Scarlett Secret

by Brenda Barrett

  Reuben folded his arms. "So are you ready for the big party?"

  "Yes." Lola answered, her eyes eating him up.

  "You look nice in pink," Reuben continued.

  "Thanks." Lola's heart deflated. He thought she was Terri, just like Yuri did, but he could be forgiven. He had barely glanced at her; he had been preoccupied with leaving.

  She headed for the patio and Amoy's breathtaking view of the city.

  She was fighting back tears. She didn't hear when Reuben came behind her. She felt his hands as they moved slowly, almost tentatively, along her arm.

  He spun her around. "So, are you still married to that prince?"

  Lola gasped. "You know it's me!"

  Reuben nodded solemnly. "Yes, I do. Are you still married to him?"

  "No." Lola smiled. "I was released from the contract. Spent thirty days under house arrest as punishment…"

  "And now you are here." He looked in her eyes. "I can't believe I mixed the two of you up. I guess I can be excused because it was unexpected that there was another person who looks just like my cousin, but the warning signs were there and I ignored them. I was confused but...now I am not anymore.

  The way I feel about you is totally different than how I feel about Terri. You just need to walk into the room and I can feel the difference."

  Lola inhaled shakily. "You still feel the same way about me?"

  Reuben held her hands in his and slowly lifted them to his mouth. "Oh yes, I do. I was going stir-crazy wondering if you were lost to me forever. I wanted to come and see you on Jannah but Terri convinced me not to. I feared that you had forgotten me and that what I felt was one-sided."

  "No, I could never forget you." Lola pulled his face down to hers. "Never. Ever. I love you too, Reuben."

  "Aww," Terri whispered to Amoy from the archway. "Aren't they just cute together?"

  Amoy was teary-eyed. "Yes, they are. I just don't get it—there was an available Scarlett and he slipped through my fingers."

  Terri chuckled. "You be patient; there are several more prospects out there. Maybe even a Scarlett, who knows?"

  "Hmmph," Amoy grunted.

  Zack chose that moment to walk into the house. He put on a wide smile when he saw Terri.

  "Hi love!"

  "Hey, my love." Terri headed for him.

  Reuben and Lola joined them in the living room, their hands firmly clasped together.

  Terri introduced Zack to Lola.

  And they had a laugh about meeting before on Jannah.

  Zack took Terri aside and whispered in her ear, "She doesn't look like you to me…"

  Terri laughed.

  The End

  Mobilism & TP ONLY

  Author's Notes

  Dear Reader,

  THANK YOU for reading Scarlett Secret! The third of seven books in the Scarlett Series. If you enjoyed this novel, I hope you'll consider leaving a review at your favorite retailer.

  The next book in the series will be SCARLETT LOVE. You can scroll down for an excerpt from this book.

  Also below, is my BOOK LIST of titles.

  If you have comments or suggestions, I welcome them. You can reach me and receive a reply at brenalbar@gmail.com.

  You can be among the first to hear when I have special prices and new book releases by signing up for my mailing list. It will take you less than 50 seconds to signup. Click here to signup.

  Thanks again. All the best,

  Brenda

  Here is an excerpt from

  SCARLETT LOVE

  Dear Delivery Guy,

  Your letter was indecipherable and jumbled. This leads me to believe that either your penmanship is just naturally frightful or you cannot read. If you cannot read, you have no business trying to write. I would strongly suggest a literacy class where you can get some help.

  Yours sincerely,

  Amoy Gardener, Attorney at Law

  Edwin read through the letter and laughed until the hacking cough that he was battling for the past few weeks gripped his chest again. "Slater, what possessed you?"

  Slater grimaced, "I don't know. I thought it was time to make my feelings known. I see her watching me sometimes when she thinks I am not looking, so I thought maybe...that she liked me back...just a bit."

  "And you wrote her? Why not just approach her?" Edwin shook his head and held up the thick cream paper with the official company logo. "Your penmanship is frightful as she said."

  "She thinks I can't read." Slater cupped his head in his hand.

  "It's true, you can't," Edwin pulled the heavy scarf that he had on closer around his throat. His gnarled hands were trembling. "Maybe you should follow her advice and go to a class. I keep on telling you that you can't survive in this world without being able to read. It's only your street smarts that has carried you through so far."

  "I can read." Slater drawled. "Just not that well."

  Edwin made a dismissive sound. "There is no shame in admitting that you can't, son."

  Edwin coughed for a long time after that, his thin body rocking so hard that Slater was fearful that his body would shatter from the jolts it was receiving.

  "You need medicine, Edwin." His voice was laced with concern. The once sprightly Edwin who was just in his early seventies looked frailer after each cough.

  Slater stood up and stretched. He was still in his delivery uniform, white polo shirt with the King Express logo emblazoned on it and standard issue black pants.

  He had not even gone home yet. He had stopped by Edwin to do his regular check on his old friend and found out that his bronchial pneumonia had gotten worse. He headed for the kitchen and got one of the bottled water that Edwin bought in bulk and handed it to him.

  He could barely open the thing, his hand trembled on the bottle as he made a heaving wheeze.

  Slater's heart squeezed in sympathy. He owed a debt of gratitude to Edwin.

  Edwin had rescued him from the streets years ago when he had no one but a gang of thieves as family and was heading for a life of crime.

  He had been trying his hand at windshield wiping at the busy intersection of Waterloo Road and Edwin had driven up in his battered pick up truck. Slater was about twelve then. He had lived on the streets for exactly a year by then and had thought himself wise in all things. With an arrogant swagger from the lack of parental guidance and the confidence of youth he had sauntered over to Edwin's truck, throwing water over the windshield before he could protest.

  Edwin had wound down his window and growled. "Don't touch my windshield you ingrate!"

  Slater had stared him down. "I need money for school."

  That had been his regular line. He had not seen inside a classroom since he was nine years old.

  Edwin had looked at him doubtfully but relented and gave him a bag of silver coins, in one of those bank plastic bags.

  He had whooped with joy. "Thank you, sir."

  "You know where Good Samaritan Inn is?" The light had changed color and Edwin begun moving.

  "Yes." Slater walked alongside the car. He had gotten a couple meals there when he was desperate. Every street boy knew where the free food could be found.

  "Come by and ask for Edwin." The old man had growled but less fiercely this time.

  Slater had gone there the same evening because after counting the silver he had realized that it had added up to quite a bit. He had to go and see this Edwin guy.

  Edwin worked at the inn as a volunteer. He had gotten Slater's history out of him in a few sentences.

  No mother. Died in a shoot out.

  No father. He didn't know who he was.

  No family. He had no idea who his mother was related to.

  His name was Slater. Just Slater. That's what his mother called him before she died. Edwin had not allowed him to go back to the tenement yard where he and his gang of friends lived. Instead, he had gotten a social worker, from church, who knew a family who could take him in.

  It had been a hard adjustment living wit
h the Wilson's. They were the epitome of middle class values and they considered him a little savage.

  He had overheard Mrs. Wilson telling her husband just that, after a night of finding him sleeping on the floor.

  Back then the floor had been much more to his liking than the bed. The Wilson's migrated when he was seventeen and instead of going back into the system. He had gone back to the streets, not being able to read had not granted him any favors. He could not even get a job at a fast food restaurant.

  And so he had gone back to the Good Samaritan Inn. It was either that or a life of crime. He had found Edwin again. His wife had just died. His side of the house that he shared with his brother was empty.

  "Come and stay with me." Edwin had urged. "Until I can find you a proper job."

  That had not been a light offer on Edwin's part, he was a charitable man but to take in a homeless teenage boy was a huge decision.

  He had not been an easy man to live with, Slater smiled at the memory. They had butted heads more than once usually over his education. He was gung ho to get a job to start earning and Edwin had insisted that he go to training school. Eventually he had won, he had gotten a job as a live-in-gardener to one of Edwin's church sisters. She was a sweet old lady, named Mrs. Perry who had a huge yard and an empty pool house. The trade off for him staying there rent free was to take care of the yard, make it immaculate.

  She had recommended him to her nephew at King Express for a job too a few weeks later and here he was, all because of Edwin. He wouldn't call his life as fulfilled as it could be but it was a far cry from where he was coming.

  He watched as Edwin half dozed his breathing sounding like one of those children's rattles that Mrs. Perry's granddaughter left at the poolside when her parents carried her over to visit.

  He leaned closer to Edwin. "You have a prescription? I can go and get it filled for you. I hate how your chest sounds."

  Edwin raised his eyes slowly as if they had heavy weights on them and then pointed to his ancient dresser that looked battered and dusty and worse for wear like everything else in the half side of the house that he had inherited and was forced to share with his brother, Edmond.

  Slater went over and pocketed the prescription. "How long have you been off your meds?"

  "A week." Edwin wheezed. "Had nobody to go and get it for me, no money either. My pension is late."

  Slater sighed.

  He was broke too after scrimping and saving to buy and tune Mrs. Perry's piano which she wasn't using. He was completely cash strapped, which meant that he would have to fulfill the prescription at the public hospital pharmacy, where they could get free medication.

  At the best of times it was a madhouse. He would have to get a place at the front of the line, sitting in the drafty waiting room so that he could be served first when the pharmacy opened at eight.

  But if there was anybody in the world he would do something like that for, it would be Edwin. He looked at his watch; he had promised Tony Perry that he would help him at some wedding party with his live band.

  His guitarist had the flu.

  He called Tony and waited for the phone to ring while he checked that Edwin had food. The old man had quite a lot. Some of his ripe bananas had gotten black from being over ripe and his potatoes had little vines growing out of the sides. He could bet that Edwin had no energy to prepare food for himself.

  He made a mental note to plead with Edmond's housekeeper to come and have a look in on him. He would have to pay her extra but he couldn't allow the old man to be sick in the house without food.

  "Hey man," Tony came on the phone. "What's up? Why aren't you here?"

  "My friend is sick," Slater said. "I can't make it. Have to go and get him some meds."

  Tony hissed his teeth. "Man, that sucks, but if you can make it tomorrow night that would be even better. I have an even bigger wedding then. Zachary Lee Chang is getting married. You know the Lee Chang's? They are huge."

  Slater paused. Of course he knew that. The Lee Chang's were Amoy's family. He delivered packages to their firm almost everyday.

  He winced when he thought how foolish he was for writing her, for even thinking of her in any romantic way. They were opposites in every way that counted. He was poor, she was rich, he was uneducated, he didn't even have a high school diploma, she was a hot shot lawyer, she came from a well established family whose name was synonymous with wealth and privilege and good breeding. He couldn't even read.

  "Are you there, man?" Tony intruded on his pity fest.

  "Yes." Slater cleared his throat.

  "So you coming tomorrow night?"

  "Yeah, sure. I can come tomorrow night," he answered Tony. "What time and where?"

  "The reception is in the evening at the Lee Chang estate in St. Catherine. I need your tux measurements. We are renting tuxes for the five of us. You and George are about the same size, right?"

  "Yeah, I guess." Slater muttered glancing at his watch. "I have to go, Tony."

  "We'll come pick you up at five at grandma's house," Tony said. "Be there."

  Slater hefted a sigh. He'd be there all right. Any reason to see Amoy Gardener was always welcomed.

  OTHER BOOKS BY BRENDA BARRETT

  The Scarlett Family Series

  Scarlett Baby (Book 1)- When the head of the Scarlett family died, Yuri had to return home to Treasure Beach for the funeral. What he didn't count on was seeing Marla, his childhood sweetheart and his best friend's wife. And when emotions overwhelm them and a few months later Marla is pregnant, Yuri wants the impossible: his best friend's wife and the baby they made together...

  Scarlett Sinner (Book 2)- Pastor Troy Scarlett realizes the hard way that some sins are bound to be revealed, like the child that he had out of wedlock with his wife's mortal enemy from college. His wife Chelsea was not happy with the status quo. She was not taking care of the son of the woman she had so despised from college. And she could not get over the deep betrayal that she felt from her husband's indiscretion.

  Scarlett Secret (Book 3)- Terri Scarlett had a soft spot for her friend, Lola. She was funny and sweet and they looked remarkably alike. But when Lola's Arab prince demands his bride, Terri foolishly exchange places with her friend and they meet up on a world of trouble.

  Scarlett Love (Book 4)- Slater always looked forward to delivering packages to the law firm where he could get a glimpse of the stunning female lawyer, Amoy Gardener. Unfortunately, for Slater a woman like Amoy would not take him seriously, especially when she found out that he could not read!

  Scarlett Promise (Book 5)- Lisa Barclay was not who she thought she was! Driven by desperation she decides to make some extra money by prostituting herself after being kicked out onto the streets. Her first customer turns out to be a popular government senator and then to her horror he dies...

  Scarlett Bride (Book 6)- Oliver Scarlett loved his job as a missionary doctor in the rarely visited, highly populated village of Kidogo, located in the midlands of the Congo region. He rescued a young village woman from a horrible fate of marrying the old witch doctor by marrying her himself. Now it is time to return home, he has to take his newly acquired bride with him or rescuing her would have been in vain.

  Scarlett Heart (Book 7)- After receiving a heart transplant shy librarian Noah Scarlett started to take on character traits that were unlike him. He was going to the gym and loving cherry malt sodas and he kept dreaming of a girl named Charlotte Green...

  Rebound Series

  On The Rebound--For Better or Worse, Brandon vowed to stay with Ashley, but when worse got too much he moved out and met Nadine. For the first time in years he felt happy, but then Ashley remembered her wedding vows...

  On The Rebound 2- Ashley reinvented herself and was now a first lady in a country church in Primrose Hill, but her obsessed ex friend Regina showed up and started digging into the lives of the saints at church. Somebody didn't like Regina's digging. Someone had secrets that were shocking enough to kill for...


  Magnolia Sisters

  Dear Mystery Guy (Book 1)- Della Gold details her life in a journal dedicated to a mystery guy. But when fascination turns into obsession she finds herself wanting to learn even more about him but in her pursuit of the mystery guy she begins to learn more about herself...

  Bad Girl Blues (Book 2)- Brigid Manderson wanted to go to med school but for the time being she was an escort working for her mother, an ex-prostitute. When her latest customer offers her the opportunity of a lifetime would she take it? Or would she choose the harder path and uncertain love with a Christian guy?

  Her Mistaken Dreams (Book 3)- Caitlin Denvers dream guy had serious issues. He has a dead wife in his past and he was the main suspect in her murder. Did he really do it? Or did Caitlin for the first time have a mistaken dream?

  Just Like Yesterday (Book 4)- Hazel Brown lost six months of memory including the summer that she conceived her son, and had no idea who his father could be. Now that she had the means to fight to get him back from the Deckers, she finds out that the handsome Curtis Decker is willing to share her son with her after all.

  New Song Series

  Going Solo (Book 1)- Carson Bell, had a lovely voice, a heart of gold, and was no slouch in the looks department. So why did Alice abandon him and their daughter? What did she want after ten years of silence?

  Duet on Fire (Book 2)- Ian and Ruby had problems trying to conceive a child. If that wasn't enough, her ex-lover the current pastor of their church wants her back...