The Forbidden Twin(25)

She shook her head.

"You caused a small scandal," he reminded her. He didn't need to detail  what happened, but it sat there between them, still a little raw. She'd  not only ended their engagement in less than three weeks, she'd taken up  with a rock star, publicly, happily. It had been a lot for John to  swallow.

"You don't think this would be scandalous, John? For you and my sister to be together? Don't you know how that would look?"

"I'm only interested in getting the two of you back on speaking terms. Nothing else."

"She has hurt our grandfather so many times with things she's done. Not  big hurts, mind you, but things done just to irritate him. This would be  huge. He might not ever forgive her. And just when they're finally  starting to get along."

"There is no reason for Patrick to ever know."

She went completely still. "It's over between you?"

"Yes." Scarlet would never have anything to do with him again. He knew that without a doubt.

Summer was quiet for a long time. John had nothing more to say.

"Does she love you?" she asked. "Does she know what you're willing to sacrifice?"

He slipped his hand in his pocket and fingered his house key, which  she'd returned to him by messenger that morning. In the box was a tiny  piece of paper. She'd written on it, "Goodbye."

"There's no sacrifice," he said. "It's done. If I can look past what you  did, surely you can look past what she did. We were going to end it  that night, before you came home. You should've never found out. She was  insistent, even though I wanted to continue. She was afraid that  someone would catch us, and she would never do that to you."                       
       
           



       

"I'll think about it," she said after a little while.

But John knew she would go see Scarlet and they would make up. Maybe  their relationship would change some, but it had been changing anyway  since Summer's engagement to Zeke. John hadn't fully understood the bond  between twins before, but he did now. That sibling relationship was  like no other.

The distinctive sound of a key card preceded the hotel door opening.  Zeke Woodlow came in, saw them together and headed toward them. He put  his arm around Summer then extended a hand to John.

"I hope you had better luck than I did convincing her to see her sister," Zeke said.

Any small irritation he'd harbored for the man dissolved. John liked his  directness, as well as his obvious love for Summer. "I tried."

"She can be stubborn."

John refrained from saying, "She can?" He'd never seen her stubborn, or  pushy, or demanding-all those things he enjoyed about Scarlet. "Those  Elliott women," John said instead.

Zeke smiled.

John focused on Summer. "I wish you only the best."

"Thank you," she replied. "That means a lot."

John walked out the door and went home to his empty apartment, where every nook and cranny held a memory of Scarlet Elliott.



Scarlet pushed her sewing machine foot pedal to full speed. She was  making new drapes for her bedroom, something that would suit the house  from the outside but blend with the contemporary interior. This was the  fourth and final panel. In the past few days she'd worked at Charisma  all day then sewed at night until she fell asleep with her head on the  sewing machine table.

As for food-what was that? Toast and tea was about all she could stomach.

She came to the end of the eight-foot-long seam, shoved the  pressure-foot lever into reverse, then stopped and snipped off the  excess thread, the motion automatic, mindless.

The ensuing silence was horrific. Her CDs must have played out. She  rolled her head, trying to relieve the ache in her shoulders, then  stood, intending to start up the music again.

Summer was standing just inside the doorway.

Hope gathered strength inside Scarlet, a whirlwind of optimism, a powerful need.

"I came to hear what you have to say," Summer said. "But you have to  tell me everything. Don't hold back because you might hurt my feelings."  She turned around. "Let's go sit in the living room."

They sat at opposite ends of the sofa. Scarlet didn't know whether  Summer was calm or detached, but there was definitely a wall between  them, one they'd never had before.

Scarlet didn't know where to start, then finally started with the most critical fact. "I've loved John for about a year now."

A shocked silence blared in the room as if coming from a loudspeaker.

"You have?" Summer finally said.

Scarlet nodded. "I'm not proud of it or happy about it."

"No, I don't suppose you are. But it explains a lot."

"You thought I disliked-" Scarlet began at the same time her sister said, "I thought you disliked-"

They smiled a little at each other. "We haven't done that in a long  time," Summer said. "So, you love him. How did you feel when I told you  I'd broken off the engagement?"

"Upset. And confused."

"Why?"

"I thought you were acting without thinking things through, and that you were hurting him unnecessarily."

"You didn't think that now he would be available for you?"

Scarlet shook her head vehemently. "It didn't occur to me. He was in  love with you. I never, ever let myself think I had a chance to have  him. And I also thought you were just infatuated with Zeke-and the  newness of sex. Then when you said you'd never really felt any desire  for John, I was angry, too, because you'd been cheating him of yourself,  not giving him everything. And he deserved everything."

Summer retreated a little. "You're right. So, actually, you should've been relieved."

"I only knew that he must be hurting. I went to see him that night. To  tell him I thought you'd made a huge mistake in ending the engagement,  then suddenly we were kissing. And then more." She stopped, breathless,  then continued more calmly. "It was my dream come true. I took advantage  of it, knowing I would only have the one night. I knew we couldn't have  a future."

"Yet it continued."

"Not right away. Not until after you left the country and he returned  from L.A. It just grabbed hold of us, Summer. We didn't seem to have any  control over it. Like you with Zeke."                       
       
           



       

"I understand that."

"We decided to take the month you would be gone. It … it was supposed to be a physical relationship only."

Summer's eyes widened. "You never told him you loved him?"

"No. And because we couldn't go out in public, the relationship was  more … intense, I think. There were no diversions, no normal dates. We  were going to end it the night you showed up."

She nodded. "Now what?"

"Now, nothing."

"You aren't going to see him anymore?"

"No."

Summer went to stand by the window. Scarlet waited.

"Why not?" Summer asked eventually.

"You know why. Because we still can't go public."

"Why not?"

"Because there will be a scandal when that happens, and another scandal  when it ends. I'm not putting the family through that." Granddad just  told me how proud he was.

"Why do you think it would end?"

She'd returned his key. He hadn't called her or come to her to try to  give it back. If he loved her, he would fight for her. "I just know."

"You know, Scar, if you'd just been honest with me from the beginning, we could've avoided all this."

"That's not true. You know it's not true. You would've been just as hurt  and angry-maybe even more so. You would've hated both of us, John and  me."

"I meant way back, when you first fell in love."

Scarlet joined her sister at the window. "How could I tell you? What was I supposed to say? He preferred you."

Summer pressed her fingers to her eyelids. "Maybe you're right. And  maybe you're right about not telling me after the first night you  shared. I certainly would have thought that John was using you to exact  revenge on me."

"He wasn't."

"I realize that now." Summer stared at the street. A long time passed,  more than a minute. "I think you should go after what you want," she  said at last, her voice wavering just a little.

Scarlet felt her jaw drop. "You're kidding."

"No."

"How can I do that? What would everyone say? The Grands-"

"They always liked John."

"How do I explain it? People will talk. I'll need to have answers."

"The four of us will go out together. Be seen. Let them talk. Who  cares?" Summer's whole attitude changed, from her posture to her voice.  She exuded strength and certainty.