Chapter 3

Chapter 3

T he remaining remnants of the crowd trickled out of My Alibi, leaving Scarlett, Faith and a few staff members in the main part of the club. While Scarlett had enjoyed the music and the exhilaration of being in the crowd admiring Remington's singing, she was also grateful for the peace that was left at the end of the evening. She tapped her finger on the bar as Faith helped the bartender finish clearing away empty beer bottles and disposable cups leftover from the patrons.

"Doesn't this get tedious?" she asked Faith. Scarlett loved singing and the thrill of being on stage. There was no greater high for her. After every performance she was pumped with excess energy. When she crashed, she came down hard though. She had nearly nothing to do with the setup and tear down of the stage though. Most of the time she didn't even bring her own guitar on stage. She couldn't imagine having to clean up every night after hours of dealing with inebriated customers.

Faith glanced up and smiled. "No," she said. "With my gifts, there isn't much I can do without feeling a little backlash. Most of the people that come in here are happy or looking for an escape. It's rare I touch anything that devastates me, and there is the occasional miserable drunk that jolts me a bit. If I feel a little overwhelmed for any reason, I have staff to pick up the slack. So this is perfect for what I need."

It was times like this that Scarlett was grateful her abilities didn't debilitate her like Faith's did. Faith got snippets of peoples feelings and motivations by touching something they had touched. Sometimes, it also gave her glimpses into their history or past actions. She probably could have used it in archeological digs to understand previous civilizations, but Faith never much liked going on adventures of any kind. She preferred to live without sudden changes and a steady stream of monotonous. So it shouldn't have surprised Scarlett how much her sister thrived owning a successful club in their hometown.

"I am not scheduled for another tour for months," Scarlett said casually. "My record producer wants to start working on my next album."

Faith lifted a brow. "Why do I sense a little hesitation in your voice?"

She loved music, and she wrote all of her on songs. There was nothing more suited to her than creating what she deemed magic. So it had come as a little bit of a surprise to realize—she was blocked. The music gods had stopped speaking to her, and she hadn't heard a new melody in days. "I don't know if I can do it," she admitted.

"You've always been able to create new music." Her sister stopped wiping down the bar to meet her gaze. "Is it because JD is back in town?"

She wished she could blame it on her ex-fiancé, but this problem had sprung into her life before she realized JD had signed a contract with the local baseball team. She shook her head slowly. "No," she said and then sighed. "I think I'm broken."

Scarlett didn't know what she needed to move past her current dry spell, but something had to give. A shuffle of shoes against the hardwood floor caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and found Remington Wyatt heading in their direction. He hadn't left yet? She'd assumed he'd exited with the customers who had been mooning over him. A lot of newbie singers went out with them to mingle more with the crowd and sometimes sign autographs. It was how they started to build their brand.

"Hello," he greeted them both. "Sorry it took me so long back there. One of your employees was excited to have a moment to talk." He turned toward Scarlett and held out his hand to her. "I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Remy."

Her lips twitched a little. Remington Wyatt was a gorgeous man. If she were looking for a man, she might consider throwing her hat in the ring for a chance with him. Yet while she appreciated his handsome face, Scarlett didn't want to date anyone. Remington had dark chocolate brown hair that was streaked with golden highlights. Almost like the dark chocolate wasn't satisfied to be all alone and had to mix it with some milk chocolate to fully satisfy a woman's craving for the sweet goodness. God. When had she gotten so poetic about a man's hair? She mentally shook her head and lifted her gaze to his. Damn. Even his eyes were beautiful. They were blue mixed with silver specks. She tilted her head to the side and frowned. There was something familiar about them.

"It's nice to meet you," she said and smiled at him. "I'm Scarlett."

"I'm aware." His lips tilted upward. "Most people are."

Scarlett chuckled at his statement. "The same could be said about you." Faith wandered off and started cleaning another area of the bar, leaving Scarlett alone with Remington. Scarlett was grateful for her discretion. Not that she thought anything would happen between her and Remington, but it was nice to have a sister who understood that she might need a little privacy.

He shrugged and waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm known as a by product of my father's success. I don't take much stock in that celebrity. I didn't earn it as you have."

She had been successful, and she was proud of her accomplishments. An idea came to mind as she stared at him. "Do you write your own songs?" Maybe he could help her out of her current slump.

"I've been known to jot a few notes down, but I don't do well with lyrics."

Her grin widened. That was absolutely perfect. She didn't want to scare him off with her enthusiasm though. "I don't suppose you'd like to meet me tomorrow for coffee?"

If he was willing to work with her, then maybe Scarlett could work on her new album. She'd give him due credit, of course. What she really wanted though was to convince him to do a duet with her. His voice was amazing, and she'd love to see how well it mixed with hers in the studio.

"Do you read minds?" he said a little surprised. "I was going to ask you if you'd like to meet again. Tomorrow sounds wonderful. Do you have a favorite coffee shop?"

"I do not. Mind Reading is not one of my gifts," she admitted. Though she wondered sometimes if her mother could read minds… Their gifts were passed down the matriarchal line. It was a very real possibility. "I prefer to stay home when I'm not on tour and have a fabulous espresso machine to make up for it. I'll make an exception for you." She winked. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"I do." He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Give me your contact deets, and I'll text it to you."

Scarlett rattled off her number, and he sent her a quick text. She saved his information in his phone and then glanced up at him. "What time would you like to meet?"

He lifted his wrist and checked his watch. "It's already well past three…" Remington pursed his lips as he considered his options. "We will both need at least a little sleep. How about ten?"

That would give her maybe six hours of sleep. She could function on less in a pinch. She would probably have to take a small nap later, but it would be worth it. "It's a date." She nibbled on her bottom lip. "I mean…not a date date but a…" Could she be any more awkward? Scarlett didn't want to give him the wrong idea. She was only interested in one thing from him, and it wasn't his stellar good looks.

"It's fine," he reassured her, then tilted his lips upward into a stunning smile that effectively reinforced his words. "I understand what you meant."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "I will see you in a few hours then."

Remington tapped his hand on the bar and caught Faith's attention. He waved at her and said, "I'll call you to see when you have an opening again."

Faith nodded at him. "Have a good night."

With that, Remington exited, leaving her and Faith alone once again. Her sister moved closer and leaned on the bar. "How exciting. My sister is actually going on a date with a man that is not Jensen Drake."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She did not want to have this particular discussion. Both of her sisters had tried to convince her to date someone else after JD had left her at the altar. Her heart had been too shattered to even consider it, so she had dived into work and built her career. She probably wouldn't be where she was if not for that incident. In some ways, she owed JD. If he hadn't destroyed their love, then she would never have pursued singing quite the way she had. "It isn't like that." She would not give Faith any hope she was moving on. Some days, she didn't believe she could ever love a man the way she had JD. That didn't mean she wanted him back in her life. Her heart didn't have room for any more love or heartbreak.

"Whatever," Faith said nonchalantly. "You say that now, but things can change, and I hope they do. JD is the biggest fool on the planet for letting you go. I hope you wake up and realize you can do so much better than that asshat."

Faith had adored JD once upon a time. They had laughed and played games. She had looked at him like a wonderful older brother and had been so excited he would be in truth once Scarlett married him. Scarlett had been glad JD got along with her family. That had made adding him to the mix so much easier. When he'd stood her up on their wedding day, it had changed everyone's opinion of him.

Well, not Ashlyn. She was cold with everyone and had been matter-of-fact about the whole incident. She had tilted her nose in the air and said, "I tried to tell you…"

Scarlett sighed. "I want to make music with Remington Wyatt. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Still," Faith moved over to stand directly in front of Scarlett. She placed her hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "It'll do you good. Plus, being seen in public with him can boost your image. The speculations about your romantic life range from asexual to lesbian to ice queen. It can help squash some of the rumors."

"Ice queen is probably the most accurate," she admitted. She'd gone cold after JD. "Why let them believe an untruth?"

She had no intention of becoming romantically involved with Remington Wyatt. She didn't even have those kind of feelings for him. Yes, he was handsome, but her heart didn't flutter in anticipation in his presence. At least not in the way one did with a lover. Not as it had when she was with JD… "I suspect Remington and I will be great friends. I could use some friends, don't you think?"

Her sister frowned. "You need some of those too…" She sighed. "Then you better call him Remy. He doesn't like Remington. He said it makes him sound like a stuffy old man."

Scarlett giggled a little bit. "I'll try to remember that." She tapped her hand on the bar a few times. "I suppose I'll call it a night. Let me know if you have any other interesting singers and I'll stop by."

"Scarlett," her sister called to her. Her face was devoid of an expression, but her eyes nearly glowed with seriousness. Maybe it was her imagination… "I know how much JD hurt you. If you want to be with him again…"

"I don't," she interrupted her. It was a reflexive answer, and one she didn't want to dwell too long on. She hated that everyone felt the need to bring up her past with JD. Scarlett didn't want to be defined by her past or her relationship with the man who had broken her heart.

"Let me finish," she insisted. "We all make mistakes. JD's was astronomical, but that doesn't mean he doesn't regret it. I'm not sure if I could forgive him. You have a bigger heart than I do, and you loved him so much. Don't make the same mistake he did. At least give him the chance to make amends even if you can't see yourself spending the rest of your life with him as you did ten years ago. Forgiveness might help you move on."

"With Remy?" she said but managed to keep the sarcasm she felt from her voice. "Is that why you're encouraging this?"

She shook her head. "No. I want you to find peace. You haven't had any since that day, and you need it or you might lose yourself completely. It might be why you're not hearing the music anymore. Think about it, please."

Scarlett nodded at her. "I will." Then she turned on her heels and exited the club. She had to get some shuteye before her meeting with Remington Wyatt, and she had to be at her best when she approached him about her idea. He was the key. She was certain of it…