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“Today was fine until Olivia asked me if you could be her ‘new mommy’.”
I looked at Scarlett to gauge her reaction. She seemed surprised. She stayed in her seated position for a few seconds. I could see her trying to decide what to do.
“Well?” I needed an explanation from her. This kind of shit wasn’t okay, and if she had anything to do with it, I wasn’t sure if I wanted her in the house any longer.
“I don’t know why Livvy would say that.” She was shaking her head and had gotten up from the bed. Her arms were crossed over her chest, clearly uncomfortable.
“Really? You have zero idea why she would say something like that out of the blue?”
“I don’t know! I’ve never said anything like that to her. I would never do that. I mean, she’s asked me questions about Kylie, and I do my best to answer them. She’s a curious little girl.”
I was shocked. Olivia had never asked me about her mother since her death.
“She asks you about Kylie?”
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I felt my voice getting louder, but I couldn’t help it. I was mad. It felt like Scarlett was hiding things from me.
“I thought you knew!” Scarlett was shouting back at me.
“How would I know what she tells you?”
“Because I thought she was asking you the same questions, and you hate talking to me. It’s so obvious that you avoid me. It’s hard to… broach certain topics with you!”
“Scarlett, you have —”
“I’m sorry!”
We both stopped and turned to the door.
Olivia’s little voice carried over from down the hall. She must have heard us fighting and wandered over. “I don’t remember Mommy, and I like Auntie Scarlett. I was sad when she left. Please don’t be angry.”
My daughter’s words hit me hard. She didn’t remember her mother. I’d never thought about how little time Kylie got to spend with our daughter. Scarlett had spent more time with Olivia — she had been coming around ever since she was born.
“I need to get out of here,” I mumbled.
I turned to leave, and Scarlett grabbed onto my arm. “Noah, wait!”
“I can’t.”
I stormed out, needing some time away from all of this. I knew Olivia needed some comforting, but I was so angry, I didn’t think I’d be of any help. Scarlett would take care of her. I needed to get my head back on right. My brain felt like it was on fire, and I just needed to douse it.Chapter Eleven - NoahIn all my infinite wisdom, I decided the best place to calm down was a bar. I went to a random local one and walked in to find Darren already there. I hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone, just to drink and forget how shitty my life was, but Darren saw me before I could leave and waved me over. He was my friend, and I did like him, so I walked over to sit with him. I could still drink a couple Scotches, and Darren could probably distract me with whatever was on his mind. Yeah, it would be fine.
“Noah, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” He smiled as I took a seat on the chair across from him.
“I hadn’t planned on being here tonight, so it’s a surprise for both of us.”
“O-kay,” Darren nodded. He gave me a weird look but didn’t say anything more. “Do you want anything to drink? I was about to head to the bar.”
I told Darren which Scotch I wanted, and he left to get our drinks. I leaned into my seat, rubbing my eyes. Was this a good idea? Who knew, but I was already here, and I didn’t feel like moving.
It was six or something drinks later. I had stopped counting after a three, and some of them had been doubles, so it could have been any number.
“You good?” Darren was looking at me, amusement coloring his face.
“I’m amazing. I’ve got a dead wife, a daughter who doesn’t remember her mother. I barely leave the house, and I know everybody’s side-eyeing me, but they don’t know what to say. Not that I blame them. I haven’t made myself super easy to approach.”
He frowned and took a sip of his beer. “You’ve been through something traumatic. It takes time to grieve. Don’t beat yourself up because you feel like it’s been a while.”
“It’s not just that.” I brought myself forward, holding my head in my hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing with Scarlett. I never should have let her stay. It’s fucking everything up even more.”
“What do you mean? Did something happen with her?”
“Too much. I asked her to leave for a reason, but she came back. Not that I’m surprised. She was always a little stubborn.”
Kylie had told me stories of how Scarlett used to dig in her heels when they were kids. She could be flexible, but when she really wanted something, there was no convincing her otherwise. I’d seen it in action a few times. The danger with Scarlett was that she knew how to talk her way into what she wanted.
