揑t has nothing to do with trust.?
I hum before shutting the car door and rounding the rear of the car to climb in the other side. As soon as my door shuts, the limo pulls out into traffic.
揋ood day??
She抯 already started flipping through pages in one of the binders Andrea left her with. 揧eah. Fine.?
Stubbornly梥tupidly桰 press her. 揥hat did you do??
揗ore than fetch daddy抯 coffee.?
Scarlett is trying to piss me off. Ever since the night she got back from Paris梬hen I carried her upstairs and demonstrated an incredible amount of self-control by not stealing a glimpse of her naked梥he抯 been prickly and combative every chance she抯 had. I have a feeling if I抎 come home to find her in heels and standing, not curled up on the couch, the animosity might be dialed down a notch. She抯 definitely not indifferent toward me. I抦 not sure if this is an improvement though.
I got up for a glass of water at three a.m. two nights ago. Scarlett was standing in the kitchen in her standard attire of a dress and heels, making a cup of tea. I haven抰 seen her in jeans since my bachelor party, much less sweatpants or pajamas.
She抯 already turned back to her binders, but I feel obligated to respond. 揑抦 the Vice President of棓
揑 don抰 care, Crew. Do whatever you want at work. Do whatever you want when you抮e not at work. Just don抰 tell me when I can or can抰 work.?
揑 didn抰 tell you couldn抰 work. I asked you about work, Scarlett.?I let some ire leak into my voice. Me being nice freaked her out. I can be short instead. 揃ut let抯 just sit in awkward fucking silence, same as we have every day since you got back.?
揋reat. Let抯。？She flips a page so aggressively the corner tears.
I snort and look outside.
Tonight抯 gala is being held on Carnegie Hall抯 rooftop terrace. Our arrival attracts more attention than I抦 expecting. This is our first official outing as a couple梞uch less a married one. Neither Scarlett抯 parents nor mine are attending tonight, which makes us the sole representatives of New York抯 two wealthiest families. Attention is something I抦 used to. But the scrutiny feels different with Scarlett by my side. I battle the contrary urges to shield her and to step away.
Scarlett makes the decision for me. As soon as we抮e inside, she snags a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and heads for a large group of giggling women. They accept her into the circle with ease, a few glancing back at me.
It shouldn抰 surprise me. This is how we抳e acted at every other event we抳e both attended in the past. I doubt Scarlett considers any of the women she抯 now chatting with to be friends, but you wouldn抰 know it based on the way she抯 laughing and nodding along to something one of them is saying.
I order a bourbon and start to make the rounds, beginning with the Rutherfords, who are hosting tonight. Donald Rutherford is the chair of the board at New York General Hospital. His wife, Jennifer, is an heiress involved with half a dozen charities around the city. I compliment them on the evening and hand Jennifer a check for the fundraiser before moving on and getting sucked into a conversation about upcoming events in the Hamptons.
My summers are spent in Manhattan. If I need an escape, I travel upstate or to Europe. Our Hamptons house is the only one of my family抯 many properties that contains clear memories of my mother. I spend as little time as possible there. Being there with Candace and the current state of my relationship with my father and brother would be like spilling water on writing. I want to preserve my memories, not ruin them.
When Daniel Waldorf mentions the Ellsworth Fourth of July party next weekend, I realize I might not have much of a choice. Scarlett hasn抰 brought it up to me, but there抯 no way her parents won抰 expect her梬on抰 expect us梩o attend.
Daniel is describing his new sailboat to me when Hannah Garner sidles over to us. 揘ice seeing you, Crew.?
Daniel smiles and bails, leaving me alone with Hannah.
She doesn抰 spare Daniel a glance, assessing me with clear blue eyes. Hannah is probably the closest I came to willingly entering into a committed relationship. Her family is wealthy and well-connected梙er father founded a sports agency that represents a whole host of athletes set to become future Hall of Famers. He also owns the Los Angeles Titans. Last fall, Hannah and I attended a game together. She deep-throated me during halftime. That抯 how our involvement has always been, picking up when it was convenient and nonexistent when it wasn抰。
揌ello, Crew.?Her long, blonde hair is curled tonight. One piece dips between the valley of her breasts, pulling my attention to her cleavage. She smirks, tracking my gaze.
揌annah,?I reply. 揑 didn抰 realize you were in town.?