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Chapter Five

Scarlett

I poured a cup of hot coffee, grabbed my fruit and yogurt, and made my way out to my balcony. It was a gorgeous fall morning; it was too bad my mood didn’t reflect the sunshine. I tightened the tie of my bathrobe and then sat down, taking a sip of coffee and shoving a raspberry in my mouth.

Last night had been horrible. The more I thought about it, the more my head ached.

My coworker Janice had been on me since I’d arrived out here, and she found out I was single.

She claimed she had the most perfect guy for me, but then everyone had said the same thing, and for that reason alone, I’d never agreed to go on any blind date.

However, she must have chipped away at my strong exterior just long enough to annoy me because one afternoon I finally broke down and agreed.

Not that he was an awful person, but he wasn’t my type, that much I knew the moment I’d met him.

First, he brought me roses, and to most women, they’d have loved the flowers.

However, I’m deathly allergic, which Janice had known.

I’d have probably been fine had I just asked Janice to put them in a vase in her kitchen, but she insisted I smell them, claiming she always did when Eddie, her boyfriend, gave them to her. That started the sneezing.

Once I’d gotten over that and we were at the restaurant, he’d ordered my food for me.

If there was one thing I hated more than roses, it was a man who asked me what I was thinking of having, and when I mention I was torn between two dishes, he decided he’d just make that choice for me.

Of course, I spoke up and ordered what I wanted anyway, which was the opposite choice he’d picked.

It was those two incidents that had set the mood for me for the entire evening.

Once dinner was done, we made our way over to a club called Illusions for dancing and drinks, which, to be honest, I was a little excited about.

It had been a long time since I’d been out dancing.

We got some drinks and found a perfect spot on the dance floor, and for the first time all night, I was actually having fun.

Until I saw Levi come in with some guys from the team.

I had a hard time keeping my eyes off him, until they all disappeared.

I figured they’d left the club, only to find out an hour later I’d been wrong.

He approached me out of nowhere, demanding that I leave the team alone.

Embarrassment and hurt flooded me as he stood there, accusing me of doing something I’d never do.

That was when Paul came to my rescue, but to avoid a scene and a fight that I could already see brewing, I pulled him away, only to have him keep telling me he’d take care of him if I wanted.

No matter how many times I told him no, he kept harping on it all evening, including when he dropped me off.

He walked me to the door. I could tell he wanted to come up, but I quickly put an end to that, lying and telling him I had to be up and out the door for work early this morning.

Plus, I’d had too much to drink and didn’t want the night to end in some mistake I’d end up regretting.

Instead, I promised to reach out to him, but I had no intention of ever calling him again, and I could only hope Janice hadn’t given him my number.

I shoved a spoonful of yogurt into my mouth, took a sip of coffee, and sat back in my chair, looking out over the water just as my phone chimed with a message.

Picking it up, I was shocked to see Levi’s name on my screen. I swallowed hard and my hands shook as I typed my password in and navigated to his message.

LEVI: Sorry.

Anger flooded me. Had my brother messaged Levi this morning after my drunken phone call last night?

I wondered. I’d been so upset when I got home that I’d messaged Scottie.

I didn’t know what else to do; I needed someone to talk to, to vent to.

I’d spilled it all—about the horrific coffee accident and then about Levi accusing me of going after the players on the team to get an interview off company time.

It probably hadn’t been the best idea, but I was hurting.

That wasn’t the only reason I was hurting.

It was the anniversary of Duncan’s accident, which seemed to magnify everything.

I dialed Scottie’s number and waited for him to answer. The moment I heard his voice, I jumped right in.

“Did you happen to message Levi and tell him to apologize?”

“Damn right I did. There was no way he should have accused you the way he did.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Scottie.”

“I never said you did, but I also know that with Levi Anderson, you wouldn’t say anything about it, either.”

“Are you saying I wouldn’t stand up for myself?” I asked, picking at my cuticle as embarrassment flooded my body.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s the truth. You never did with him.”

“That’s because I never had to!” I cried.

That part was true. There had never been a day in my life since I’d met Levi that I ever had to stand up for myself.

Our relationship never worked that way. We didn’t do things to one another that hurt the other.

We never had to apologize or mention that we didn’t like the way the other person was treating them, because we never took the other for granted.

It was as if we had a mutual understanding between us, until, well, until that morning.

“I beg to differ. I think had you of stood up for yourself to start with when you wanted to date him, you’d have been with him now.”

This was the problem with being close to your brother and sharing your thoughts and feelings, I thought to myself.

He’d seen me agonize over the fact that Levi wouldn’t commit to me until I’d graduated from school.

Even though it bothered me, I’d never voiced my disappointment or disagreement with him.

“That’s your opinion, but I’m going to remind you that his reason for not dating me was because of you.”

“I’m not getting into this with you again. I’m only going to say that he can’t treat you like that, Scarlett. You did nothing, and his behaviour crossed a line I didn’t like. So, therefore, he should be and will apologize to you. Did he come down and talk to you?”

I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at the text Levi had sent. I still hadn’t responded. I debated how I was going to answer him when I heard him clear his throat.

“Well? Did he?”

“Yep, he did. It’s fine. I just don’t want you fighting my battles for me,” I said, hearing a knock in the distance.

I got up off my chair and stepped into my condo, only to hear another knock at the door.

“Good, I’m glad. Now, if you don’t want me to interfere, then stand up for yourself.”

“I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

“Talk later.”

I ended the call and walked over to the door of my condo, looking through the peephole.

I immediately stepped back when I saw who it was.

I looked down at myself, wrapped in my silk lavender-colored bathrobe, and let out a sigh.

I closed my eyes, unlocked the door, and then opened it to come face-to-face with Levi.

He wore a pair of faded and ripped jeans, and a Dominator’s T-shirt, along with a Vancouver Grizzlies baseball hat backwards over his dark hair.

He stood there, hands in his pockets, staring at me.

“Can we talk?” he questioned.

I looked around the hallway for Mia.

“Aren’t you missing someone?”

“It would appear that way. She’s upstairs with her nanny. I have some errands to run, and since she isn’t feeling too well, I figured it was best she stay home. Anyway, I wanted to stop in. Do you have a couple of minutes?” he asked again, his eyes falling down my body, then back up to my eyes.

“Sure, as you can see, I’m not dressed for any type of adventure. Come in,” I said, stepping to the side and waiting while he entered.

I shut the door behind him, turning to find he’d made his way into the living room. My heart was racing and the room suddenly felt very warm, although I’d left the sliding door open.

I followed him and was just about to him when he stopped walking and turned, causing me to stop as well. Our eyes locked, neither of us saying anything. I cleared my throat.

“What is it?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Look, first, I want to apologize for last night. I’m sorry for accusing you.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry about it,” I replied, trying not to act like his actions had bothered me. “Anything else?”

Levi looked at me. I could tell he wanted to say something else, but he said nothing.

“What?” I asked.

“What, what?” he repeated.

“You want to know something, I can tell,” I said.

“Who was the guy?”

I frowned as I met his eyes, and then I turned away from him.

“He was a blind date,” I answered.

When I turned around, I could see him running things over in his mind.

I knew he’d known about Duncan and me. Hell, it had been all over the papers when we’d gotten engaged.

After all, Duncan had been a high-powered lawyer in New York, working at one of the biggest law firms that represented the owners of the New York Predators

“I see. Where is Duncan? Didn’t things work out?”

He didn’t know? How was that possible? Sure, he’d already transferred to Vancouver by the time it happened, but I was certain that one of his friends on the old team would have mentioned it. If not, Scottie would have said something, plus it had been all over the papers.

“I doubt he’d be okay with you being on some stupid blind date.”

“Things didn’t work out,” I answered, not giving up any more information than that. He hadn’t been a part of my life for so long, I didn’t feel the need to answer him with the truth of what had really happened.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Scarlett.”

“Are you?” I questioned.

“Am I what?”

“Sorry?”