Wild Love (The Wilde Brothers #1)

Chapter 19

19

SCARLETT

O ur relationship shifted the other night at Eli's apartment. He'd cooked me dinner, the setting romantic with the candlelight, flowers, and music. Then he'd declared he loved me. I'd never felt so secure and accepted.

Even when my family said they loved me, I didn't feel it in my body. I doubted their words because, in the same breath, they'd ask why I couldn't be different, more like Chance or even Marigold. It had hurt and made me feel like there was no one who could love me for me.

I was starting to think that Eli might be that person for me. He loved me unconditionally. He wouldn't ask me to change. He'd let me be the person I was meant to me, and that was so freeing. I felt like I belonged, and it wasn't in this town necessarily but with Eli. Whether we lived in his condo or somewhere else.

The rest of the week, I was busy ensuring the final details of the performance were perfect. We were completing the sets, making final adjustments to the costumes to fit the kids, and perfecting their lines. I was so nervous, which was ridiculous. I wasn't the one performing. But this felt bigger than any other performance I'd been a part of before. It felt like a test.

I was at the theater by myself on Wednesday night when I got a call from a number I didn't recognize. Thinking it could be a job opportunity, I answered it. "Scarlett St. Claire."

"I'm glad I caught you, Miss St. Claire. I'm running a production of Wicked here in Tennessee. My lead actress broke her foot. I need someone who could fill in, and your resume was sitting in my inbox. I see you've played this part before, and frankly, I'm desperate."

His wording dimmed my excitement about the job opportunity.

"I'm more than qualified for this part. Is there a reason why you'd say you were desperate other than needing someone right now?"

A sigh came over the line. "I have to be honest with you. I spoke with your former boss, Steve McNamare. He didn't have good things to say about you since you quit in the middle of the production without any notice. I can't have that happen here."

"I assume he didn't say why."

"I wondered if there was more to this story. Steve has a bit of a reputation himself."

Encouraged, I continued, "He came onto me. I wanted to do my job. I wasn't interested in getting involved with any of my coworkers, especially not my boss. It caused issues with the rest of the cast, and I didn't return the interest. I wanted him to leave me alone."

"This isn't the first time I've heard something about Steve. If you want the part. I need you here soon. We have an understudy filling the role for a few days, but we need a lead. Are you interested?"

My mind was reeling with everything I had to do the next few days. "Can I have a couple of days to think about it? "

"Twenty-four hours. If you don't take it, I need to move onto someone else." His voice was tight.

"I understand."

"I'll send the salary details to your email."

"Thank you for calling. I really appreciate it." I got off the phone, my heart racing. I was thrilled I was offered a part. The question was, did I want it?

It was a lead role so definitely worth my time. This director believed my story about Steve, so that was encouraging.

But did I want to leave Telluride? I wanted to see this play through to the end. We had our performance on Friday and then an after-party with the kids. After that, there was nothing keeping me here. Except for my family and Eli.

Eli just said he loved me, and I loved him. Would he be okay with a long-distance relationship, or would that be too much for him? We weren't kids anymore. He'd talked about building a house. He probably wanted to settle down.

Even though I loved the idea of having my own place and a kitchen to cook in, I wasn't sure I was ready for that kind of commitment. The idea was growing on me though. Especially when I thought about coming home to Eli.

We'd shared something that night that was more than anything I'd felt for anyone else. That had to mean something.

But could I walk away from a paying job? There wasn't anything for me here but an unpaid position. To walk away would mean denying my passion and my independence.

I finished sewing the dress for one of the girls and put everything away for the night. I stepped outside and was just locking up when a woman approached me.

"Hi. I'm Shanna Austin, a Realtor here in town."

I frowned. "The theater isn't for sale as far as I know."

"I've heard you're close with Eli, and I'm wondering if you could talk to him about reconsidering. "

I narrowed my eyes on her. "Why would I talk to Eli about the theater?"

Now Shanna looked confused. "He owns it."

"Elijah Wilde owns the theater?" I was getting more irritated with this woman by the second. I gestured in the direction of the ticket window. "This one right here?"

"That's right." She nodded like I was the slow one in this conversation.

There was a roaring in my ears, and I swayed on my feet. Why would Eli own the theater? "What am I supposed to talk to him about?"

"I have a client who'd like to turn it into a bar and restaurant. It's the perfect location for them, and I can't imagine a children's musical is profitable for Eli."

I smiled sweetly despite my shock. "I'll be happy to talk to him."

She smiled, relief evident on her face. "That's wonderful. I really appreciate it."

She walked away as if she hadn't just blown up my entire world. Why would Eli have bought the theater unless he thought it would get me to stay? The bigger question was, why had he kept it from me?

I drove to the lodge, not really seeing anything. It was a good thing it wasn't icy. I would have slid right off the road into a ditch. By the time I parked, my hands were shaking from anger. There were other thoughts on the edge of my consciousness, but I couldn't move past the shock.

I knocked on Eli's door, a little louder than normal. He opened it with his white button-down rolled up his forearms, just how I liked it. I smelled something cooking, maybe roasted chicken?

"I missed you." He pulled me into his arms and closed the door, but he must have sensed that I was stiff against him and pulled back. "What's wrong? Did something happen? "

"A Realtor came to the theater to talk to me. I didn't catch her name." I stepped away, knowing I couldn't think while he was so close to me.

Eli's face went from surprise to carefully blank.

"She wanted me to pass on a message to you."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

I took a deep breath. "She wanted to know if you were interested in selling the theater. Her client wants to convert it into a bar and restaurant."

Eli bit off a curse, running a hand through his hair.

"Were you going to tell me you bought the theater?" I was embarrassed that my voice trembled.

"I thought about doing it tonight but—" He watched me like I was liable to storm out at any second.

"I don't understand why you'd buy the theater unless you thought it would keep me here. Did my family pressure you? Or was this your idea?" What I couldn't figure out was how he was going to keep me here. Once the play was over, then what? Did he think I'd want to continue teaching classes and never want to leave? I felt so betrayed. This was worse than Steve because I trusted Eli. "Did everyone else know about this?"

"Marigold didn't. But the Fletchers did. They work in real estate, and Mac told me the theater was for sale. I didn't buy it with the intention to keep you here?—"

I raised a brow and crossed my arms over my chest.

Eli sighed. "Maybe it was somewhat. It's not as bad as you're making it sound. I wanted to do something that would make you happy."

"So you bought a theater? That's insane. Who does that?" I let my hands fall to my sides.

"I do apparently. It was obviously the wrong thing." His tone was dry, his eyes wary.

"Ya think?" I asked sarcastically, anger coursing through my veins. I couldn't get past the fact that one more person—one I trusted—would manipulate me in this way.

Eli grabbed the back of his neck. "The theater was for sale, and I thought it would be a nice space for the kids. You could have a real performance. Maybe on some level, I hoped you'd want to stay."

I couldn't shake the sense of betrayal. "Why not be upfront with me? Why not tell me what your plan was?"

"I knew you wouldn't like it."

"Well, news flash, I don't. No one likes to be manipulated. Especially by someone richer and more powerful."

Eli's eyes flashed with irritation. "Whoa. Where is this coming from? You've never said anything like that before."

"I had trouble with my last boss. He thought he could push me around, and when I quit instead of putting up with his high-handedness, he blacklisted me in the industry. I couldn't get another position."

"I didn't know that."

"And here you are doing the same thing." In the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't exactly the same. Steve used his position to try and get what he wanted from me physically. Eli bought a theater to get me to stay here. His intentions were good.

Eli grimaced. "What do you want to do? If you don't want the theater?—"

"The theater is yours. Not mine. I work for you apparently, for free." The wounds were piling up. I trusted him, and he'd gone behind my back in the ultimate scheme to get me to stay. At least my family just used guilt. This was above and beyond anything I'd ever experienced before.

"I can pay you. I just didn't think you'd want that either," Eli said slowly.

"I'll finish the show. I always follow through on my commitments." Except for my contract with Steve, but that was something else entirely .

"So this is it?" Eli asked, and I knew he was talking about us.

"How can I trust you? You're just one more person who wants to tell me what to do and where to live."

Eli grimaced. "It wasn't exactly like that. I hoped you'd want to stay, but I was prepared to let you go."

"How generous of you." I turned toward the door, my heart breaking in two. I loved Eli, and this was how he treated me? I thought he admired my spirit, but he wanted to contain it just like everyone else.

"I'm sorry, Scarlett," Eli said to my back as my hand turned the knob.

"I need to think." I couldn't while I was in his condo, smelling his scent and surrounded by memories of us.

"I can respect that."

I opened the door, and Eli took it from me, holding it.

"Can we talk later? After you've had some time to think about things?" His voice was pleading and sincere, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel later.

I stepped into the hallway and turned to face him. "I got a job offer today in Tennessee. It's a lead in a play I've done before. It would be easy just to step in and take over."

His forehead wrinkled, and pain flashed across his face. "You're going to take it."

"It's what I was waiting for." I was hoping I could talk to Eli and get some clarity. But everything I thought I knew about our relationship was wrong.

"I never meant to hurt you," Eli said.

I nodded because my throat was too tight to speak right now. Then I forced myself to walk away from him and unlock my door. Once I was safely inside, the tears fell. I slid to the ground in shock as to how he bought a theater without me knowing and intended to use it to keep me here. I couldn't believe that someone I loved could do that.

I thought he was different than my family. That he wanted me to be whoever and whatever I wanted to be. But he was just like the others. Everyone wanted to control what I did. The only way to be free was to take the job in Tennessee. This time, I'd save my earnings. Maybe I could buy my own theater one day.

Eventually, I forced myself to get up and move to the bedroom. I was hungry and thirsty, but I couldn't eat or drink. Everything hurt too much. Eli wasn't the person I thought he was, and I shouldn't have been shocked. We'd only been together for a short time. We weren't supposed to fall in love. I'd broken the rules, and this was to be expected.

I'd get over the betrayal eventually. But in the meantime, I'd figure out what I wanted to do. I tossed and turned. Every time I thought about leaving Telluride, it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest.

I didn't fall asleep until the sky was lighter. I eventually woke to my doorbell buzzing. I didn't want to answer because it could only be Eli, and I wasn't ready to talk to him again.

I padded to the door, not caring how I looked. I was positive my eyes were red and puffy from crying, my hair standing on end.

I opened the door to Marigold.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her as she stormed in.

I closed the door behind her.

Marigold spun to face me. "I heard that Eli bought the theater."

"He said you didn't know." My brain wasn't firing on all cylinders this morning. I moved toward the coffee pot, scooping beans into the machine.

"I can't believe he did that."

"Who buys a theater?" I asked her, happy to have someone else to hash this out with who appeared to be on my side.

Marigold deflated. “It’s kind of romantic."

My heartbeat slowed, and I turned to face her. "You think it's romantic to buy a building for someone? "

Marigold nodded as if I was dense. "He should have talked to you about it. But you have to admit it’s a thoughtful thing to do."

My gaze narrowed on her. "He was trying to manipulate me into staying."

Marigold gestured wildly with her hands. "Is that why he did it? Or was it to create a space for our play? You have to admit it was nice to have the rehearsal space, and he ordered our costumes and helped build the sets."

I frowned. "I thought he said he called in a favor for that."

"He called in a favor to help you."

There was an accusation in her eyes. "Whose side are you on?"

Marigold sighed, her shoulders lowering. "Yours. I'm always on yours."

"It doesn't feel like it." I went back to scooping beans, having forgotten how many I'd already added. The coffee wouldn't taste good, but then nothing felt right at this point. My whole world had been tossed on its end.

Marigold tugged on my hand. "What's going through your head?"

I let her pull me away from the machine. "He went behind my back and bought the theater. Then he lied about it by omission. I feel betrayed."

"Okay. That's fair. But now that you've had a chance to think about it, have you changed your mind about his motivations?"

I pressed my lips into a straight line. "He wants to get me to stay in Telluride like everyone else. I trusted him."

Marigold let go of my arm and took a step back. "We all want you to stay. Your parents. Chance. Me. And now Eli. Is that so bad?"

"You know I've always worked elsewhere. I need to travel." It didn't hold the same appeal it once had though.

"I thought you enjoyed teaching."

"I did." I chewed on my bottom lip .

"But you don't see yourself doing it long-term?"

The idea of owning my own theater was attractive. But Eli owned this one. "I work for free. That's not really sustainable long-term."

"I'm sure you could have worked out something with Eli."

"It doesn't feel right. My boyfriend shouldn't be my boss. I feel manipulated into this situation. I don't even know what I want anymore." I threw my hands up in the air.

"I guess you need to figure it out."

"Great. Now you're mad at me too." I gave up on getting coffee anytime soon and leaned against the counter.

"I get that you feel blindsided, but I don't think Eli was trying to hurt you."

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

"There was an interest in the classes, and we didn't have anyone who could teach it but you. I thought you might like it. That it might be good for you. Are you really happy traveling all over the place? Never putting down roots?"

"I thought I was."

Marigold sighed. "You need to figure things out. I'm going to leave you alone."

I walked her to the door, unsure of what was happening. Marigold never got mad at anyone, but she seemed frustrated with me.

She paused at the door. "You need to figure out what you want. Because those of us left behind are affected by you coming and going. And I don't think I can do it anymore."

My heart stilled. "I don't understand. We've always been friends."

"On your terms. When you want to keep in contact. When you want to come home. And you only returned this time because you quit your last position. But you've never even told me why. You don't trust me."

"To be fair, I'm not sure I trust anyone. "

"That's messed up."

My cheeks heated.

Marigold opened the door and slammed it shut. Her walking out said something. I'd screwed up. I was hurting the people I left behind. I hadn't thought about it like that before. I'd only considered it in selfish terms. People would do anything to get me to stay, and I wanted to be free. But what if these people loved me and wanted more, but I couldn't give it? Or didn't want to. What kind of a person did that make me?