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It was one thing when I was a state representative. A married man with a nice house and a five-year-to-D.C. plan. But now that I was a nearly divorced, newly disgraced lawmaker on leave? I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to start making small talk with anyone.
I’d expected the tomb-like quiet of a backwoods town whose residents were in bed by eight while I licked my wounds. I’d expected my wife to remain faithful. Hell, I’d expected my entire life to turn out differently.
He obviously didn’t know what an honor it was to have Scarlett Bodine cooking up a mess of scrambled eggs for him. Men fantasized about this exact moment, and here he was bitching about it.
I’d learn to cook. Eventually. But for now, I lived off of sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and diner food.
“They’re pretty busy this time of year what with the tourist season startin’ up.” Stubbornly, Devlin dialed. My phone rang in my pocket, and I fished it out. “Bodine Home Services. Scarlett speaking. How can I help y’all?” Devlin hung up on a growl.
“Let’s not play my pain is worse than yours,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze before picking up my soda. “Pain is pain.”
It seemed like such a personality would need a bigger container.
“That’s my new sister you’re staring at there,” Jonah said wryly. “Got a problem with it?” I asked. Jonah smirked. “Don’t know yet. What are your intentions?”
I assumed she and her brothers had reached a tentative truce. Or she’d killed them all and quietly buried their bodies in the backyard.
I loved public service. Sure, the lawmaking was tedious to the point of impossibility. And party lines were more like trenches divided by minefields. But it was a noble calling.
“A pig-in?” “Yeah, when you eat too much in your own house so no one sees your shame.”
But I’d never been kissed the way Devlin did it. He kissed me like he had to, like I was air and he needed me to live. I liked it and was terrified by it.
It’s not your job to live your life for what they want. They made a human being, not hired an employee.”
He was a god, an Adonis, and I was the motherfucking goddess of pleasure.
You only get a set number of days, a limited number of sunrises and sunsets. And it’s up to you to make sure you’re taking full advantage of them,”
How am I going to fit?” he said from behind me. “That’s what she said,”
“I’ll be your boyfriend on one condition.” “What’s that?” “You promise to never cook again.”
My father had taught me a lot of things. He’d shown me how to use every tool known to man to fix just about every problem created by man. But he’d also taught me that no matter how much I hoped or prayed or tried, I couldn’t control other people. I couldn’t make them make the choices I wanted them to. I couldn’t drag them into health and happiness. It was a painful, essential lesson.
I think we’ve got enough in common to outweigh those very different differences.”
“You look like you’re contemplating a word problem on the SATs,”
I loved Scarlett Bodine. She might not know it yet, but she sure as hell loved me back.
I’m not what you need.” “You’re what I want.”
“I went home to that sterile condo. I attended half a dozen luncheons and ribbon cuttings and fundraisers. It sucked. You’re the color and music and flavor in my day. And life without you isn’t worth crawling out of bed for. I want you, Scarlett. I love you, and you better get that through your thick Bodine head.”
She was my adventure and my safe place. My best friend. And I was going to spend the rest of my life loving the hell out of her.
