Page 86 of Taming Scarlet

Over time, he gave me just as much as I gave him, too. Stories about his awful childhood. The good and bad of his time in the military. His career afterward as a bodyguard, working for mostly the famous sort of people who were in town for engagements or to party.

I wasn’t sure a single relationship—platonic, familial, or otherwise—had ever been anywhere near the depth that I had with Julian.

That said, I wasn’t ready to bring the girls in on that.

“What is different, though,” I said, reaching for my mimosa, and taking a sip. “Is that I am thinking of getting involved in the family business,” I told them.

“Really?” Drea asked, eyes shooting up.

“It’s about damn time,” Di said, shaking her head.

“My father brought Stephen on the yacht,” I said, looking at Drea, watching as her eyes slitted.

Drea had been the first person I’d confessed to when it happened. I grabbed her arm, pulled her into the room with me, and spilled it all.

She’d been the one who’d encouraged me to go to my father. And when he hadn’t taken me seriously, comforted me, believed in me, made sure she never left me alone when Stephen was around.

We’d been kids.

But she still stepped up.

“He didn’t,” she said, jaw tight. “Did anything happen?”

“Just the usual talking to me like I’m an idiot thing,” I admitted. “But it got to me more than usual this time. And now that I know what I know about Stephen trying to nudge me out… I decided I want to take him down.”

“Do you need help with anything?” Drea asked.

Maybe I’d been wrong about these girls. About how superficial our relationships were. Perhaps that was only because I kept them at arm’s length, because I never opened up to them.

I mean, yeah, I knew some of them weren’t real friends, were only there for the connections I offered. People like Leona, for example. She didn’t evenlikeme.

But Drea and Di, it looked like I’d been wrong about them. They weren’t here in this spa for a photo opportunity. This was just for us. And, sure, I was almost always the one to pay. But… I was the one who always had their card out first.

I’d been looking for things that were fake.

But there was real there too.

I just needed to foster more of it.

“I will let you know if I do,” I said, giving Di a smile. “Convincing my father is going to be the hardest part. Even with proof, he’s so… invested in his so-called friendship with Stephen.”

“Go for the jugular,” Di said, shrugging.

“He has it coming,” Drea added.

“Excuse me, Miss Chandelier?” one of the spa employees said, stepping into the room in her sage green scrubs, looking apologetic. “There’s someone here who says they need to speak to you for a moment.”

We had a rule where we left our phones in our changing rooms. So if Julian wanted to speak to me, he’d have to show up.

He was on such a tear about this stalker thing, that he probably wanted to tell me that we had an appointment with detectives or a private investigator or something.

“He can’t be away from you for even an hour,” Drea said, hearts in her eyes. “That’s so sweet. Does he have a brother?”

“Or a sister?” Di asked.

“Only child,” I said, shrugging, as I drank the last of my mimosa, then stood, drying my wet feet on the towel before climbing off of the chair. “I’ll be right back. Get me another drink,” I demanded, more excited than ever to spend some time with them. Not mindlessly numbing ourselves with booze and partying, but actuallyconnecting.

So many things suddenly felt like they were falling into place in my life.

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