Built To Last (Saltwater Springs #1) (9 page)

S
carlett sat
at the small table for two spooning peanut butter ripple into her mouth while she waited for Layla to arrive. She’d been coming to Dream Cream since she was a little girl, and apparently, not much had changed. Del was still a portly older man who wore a white 1950’s-style uniform, and the place was still busy—even in the fall. That’s how good Del’s homemade ice cream was.

She dug her spoon into the bowl, careful to get some of the peanut butter goodness, and closed her eyes when the yummy flavor hit her tongue, moaning around the spoon.

“I suspect Luke heard some of that last night.”

Scarlett’s eyes snapped open to find Layla pulling a chair out, a wide grin spread across her face. “What did you say?” Scarlett asked in a fierce whisper.

Layla plopped her butt down in the chair and leaned forward, clearly amused by Scarlett’s reaction. “You heard me.” She chuckled. “I don’t know why you’re whispering. Everyone in town probably already knows anyway.”

Scarlett dropped her spoon in her bowl and grasped her head in her hands, the pounding from her hangover starting up again. “Please don’t say that.”

“I figured it was just a matter of time. But I have to say, I’m impressed it was this soon. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes as Del appeared beside the table with a bowl of ice cream for her friend.

“Here you are, sugar,” Del said, placing the heaping bowl of Layla’s favorite—cherry cheesecake—on the table. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks so much, sugar daddy.” Layla grinned and winked at him.

Scarlett couldn’t help but smile a little. Layla and Del had always had a sweet grandfather/granddaughter kind of relationship.

“How are things since you’ve been back in town, Scarlett?” he asked.

“Going well. Doing my best to get the bakery up and running. I’ve had my challenges though.”

Del placed his hands on his protruding belly and let a deep laugh escape. “Don’t I know it. Owning your own business isn’t for the faint of heart.” He shook his head as he wandered back to the counter to help a customer, laughing to himself.

As soon as Del was out of earshot, Layla started up again. “Alright, cut the BS. Tell me everything that happened.” A Cheshire Cat grin spread across her face.

Scarlett heaved out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what happened,” she said as her hands flew up in the air in front of her. “One minute I’m enjoying myself at Buckie’s party, the next I let Phoebe rile me up with tales of her and Luke dating. Then he and I got in a fight, and a couple of hours later we’re making out in the back of his pickup truck.” She flicked her gaze up to Layla, who was waggling her eyebrows with her mouth wrapped around the end of her spoon. “Well? What do I do?”

“What do you mean? You went home with him, right?” Scarlett nodded. “Well, if it was good and you want a repeat, keep sleeping with him.”

Scarlett took a bite of her ice cream and thought for a moment, then placed her spoon back in the bowl. “I can’t do that.”

Layla froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth. “Why not?”

“Because I can’t go there with him again. I’m trying to get my new life off the ground, and there’s way too much history there.”

“Scarlett, it’s clear you still have feelings for him. Why not give him a chance and see where it goes?”

She wished she could confide in her friend about that horrible day a decade ago, but the only two people who knew what had happened were her parents—and they were dead. Scarlett didn’t feel right telling anyone else when Luke didn’t even know. It would feel like an even bigger betrayal.

“I know you don’t understand, but you have to trust me when I say that I can’t make him happy in the long run.” A lump formed in her throat that was painful to swallow around. “Luke deserves to be happy.” She shoved the spoon back into her ice cream and brought it to her mouth.

Layla reached across and grabbed her free hand. “You deserve to be happy, too.” A sad smile played at the corners of her mouth.

Great.
Now tears were gathering in her eyes. “And I will be…someday.”

Across the table, Layla nodded. “You’ve had a rough couple of years, Scarlett. I get it. Maybe it’s time to have a little fun though.” She released Scarlett’s hand and shrugged. “Who says things with you and Luke have to be serious? You could hang out, spend some time—a
lot
of time—in bed, take it as it comes. Pun fully intended, by the way.” She winked mischievously.

Layla had a point. Didn’t Scarlett deserve a little happiness? She just wasn’t sure something between her and Luke could be anything other than all in and intense as hell. Not after her reaction to the decade-old news she heard last night. Which reminded her…

“I have a bone to pick with you, missy. Why didn’t you tell me Luke and Phoebe went out?” Scarlett crossed her arms in front of her.

Layla ducked her head, looking sheepish. “What good would it have done?” She spared a glance back up at Scarlett and shrugged. “You’d left town and made it clear that you were never returning. I tried to bring him up once right after you left, and you almost bit my head off. After that, I avoided any and all conversation relating to the guy.”

She let the words sink in for a moment and realized their truth. “I guess you have a point,” Scarlett said begrudgingly. “In the future, if there is something you think I should know, please just tell me so I’m not blindsided.”

Her friend nodded. “Will do. Though it seems it worked out okay for you, based on that post-sex glow you’ve got going on.”

Scarlett laughed and crumpled up the napkin on the table, tossing it at her friend. “Very funny.”

“At least think about it,” Layla said, almost pleading. “A little fun would be a good thing for you.”

“Alright. I’ll think about it.” And she would. God knows she’d be thinking about Luke anyway.

A
n hour later
, Scarlett was returning to her parked car on Main Street just down from Paper Hearts. She’d needed to go to the small stationary store to see if she could find anything suitable for the invitations to her grand opening and it’d seemed as good a time as any.

Almost immediately, she’d found one she liked, and as luck would have it, they were on sale. So she snatched them up, telling herself it was a necessity. If she had to, she’d live on Ramen noodles until she started turning a profit.

She was placing the shopping bag in the back seat of her car when she saw him.

Luke was walking down the street with as wide a smile as she’d ever seen on him. He wasn’t alone. He was walking with a pretty brunette that Scarlett didn’t recognize and laughing at something she’d said. Between them swung a curly-haired blond girl—probably four or five years old. She was a beautiful child, and anyone could see she shared some of Luke’s features.

Oh my God. Luke has a child.

The revelation almost made her knees give way. Scarlett’s chest felt as if it were caving in on itself. Pain radiated out from her center and traveled down her limbs while her lungs constricted, making it difficult to breathe.

She could do nothing but stand there with her hand on her car door, watching in fascination—and horror—as the three of them laughed together. The nightmare continued as the young girl skipped along happily and gazed up at Luke with stars in her eyes, and then he and the woman continued to swing her little body up off the sidewalk.

As they drew nearer, the little girl let Luke’s hand go and pointed to something across the street. As if in slow-motion, Luke’s head turned toward Scarlett and their gazes connected. Recognition lit in his eyes, immediately followed by fear.

It was enough to shake Scarlett from her stupor. She fumbled with the handle for a moment before yanking the door open and scrambling into the seat, quickly putting the key in the ignition and starting the car. She spared a quick glance out of her rearview mirror and then tore out onto the street as Luke hollered her name behind her.

L
uke tapped
the steering wheel of his truck impatiently as he made his way across town to Scarlett’s place. He’d felt physically ill when he saw her staring at him on Main Street while he’d been with Gabbie and Denise, knowing she’d gotten the wrong impression.

It was only late evening and there wasn’t much to do in Saltwater Springs on a Sunday night, so Luke was praying that she was home so he could explain himself. And if she wasn’t? Well, he’d wait until she was. He was not about to let Scarlett walk out of his life again after all this time because of a damn misunderstanding.

Pulling into the driveway, he let out a relieved breath when he spotted her car sitting in front of the house. He put the truck in park and hopped down onto the paved drive before eating up the distance to the front door in a few purposeful strides.

Then he knocked on the door and waited.

And waited.

For the first time, it dawned on him that one of her friends could have picked her up.

He banged louder and looked to the front window. Had the curtain moved?

The knowledge that his Lettie was hiding from him set in and only served to piss him off. “I know you’re in there, Lettie! We need to talk.” He drew in a deep breath to calm himself. “Come on. It’s not what you think.”

The door swung open and Scarlett stood there, still looking as pretty as ever, even though it was clear she’d been crying. She’d changed since that afternoon and wore an oversized t-shirt that hung off one shoulder and a pair of dark tights underneath. Her ebony locks were piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and yet to him, she’d never looked better.

This was what he wanted to see more of. He wanted to be around enough that he saw her bed head first thing in the morning, her smudged make-up at the end of the day, and everything in between.

“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice softer now.

She pressed her lips together for a moment, then nodded and backed away to allow him to enter.

He’d managed to get his foot in the door, but Luke had a feeling that the hardest work was yet to come.

Scarlett walked ahead of him and led him to the living room. He reached forward for her hand, and she stopped as soon as he made contact with her. They stood like that for a minute, her facing away from him, unwilling to turn around. He pulled her hand to the center of her back, forcing her to turn and face him. Problem was, she was staring at the floor instead of looking at him.

He tilted her chin up with his hand, and the tears in her bright green eyes pulled at his insides. “Oh, Lettie.” Luke brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. “What you’re thinking…it’s not that.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation. Not really. What happened last night was a one-off. It was only one night.”

She might as well have kicked him in the nuts. “Is that all it was to you?” he asked, pinning her with an intense stare.

She glanced away briefly and didn’t answer.

“The woman I was with. We aren’t together.”

Scarlett shook her head. “I didn’t think you were with her. Well, maybe for a split second, but I know you’re not that guy. You’re not a cheater.”

At least that was a vote of confidence. “You’re right about that. I’m happy to hear you know it.”

“Still…the two of you have a child together, and it was obvious that there’s something between you guys—”

“No, you don’t understand. Gabbie…the little girl…she’s my niece. She’s Brad’s daughter, and Denise is her mom. There’s never been anything between us.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened and she sank slowly down onto the couch behind her. “She’s Brad’s child?” He nodded. “Oh, the poor thing.”

Luke heaved out a sigh, knowing he’d have to discuss his brother, which was on the list of his least favorite things to do somewhere between a prostate exam and asking for directions. “When Brad died, I tried to step up to be a father figure to her. I’m not trying to replace my brother, but Denise works a lot of weird shifts so my mom and I help out whenever we can. Gabbie gets a lot of sleepovers at Grandma’s house.” Luke thought of the big, innocent grin plastered all over his niece’s face when she knew she was staying the night at his mom’s place. “It was Denise’s birthday and Gabbie wanted to get her mom ice cream as her gift, so I said I’d take them both. Denise is having budget issues at the moment.” He gave Scarlett a small smile, which she returned with a sad one.

Scarlett reached forward and placed her hand on his knee and squeezed. “That’s very noble of you,” she said, her voice quiet and low. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I saw you on the sidewalk and you looked so happy. You obviously love Gabbie. And the way you were making her laugh…” She sighed. “You were so good with her. I assumed she was your child.”

He placed his hand over Scarlett’s, which still rested on his leg. “I do love her, there’s no doubt about that. I’d do anything for her, and I treat her the same way I’ll treat my own children some day.”

She gazed off for a moment, seeming a million miles away in her mind. “I know you love her. Even if I hadn’t seen you both together, I would know that. And I remember how much you wanted to have a big family some day.”

Hearing Scarlett talk about having a family warmed the blood running through his veins. “I still plan on it.” He looked deep into her emerald eyes and grazed his thumb over her knuckles. She pulled away. “Scarlett—”

Standing abruptly, she said, “We still need to talk about last night.” Luke was baffled as she began pacing from one end of the room to the other. “What happened…we can’t do that again.”

“And why the hell not?” Luke stood to his full height and watched as she made the same lap back and forth through the room like she was racing the Indy 500.

She drew in a deep breath as if she’d just come to some conclusion. “It’s not a good idea for us to mix business and pleasure. I’ve hired you to do a job, and I’m trying to get this business off the ground. I don’t have time for anything else right now.”

“That’s horseshit, Lettie. How do you think it will be working beside each other every day for weeks on end after what happened last night?”

She stopped pacing and looked over at him, then shrugged. “We’ll manage.”

“Do you really think you’ll be able to stand beside me and watch me work without thinking about what these hands felt like on your body?” He lifted his hands in front of him before dropping them to his sides. “You think you won’t be remembering what it felt like to have me inside you…to share that connection after all this time? There isn’t a chance in hell you won’t be reliving the moment when your orgasm overtook you and you were clenching around me, panting my name.”

Scarlett threw her hands up to her ears. “Stop! Alright, maybe it won’t be that easy.”

Luke strode over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m not going to let you push me away because you’re afraid. You’re not going to run…not this time. Hell, you haven’t even told me why you ran in the first place.”

“I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for. And anything having to do with the two of us together has always been super serious, super fast. I can’t do that again, Luke.” She shook her head. “No matter how much I want to,” she whispered.

“I get that you don’t want to tell me why you left town all those years ago, but I’ll be honest. I don’t like it. I want to know. It’s been eating at me for years.” He drew in a deep breath. “But if that’s what’s standing between us exploring where this thing between us can go, then I’ll drop it. I won’t bring it up again.” He didn’t move his gaze from her eyes so she would know how serious he was.

Scarlett shook her head. “I can’t give you what you need.”

“Lettie, you have no idea what it’s like for me when I’m with you.” He reached forward and clasped behind her neck. “It’s like coming home.”

Tears built up in the corners of her eyes. “I can’t do serious with you.”

Luke blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Let’s spend some time together then. We’ll date like regular folk. Nothing heavy, nothing serious, just two people spending time together.”

She bit her lip for a moment, looking torn. “I can’t, Luke. I’m sorry.”

He let his hand drop. “If I thought for one second that you wouldn’t be happy spending time with me, Lettie, I wouldn’t push it. But I know in my heart that you want to be with me as badly as I want to be with you.” Luke pushed his hands through his hair. “Don’t you want to be happy?”

Her gaze sprung up to his and held. Something shifted in her expression and he didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid he’d break the spell. Finally, what seemed like eons later, she nodded slowly.

“I do. I do want to be happy,” she whispered. She cleared her throat and stood taller. “What I said before stands though. I can’t be in a serious relationship with you. Whatever this is”—she motioned between the two of them—“is not long term.”

Although it went against everything in him, he nodded his acceptance of her offering. At least it was a start. “I’ll take what I can get.”

He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, but it took everything in him not to try and make her see reason. He’d made too many concessions with Scarlett, and he wasn’t feeling as if he’d really gotten what he wanted from her. But if this was what it took to get her to agree to spend time with him, then that’s what he’d do.

Time was what he needed. Time to show his Lettie that they were still meant for each other and that they could bring one another happiness. After they’d been together awhile, she’d see. Luke wouldn’t rest until he wasn’t just back in her bed but back in her heart, too.