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“Scarlett—”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “What happened between us… It can never happen again. I’m sorry, I can’t do this.”
She lifted her dress off the floor and stormed past me. I made to grab hold of her arm, but she saw me coming a mile away and twisted out of my reach.
“Scarlett, wait, please,” I called out, hurrying after her back into the entrance of the auditorium.
But she didn’t wait. And she didn’t look back as she glided back out the doors and left the gala.
Chapter 8
Scarlett
“Yourfriendlivesatthe marina?” I asked as the cab rolled to a stop.
Christopher glanced at me from the passenger seat and said with a soft chuckle, “Yeah, she’s the Little Mermaid. Didn’t I tell you?”
Julia, his wife, leaned forward and slapped him upside the back of his head. Hugely pregnant at seven months but still able to show him who’s boss.
“Leave your sister alone,” she said, adjusting her wide-brimmed sun hat. And then, after a short pause, she gave him another light slap.
“Ow! What was that for?” Christopher asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“For making me sound like a mom before my time.” Julia rolled her eyes and started out of the cab.
Her movement was enough to get Christopher jumping into action as he hurried out to help her. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him gently support her out of the cab, refusing to let go until they were safely on the sidewalk. I’d always admired their relationship; the love they had for each other was like something out of the movies.
Instead of getting sucked into my humiliating track record with past boyfriends, my mind drifted to a memory of Luca. His hand cupping my cheek as he kissed me. I shook my head so hard it was like I was trying to physically shake every last trace of him out of me. The reason I was out with my brother and his wife was to forget about Luca Moretti. Come hell or high water, that was exactly what I was going to do.
“I guess that leaves me with the bags,” I called after them as I made my way around to the trunk.
The sun blazed down on me, even though it was barely eight a.m., and I was suddenly grateful I took Julia’s advice on ditching my sundress and going for just my bikini with a sheer wrap instead.
I was teasing before, but Christopher wasn’t about to let it slide. “All that time at the gym and you can’t carry a couple of bags?”
“Bite me, Christopher,” I muttered, digging into the trunk.
“Honey, I’m not an invalid.” Julia practically shoved him back into the street. “Go help.”
My own purse was slung across my body, Julia’s over my shoulder, and I was about to grab Christopher’s cooler when he appeared at my side.
“Beautiful day for a boat trip, don’t you think?” He waggled his eyebrows at me and hoisted the cooler out of the trunk.
Slamming it shut, he tapped it twice, and the cab pulled away.
“Boat trip?” I asked, following him to where Julia was standing. “You said it was a picnic at your friend’s place…”
They shared a knowing look, and he tried to be stealthy about it, but I saw the way Chris slightly shook his head no at Julia. I hated that we were all carefully hidden behind our sunglasses, because I knew that if I could’ve seen his eyes, I would’ve been able to tell right away what the hell was going on.
“Chris…” My tone carried enough of a warning for him to react.
He gave a nonchalant shrug. “The boat is his place. One of them, anyway.”
“One of them?” I asked incredulously, following Chris’ lead as he walked us to the pier. “You sure know a lot of rich people for a pro bono environmental lawyer.”
He didn’t reply but gave me a weird laugh and carried on walking. Julia seemed to be fine, aside from her expected discomfort at her stage of pregnancy and the heat level of the day already picking up. So, I decided to go with it. I needed the distraction, and what better way to forget all about Luca than by sipping champagne on a luxurious, 60-foot yacht?
The captain was German and greeted us when we boarded. There was an older woman sitting in a sun chair reading a magazine and a little kid running around on deck with a toy airplane. Miles Davis lilted through hidden speakers, seemingly coming from everywhere all at once.
