Chapter 6

Chapter 6

S carlett stared at her phone. It had been three days since she'd met Remy in the coffeehouse. She needed to call him and set up a meeting with him again. He hadn't agreed to her proposal, and she needed to find a way to convince him to work with her. Yes, she could hear melodies again and the notes were flourishing. She couldn't write them down fast enough, but they were…melancholy. The sadness that permeated her very being bled through into her music, and she prayed working with Remy would lighten it a little.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, and she dropped it to the floor. Scarlett placed her hand over her heart in an attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart. The phone continued to vibrate on the floor. She knelt down and retrieved it. It was Remy… How odd. She had considered calling him. She clicked the green button on her phone to answer it and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Scarlett," he said. "I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?"

"Not at all," she answered a little breathless. Diving for her phone had left her at a disadvantage. "I was thinking about calling you. I know I left a little abruptly the other day. I owe you an apology."

"How about you explain everything to me over dinner? I want to talk about your proposal again. I've thought of little else since we met for coffee."

She pumped her fist in the air. Scarlett did her best to hold the excitement out of her voice. She had him. He actually wanted to work with her, even after she messed up so horribly. Though she was a little surprised he acquiesced so easily, she wasn't going to admit that aloud. She didn't want to scare him away. All she had to do was secure her catch and start working on making beautiful music with him. "That sounds wonderful," she said. "Where and when?"

"Actually," he began, "they're having this concert in the park thing tonight. I thought we could take a picnic and watch the bands while we eat. And, of course, discuss creating some music of our own."

That last bit sounded like a line… Was he flirting with her? She didn't want to encourage him in that direction. Scarlett liked Remy, but she didn't want a romantic relationship with him. She really did want to produce songs with him. The concert and picnic did sound like a nice way to spend her evening though. "I like that idea. Would you like to meet?"

"Sure," he said. "Meet me by the fountain of Aphrodite in the center of the park at eight. Then we can walk back to the acoustic sound shell where the concert is being held. I'll bring everything we will need."

Scarlett nibbled on her bottom lip and then said," All right. See you at eight." Then pulled the phone from her ear and clicked end. She slid her phone on to the nearby table and then plopped down on her sofa. She had a few hours until she had to meet Remy, and she wasn't certain what to do with her remaining time. She reached for the remote to her television and clicked it on. Perhaps there was a decent movie already playing she could amuse herself with.

She flipped through the channels and stopped on the sports station. A baseball game was well under way. Had to be a day game since it was at the bottom of the ninth inning, and if the team at bat managed to score a run they would win; if not, the visiting team would have a claim to victory.

The sports announcer's voice filled the room. "This is Drake's first game since being traded to the Suns. One of the reason's they wanted him was his batting average."

"It's one of the best in the league," another announcer piped in. "It's rivaled by his RBI. The Suns needed a powerhouse like him. They need one run, and the bases are loaded. It would be a nice gift to the Suns for Drake to pull off a grand slam here."

Scarlett sighed. She had a sickness, and its name was Jensen Drake. She couldn't stop thinking about him. He'd been…different the other night at the party in his honor. Scarlett couldn't shake the feeling that she should have listened to what he had to say, but at the same time, it felt like a mistake to let him in again. Why couldn't she ignore him or at least pretend to be all right around him? She could have easily kept channel surfing, but did she? No. She stayed and watched him and actually rooted for him to get that grand slam the announcers were discussing. After dating him, and almost marrying him, Scarlett was well up to date on all the baseball lingo. It didn't surprise her that he had a great batting average and that his RBI was also superb. It made for good stats to be able to have that many runners batted in with conjunction to his amount of hits. JD had been a very competitive player. No wonder the Suns had given him such a lucrative contract to play for them.

The pitcher wound up and then released the ball into a perfect slider that any other batter would have missed. Not JD. His swing was perfection. He lifted his leg at the right moment and then set it down to even out his swing as it connected with the ball. It went flying into left field and landed in the stands. A home run and three runners batted in—that grand slam became a reality. The crowd roared with excitement as JD casually did his lap around the bases. Then his teammates stormed him and buried him in well wishes and congratulations.

That was what JD had lived for. Baseball was in his blood as much as music soared through hers. If he hadn't chose to toss her to the side for it. Sure he'd also run off with Shayla, but Scarlett had never believed he wanted her former best friend. If not for Shayla, she might have gone after JD and begged him to take her back. At the time it had been a low blow she couldn't look past. Years and distance helped to clear her head and look at it with a different perspective. JD knew her too well. He had done the one thing he could to make her give up on him. He'd cheated.

Scarlett sighed and clicked the television off. Watching him brought back painful memories. She wished she could let go, but she couldn't. Some things were too hard to forget or forgive. She'd take a nap instead. It would rejuvenate her for the evening ahead. She set the remote on the table and went to her bedroom, then lay down on her bed. Scarlett prayed her dreams wouldn't torment her. Lately, all she'd see when she closed her eyes was JD and the future she'd been denied…

Scarlett walked through the park, heading toward the Aphrodite fountain. It was a nice park that had been designed to please the eye and encourage people to frolic in their favorite sections. The area with the acoustic shell had always been one of her favorites. Probably because she loved music so much…

She sat on the bench in front of the fountain and waited for Remy. It was half past seven, but she'd been anxious and decided to leave her condo a little early. It was a beautiful evening, and she liked being outside from time to time. She could let her mind wander a little bit and consider lyrics for the song she wanted to work on with Remy.

With her eyes closed, she tilted her head back and basked in the wind that blew over her. She slid her lips upward into a satisfied smile. Scarlett couldn't recall the last time she'd been this happy. No one bothered her or approached her. Maybe they didn't recognize her, or it could be they didn't want to intrude on her solitude. Either way, she was grateful for the distance the others in the park afforded her.

"What has you smiling?" a man said.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she met JD's gaze. His brown eyes were like warm chocolate on a cold winter day. He was…wary and she supposed hopeful at the same time. That had to be what she read in his gaze. "Didn't you have a game today?"

He lifted a brow. "I didn't realize you followed the Suns's game schedule. Did you watch?"

Scarlett would not admit she'd seen his last at bat. "I don't follow them," she said a little mulishly. "I must have heard it somewhere." She wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "That's not the point. I'd have thought you would want to relax after a long day."

"You thought wrong," he said. "I have plans for the concert in the park."

He was probably meeting a date. That shouldn't bother her. JD had every right to date any woman he pleased. Still, she wanted to scratch this fictitious female's eyes out. Scarlett hated her already, and she didn't have any idea who the woman could be. Instead, she kept her thoughts to herself. It wouldn't do to encourage JD. He might believe he had a chance with her and he didn't. "I do as well," she offered the information, and she wasn't sure why.

"Oh?" he glanced around her. "You attending by yourself?"

"Of course not," she said and waved her hand. "I'm waiting for Remy."

He glanced away from her and appeared to stare at something in the distance. The muscles in his cheek twitched as he clenched and then released them. He was struggling with something, and she wasn't certain what. Did he not like Remy? Surely, he didn't know him well enough to have an opinion. "Remington Wyatt?" he asked.

"Yes," she said slowly, and then repeated, "Remy."

"You two seem…close," he said. There was a touch of frustration in his voice. What did he have to be vexed about?

She shrugged. Scarlett wanted to work with Remy, but she wouldn't go so far as to say they had a solid relationship. "I'd like us to be," she finally said. "Time will tell what happens between us."

He nodded. "I want you to be happy. See that he treats you right."

Scarlett frowned and then stood. She didn't know what to say to that. What would he do if Remy didn't treat her as he deemed fit? Would he beat him up? Warn him away? None of those sounded appealing to her. JD gave up any rights regarding her when he walked away. He didn't get a say in who she let into her life or how they treated her. "I don't see how that is any of your business." She folded her arms across her chest. "I can make decisions without your input. Why don't you go find your own date and leave me be."

He slid his hands into his pocket and leaned back on his heels. "I don't have a date." JD dropped that news as if it wasn't earth-shattering to her. It shouldn't be at least…

"Oh, then, go find whoever it is you're meeting. I don't need a chaperone while I wait for Remy." He needed to leave before she did or said something foolish.

He moved a little closer to her. There wasn't much room between them. Her heart beat heavily inside her chest. This was how she'd felt the other day when he'd touched her with the pad of his thumb. He hadn't brought any part of his body flush with hers…yet. Scarlett expected he would at some point. JD wouldn't have moved closer if he didn't intend to touch her. "But I like your company," he said and stepped forward an inch. "I'd like to stay with you as long as possible."

"You could have stayed with me forever. It's not me who chose to run away." God, that still stung. Would she ever get past it?"

"I know," he said softly. His face went expressionless, but there was something in his eyes she couldn't quite identify. They almost appeared…sad. "That was my biggest regret. I'd change it if I could."

"You can't though. What is done is done." She glanced away from him. "Let me be, please."

He pulled his hands from his pockets and reached for her. He placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin and lifted it to meet her gaze. "You have the most beautiful eyes." He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her chin. How could something so simple send such delicious shivers down her spine? "Blue mixed with silver…a unique jewel that belongs to you. I don't know how many times I found myself lost in them. I'll always be yours, Scarlett. My heart never belonged to anyone else. Please let me back in."

She jerked away from him, fighting tears again. "I don't know if I can." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "It's too hard."

He pulled her into his arms wrapping her in his embrace. She glanced up into his warm chocolate eyes and melted. Scarlett was weak when it came to JD. "Let me help you decide." He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Scarlett opened to him as if coming home. Music wrapped itself around her, and whispers echoed against the wind. Stay…love him. She wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. That didn't mean she should. As lovely as the kiss was she couldn't let it go on. Some mistakes shouldn't be repeated. She wrenched away from him and walked away. She wouldn't run. That would make her appear even weaker, and Scarlett refused to be seen as pathetic. She'd text Remy to meet her at the shell. She couldn't stay near JD a second longer.