going through something and he doesn’t want us to know, we should respect his privacy and wait for him to come to us. The reason he’s probably avoided you so much is because he knows you won’t quit until you drain everything out of him.”
“But…” Scarlet picked at her food. “He tells me everything.”
“Maybe he’s pissed at you,” I said.
“No,” Scarlet said immediately. “There’s no reason for him to be mad.”
“Mike?” Janice asked. “Maybe Mike pissed him off.”
“No,” Sean said. “He’s had his own problems to deal with.”
There was only one other person. “Hazel?”
“What about her?” Scarlet asked.
“I haven’t seen her around much, and Cortland’s been an ass to Flynn since the moment he met him, even though Flynn is liked by everyone. Maybe there’s something going on there…”
“Like what?” Sean asked. “Are you implying Cortland has a thing for her?”
“No,” Scarlet said immediately. “He wouldn’t do that to Monnique. That’s not possible.”
“And Cortland turned Hazel down when she wanted to be something more. That can’t be it.”
I remembered what Cal said the other night. “Janice’s coworker said he met Monnique at the magazine, and basically, she was a bitch.”
“Monnique?” Scarlet asked. “No. That’s not possible.”
“That’s what he said,” Janice said. “And he’s a nice guy. Even when Ryan was a total ass, he still liked him. It takes a lot for him to dislike someone.”
“Thanks,” I snapped.
She shrugged. “What? We all know how much of a jerk you were.”
“Anyway,” Scarlet interrupted before we could get into another fight. “If there was something wrong between them, he would definitely tell us. There’s something else going on. Maybe a relative died or something…”
We spent the next thirty minutes discussing Cortland and what his problem was.
Scarlet cleared her throat. “We actually invited you over for dinner for a special reason.”
“Great…” It was probably for something stupid.
She glared at me. “Sean and I know you’ve been working on your wedding and trying to figure things out so we wanted to offer you something…”
“We don’t want your money,” I snapped.
Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I know you better than that, Ryan. Actually, we wanted to offer the house. We have a big backyard and a beautiful view of the beach. If we ordered a catering company and a chair supplier, we could make it look amazing. And the house is big enough to accommodate everyone and all the food. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but it’s just an idea. At least you wouldn’t have to leave by a certain time and you can make it your own. At the Plaza, there will be tons of traffic and it might be difficult to arrange everything. Anyway, it’s up to you.”
I looked at Janice and a silent conversation passed between us. It was a very generous offer, but it didn’t surprise me that my sister was willing to do that. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for me. Personally, I preferred to have it at the house. I think it would be more intimate and meaningful. But this was Janice’s time to shine. She could have whatever she wanted.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “We’ll consider it. Actually, Janice will. She gets to choose.”
“I do?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“I can have either one? ”
“Yep.” I went back to eating my dinner.
“Well, what do you want, Ryan?”
“I’m not falling for that,” I said with a laugh. “It’s your call. I’ll be happy either way.”
Janice was quiet for a moment. “Let’s do it here. It will be lovely.”
Scarlet clapped her hands together excitedly. “That’s wonderful.”
“What?” I asked. “You want to?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes shined bright with the love she had for me. “And I know you do too.”
9
Mike
After a long day of work, I hit the gym then sat on my couch, watching TV while I downed a beer. Laura was
“But…” Scarlet picked at her food. “He tells me everything.”
“Maybe he’s pissed at you,” I said.
“No,” Scarlet said immediately. “There’s no reason for him to be mad.”
“Mike?” Janice asked. “Maybe Mike pissed him off.”
“No,” Sean said. “He’s had his own problems to deal with.”
There was only one other person. “Hazel?”
“What about her?” Scarlet asked.
“I haven’t seen her around much, and Cortland’s been an ass to Flynn since the moment he met him, even though Flynn is liked by everyone. Maybe there’s something going on there…”
“Like what?” Sean asked. “Are you implying Cortland has a thing for her?”
“No,” Scarlet said immediately. “He wouldn’t do that to Monnique. That’s not possible.”
“And Cortland turned Hazel down when she wanted to be something more. That can’t be it.”
I remembered what Cal said the other night. “Janice’s coworker said he met Monnique at the magazine, and basically, she was a bitch.”
“Monnique?” Scarlet asked. “No. That’s not possible.”
“That’s what he said,” Janice said. “And he’s a nice guy. Even when Ryan was a total ass, he still liked him. It takes a lot for him to dislike someone.”
“Thanks,” I snapped.
She shrugged. “What? We all know how much of a jerk you were.”
“Anyway,” Scarlet interrupted before we could get into another fight. “If there was something wrong between them, he would definitely tell us. There’s something else going on. Maybe a relative died or something…”
We spent the next thirty minutes discussing Cortland and what his problem was.
Scarlet cleared her throat. “We actually invited you over for dinner for a special reason.”
“Great…” It was probably for something stupid.
She glared at me. “Sean and I know you’ve been working on your wedding and trying to figure things out so we wanted to offer you something…”
“We don’t want your money,” I snapped.
Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I know you better than that, Ryan. Actually, we wanted to offer the house. We have a big backyard and a beautiful view of the beach. If we ordered a catering company and a chair supplier, we could make it look amazing. And the house is big enough to accommodate everyone and all the food. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but it’s just an idea. At least you wouldn’t have to leave by a certain time and you can make it your own. At the Plaza, there will be tons of traffic and it might be difficult to arrange everything. Anyway, it’s up to you.”
I looked at Janice and a silent conversation passed between us. It was a very generous offer, but it didn’t surprise me that my sister was willing to do that. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for me. Personally, I preferred to have it at the house. I think it would be more intimate and meaningful. But this was Janice’s time to shine. She could have whatever she wanted.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “We’ll consider it. Actually, Janice will. She gets to choose.”
“I do?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“I can have either one? ”
“Yep.” I went back to eating my dinner.
“Well, what do you want, Ryan?”
“I’m not falling for that,” I said with a laugh. “It’s your call. I’ll be happy either way.”
Janice was quiet for a moment. “Let’s do it here. It will be lovely.”
Scarlet clapped her hands together excitedly. “That’s wonderful.”
“What?” I asked. “You want to?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes shined bright with the love she had for me. “And I know you do too.”
9
Mike
After a long day of work, I hit the gym then sat on my couch, watching TV while I downed a beer. Laura was
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