Page 24

Scarlett

“You look deep in thought. What are you working on?” Scottie asked, coming into the kitchen and heading for the fridge.

“I didn’t think you were still here,” I said, turning and looking at him over my shoulder.

“Mom tricked me into staying, bribing me with her pineapple upside-down cake.”

I nodded. “Ah, yes, I had to leave the table. She’s making me gain weight. I told her she needs to stop making all the sweet treats.” I giggled.

It had been six months since I’d returned home.

While my life hadn’t come back together after all that had happened, I was slowly healing.

I still held onto the feelings I’d had the day I left Vancouver.

Levi wasn’t a person you got over quickly.

In fact, I missed him, and Mia so much and still thought about them every day.

Scottie once told me it takes thirty days to get over someone, but he’d been wrong.

No matter how many text messages I’d typed out containing an apology or explanation, I sent none of them.

I knew Levi would never respond to them anyway, so I figured why face even more hurt?

Scottie pulled the chair out from beside me and sat down, cracking open a can of cola. “So, what are you working on?” he asked, looking at my screen to see a video of the Dominator’s last game. Of course, I’d conveniently paused the game right when Levi was on the screen.

“Nothing, just catching up on the games.” I shrugged, looking over at my brother, forcing a smile.

“Have you spoken to him?” Scottie questioned.

I shook my head. “No, only at the ball game a few months ago. To be honest, even if I did, I wouldn’t even know what to say to him. So, it’s pointless. He’s so angry at me.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I doubt there is anything I could do.”

“Well, maybe you should come up with some ideas. Make it a work in progress?”

I looked at my brother, let out a sigh, then lifted my notebook, pulling out a piece of paper with some ideas I’d written with ways to apologize to him.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“This is what I’ve come up with,” I said, shoving my list to Scottie.

He looked at it, then chuckled as he looked over at me.

“What’s so funny?”

Scottie shifted in his chair and picked up the piece of paper and began reading out loud.

“Number 1. Move to a new state. You did that, it hasn’t helped.

” He winked. “Number 2. Go on an Eat, Pray, Love type journey to find myself. I can’t for the life of me see you going to any of those places she visited in that movie, aside from maybe Italy.

Number 3. Go on a yoga retreat. I love you, Scar, but how are any of these going to help you apologize to Levi? ”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe if I find myself, I’ll have the courage to text him and apologize.”

Scottie shook his head. “Okay, Number 4. Be hypnotized to forget all past life experiences that relate to Levi.” He looked over at me and placed the paper on the table, shaking his head.

“What?” I questioned.

“While all these things are great ways to heal yourself after what’s happened, aside from the hypnotic experience, if you really want to apologize, it needs to be something big, and it needs to come from here,” he said, placing his hand over his heart.

I looked down at the list on the table. He was right. This list was garbage. I reached over and crinkled up the paper and looked at my brother.

“I don’t have a clue what to do. He was so horrible when I saw him last.”

“He’s hurt, Scarlett. What I think you need to do is take some time to think about it. Let your heart lead you. Do what comes naturally.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

Scottie got up and slid the chair back under the table. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

“If it doesn’t work, then you two weren’t meant to be, and you’ll need to find a way to move on. At least you can make peace with yourself knowing you tried.”

“Thanks,” I whispered, looking back at the screen.

“Scarlett, from here,” Scottie said, tapping his chest once again before he left me in the kitchen.

I took to heart what my brother had suggested, finally sitting down and writing everything out, from my heart. When I finally finished everything, I attached the document to an email and sent it over to my brother to get his opinion before I moved forward.

I sat behind my desk, the office buzzing with energy, when my phone rang.

“Scarlett Green, how can I help you?” I answered.

“Scar, that was amazing!” Scottie boomed.

“You like it?”

“You hit it out of the park.”

“Well, if it hadn’t of been for you, I’d probably be stuck in some place on the other side of the world hating myself.” I giggled. “You really think it’s good?”

“I do. Now, when are you sending it to him?” he questioned.

I sat there, unsure how to answer, biting my thumb. I’d come up with an idea but I wasn’t sure it was the right way to go about this.

“Scar, you there?”

“I’m here.”

“When are you sending it?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not.”

The line went quiet. I’m sure my brother probably thought I’d gone crazy. I’d spent all this time on this, and now I wasn’t going to send it.

“You mean to tell me you’ve gone to all this trouble agonizing for months over him and you’re just going to shove this into the bottom drawer?”

“Have you spoken to him?” I questioned.

“Scarlett, what are you thinking?” Scottie asked.

“Just answer me.”

“I have. Just the other day, in fact. Why?”

I looked at the calendar on the wall, at the date I’d circled two weeks ago. It had been my way of giving myself a deadline.

“Do you know if he’s seeing anyone?” I asked.

“Scarlett?” my brother repeated. I could hear the tension in his voice. “What are you going to do?”

“Just answer me.”

“No, he isn’t seeing anyone,” Scottie said, letting out a huff. “Now, what are you going to do?”

I tapped the tip of my pen on the circled date and pinched the bridge of my nose as I leaned back in my chair. If this blew up in my face, I’d have to leave the publishing world.

“I’m going to have them print the article, and then I’m heading to Vancouver to cover the playoff game between Floridaand them.”

The line went quiet. I knew the risk I was taking by doing this. I certainly didn’t need to hear anything from Scottie.

It was then the editor of the journal I wrote for poked her head into my office, giving me a thumbs-up regarding the article I’d just submitted. I covered the receiver and pulled the phone away from my ear.

“All good?” I questioned.

“It was great, best thing I’ve read in a while. It will go out when you requested.” She winked.

“Thank you.”

She nodded, pulling my door closed, and I brought the phone back to my ear.

“You there?” I questioned, the line still quiet.

“Just be careful, Scarlett. I don’t know how Levi will react to this.”

I didn’t know how he’d react either. That was what I was worried about the most.

“Noted. I’ve got to run. I’ll call you soon.”

I hung up the phone, looked over at the date circled on the calendar. Only ten more days. I also had accepted the fact that this would be my last attempt at an apology, and if it didn’t work, I’d have to allow myself to let go of the dream of us being together, and move on with my life.