“Then you’ll tell her the truth when we get home. She may cry, but it’s part of life and we can’t shield her from it,” she told him gently.
Scarlett reached for the garage door she had entered earlier with Kassie and overheard Catherine’s conversation with her husband. Leo’s wife hit the nail on the head. Like his little girl, Scarlett couldn’t remain shielded from the truth. Ice gave her independence, but she would always remain in the dark.
Ty watched Scarlett,wondering what he said. She seemed fine while they chatted and discussed the food. He must’ve said something to her during their discussion of hobbies that made her uncomfortable. Going over the conversation in his head, Ty didn’t detect anything offensive to make her want to leave abruptly.
“Hey, Ty.” Patch sat in the chair Scarlett vacated while Knight sat on the sofa.
“Hi. How do José and Lucas feel about leaving on Monday?” Ty asked, trying to remain sociable while his mind stayed on Scarlett.
“They’re ready,” Patch said, taking a bite out of his burger. “It seems like we’ve seen you around here a bit more often these days.”
“Every time I’ve seen you, you’re with Scarlett,” Knight informed him.
Recognizing their plan to interrogate him, Ty played it cool. “She’s very interesting.”
“Yeah, “ Patch agreed. “From the way you stared at her ass, we kinda figured she caught your attention.”
“Hey. She’s very intelligent and has a sense of humor,” Ty defended her.
“Yeah, buddy. Did her ass talk to you? Because you seem mighty focused on it,” Patch said, grinning slyly.
Ty narrowed his eyes. “I watched her to make sure she navigated the house with Ice all right. She’s not visited enough to know the layout.”
“Knight, did Scarlett have a GPS signal on her ass? I didn’t see one,” Patch continued, harassing him.
“I didn’t see anything, but I’m not stupid enough to keep staring at another woman’s bum, especially with my wife nearby,” Knight answered.
“I followed his line of sight, not her ass,” Patch goaded.
“Uncle Patch, you owe me fifteen dollars,” Melody said, holding out her hand.
“For what? I swear, you’re your father’s daughter. You sneak up on people like Leo. Did you finish roasting marshmallows?” he asked.
Melody’s hands went to her hips. “Daddy sent me up to get him more hot dogs. You said a bad word three times.”
Patch grunted, pulled out his wallet, and handed her a twenty. “You got me. What do you plan to spend it on?”
“It goes in Aunt Claire’s swear jar. Maybe she can buy the stuff she told my Mama about,” Melody explained.
Patch sat up. “What kinds of things did she talk about?”
Melody shrugged. “I don’t know. Aunt Kassie, Mama, and she whispered. Aunt Claire said she didn’t want you to know, so even if I knew, girl code comes first.”
Patch pulled out another twenty. “Here. You might as well keep it. I have a feeling I’m not goingto like this.”
Ty chuckled as Leo’s daughter squealed and ran to the group of kids, forgetting all about the hot dogs. “Gee, I wonder what two nurses and your fiancée might want to keep as a secret,” he gloated.
Patch turned pale. “Knight, keep ribbing him till I return. I gotta talk to Claire.”
Knight watched his best friend stalk toward the group of women. “Nice, play,” he complimented Ty. “Sledge has talked about Scarlett with the team. We’re only giving you grief. Everyone at the hospital seems to like her.”
“Yeah. Allie says she’s a fast learner. It’s the reason they allowed her to take Ice this soon,” Ty informed him.
“Why did she leave?” Knight asked.
“I don’t know. She claimed to have a headache, but I’m not sure if she told the truth,” Ty admitted.
“I’m speaking from experience. Don’t let her go without talking to her. If you’re interested, let her know,” Knight advised.
