If I was a father, and in his position, I would have knocked myself out by now. The fact that he’s being courteous enough to let me in his car says a lot about his character.
“Mr. Monroe, I can assure you I have no intention of ruining your daughter’s wedding. And as for Scarlett’s broken heart, it’s not something that I did intentionally, and it’s something that I’ll regret my whole life. I had a choice to make, and I thought I made the right one. Leaving Scarlett wasn’t easy for me, but allowing her to deal with the mess that was going to be my life here wasn’t going to be fair to her.”
My grandfather was a good man, but he was also a demanding one. I didn’t leave this town just for hockey. I left because I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be under his thumb. I didn’t want to spend my whole life chasing after my brothers because he spoiled them. And that’s exactly where I am now, all because I owed the man who raised us. I came back out of duty and guilt, not out of love.
“You could have contacted her and told her that,” Patrick says. “Or better yet, let her make the decision herself.”
We roll to a stop as Scarlett waits for the pedestrian light to turn green. She glances back at us briefly before focusing her eyes ahead. I’ve always admired her dedication to running every day. Being an athlete isn’t easy.
“You and I both know that Scarlett is stubborn and loyal to a fault. She would have thought she could handle it, but she was twenty-five. She shouldn’t have had to handle anything. I wouldn’t have been able to give her the time and attention a relationship needs, and it would have turned bitter regardless. The way I saw it, every option led us here.”
Patrick sighs deeply, and eyes the thermoses. “You got coffee in one of these?”
I pour him a cup and we sit in silence for the rest of the ride, trailing behind Scarlett as she completes her run. I think the icebetween her father and me thaws a little and it might help my approval rating, but who could tell.
I toldScarlett to meet me at the Rusty Nail after breakfast. I’m not going to bake her sister’s wedding cake, but I know someone who can.
“You know I don’t do that anymore,” Cam says, when I ask him to bake the cake.
“I know, which is why it’ll be a huge personal favor to me if you did,” I say, looking at him over the bar. He’s cleaning glasses with a dish towel and setting them on the shelf behind him, getting ready for the day. The bar will have stragglers coming in the afternoon and as soon as five o’clock hits, it’s going to be standing room only. More than once, Cam’s been shut down by the fire department for being over capacity.
Its rustic charm drew in all the tourists, especially those who liked to get drunk and ride the mechanical bull in the back. A neon sign behind the bar read ‘Sinners Welcome’, the wood countertop was scratched and had seen better days, and it was often too dark in here.
It was exactly the kind of place one would expect shady deals to happen in. It was also the only business in Silverpine which didn’t decorate for Christmas, a fact which earned Cam a fine each year. Because Silverpine’s business association and the town’s planning committee took their planning seriously. Since Christmas brought in a lot of tourists, they were determined to play up the season as much as possible. Every year, decorations go up on November 12th like clockwork.
“Helping you get the girl isn’t my idea of a favor,” Cam says.
“I thought we’re friends.”
Cam sighs, running a hand over his red beard. “Let me think about it.”
I don’t have a lot of time for him to think about it because Scarlett is on her way. I don’t want to give her half-answers and empty promises. That’s a fact which has never changed about our relationship. If she wants something, she’s going to get it.
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I look over to see Jared, the owner of Milnes Hardware, Jane’s ex-husband, and my nemesis. Jared and I used to be friends, played in all the junior leagues together, went to university together in Toronto, right up until I was drafted to the NHL, and he wasn’t. He came back to Silverpine instead of staying in Toronto, took over his family’s hardware store, and married Jane. I think a part of him blames me for something and I can’t understand why.
“Heard you’re having lady trouble,” Jared says. His dark eyes look almost gleeful.
I look at Cam and he rolls his eyes.
“No trouble,” I say. “A little bit early for you to be in here, isn’t it?”
“Saw your car in the parking lot and thought I’d come say hello to an old friend. Your friend really upset Jane last night.”
“Is that why you’re here? To defend your ex-wife?” I ask.
These are the kinds of things I was able to avoid in New York and Toronto. Because even though I was Connor Hayes, people didn’t feel the need to be involved in every aspect of my life, and I was able to set stricter boundaries.
“She’s the mother of my child, Connor. If someone upsets her, I have to react,” Jared says.
All right, I can’t blame him. If someone upsets Scarlett, I’m going to react the same way.
“She started this, Jared, by pretending she lost the order. I can’t control the way Scarlett reacts.” Behind him, I see Scarlett struggling to open the door with a huge binder in her arms.That’s not what gives me pause. She’s wearing my hat. I left it in her father’s car this morning and now she’s wearing it, not realizing what it means.
“Move,” I say to Jared. “I have nothing else to say to you and if Jane has a problem, she can take it up with me herself.”
Jared follows my gaze to Scarlett. “That her? Maybe I can talk to her myself.”
“You take one step near her and you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life,” I growl. “Move,Jared.”
