Page 97 of The Flirt

Understanding dawned on Beckett's face. "I see. Bella's out for the week, so you two are having some fun."

To my astonishment, Chad said, "Scarlett is staying with me this week," and then put an arm around my shoulders.

The way he uttered the statement made it sound official somehow.

Beckett's eyes bulged, and Xander pointed at him. "No comment."

"I didn't have one," Beckett said. "I'm actually too stunned to say anything."

Zachary shook his head, zeroing in on me. "Forgive Beckett. He's never actually lived with a girlfriend, so for him, that's outlandish."

My stomach dropped a bit, but I smiled anyway. I wasn't exactly Chad's girlfriend. I was... Well, I wasn't exactly sure. Yes, I was staying with him this week, but it was nowhere near the same thing as a girlfriend living with her boyfriend. That was permanent. This was... What was it?

"So, what are you three doing here, and why did you come up unannounced?" Chad asked.

"You know what’s funny?" Xander said. "You think you can ask us to come hang out with Bella at the drop of a hat, but we can't just drop by when we want to?"

"Not unannounced," Chad pointed out. "And you know I appreciate that you're always here for me and Bella."

"Right. How about a do-over?" Beckett said. "We go out, we pretend to call him, he finishes... well, whatever it is he was starting."

"Jesus, Beckett," Xander and Zachary exclaimed at the same time.

"I'm just going to leave you guys to chat," I announced because I felt like I was going to seriously combust.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Chad replied sternly.

"Forgive Beckett," Zachary said.

"Actually, don't forgive him," Xander chimed in. "Just accept that he's a bit different."

Xander glared at Beckett, who just shrugged and then said, "We're here to talk about the boat."

Chad didn’t hesitate. "Where's Anthony?"

"He's got some stuff to deal with tonight. But I'm his representative," Beckett said.

"What boat?" I asked.

Chad smiled, gesturing for his brothers to go to the living room. Then he grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s go sit down.”

“Okay, I just want to drink a glass of water first,” I said.

“Sure.”

As they went to the seating area, I quickly downed a glass. My throat was parched. Then I hesitated. Maybe I should stay back so they had privacy. To give myself something to do, I took out my phone and checked my emails. To my surprise, Mark had emailed.

Hey Scarlett,

It was great seeing you. I'm happy you’re doing well. Your food is top-notch as usual.

I glanced at the email again, wondering if it had been cut off short. But no, he had finished it with best wishes. What was the point of him writing to me? But I didn't want to be impolite, and I definitely didn't want to burn any bridges. I never knew when I’d need another recommendation.

I sent him a neutral reply.

Hey, thanks a lot. It was good to see you. If you're ever in New Orleans again, feel free to stop by.

“Scarlett?” Chad asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Everything okay?”

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