Wild Love (The Wilde Brothers #1)

Chapter 12

12

SCARLETT

A fter our second adventure, Eli hadn't mentioned a third. I tried not to be disappointed, but I couldn't help it. I had so much fun with him, whether it was a midnight swim on the rooftop or trying something new like rock climbing.

He was always patient with me and never got irritated when I was nervous. Then he packed that picnic lunch which was a thoughtful thing to do. I couldn't believe he wasn't dating anyone seriously. He was the full package for someone who wanted to build a life in Telluride.

Today, I was supposed to meet with Marigold at the library. I knew she was going to try and convince me to teach more classes.

When I approached her at the children's circulation desk, she smiled. "Oh, good. You're here. I wanted to show you something."

I assumed we'd go to lunch, so I wasn't surprised when she grabbed her purse and led the way outside.

"What do you feel like? Italian, sandwiches?" I asked her.

But she grabbed my hand and took me in the opposite direction of the popular lunch restaurants. "Where are we going? "

"You'll see."

She stopped in front of the old theater. The ticket window was blocked with paper now, but I remembered coming here as a kid to see the holiday productions. I secretly loved it, but I'd never tell my parents that.

"Why are we here?" I asked, digging in my heels.

"My boss talked to the owner about the kids practicing here and putting on a performance."

I frowned. "Why would she do that? I haven't agreed to teach another class."

"Just take a look. Then we'll talk." I let her lead me inside; the door was already unlocked.

It smelled musty like it hadn't been used in a long time.

"We'll obviously clean it up and air it out."

"Obviously," I murmured as we walked through the small lobby and into the auditorium. This was a third the size of anything I'd performed in, but it would be perfect for kids. There was just enough room for their parents and a few other guests. There was even a small balcony. I'd forgotten about that.

I let go of Marigold's hand and walked onto the stage.

The back door opened, and light filtered in before it closed again.

Marigold frowned. "I'll go see who that is. Maybe the owner stopped by."

I didn't bother responding because I was intent on examining the stage. It was in great condition. Whoever owned this place took care of this at least. The wood was solid, the curtains in good shape but dusty.

I stood on the stage and imagined the town here to see their children perform a holiday production. My chest filled with joy at the idea. The proud looks on their parents' faces, the joy on the children's. It was perfect. But it was too bad I wouldn't be around to see Marigold's dream come to life.

Marigold walked down the aisle with Chance behind her .

I put my hands on my hips. "What are you doing here?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Marigold is giving me the tour."

"My boss spoke to the new owner," Marigold said, "and they'd like to see it put to good use. I thought it would be perfect for children's productions."

"What do you think?" Chance asked hesitantly.

"It would be perfect. The stage is in good shape." I bounced on it, and it didn't give at all. "I don't know what condition the lights and sound equipment are in."

Marigold took notes on her phone. "The new owner said to give him a list of repairs, and he'd get on it."

"Who would want to reopen this theater? You wouldn't earn enough money to sustain it." I'd been in theater long enough to understand the financial struggle.

"The realtor said the owner is a lover of the arts and wants to support the community. This isn't about profit for him."

"I want to meet this unicorn," I said as my hand traveled over the velvet curtain. Just being here got my blood pumping. How would it feel to direct a play versus be in one?

As long as the actors were children, I could get behind it. I loved the idea of teaching children everything I knew. They seemed to look up to me. If only I planned to stay.

Marigold stood next to Chance. "I know you want to leave soon. But what about a short play? I have something prepared."

I sat on the edge of the stage as Marigold walked toward me, clutching papers in her hands. "You wrote something?"

I knew Marigold wrote things she never shared with anyone, and she wrote the plays we performed as kids. They were silly, so I wasn't sure how talented of a writer she was now.

She held them back from me. "Don't make fun of me. "

"I'd never do that," I vowed before she handed the pages to me.

Marigold looked from me to Chance. "You don't have to read them now."

Sensing she didn't want me to with my brother hovering nearby, I put them in my bag. "Let's do lunch and talk about this idea of yours."

Marigold's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"

I hopped off the stage. "You have me intrigued. I love this old theater. Brings back a lot of memories."

"We used to come here as kids," Chance said as we walked out.

"Every year for the holiday show," I added once we were on the sidewalk.

Chance dipped his chin slightly. "You loved it."

I hadn’t wanted to be interested in anything back then. It was a persona I bought on in front of my parents. "Hmm. Pretty sure I pretended I didn't."

Chance wrapped an arm around me. "I could tell."

I poked him in the rib. "You couldn't."

He pulled back to look at me. "You loved the shows."

"Humph," I said as I pushed away from him. "I'm starving."

Marigold was watching us with great interest.

"You two stay out of trouble," Chance called after me.

When he was out of sight, I said, "He's ridiculous."

Marigold hooked her arm through mine. "That's sweet that he remembered how much you liked the shows."

He always saw me when my parents didn't. They wanted me to be more like him, studious and quiet, whereas I was the exact opposite. "He's still a pain in my ass."

Marigold laughed. "I'd love to have a big brother to watch over me."

She was an only child, and her parents worked a ton. I knew she was lonely, so I invited her over to my place as often as I could. "How are your parents?"

"You know them. Still working hard." Her voice was deceptively light.

My forehead creased. "No plan to retire?"

She shook her head. "Not anytime soon."

"That sucks."

Marigold glanced over at me. "They made their choices, right?"

"I suppose so." It had to hurt that they didn't take much time out of their schedule to sign her up for activities, much less drive her to anything.

"It's their loss. I've tried to tell them, but they're happy doing what they do."

"What if you get married and have kids? You think they'll be more involved then?"

"I don't see that happening," Marigold said a little too brightly. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"You're smart, gorgeous, and fun."

"Not sure about the fun part. Maybe when you're around."

I frowned. "Who says you're not fun?"

She scoffed. "Just about everyone."

"Because you're a librarian?" I asked as she opened the door to the pizzeria.

"Maybe, or I'm just that boring."

We waited for the hostess to seat us, and when we were alone in the red booth, I leaned across the table. "Who told you, you were boring?"

Marigold rolled her eyes. "Just about every guy I've ever dated."

I sat back, a little shocked. "I don't believe you."

"Well, believe it. Because it's true." Marigold looked down at her menu, but my mind was still reeling.

"Have you tried those online app things? "

"I might have to because everyone around here already knows me," she said without looking up from her menu.

"What about a tourist at the resort? We should go out to the bar again and maybe do some dancing at the club there."

Marigold shook her head. "I'm not into one-night stands."

"What if it's a sexy billionaire, feeling lonely? After one night with you, he decides he wants to settle down with the town librarian."

Marigold scoffed. "Hah. You're hysterical."

I hated that my friend felt so defeated when it came to love. I never settled with anyone. I dated for fun here and there. But no one understood my need to leave every few months. I was always moving on. It didn't make for great long-term relationships.

But Marigold obviously longed for one. I hadn't realized, but maybe I should have. Her childhood was a lonely one.

"We're going out one night. We'll get dressed up, drink wine, and have a good time," I said as I perused the menu.

"That sounds nice."

"And we'll find a man for you."

"Not happening," Marigold said as the waitress arrived.

We ordered a large pizza with meat and veggies, then set aside our menus.

I sipped my iced tea.

Marigold clasped her hands in front of her on the table.

"Are you turning this around on me?" I asked.

"What do you think about a short performance? We can use my play if you like it but no pressure. A trial run if you will."

I narrowed my gaze on her. "How long is this trial run?"

"It's a short play. We could probably get the kids up to speed in a few weeks, and end with a performance for their friends and family."

"You think we can pull it off that quickly?"

"I believe in you. The parents do too. "

I raised a brow. "And if it's a disaster?"

"Then you'll know you're not cut out to be a director. But I have a feeling it will be the opposite."

I gave her a look. "I'll love it so much I won't want to leave?"

"I wouldn't mind having you around more often."

"You know you love me."

She rested her elbows on the table. "I've missed you. I've always respected your desire for freedom, but I selfishly hope you'll see how great it is in our hometown and stay."

"Not happening," I said, not wanting to get her hopes up.

She held up her fingers to indicate a small amount of time. "A few weeks. That's all I'm asking."

"That will take us into November."

"What do you think about a performance the week before Thanksgiving?" Marigold got out the calendar on her phone.

"It must be official if you're putting it into your calendar."

Marigold raised a brow. "You know it."

When she lowered her phone, I said, "I never even thought about directing a play before you mentioned it." I played with the straw wrapper. "Why do you think I can do it?"

She gestured toward my purse. "Why do you assume my play is any good?"

"I know you can write."

"Because I wrote a few good papers in school?"

"I've always thought you were talented. I'm actually surprised you didn't do more with it."

Marigold looked away. "Everyone knows you don't make any money writing."

"Do they?" I asked, always quick to question what people said to be true.

"That's what my parents said. But I love being a librarian. I enjoy working with kids and books."

But she wanted kids of her own. Maybe even a little side hustle where she shared her writing with the world. I felt selfish for leaving and not checking in with my friend for so long. Just because we got older didn't mean that we had to lose touch. I'd done that on my own. And maybe agreeing to do this play with her would be a payback of sorts. "I'll read your play tonight and let you know."

She brightened. "That's great." Then she sagged. "But what if it sucks?"

"It won't. Besides, it's for kids. They'll love anything."

"I hope so. I tried to fit a lesson into thirty pages. It wasn't easy."

"I'm sure it's great."

Our pizza came, and we dug in. I enjoyed being home and interacting with Marigold, Chance, and even Eli. My group of friends was expanding. I had my family and Eli's.

When we were stuffed, we sat back to wait for the check.

"We have to find you a man," I said rubbing my belly.

"We don't."

"You want to date."

"I want a serious relationship. I don't want any of the other stuff that comes with dating."

"Stick with me. I've got your back, girl."

"You're the only one who ever got me into trouble. Your brother had to bail us out on more than one occasion."

I narrowed my eyes on her. "I got the impression you enjoyed when my brother showed up." He wasn't a sheriff or even a deputy back then. He was just my annoying brother who was home from college on break.

"He was always nice to us. It was better than when your dad came."

"Dad could be scary." I thought he was a big teddy bear, but Marigold had a thing about authority. She was a rule follower through and through.

"I wanted to have fun but not get a record."

"That's pretty easy to do when your dad is the sheriff. Believe me; I tried. He always bailed me out and made sure no charges were filed.”

"You never did anything truly awful. We drank underage and went to parties."

"You're right. We weren't bad girls as much as I wanted to be. I had no clue what real life was like." I thought I wanted to be crazy and wild, but then Steve made some comment about me wanting him because of the way I acted. As if being fun meant I was down for sex with anybody and everyone. I might have been free-spirited, but I was careful who I slept with. I didn't trust easily.

"Speaking of, did you ever have dinner with Chance?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not yet." Then my gaze settled on her. "Why? Is he asking you about it?"

"Possibly," she said with a sly smile. "Why haven't you?"

"I don't want him to judge me for being home or leaving soon." The truth was, I didn't want him to ask pointed questions about why I was here. Chance would want to fix it, and he couldn't. Some things were better left alone.

"He wants to give you space, but he also wants to spend time with you."

"Have you two been hanging out lately?" I always wondered if her crush on him ever turned into something more when I was gone.

Her cheeks turned pink. "He stops in at the library. He says it's to make his presence known to the kids. He doesn't want them to be afraid of a man in uniform."

I touched my chest. "Who knew my brother was such a sweetie."

Marigold gulped her tea too fast and started coughing.

"Are you okay?" I asked her when she'd somewhat recovered.

Her eyes were wet, and she waved a hand in my direction. "I'm fine. What were we talking about?"

"Chance. "

Her eyes flared. "Right. He comes in to talk to the kids and usually asks me for a book recommendation."

"Chance reads?" I leaned forward. He was always a rough-and-tumble kid. He didn't slow down for anything except video games.

"He's been into thrillers lately."

Chance stopping into the library on a regular basis to talk to Marigold. What was going on there? "And he asks about me?"

Marigold nodded. "Since you've been home."

"He doesn't need to worry about me. I'll be okay."

"Go out to dinner with him and tell him that. Then he'll stop bugging me."

I raised a brow but didn't call her out. Did she enjoy him stopping by to talk to her? She mentioned wanting to date someone seriously. Then she admited Chance stopped in to see her.

I didn't know what the deal was. But maybe I could find out if we went to dinner. I got out my phone. "Texting him now."

Scarlett: How about that dinner you promised me? I'm having a hankering for steak.

Chance: I know just the place.

I turned my screen in Marigold's direction. "See? Done. Now Chance can leave you alone."

"Good. That's good." She nodded, but I wondered if she was happy with that outcome. Maybe she enjoyed talking to him about me. I didn't want her to get hurt because Chance was married to his job. He'd always been the town protector and didn't feel like he could get married and still be a good sheriff.

Dad had tried to talk to him about it over the years, but Chance wouldn't budge. I had a feeling he hadn't met the right person yet, and when he did, it would destroy the rules he'd created for his life .

"I'll read your play this afternoon, and I'll let you know what I think." I already knew I'd love it. Marigold's plays were cute and whimsical. Perfect for kids. It would be refreshing to do something new. I was so used to the same tired story lines I'd heard a million times before. "Maybe you could sell them to other schools to use for their programs."

Marigold shook her head hard. "No one will want to buy my plays."

"You have more than this one?" I asked, pointing in the direction of my bag.

Marigold nodded slowly. "I have a few."

I considered her. "Interesting. You've been holding out on me."

She waved a hand. "To be fair, you haven't been here."

"Touché, dear friend."

Marigold stood, grabbing her purse. "Now come on, I have to get back to work, and you have a play to read."

I paid the bill for us. I owed Marigold so much, and this was just the beginning of making things up to her.