Page 103 of Ewan

I’m hiding stuff away from him, too.

“They say you have connections with the Mafia,” I say dryly.

Walls grow around his heart, his eyes morphing into crescents of ice.

“Who told you that?”

“It’s not important.”

“Who told you that, Scarlett?” he insists, and it quickly dawns on me I can’t put Sammy in danger.

“I need to go,” I say. “I’m sorry,” I murmur, truly sorry.

I didn’t think that by coming here, I’d put an end to the idea of us. Whatever that could’ve turned out to be.

To my chagrin, no one follows me outside.

But the driver is where we were supposed to meet.

Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that his boss and I had a little disagreement.

He holds the door for me and makes sure I’m comfortable in my seat before sliding behind the wheel and veering away from Manhattan.

22

SCARLETT

I didn’t goto school yesterday.

I needed to take a break from this story, and going to the school to expressly look at a picture of him and me, even though he was dressed as Santa, didn’t sit well with me.

Nothing has sat well with me since I talked to him the other night. Not the fact that we had that conversation and abruptly ended things. And not the fact that I looked stupid and he wasn’t entirely truthful with me.

It was a draw, and I hated it.

He didn’t call me. And I didn’t call him.

We’re not in a relationship, remember?

So today, it seemed like a good day to stop by the school and check that stupid picture.

I hated myself for having to go there, open the door, pick up the framed photograph, unwrap it, and look at it.

The frown on my face only deepened as I ran my eyes over the picture and remembered that moment.

But ultimately, I understood why the kids insisted on us taking it.

From afar, everything looked all right. A school teacher awkwardly posing with a telegenic Santa.

You couldn’t tell it was him, but his eyes had captured the light, making quite an impression on me and the camera.

I remember that moment when he snaked his hand around me, and I had to hover over his lap so I didn’t entirely have the imprint of his bulge on my butt.

A smile tilts my lips.

He was on a roll that night, not giving a damn about anything and anyone. And then everything changed.

What happened? I don’t understand.What made me off-limits to him?

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