been sneaking around with you.”
She slung her head back, nostrils flaring. “That’s absurd!”
“No, what’s absurd is trying to slander an innocent man.”
“Haven’t you seen all the coverage of Logan Slade and Kim Turner on her vlog? This is what happens to celebrities—deal with it!”
“You can come clean now and save yourself a boatload of embarrassment, or I can call Maryanne Wheatley and give her the full scoop. I’ve talked to Cindy Stubblefield who’s admitted Vernon was behind the flowers. It won’t be too difficult to further prove your story is a fraud.” The next part was a stretch, but she had to bait Pepper to get the truth. “Vernon said you were the instigator behind the whole thing. I’m giving you a chance to tell your side of the story, or else you’ll get stuck holding the bag.” She paused, lifting her chin, a taunting edge in her voice. “And while your story won’t be nearly as exciting as Logan Slade and Kim Turner’s, I’m sure people would love to read it all the same.”
Pepper’s eyebrows darted together. “He said I was behind it?” She let out a shrill laugh. “He’s the one who came to me. Said he had the perfect way to bury Rocket Breeland, get him back for going out with me once, then dumping me like last week’s garbage.”
Triumph shot through Scarlett as she smiled. “Thanks, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
Pepper’s face fell. “Y—you tricked me.”
“Yes, I did. And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”
An ugly sneer twisted over Pepper’s features as she looked at Douglas and chuckled. “You’re the biggest sucker of all. Vernon’s been feeding you a load of crap for years so you’ll hate Rocket. He’s been using you to get to Scarlett.” She shook her head, glaring at them. “Y’all are idiots!” Before they could respond, she stepped back and slammed the door in their faces.
Scarlett turned to her grandpa who looked like he might pass out. “Let’s get you to the car and back to the bed and breakfast.”
He nodded numbly, the fight gone out of him as he shuffled to the car.
17
The next day dawned bright and clear, not a cloud in the sky. Rigby got up early as usual and went through his training regiment. Although in a few short hours none of it would matter. His career would most likely be over, and Scarlett believed he was a lying cheater. Coralee tried to talk him into going with her to the press conference to defend himself, but he didn’t see the point. Everyone was determined to believe the worst. And if he saw Miles Devlin right now he’d probably punch him again for good measure, which wouldn’t help matters. So, he took solace in the one place that had never failed him—his high school football field. Things had been simpler then. All he had to worry about was performing during the game—getting the ball across the end zone. If his career got stripped away, he’d have to find something else to occupy his time. He dearly loved Coralee, but there was no way he could live here in the same town with Scarlett and not be with her. A pit settled in his stomach. Losing her was the hardest part of all.
He was sitting on the fifty-yard line. He brought his legs to his chest wrapping his arms around his knees, staring at the goal post in the distance.
“Hello.”
He looked around, surprised to see Scarlett. She sat down beside him.
“What’re you doing here?” he mumbled, wondering how she’d found him. Then again, Scarlett knew him better than anybody, which is why it hurt so badly that she believed he’d been unfaithful.
She gave him a sidelong glance. “The question is … what’re you doing here?”
He shook his head, not answering.
Scarlett touched his arm. “Look at me.”
He turned to her face her.
She offered a tender smile. “I’m sorry about yesterday. You’re right, I shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to conclusions.”
“So you believe me now?” he shot back, but his spirits lifted a little. The fact that she was here, apologizing, was a good sign.
She lifted an eyebrow. “Would I be here if I didn’t?” she retorted.
He shifted. “I guess not.”
She took his hand. “I know you’re telling the truth. After you left yesterday, I went back to the florist and got to the bottom of the situation. Vernon was behind the whole thing.”
“I’m not surprised,” he muttered darkly.
“But not just the blog rumor and flowers, he’s the one who talked Grandpa into suing you and holding the press conference with Miles Devlin. Vernon’s the primary reason Grandpa hates you so much. He’s been feeding him lies about you for the past two years.”
Now that was a shock. He’d never pegged Vernie to be so conniving. “Why?”
Moisture gathered in her eyes. “Because Vernon knew how much I loved you. He was using Grandpa to drive a wedge between us.”
He softened. “Wow,” he breathed, taking it all in. Having Scarlett here with him now was more comforting than words could express. He looked across the field, his tone musing. “Lots of memories on this field.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Lots of good memories.”
“You know, people always talk about how I spend my life trying to perfect the perfect throw, but that’s not exactly true.”
She tipped her head. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not trying to deliver the perfect throw, but the perfect catch.” He gave her a slight smile, desperation spilling over him. “I’ve been trying to throw you the perfect catch my whole life. I just don’t understand what it’ll take to make you receive it.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Scarlett, if you can’t learn to trust me …”
“I can,” she asserted. “I do trust you. I just had a moment’s doubt, leftover residue from the Sadonna thing.” She looked at him, fire flickering in her dark eyes. “I can catch anything you throw at me, Rigby Breeland. I want to be with you always. That’s more important to me than anything … even the restaurant.”
The words sank deep in his heart, bringing tears to his eyes. “I would never ask you to give up your restaurant for me. You’ve worked too hard to …”
She put a finger to his lips. “I know.” She smiled. “We’ll find another solution.”
Her expression grew resolute. “I promise you, I’ll never let anything come between us again.”
His gaze took in her expressive eyes and delicate jaw line. A shot of adrenaline went through him as he traced the outline of her beautiful lips. Suddenly, his future didn’t look so bleak. Regardless of what happened to his career, the most important part had been restored. Not only was he regaining the love of his life but also his best friend. A smile tugged at his lips. “I love you, Scarlett Foster.” Tears glistened in his eyes. “I’ve loved you for so long I can’t remember not loving you.”
“I love you too,” she uttered before he leaned in and gave her a long, breathless kiss.
When the kiss ended, she pulled back, a saucy grin curving her lips. “So, Rocket,” she drawled, caressing his cheek. “I never pegged you for a quitter. Are you gonna hide out all day licking your wounds, or are we gonna fight this press conference thing?”
Her fierce spirit was infectious, igniting that part of him as he hopped to his feet and pulled her up. “We’re gonna fight,” he yelled. “Straight to the end zone for the touchdown.”
Scarlett’s throat tightened when she saw all the parked cars. It seemed the entire town had come out for the press conference. There were even several news media vans. She glanced at Rigby and saw his jaw tense. “It’ll be okay,” she assured him. “I promise not to leave your side.” She winked. “And you might just win the day, after all.”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
She only smiled. “You’ll see. Come on, let’s go get ‘em.”
A throng of reporters swarmed them when they parked. Rigby got out and fought his way through them to open her door, then they huddled together as they walked up the steps to the town hall, reporters shoving microphones in their faces and bombarding them with questions.
Unfortunately, inside wasn’t much better. It was a packed house, standing room only. All eyes turned to them as they made their way through the crowd and stood near the front, along the wall. Vernon was sitting on the front row, and Scarlett caught the startled look on his face when he saw her with Rigby. She felt the muscles in Rigby’s arm flex, and followed his trail of vision to the reporter sitting in a club chair. The stage had been arranged in a living room style with two chairs facing each other and a coffee table in the center. Scarlett recognized the reporter as Miles Devlin. When he saw Rigby, he tipped his head in a surly nod. Scarlett tightened her hold on Rigby’s arm as she glared at the hateful reporter. No wonder Rigby detested the man. He reeked of animosity.
The Perfect Catch (Last Play Romance (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion) Book 9) Page 16
