by Zoe York
“I am not going to cry right now,” she said for her own ears.
She blew out a breath, grabbed her purse and got out of the Jeep.
Quick in and out trip.
That’s all this was.
She could do it.
Scarlett strode around the corner and through the glass sliding doors. The old ones had been replaced almost five years ago, and she sometimes still tried to reach for a door handle. Funny how old habits hung on.
The two cashiers scanning groceries both seemed to pause as she entered. They were recent graduates if her memory served. Scarlett offered a wiggle of her fingers, brave face on, and made straight for the ice cream.
There was no decision to be made. She knew what she liked, grabbed it and kept going, around the back of the store and on to the beer and wine aisle.
The store’s manager, William David, scurried out of the swinging doors and stopped directly in Scarlett’s path, his eyes wide. William was a few years older than Scarlett, a widower and quiet resident of town. He was a cousin or some not quite direct relation to the founder of the small, regional grocery chain.
“Morning,” Scarlett said and slowed to a stop.
Will cringed.
“How’s Cole doing?” a woman asked.
The voice was unfamiliar, but Scarlett understood Will’s move to intercept.
“He’s doing much better, thanks.” Allie-Kate’s voice was upbeat, chipper, happy. The bitch.
“Are you excited about Saturday?” The unfamiliar woman’s voice practically vibrated.
Saturday?
As in, Cole and AK’s wedding date Saturday?
Scarlett swallowed.
“What wine did you want?” Will pitched his voice low, for her alone, and took the ice cream from her hands. “Go outside. I’ll bring it to you.”
“Something white and sweet. I’m not picky.” Scarlett’s gaze dropped to the ground, shame and humiliation burning her. “Thanks, Will.”
“Go on. The girls up front will tell you if it’s clear.”
Scarlett jerked her head in a nod then fled back the way she’d come.
Cole and AK were still getting married. Which made Scarlett the other woman. The one he’d fooled around with before settling down with picture perfect Allie-Kate and her charmed life.
How many people were calling Scarlett a hussy, home wrecker and a whore?
Ransom was a good place, but people were mercurial and they loved their gossip. She couldn’t even expect her cousins to have her back in this. They were contractually obligated to host the wedding.
Scarlett was going to have to decorate for Cole’s wedding.
She couldn’t do it.
She knew she was supposed to, but there was no way she was going to decorate her barn for the man she loved to get hitched to another woman.
At the front of the store the two cashiers waved her on, out the front.
“Thank you,” Scarlett muttered on her way out.
The first tears waited until she was in sight of her Jeep before they began. She braced her hand on the fender, then her knees gave way. She put her back to the Jeep and slid to the ground, burying her face in her hands and let the tears come.
When she’d thought about the family curse, silly though it was, she’d always assumed that if it happened to her, she would die following some great love. Right now she hurt so bad death might be kinder than living with the knowledge that Cole had chosen another woman.
* * *
* * *
“I can’t do this.” Cole gripped the edge of the table and stared at his half-drank beer.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this.” Will David shoved his hands through his hair. Cole could feel the other man’s gaze on him. “What purpose does this serve?”
“We can’t do anything differently right now,” Benji said. “Look, Scarlett’s gone straight to pissed. It wouldn’t matter what you went up the hill to tell her, she’d tear you a new one. We stick to the plan.”
“Nothing good will come from talking to her now,” Garth agreed.
“I don’t know.” Cal sighed and met Cole’s gaze. “Whenever I screw up the longer I wait the worse it gets with Eve.”
“It’s been two weeks,” Garth said. “Even if you went up, there planning to ask her to marry you, she’d probably take your head off first.”
Cole swallowed and fought the urge to wipe imagined sweat from his brow.
Did Garth know Cole had considered that solution? Cal had talked some sense into Cole, pointing out his recent engagement might tarnish a new one. Cal was right. Cole knew in his gut that Scarlett wouldn’t take a gesture like that the way he wanted.
If he could go back, he’d make everything right. He’d tell Scarlett how frustrated and angry he was. He’d tell her that he was afraid of losing what they had, this place that was quickly becoming his home. He wouldn’t have pushed her away. They could have skipped all of this and things would be fine. But he hadn’t so now he was going to win her back.
“Let’s go over Saturday’s lists, okay?” Benji glanced up and down the table at those who’d gathered at The Hole to help with this last minute organization for tomorrow. “Ingrid, tomorrow all depends on you. Figured out a way to keep our girl busy?”
Ingrid set her can of cider on the table. “Kasima and I thought we would go get her first thing to do some shopping for the bridal suite. That November bride is high maintenance and I bet we can strong-arm her into helping us spruce the suite up a bit.”
“We should be around with the hay at ten,” Liam Jones said. His sister Luna nodded.
“What about the other decorations?” Cole glanced at the Rivas brothers.
“We’ve made some cool props.” Diego Rivas glanced at his brother and cousin who nodded. “They’ll need to be spray painted, but that shouldn’t take long. We’ll have some of our crew there Saturday to help out.”
“Has anyone talked to Bunny about the trunk or treat?” Cole tapped his pen on the pad of paper he and Cole were working off.
“Four times today alone,” Garth said in a drawl.
“What time should we be here with the kids?” Cal asked.
“Four?” Cole glanced at Benji then Garth.
“Paper listed the start time at five,” Garth reminded them.
“It’ll take us an hour to get all the kids in costumes,” Cole said.
“You are right about that.” Cal nodded.
“You sure you want to bring all the kid? Isn’t that against some rule?” Cole was glad they could include the kids Cal and his wife looked after but it seemed like a risky thing to do.
“Yeah.” Cal grinned. “Eve and I talked. We’re tired of not getting to offer these kids the same thing any other normal kid gets to do. If we get fired for giving them something to laugh about—fine. We’ll start our own foster home or something.”
Cole didn’t want to offer his thoughts on the matter. From everything he’d learned and listened to, it sounded like Cal had some fantastic ideas to help kids trapped by a system to have happier, healthier lives. Maybe Cal did need to get fired to give him that push out of the nest, so to speak.
“I think we have a plan,” Benji said after a half hour hashing out smaller details.
“Thanks, everyone, for pitching in. I appreciate it. You have no idea how much.” Cole shook his head.
“One more night, then we get to watch you grovel.” Benji slapped Cole on the shoulder, far too enthusiastic about tomorrow.
Cole would grovel, beg or anything else Scarlett wanted him to do. He’d let a good thing slip through his fingers and he had one shot at getting her back.
* * *
* * *
Scarlett frowned at Jessica’s truck in the parking lot of the bed-and-breakfast as Ingrid whipped into the drive. It was three on a Saturday. Not exactly prime time at The Hole, but Jessica always worked Saturdays.
“Oh, good, Jess is here.” Ingrid parked her car next to Jess’
truck.
“Do we know if she brought drinks?” Kasima asked.
“Guys.” Scarlett groaned.
She’d known this was planned from the moment Ingrid and Kasima showed up at her house with coffee and informed Scarlett she was going shopping with them. It was far too conspicuous a ploy considering that Cole and Allie-Kate’s wedding was tonight.
“Come on, we’ve got so much to do,” Ingrid said.
“What’s Olivia going to say when she comes back to all these changes?” Scarlett popped her seatbelt.
“Probably, thank you,” Kasima replied.
“You guys aren’t even trying to pretend this is about decorating anymore.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and watched Luna Jones get out of Jessica’s truck. Her bright, friendly face made Scarlett want to hide. She wasn’t up for fake smiling or pretending everything was okay today.
The gang was pretty much all there. There were a few missing, but when Scarlett thought of the girls, this was her crowd.
“Well, we do need help moving the furniture around, but we don’t have to get it ready today.” Ingrid hooked her arm in Scarlett’s and steered her toward the front door.
“Please tell me someone brought wine? Or beer? Or liquor?” Scarlett glanced pointedly at Jessica.
“Hey, don’t look at me.” Jessica held her hands up. “I was told no booze.”
“What?” Scarlett groaned and let Ingrid drag her into the house.
There weren’t any guests this weekend. The bed-and-breakfast was still only provisionally open for referral clients only. That meant their group had the run of the house. They hauled the day’s purchases into a large room just off the main spaces. Their guess was that this had been either a banquet hall or some kind of party, event space. With extra windows and French doors added it made for a beautiful dining room with space for four large tables that sat six each.
“If we aren’t drinking or decorating, what are we doing?” Scarlett planted her hand on the table and surveyed the women. She was tired and her insides still hurt. It wasn’t in her to keep pretending it was all okay.
“We’re hanging out with you,” Luna said as she sat her tote sized purse on a table.
“I don’t want your pity.” Scarlett turned to stare out the windows into the side garden.
“None of us pity you,” Jessica said.
“Then why are you all here?” Scarlett turned, her gaze skipping from woman to woman.
“We’re here because we’re your friends and maybe you don’t want to be alone?” Kasima leaned on the back of a chair. “How you holding up, buttercup?”
Scarlett shook her head. She could feel the prickle of tears welling up in her eyes. The ache in her chest wasn’t going away. It was just as bad as when she’d run off to Colorado with the idea of distracting herself.
“I keep telling myself I’m okay, but I’m not. Today I’m…I’m mad. Benji and Garth won’t hardly talk to me. I think they’re so freaked out and uncomfortable they don’t know what to say. I know we’re contractually obligated to host the wedding, but there shouldn’t be a wedding today.” Scarlett balled her hands into fists, the anger she’d kept in check finally boiling over. It burned her insides. She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Oh, Scarlett,” Ingrid muttered.
“No.” Scarlett held up her hand. She didn’t want to be touched or comforted. She was pissed, and that was her right. “This isn’t fair. This wedding is—it’s wrong. Cole said he never loved AK. AK treated him like shit. She stole his car, his dog and his money. How can he go back to someone like that? Even without me in the picture, let’s say he and I never speak again, how is this right? How is this wedding ever going to work out?”
The other girls stared at her in various stages of surprise with eyes wide and slack jaws.
Was Scarlett wrong?
Her gut said she wasn’t.
“Cole and AK are bad for each other. He knows that, and AK has somehow convinced him otherwise. Why? Why would she do that after leaving him?” Scarlett turned and began to pace.
“Maybe it’s not what you think?” Luna said.
“Yeah,” Ingrid said quickly.
“They’re having a wedding today. I saw the chair delivery and the catering go up the hill when we came back.” Scarlett shrugged and let her hands hang at her sides.
“Okay…” Ingrid’s voice was strained.
The room was quiet.
The girls were staring at Scarlett. She could feel their gazes.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let Cole get close. I knew from the moment I met him how things would go, and I was right. Then I went and fell in love with him and now this is happening.” Scarlett stared through the glass windows looking down the drive at the street that ran across town.
There, up on the hill in the bright afternoon sunlight, she could see the barn and movement. A lot of people had shown up for the wedding, but Scarlett had known it would be a town-wide affair.
Cole was about to make the mistake of a lifetime if he got married to Allie-Kate.
Scarlett wanted Cole to wake up and love her, but that might never happen. He could be too scarred, too wound up in his past or AK for him to ever have the same feelings for Scarlett.
“Scarlett?” Ingrid said, a note of warning threaded through her voice.
“I think we should all sit down and talk about this.” Jessica pulled out a chair.
“I don’t like this,” Kasima whispered. “This isn’t right.”
“You’re right. This isn’t right.” Scarlett couldn’t let that wedding happen.
She circled around the table, her eyes set on the French doors.
“Scarlett—no.” Ingrid jumped in front of her, back pressed to the glass.
“I can’t let this happen. I know I sound crazy—”
“This isn’t right.” Kasima grabbed Ingrid by the wrist.
“But…” Ingrid stared at Kasima, her brows lifting.
“I’m not staying here. You can either move, or I’ll go out another door,” Scarlett said.
It was four. The wedding was supposed to happen at five. If Scarlett got there soon, she could possibly talk Cole off the ledge without having to make a scene. She was willing to make one though if that was what it took.
“Fine.” Ingrid sighed and stepped aside.
“Come on.” Kasima opened the door and waved Scarlett through.
Behind them chairs scraped and feet thudded across the floors as the women scrambled out after her.
Scarlett pulled her keys out of her pocket, Kasima keeping stride with her all the way to the Jeep. She didn’t try to talk Scarlett down or tell her whatever she was planning was a bad idea. She climbed into the Jeep and Kasima slid into the passenger seat. Scarlett shifted into reverse, beating the others to the street before they could cut her off.
“Scarlett?”
“Hm?” She gripped the wheel in both hands and gassed it, shooting across the empty streets.
“Please, don’t be mad.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scarlett glanced at the other woman.
“You’ll see.” Kasima closed her eyes.
Scarlett would worry about whatever the girls had in store for her later. Right now she had a wedding to crash. She was going to make a fool of herself. People would talk about her, maybe even shun her, but this was the right thing to do. Marriage should be between people who loved each other, and AK wasn’t right for Cole. Maybe Scarlett wasn’t either, but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Several cars were headed up the hill along with them. Likely other guests.
She eased to a stop at the intersection at the bottom of the hill and peered up at the barn.
“What the…?” She squinted, not quite sure what she was looking at.
The last she’d checked on AK’s decoration plan, it was fairly simple. Flowers, hay bales, candles. Standard fare.
A car horn blared behind her. She barely resisted flipping the
bird.
She craned her neck as they drove up toward the drive.
Large round bales had been placed along the slope of the hill. Tarps were tacked between them forming, a maze?
The barn doors stood open, light spilling out and people milling around.
Was the whole town here?
Was this a good idea?
She turned into the drive and eased all the way up near the house.
“Holy…” She stared out on the other side.
Cars were in a line, their trunks facing her. Most were decorated. Almost everyone was in costume.
Scarlett got out and peered around her in a daze.
Ingrid’s car pulled in behind her, the girls spilling out, all talking at once.
Scarlett took a dozen or so steps and studied the cars.
Trunk or treat.
They were having trunk or treat in their field.
“Scarlett?” Benji called out. “What are you doing here?”
She turned.
Benji and Garth stood at the bottom stairs leading to their house. Someone had decorated both their porches in pumpkins, scarecrows and lights. Behind them kids darted around the trees, playing tag and dressed up.
Where was the wedding?
She set her gaze on the barn doors and all the light shining out and started to walk.
“You can’t be here,” Benji said as he fell into step with her.
“What the hell is going on?” Scarlett had been prepared for a wedding.
This was not a wedding unless AK’s tastes had changed.
Where was Cole?
And Allie-Kate?
“Scarlett.” Benji grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop in the middle of the gravel parking lot.
“What is going on?” she asked.
The girls trailed behind them. Other people had followed, most in some sort of costume or festive wear.
“Ingrid?” a familiar voice called out. “I can’t hear you. I’m going outside. I—”
Scarlett’s throat closed up at the sound and her stomach was in knots. She felt his nearness, goose bumps breaking out on her arms and legs. Every fiber in her being wanted to be closer to him.
