Page 8 of Wild Love

"I'm not seeing anyone." His voice was resigned.

Girls in school had been attracted to him, and I bet the uniform only made it worse. I tipped my head to the side and said lightly, "No one can put up with your uptight ass?"

Chance shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Something like that." Then he sobered. "Marigold would love to see you while you're home."

"You talk to her?" She was my best friend from school. She was the quintessential good girl. She followed all the rules, and for some reason, she decided long ago we were going to be friends. I think my parents hoped she'd rub off on me, but she never did. Marigold tried to maintain our friendship when I left town, but I needed the distance from my hometown.

Chance nodded. "I see her around town."

Marigold's first crush was Chance, not that she ever admitted it. She'd get all giggly when he was around. "I'll give her a call."

Chance nodded. "Good. Night, Scarlett."

"Night." I slipped inside, where Mom and Dad were still watching the news on TV in the family room.

"You're home early," Dad said, turning down the volume on the TV.

I plopped onto the lumpy couch. "I was tired. Remember, I drove all day."

"You could have broken it up more or had us come get you." Dad's voice was laced with concern for me.

"I'm a big girl, Daddy," I stood and kissed him on the cheek.

When I pulled away, he grabbed my wrist. "It's good to have you home."

"It's good to be home," I said, even though I wasn't so sure that was true. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between me and my former boss, Steve.

"Your room is all made up," Mom said.

I patted her shoulder. "You didn't have to go to any trouble."

Mom waved me off. "You're never any trouble. Get some sleep."

I felt a pang at her words because I always felt like trouble around here. I'd done that on purpose.

I went upstairs and closed the door to my childhood bedroom. Nothing had changed. It was a combination of pink and black. When my parents refused to repaint the pink walls from my childhood, I added black to make it seem more bad girl. I never quite pulled it off. Good girl and bad girl. Soft on the inside but tough on the outside.

I washed my face until no makeup remained. I looked at myself in the mirror, wondering what Eli thought of the woman I'd grown into. The last time I'd seen him was before he'd left for college. I'd heard through Chance that he had a good time in school, and the girls flocked to him. But I'd never felt anything for him. I just thought he was one of my brother's irritating friends.

But now, Eli was a confident man. He wore a power suit like it was a uniform he was born to wear. The Wildes always had more than us, but it never bothered me like it did Eli. I didn't care about money or material things. And I never asked my parents for anything since I didn't play sports.

I put on my pajamas and climbed into bed. I debated whether Chance was serious about Marigold wanting to see me. I let out a breath and typed out a message.

Scarlett: Chance said you wanted to get together?

I put the phone away, not expecting to hear from her tonight. It was late, and I was tired. My body ached from sitting in the driver's seat all day. Then there was the stress of getting away from Steve. I worried about his threats, how he would blacklist me. The theater circle was small and tight. If he did that, I might never find work again.

But I couldn't stay and let him harass me. I was worried it would get worse. I was right to get out. But my family would probably say I was being flighty again. That I never stuck with anything.

I'd have lunch with Marigold if she was willing and stay for a few days. Then I'd need to find a job. I didn't like having nothing to do. Despite what people thought about me, I was a hard worker. I didn't like handouts, and I never asked for help.

When I closed my eyes, the image of Eli in his suit came to me. The way he walked with confidence bordering on cockiness. Then that moment he realized he wasn't alone. The fire that came into his eyes when he saw me. The way he said my name like it was a curse and a prayer at the same time.

Eli was my newest kryptonite. I might have hung out with theater types, but there was something about a powerful man in a suit that apparently did it for me.

I imagined him kissing me when we stood by the railing. In my fantasy, it was passionate. I wanted him to take me right there on the deck with everyone else dancing at the party. I wanted to be reckless with Eli.

He might have had a reputation in high school, but he seemed like he was all about rules and responsibilities now. It would be fun to loosen him up. But it was a stark contrast to the stories I'd heard over the years from Chance.

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