Page 33 of Miss Christmas

“You’re the one who can’t be trusted. You blew me off and then two days later you’re kissing me in public like you own me.”

“I do own you. And don’t you forget it. You’re not anyone else’s until I let you go.”

“And you haven’t let me go, I take it?

“Damn you, Will. See what you do to me? You are so damn distracting. I don’t want a distraction, but how can I possibly let you go?”

“You’ll have to let me go. Because you were right. We are all wrong for each other.” He was proud of himself for saying the words, but it cost him. Especially when he saw the hurt in her eyes.

She spun around, yanked the door open, and fled.

Shit. Margo was going to kill him. Scarlet was in no shape to perform for a beauty pageant. Even if it was just rehearsals, there would be photographers present. Cameras were a constant.

* * *

Later that night at the fashion show, Will tried like hell not to, but his gaze homed in on Scarlet constantly, as if they were magnetically tethered. As if she owned him.

The main floor of the Regal’s flagship store in Manhattan was set up for the informal Christmas fashion show. The finalists showed off the store’s designer collection for the press and some of the fashion industry’s elite. The show would be followed by a reception for everyone, including the judges and advertisers, while the contestants paraded around in their evening gowns.

By the time the reception came around, Will found himself first to the bar with a tumbler of whiskey in hand before Emily sought him out and joined him. While he made small talk, he followed Scarlet around the floor with his eyes, still wondering what the hell to do about her. I do own you, she’d said.

“Let’s mingle with some of the fashion editors,” Emily said. “I might want a job at a magazine one day.” She winked at him, still trying to act naughty.

“Sure. I’ll introduce you.” He steered them toward an editor he knew, who was leaning on the glass showcase filled with watches. And close by where Scarlet talked with several of the pageant contestants. After he introduced Emily, he stepped back and listened to Scarlet, watching her surreptitiously. She gave no notice of him. That was a good thing, though his heart disagreed.

* * *

“No one’s going to notice,” Scarlet said. “If you take the other earring out.”

“But the earrings perfect the outfit.”

Heather, whom she’d mentally dubbed Mean Girl, whined, but under the pout, Scarlet could tell the spoiled beauty was truly distressed. Damn.

“Are the earrings special to you?” Dee asked. She’d been invited, as had all the assistants. Scarlet thought this was a generous gesture and had done some homework while she’d sat by the phone last night—not waiting for it to ring—but exercising massive self-discipline to prevent herself from calling Will. She’d found that the Regal family was notorious for their generosity.

Not calling Will was the toughest self-denial she’d ever endured, knowing she was a phone call away from mind-blowing phone sex. On the other hand, since their experience in person, she doubted she’d ever be satisfied with a phone call again. Snap out of it.

She’d totally missed Heather’s explanation about why losing her earring was so important, but the woman’s misery was more real than it had been a second ago, almost raw—and almost ruining her makeup. Scarlet’s chest tightened and she yanked away whatever protective shroud she had left around it. Flicking a glance upward, she gave her sister Tiffany, who was surely in heaven watching and prodding her on, a silent nod. Then with a grim, shaky determination, she reached for her ears and removed her own earrings one by one.

“What are you doing?” Shock startled Heather from her misery, giving Scarlet the balm of satisfaction to cover her pang of sorrow and loss, sentiments that always accompanied thoughts of Tiffany.

“I’m giving you my earrings to wear. They’re lost under my wild hair when I wear them anyway, doing no one any good.” She smiled and felt surprisingly glad that she hadn’t worn her hair up like so many of the others had, Heather included.

She handed the turquoise-and-sterling earrings to Heather.

“I can’t wear those. They’re—” Then she looked closer and surprise registered on her face.

“They’re Tiffany,” Scarlet said. “They were a gift. Trust me, they won’t turn your ears green. Take them.” Without waiting for the pink-cheeked embarrassment of the other woman to subside, she took the earrings and carefully put the posts into Heather’s ears and capped them. “I’ll want them back after the pageant, of course.” In fact, she’d stalk the girl down and rip them out of her ears if she didn’t get them back the minute the clock struck midnight on pageant night.

Heather nodded and stood unsure for a beat. Scarlet was about to turn away, when Heather lunged forward awkwardly, then hugged her.

“The earrings look fabulous,” Dee said.

Heather released Scarlet from the shocking embrace and nodded, eyes sparkling with tears, but she didn’t cry. She didn’t look miserable anymore either.

“You said they were a gift—from a boyfriend?” Heather asked.

“No,” Scarlet said. She took a deep cleansing breath. “They were a gift from my sister.” She didn’t say more because she couldn’t. Words stalled and clogged her throat. Her chest tightened as if her memories were squeezing the breath from her. Her sister. Her sister Tiffany had given her those on her last Christmas in this world. In honor of her name and in honor of New York City, she’d said. She’d wanted Scarlet to always remember her when she went to the Big Apple to seek fame and fortune, the way they’d always planned to do it together.