Chapter 7: Scarlett

The blood went out of Scarlett's face and she stared at Benji.

"I don't think Garth saw that, but you probably don't want him to. Care to share?" Benji grinned.

"The pig. I slipped. He came over to help and fell." She covered her face with her hands, the memory of Cole's wet hair, those shoulders and the ridges of muscle making his chest and abs a playground.

"That's better than I'd hoped for." Benji let out a belly laugh and slammed his fist on the island.

Scarlett kept her hands over her red cheeks. How had she forgotten about packing up his wet things?

"You hungry?" Benji asked, no doubt fishing for an invitation to eat at her place.

"You mean, am I going to make dinner you can steal?"

"Maybe."

"I'm headed up to the bed-and-breakfast to help the girls paint the new rooms. Ingrid's picking up a pizza. We could always use someone tall." She bat her eyelashes at him.

"I think I'll pass. I'm going down to The Hole, I guess."

"Avoiding Garth that much?"

"Do you blame me?"

"Not in the least." Scarlett held up her hand. "Ask around about Sissy, will you?"

"Sissy? Do I want to know?" Benji arched a brow at her.

"I want to know. That's why I'm asking you to ask her."

"Okay," he said slowly as he shut the door behind him.

Scarlett hustled into the hall bath and scooped up Cole's still wet, muddy clothes. She dumped those into the wash with some of her own, set them to run then grabbed a pair of clothes she didn't care if they got paint on them. She didn't bother to change, valuing a speedy exit over anything else.

The drive across town to the old White mansion took less than ten minutes even with stopping for a pair of kids to catch a ball in the middle of the street. By the time she parked in front of the converted bed-and-breakfast her stomach was growling and she'd shrugged off her irritation with Garth.

"Scarlett Lively, you better get in here right now," Ingrid bellowed from the front door.

"Coming." She gathered up her things and got out.

The old mansion had once been owned by a self-important family who'd built the place up on another hill, almost across from the barn that sat on their property. The family had long since left the town and for many years the house had fallen into disrepair. A few people had purchased it and put some work into it over the years, but none as much as Ingrid, Kasima and their friend off on a backpacking adventure. Right now it was just Ingrid and Kasima holding down the fort, turning the former mansion into a bed-and-breakfast.

The B&B was a great partnership with their barn. In fact, both Kasima and Ingrid had redone their rooms to let out to brides who wanted to stay close the night before the wedding. It was an inconvenience, which was why they were pushing to finish out the old carriage house and barn as a bridal suite.

Scarlett smelled pizza before she got to the porch and her stomach growled.

"Are we eating before we paint?" she asked.

"You." Ingrid thrust her finger in Scarlett's face. "You are going to spill, missy. All I've heard is where you are, who you are talking to and what everyone thinks is going on."

Scarlett's cheeks warmed. She'd expected this, but the mental picture of Cole still left her flustered.

Kasima sat on the floor of the front sitting room, two boxes of pizza on the coffee table. She waved her hand and flipped her braids over her shoulder with the other hand.

"I guess everyone is talking about Cole then?" Scarlett chuckled, but her heart ached for what he must be going through.

"Is he really as hot as people say?" Ingrid plopped down, legs crossed and snagged a piece of pizza.

"Oh, boy. Yes. But AK's guys are always gorgeous."

"Your voice went funny." Kasima gave Scarlett a sideways stare.

"I feel for him is all." Scarlett grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza to give her something else to focus on. "I mean, I know what it is to go all-in on someone and have them leave you."

Both girls kept quiet on that point.

"Part of me is really angry with AK," she admitted.

"Why?" Ingrid asked between bites.

"I can't talk to you. You'll just tell the L.O.L.'s and then everyone will be talking about it even more."

"She has a point," Kasima said.

"Cross my heart, I won't say a word." Ingrid held up her hand.

Did Scarlett trust that?

Ingrid worked at the local antique store in the tea room where all of the little old ladies in town gathered for breakfast and to while away the hours. It was a hotbed of gossip, and Ingrid was their darling. Scarlett wasn't convinced Ingrid would be able to help herself.

Garth's words came back to her, the scorching tone, and all his disproval. He'd heard the bad side about Cole and it was likely that no one was sticking up for him. It wouldn't be the worst thing if the real story was circulated a little.

"You can't say anything," Scarlett looked Ingrid dead in the eyes.

"Promise."

Kasima shook her head. They both know Ingrid couldn't keep that one.

"AK left a note and took off. All of their things were headed here. He was supposed to stay with some friends for a month while she set up the house here and ironed out the wedding plans. She left. He didn't come out and say it, but I think she took his car and money. All day long he never said a mean thing about her or what she'd done. I can't imagine a nicer guy. What she did was wrong, and I'm quite frankly shocked at how cruel AK was to him."

"Wow." Ingrid stared at Scarlett, eyes wide.

"That's not right." Kasima shook her head. "AK's parents should do something. They had to have known she wasn't likely to go through with the wedding."

"That's what Benji said." Scarlett had wondered, but more than anything else she'd hoped for a happy ending for the woman. Now, Scarlett thought AK didn't deserve it.

"You like him." Ingrid stared at Scarlett.

"Well...I... He's nice." She felt her cheeks heating.

"You drove him around all day helping him cancel his wedding." Ingrid shook her head. "You know someone's going to wonder if you're the other woman unless you put it out there otherwise."

"I don't care what anyone thinks." Or more accurately, Scarlett knew Ingrid wouldn't be able to keep from talking and it would be a matter of time before her version of the day was out there. Then no one would care about her giving the scorned groom a helping hand because people would be buzzing about AK.

"Did you get his phone number?" Kasima asked.

"I had it already. He is technically a client which means I was only acting in a professional capacity." Scarlett barely managed to keep a straight face.

"Oh, sweetheart, you are such a bad liar." Ingrid sighed. "What's the full story? And don't give me any more of this well phrased bullshit. You haven't shared everything and I want to know everything. You know, this guy might be perfect for a fling. You've got to get back out there at some point."

"She does not," Kasima scolded.

"Does, too."

Scarlett concentrated on her pizza. Benji might have been satisfied with the highlights of the garden episode, but Ingrid and Kasima were going to demand the full story and Scarlett knew she couldn't get through that without some truth showing on her face. She liked Cole, and she felt for him. But she didn't have to act on those facts. He was going to be as unavailable as they came and she couldn't do heartache again.