Page 89 of Clean Out of Luck

Wade

“Thanks for lettingme come over. I’m sorry it’s on such short notice,” I say as Scarlett lets me in at The Serendipity.

She looks at me with suspicion. “You’ve never apologized before. Do you have a guilty conscience or something?”

I wish it was the “something.” Unfortunately, it is guilt. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

A Boston terrier bolts up the main staircase, barking away and making both of us jump. I was so focused on Scarlett that I didn’t realize anyone else was in the lobby. A man follows the dog, calling after it.

“Just ignore them. That dog is a grump. Now, what was it you wanted to say?” She folds her arms across her chest and stands there with a stern look on her face.

My heart beats a little faster until she throws back her head and laughs. “You looked so scared there for a second.”

“You think it’s funny to scare your boyfriend?” I growl and leap forward, pulling her into my arms and planting a sound kiss on her cheek.

“Your beard is tickling!” she shrieks.

“Oh, really?” I lean in and bury my face in her neck. She finally pushes me away, and we glance at the elevator bank. There’s an older woman standing there with wide eyes, looking wholly traumatized by our physical display.

Scarlett clears her throat and gives the woman a little wave before she turns back to glare at me. “Okay, do you want to go to my apartment or sit out by the pool? It’s a nice day out there.”

I point behind her toward the hallway that leads to the courtyard exit. “Pool.”

Scarlett spins on her heel and leads the way outside, her apartment keys still dangling from her fingers. We reach the courtyard, the fountain lending a peaceful background. A couple of people are scattered around the pool area, sitting in the loungers, but no one is actually swimming.

“I have a confession.” I swallow the lump in my throat as I turn to face Scarlett. There’s a reason I’m telling her outside next to The Serendipity’s pool. I want there to be witnesses to my possible murder.

“You do?” She looks at me in surprise. “Why does this sound so serious?”

My shoulders sag, and I try to decide the best way to confess this.

“Well, you see, Phoenix—then I—and maybe it wasn’t a good idea—in fact, now I see that it wasn’t, and we should have done something completely different.” I stutter over the last couple of words.

“Wade, it must be bad if you can’t even tell me what it is.” Scarlett’s face is going pale. Those big earrings dangling against her cheeks glint in the sunlight.

“Yes, well. I guess I’ll just say it.” I feel sick to my stomach. Maybe Phoenix can show up and take the brunt of her anger. I don’t want to be the reason that Scarlett gets angry.But I also can’t start out our relationship with subterfuge. I’m not living a Hallmark movie. This lie won’t work out in my favor in the long run. I’m sure of it.

Scarlett brushes her hair out of her face and adjusts her sunglasses.

“Phoenix isn’t mad you’re dating me,” I rush the words out all in one fell swoop. There’s hardly a pause at all, and I begin to wonder if she even understood what I was trying to say because she doesn’t move.

I’d like to snatch those sunglasses off her face so I can see what she’s thinking. Because right now, her expression is scarily stoic.

“He thought—we thought that maybe it would be better to let you think he was mad at us for dating. He was hoping it would mean you would stay with me.”

Scarlett shifts back a step and clears her throat. “You mean to tell me that yesterday was him throwing a fit just for my benefit?”

I nod once. “He’s not mad that we’re dating,” I whisper. “In fact, he was the one who told me I should man up and tell you how I really feel about you. Because I told him I was falling for you.”

Scarlett dips her head and slowly removes her sunglasses. When she looks up at me, I see a glint in her eyes that’s hard to decipher. “And so the two of you decided to play it up and hope it would strengthen the start of our relationship?”

Just call me a bobblehead by this point because all I can do is nod.

Her eyes narrow and she steps toward me again and points at me with her sunglasses. “Listen, you, you are one lucky sucker.”

I gulp. “How so?”

Scarlett’s face splits into a grin. “Because you came clean and told me. I overheard you guys in the living room yesterday.I’ve been trying to decide how I felt about you being sneaky behind my back. But the good news is you’re horrible at it and actually honest. I guess I’ll have to wipe your name off my payback list.”

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