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“My mother got sick,” Scarlett replied. “I qualified for training, but she had no one to look after her. Where I’m from, it’s not like the city where there are centers everywhere. We had the family doctor and the trips to the nearest hospital always exhausted her. I couldn’t leave her so…” Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. “It was easier to learn Graphic Design online while caring for her.”
“Oh.” My heart squeezed painfully for a moment. “Is she…?”
“She passed away when I was still a teenager. Cancer.”
“Scarlett, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Scarlett licked her lips slowly, chasing away some froth that clung to her upper lip and I was momentarily distracted. “I had a few years of panic at being alone, but I made do. I have Lily, my best friend, and where I live, everyone knows everyone’s business so…” She trailed off with a chuckle but there was a sadness that lingered in the depth of her eyes behind that smile.
The same sadness that was so fresh in Toby’s eyes.
“But what about you? I know nothing about you.” Her eyes narrowed playfully. “What does a stalker do for work?”
“Well,” I laughed deeply. “I’m a relationship counselor and therapist. Not terribly exciting.”
“Oh, I disagree. You get to see the ins and outs of so many people’s lives.”
“That is true. Mostly I see how selfish people can be, or how they simply have a kink they’re too scared to bring up to a partner,” I explained.
“Is that common?” Scarlett asked and her eyes flashed over the edge of her cup.
“Kinks?”
“Mhm.”
“More than you’d think. Relationships take a lot of trust, and some people can be together for years but are too scared to admit things like that. In the end, they’re too scared of being seen as weird and losing the person they love, so they bottle it up.” I drained my cup and locked eyes with Scarlett. “Sexual expression is healthy and if it gets bottled up, people can crack.”
“Noted,” Scarlett replied, not breaking eye contact. “Maybe that’s what my ex needed. A bucket load of therapy.”
“Everyone should get therapy,” I agreed, then my words softened. “Was he trouble?”
“Oh, he still is,” Scarlett laughed dryly. “He’s insane. Refuses to let things go. Acts like I’m property and has an inclination to ignore the ex part of our relationship.”
“That’s difficult to deal with,” I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Indeed. A girl I dated in college had attachment issues. It reached the point where she became a danger to herself just because she couldn’t accept that I no longer wanted to be with her, and she ended up getting arrested.”
“Holy shit,” Scarlett gasped. “Okay, I think you win with crazy exes.”
“We can draw,” I grinned. “Besides, your fiancé might join the list.”
“Is he crazy?”
“A little.”
“Excellent,” Scarlett chuckled. It was difficult to look away. Her entire face lit up when she laughed and spoke openly and honestly. There was none of the dancing around topics like I was used to with other people in my elite circles. Scarlett really seemed just to be a decent person. Lucas was right; she was a breath of fresh air.
“Are you enjoying the city?”
“I feel so lost,” Scarlett admitted. “Like, everything is so big, and with everything that’s happened— I’m looking forward to going home but the retail therapy here is definitely better than back home. The people aren’t so bad either…”
I smirked. “I hear that.” I wanted to press a little more, but there was clear pain in her voice at the mention of everything else that had happened. Seeing how hard things were for Toby, it was now easier to see Lucas’ point of view and how hard things must be for Scarlett.
She was all alone, thrust into a world of riches and power for which she had no experience.
“So, are you single?”
