Page 56 of Finally Moore

“For me, yes. When I drink coffee, I always get jittery—and like I said, I can’t stand the taste. But with tea, I enjoy the flavor, the variety, the different homeopathic applications. I feel there isn’t anything a good cup of tea can’t cure… That and soup.”

“Wow.” Scarlett lies down next to me, using the crook of my arm as a pillow. “This paints you in a whole new light.”

I lean up on my arm. “And?”

“Strangely, I think it makes you sexier? How is that even possible?”

“What can I say? I’m like an onion—”

“Are you really going to quoteShrekto me?”

“What? It’s true.” We both laugh but the room quickly falls silent. “Okay, my turn to ask you something.”

“Uh-oh.” She cringes.

I feel guilty, because I know I’m about to ruin what’s been another perfect moment between us. But I need to know, and I hope that she’ll feel comfortable enough to open up to me. “Kasey,” I say his name, and she frowns before I even finish the question. “What happened with you two?”

“Does it matter?” Scarlett sits up and puts some distance between us.

“No, but he mentioned something today—”

“Were you talking about me with him?” She pushes to her feet, frantically looking around the room for her clothes.

“No… not exactly.” I follow after her, but she’s an expert at avoiding me.

“I can’t believe this.” She finds and pulls on her leggings as I tug on my pants.

“Wait.” I grip her shoulders and force her to look at me. I need her to know that I’m not lying. “All he said was that you and your sister used to be close. He didn’t tell me what happened, and I didn’t ask. I’ll be honest. He did mention wanting me to talk to you, to encourage you to speak with her. Settle whatever—”

“Of course he did,” Scarlett scoffs.

“I told him no,” I say, and she freezes. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do or how to manage your family. I’m only asking because I want you to know you can talk to me, without judgment.” Scarlett stands there, looking at me, as she silently processes my statement. When she doesn’t respond, I drop my hands and let her go. Clearly I misread our connection. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked—”

“I loved Kasey.” She sighs. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. Dad loved to travel around with us, made sure all the kids had tutors and on-set classrooms. It was a requirement of his, for the children actors. The three of us were always close. Trisha, Kasey, and me. Until we turned sixteen, and Kasey started to look at me differently. It was obvious he didn’t look at my stepsister the same way, and I knew it hurt her. But we were fine,seemedfine, especially when she found her own boyfriend… well,boyfriends. One loser after another, all looking to get aninwith our dad. It’s how she ended up pregnant with Brittany. Some asshole knocked her up, thinking it was his lucky day, then bailed when Dad refused to give him work in front of a camera. But Trisha wasn’t our problem. She never was. The problem was me.”

A tear rolls down Scarlett’s cheek, and I fight my need to wipe it away. I’m not sure she wants to be touched right now, and I don’t want her to stop talking. Because something tells me she needs to get this off her chest.

“The more famous Kasey became, the more of a toll it took on our relationship. I never wanted the spotlight. Not ever. Sure, in the beginning, I thought if I wasn’t the one they were looking at, it would be okay. But when I started reading the articles, judging me, questioning how someone like him could be with someone who looked like me. Comments about how I wasn’t tall enough, skinny enough, pretty enough.” She wipes away a tear. “There was one asshole who would literally follow us around and purposely take the most unflattering pictures of me. Then he’d post them all over the internet for everyone to have a good laugh at. Of course, Mom was no help. She just insisted that I needed to diet. Get a nip here, a tuck there, and then they wouldn’t have anything to write about.”

My fists clench at the thought of all those comments destroying Scarlett’s confidence, then her mother sealing that negativity in stone.

“So we agreed to stop doing public appearances together. Then Dad died, and the vultures came looking for another photo op, images of the grieving family. It eventually died down again, until Kasey became this big star, and it was impossible for us to manage his fame. He was always gone. We hardly ever saw each other. People were constantly asking him why he was flying solo on the red carpet, speculating as to why I wasn’t there. But I think his proposal was the final tipping point. He was in the fast lane to stardom, and all I wanted to do was live a simple, quiet life—it’s still all I want to do. So when he dropped down on one knee and asked me to give up my dreams of normalcy for good, I started to wonder if love was enough.”

Scarlett swallows hard.

“We argued constantly. Mostly because I wouldn’t give him an answer. I loved him, that much was unquestionable, but I wouldn’t just be saying yes to him. I would be marrying a lifestyle I hated and knew he had no plans of giving up. Eventually, I told him I needed some time… apart. You know, to really think things over. That’s when my grandpa died, and since Mom had no intention of returning home or handling his affairs, I used the opportunity to escape for a little bit and get to know the man I never had the privilege of meeting in life. While I was here, in Minnesota, discovering that my grandfather shared a passion for hospitality, that he had this beautiful inn, and that strangely enough he left it all to me… while meeting all of you and hearing your stories about him and learning more about my mother’s roots… Kasey was home with Trisha, discovering that they were each what the other was looking for.”

“You mean?”

“Yup, I came home to find that my almost fiancé was fucking my stepsister. You’d think I’d hate him, right? Funny enough, I don’t. We loved each other but also brought out the worst in one another. I knew we were done and that I was leaving before I saw them together. But Trisha… I just couldn’t forgive her. She was my sister, my best friend, and the second I was out of the picture, she took what she had her eye on since we were teens.”

I can’t believe that was what Kasey wanted Scarlett to talk about and what…? Get over? I love my brothers, but I’m not sure I’d be able to forgive them for something like that. At least not right away.

“I was back in Cali long enough to grab my stuff and go. This is actually the first time I’ve spoken to Trisha since.”

“Do you think you’ll ever forgive her?” I’m not sure it’s my place to ask, but I can’t help myself. The question was just bouncing around in my head because…why should she?What has Trisha done to earn that forgiveness?

“Honestly? I don’t know. Every time I try, I remember coming home, finding them—”

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