Page 98 of Booked on You
I tuck my lips into my mouth. Scarlett is too quick-witted for her own good.
“This is my ex-fiancée, Sara, who was just leaving,” I say.
Scarlett’s eyes slide over me, and a flash of understanding passes between us. She’s handling herself with calm grace, but I find the situation infuriating.
“Ezra and I have history,” Sara says, still holding the donut box in her grasp. “I can’t just be erased.”
“I don’t want to erase anything,” Scarlett replies evenly. “But the past should stay there. It helps no one to look backward.”
“How would you know?”
Scarlett laughs. “Oh, trust me, I know thatverywell.”
I step forward, placing my hand on Sara’s shoulder. “It’s time to go.”
Sara takes a reluctant step back, eyes flicking toward Scarlett, frustration evident in her expression.
Scarlett doesn’t give any fake pleasantries or even anice to meet you. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Sara turns on her heels. The sweet-girl mask she was wearing has slipped away, and I see the woman I broke up with. The woman who throws a fit when she doesn’t get her way.
“What are you going to do, marry her?” Sara asks, her tone laced with attitude.
“Possibly,” I say blankly, staring at her.
Sara’s nostrils flare, and I see her spinning out of control. “Can’t help but notice she looks nothing like me.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask. “This behavior isn’t healthy.”
“Because I love you, and I didn’t want to believe there was anyone else. I thought we still had a chance,” she says, growing more upset.
“We don’t. There is someone else, and you just stormed into my house acting like a jealous ex. We’re over. We’ve been over for years. We weren’t compatible.” I shake my head.
“Yes, we were,” she tells me.
I place my hands on her shoulders. “We had some good times together, but we argued a lot. You wanted me to quit my passion. That’s unforgivable.”
“I’ve apologized,” she whispers.
“That’s how you felt. Own it,” I tell her, exhaling. “I wish you the best, Sara. But please don’t do this again.”
“I was hopeful,” she says, before walking down the porch steps.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her.
A few tears drip down her face as she climbs inside her car. I never wanted to see her like that. Seconds later, she’s backing out of the driveway. There’s a finality to our relationship that’s both a relief and way overdue.
I shut the door, then I return to the kitchen. Scarlett hasn’t moved from her spot against the counter. Her fingers are still wrapped around her coffee mug, eyes fixed on me.
I step back into the kitchen, our eyes meeting. “I wasn’t expecting?—”
“An ambush by your ex?” she finishes, raising an eyebrow as she lifts the mug. “I gathered that. Honestly, don’t be surprisedif mine tracks me down, too. They lose their minds when they realize you’re actually moving on.”
“Yeah,” I say, moving toward her.
“You saidex-fiancée,” Scarlett says. “You almost married her?”
“Yes, but after my mom passed away, I was in a bad place. I thought I’d lost who I was because the grief was so overwhelming. I was depressed and felt lost. Sara didn’t understand it and encouraged me to quit the thing that connected me so closely to my mother.”
Scarlett reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me toward her. “She wanted you to quit being a potter?”
