The Rivals - Vi Keeland Page 0,64
many people in.”
“Sounds like someone else I know…”
I nodded. “I always thought we were so different. But the more I get to know him, the more I realize we just choose to wear different masks.”
“Wow… That sounds deep and boring as shit.” Scarlett grinned. “And here I thought I was going to get to hear how he banged the shit out of you. But instead, I’m being subjected to feelings… Yuck.”
I tossed a pillow at her and laughed. “Shut up.”
“Seriously, I like this one.”
“It’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Why?”
“Well, for starters, as I believe I’ve mentioned, his family and my family have been at war for half a century. But even if we put all of that aside, there’s a million reasons it’s a bad idea. I just came out of a long-term relationship. This thing between me and Weston has rebound written all over it. Come on—I hopped from a nice-looking, safe, stable playwright to the sexy-as-sin bad boy with a ton of baggage. Could it be any more cliché? Not to mention, we both have some pretty big trust issues.” I shook my head. “Weston is like a bright star on a dark night. He can light up the sky, but eventually that fire burns out and all the pieces crumble. Then you’re left in the dark.”
“You do know the sun is a star, too, right? Sometimes we can rely on a star to come back every day.”
I sighed.
“You’ll figure it out,” Scarlett said. “Just promise you won’t let your family or Liam factor into your decision whether Weston might be right for you. Whatever you decide, it should be about you and Weston only.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
After we finished breakfast, Scarlett talked me into going shopping. I went to check in on the construction, since we had crews running even on Sundays. Then I took a quick shower and tied my hair up while she sat in my suite having a third cup of coffee and reading bits and pieces of the news to me aloud. It felt exactly like a Sunday morning back in London. Which made me realize I wasn’t going to lose our friendship because of the distance between us now. Where we were didn’t matter; we’d always find a way. London just wasn’t my home anymore.
“You ready to go shopping?” I asked when I was finally ready, grabbing my purse.
She looked down. “I’m wearing flats. What does that tell you?”
I smiled. While I often wore flats, and even sneakers sometimes, Scarlett almost always wore heels of some sort, unless she was exercising. Which meant we’d both be getting a full cardio workout today as we ran around the City.
Opening the door to my suite, I almost crashed into a bellman who had his knuckles raised to knock on my door. Startled, my hand flew to my chest as I stopped abruptly.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
“My fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. It’s Walter, right?”
“It is.” He nodded and smiled, then held up a long white flower box. “I was just delivering this. Mr. Lockwood said I should put them in your suite if you weren’t here.”
“Mr. Lockwood asked you to deliver them?”
He nodded. “He was at the front desk when they were delivered a few minutes ago.”
I was surprised, not just that Weston had sent me flowers, but that he’d had a member of the staff deliver them to me. For the most part, we’d been very discreet around the hotel.
“Oh. Okay, thank you.”
Walter passed me the box and turned to go.
“Wait! Let me give you a tip.” I dug in my purse, but the bellman held up his hand.
“Mr. Lockwood already took care of that. But thank you.”
Scarlett was all smiles as I brought the box into the suite.
“Looks like your flash-in-the-pan star has a romantic side.”
The box was tied with a big red bow, so I set it down on the living room coffee table and untied it. Inside were two dozen beautiful yellow roses. A small card lay on top. I didn’t even realize I was smiling until I slipped it from the envelope and read. Then I felt my upturned lips droop to a frown.
The course of true love never did run smooth.
I miss you. Please call me back.
-Liam
Scarlett saw my face and walked over to peek at the card.
“It doesn’t run smooth?” she said. “Yes, true love will hit some bumps in the road when you stick your dick