Saturday night was the first time Brendan and I spent the night at Rhett’s. Brendan woke up in the middle of night disoriented and upset, but Rhett was great about it and told me to bring him in bed with us. He ended up getting up with him at six, letting me sleep in.
The scraping of chair legs snapped me back to the present. It was Tuesday following the lunch rush, a slow time for us.
“Did you and Mom talk about you taking the marketing position yet?” Hattie asked as she leaned on the back of a chair in the main dining room of the restaurant.
“Yes. She’s completely on board. But like I told Rhett and your mom,Ihaven’t made my decision yet.” I stepped over to the computer to close out the rest of my tables.
“What’s there to think about? It’s perfect.”
“I know. I just…” I bit my lip. “I don’t want to rush into it.”
She mumbled something that I couldn’t quite make out.
“Speak up, Hattie. Biting your tongue is not something you’re good at.” My hands slammed against my hips as I glared at her.
“Iamworried you and Rhett are rushing things.” Her words spilled from her mouth quickly.
“You’re not the only one, apparently.” Honestly, I might have been one of them. I didn’t believe we were, but between my dad and most of Rhett’s family, I was questioning it. But it felt so right.
Hattie’s voice forced me back to our conversation. “Mom keeps reminding all of us that this has been a long time coming, and she’s right. It’s not like you two haven’t loved each other since we were kids.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, reminding me so much of Ashley.
I glanced away and chewed on my lip. “Yeah, but he hasn’tsaidthat yet.”
“Oh. Well, you know he does.”
But do I know that?
The computer beeped at me again. “If I take the position, is there room in the budget for a new POS system? Rhett realizes these are ancient, right?”
Hattie laughed. “I’m hoping he’ll listen to you about it better than us, but yes, the money is there. Convincing Rhett it’s a necessity is another story.”
“Leave Rhett to me. Damn, now it’s frozen. Any idea where he is?”
“Oh, I think he’s in his office. But umm—Bella,” Hattie was hot on my heels as I pushed through the door to the back hallway leading to his office. And I stopped dead in my tracks.
What the hell is she doing here?
Sarah and Rhett stepped out of his office. Any remnants of the broken, bruised girl sitting on the floor in a puddle of her own blood were long gone. The tall, big-breasted blonde in a short skirt and low-cut top was back, with a thick layer of makeup and not a hair out of place. Subconsciously, my hand flew to the bird’s nest sitting on top of my head.
My stomach flipped knowing they’d been in his office alone, where apparently, they used to mess around. I swallowed over the lump in my throat as they smiled at each other, and Rhett laughed at something Sarah said.
Sarah’s eyes widened when she spotted me standing at the other end of the hallway.
“Hey, Bella.” Her easy smile as she approached me had me questioning everything I thought I knew about her. She looked like the same Sarah, but something in her demeanor had changed. A softer, gentler side was now obvious.
“Hey,” I mumbled.
What were they doing in his office? The irrational thought knocked the air from my lungs.
I pushed it away. Rhett loved me, not her. Right?
Pull it together!
I glanced over her shoulder, and my eyes locked with Rhett’s. He crossed his arms, and his gaze narrowed like he knew I was upset with the situation. Damn him for always being able to read me well.
“Come on, Sarah. I’ll walk you out,” Hattie said, stepping up next to me.
“I didn’t mean—” Sarah mumbled, looking between Rhett and me.