Her mother, Kerry, stood from her perch on the apricot-colored couch in the living room, where she had been diligently working on her needlepoint, and headed Scarlett’s way. Her father, Brendan, greeted her from the stove, where he was stirring his famous homemade spaghetti sauce.
“Hey, Princess.” Brendan stopped what he was doing to dote on his baby girl.
“Hey, Daddy.” Scarlett offered him a smile.
Meanwhile, Kerry closed in before throwing her arms around Scarlett’s mid-section for a hug.
“Mama missed you so much.” Kerry squeezed Scarlett around the waist. As her mom’s blonde hair tickled her chin, Scarlet turned her head away and raised her neck.
While patting her mom’s back, she replied, “I missed you too. Did you guys like the presents I dropped by before I left?”
Kerry released her hold on Scarlett’s ample frame. “Yes, dear, but we would have much rather opened them with our baby right here with us. I don’t know why you felt the need to run off.”
Scarlett sighed, sitting down at her place at the table and placing her napkin on her lap. It wasn’t as if she didn’t already expect her mother to book this guilt trip, but knowing what was coming didn’t make it any more tolerable.
“Sorry, Mama, I just couldn’t face everyone who knew I was expecting a ring. There would have been so many questions about where Robert was. I didn’t want to have to tell them what happened. I know I would have burst into tears at some point, and I didn’t want to bring everyone down and ruin Christmas.”
Her dad spoke up. “Having you here could never ruin Christmas but we understand.”
“Speak for yourself,” her mother said, adding, “I still don’t understand what’s going on with you and Robert. You two have one little fight and all of a sudden the wedding is off? Robert called here looking for you and sounding all kinds of pitiful.”
“Now, Kerry.” Brendan set a big plate of pasta with red sauce down in front of Scarlett. “You know she’s going through a very tough time. Don’t go putting in your two cents worth.”
Scarlett smiled. “Thanks, Daddy. I’m glad someone is on my side.”
“I’m on your side.” Her mom frowned as she accepted her plate.
Scarlett wiped her mouth and put her napkin back in her lap, dreading her mother’s next words. There was no way her mama would give up until Scarlett laid it all out for her in no uncertain terms. “I need you to understand that Robert and I are done.”
“But…”
Her mother looked as heartbroken as Scarlett had felt when the figurative bullet hit the bone but she had to interrupt. “No buts, Mama. He and I didn’t just have a spat. I caught him cheating on me. I put up with a lot from him but I won’t stand for cheating.”
Kerry frowned but nodded all the same. “I understand but are you sure he cheated? I just can’t imagine him doing such a thing. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?”
Scarlett pursed her lips and took a deep breath. Robert had always had her mother snowed. He made a point to put his best foot forward when her parents were around. Her dad never seemed to buy into it, but Robert’s Southern gentleman act worked like a charm on her mama. I’m no better. I didn’t see through him either until I used the key he gave me to sneak into his apartment to make a surprise dinner. Unfortunately, Scarlett was the one who got the surprise. Robert was supposed to be at work…but nope. She walked in to find him with some random Tinder pick-up bent across the arm of his couch while he rammed her from behind. I seriously doubt that was the first time.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t have to imagine it. I walked in on them, and unless they were having a naked wrestling match, there’s no mistaking what I saw.”
Her father set his glass of iced tea down on the table loud enough to make a noise. Anger flashed in his eyes but he kept his cool. “Did you get some time to clear your head up in the mountains?”
Scarlett considered the question. She had been too busy taking in the majestic scenery, making love with Davis and swallowing down his family’s secret to do much thinking about the next steps in rebuilding a future that didn’t include Robert. In fact, her head was a bit of a muddled, mushy, lust-fueled mess. Initially, she saw Davis as the perfect distraction from her heartbreak. She had expected a fling but had gotten so much more. Davis came on fast and strong. Scarlett had been swept away by what could only be described as an immediate connection between kindred spirits, and the sex had been intense. “Actually, yes and no…the minute I caught Robert cheating we were through. I didn’t leave town to think about our relationship. Like I said, I was just hiding out, but while I was away, I ran into some…complications.”
“Oh?” Kerry’s gossip-loving ears perked up.
Scarlett sighed and smirked. As soon as I walk out the door, mama will be on the phone, spreading this news to every aunt and cousin. Half the town will know before I can make the ten-minute drive back home. As disconcerting as it was to have her mother blasting her business, at least the dissemination of new information would take the sting out of everyone finding out Robert had cheated on her.
“While I was in the mountains, I met someone nice.”
As soon as the word nice left her lips, her mother’s bright smile fell and the stain of disappointment colored her expression. After reaching into her purse, Scarlett grabbed her cellphone and then brought up the selfie she had snapped of
