I smiled brightly for him, but the dread I felt swirling in my stomach only made things worse. I really didn’t want to disappoint my brother, but I also didn’t see how I would possibly find anything likable about Scarlet.
I dragged my feet getting ready as much as humanly possible, even going so far as to pack a lunch just in case she turned me down. But finally, just as I was about to leave her a note, she opened her door and walked out looking like something out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog.
“Oh, you’re here,” she said, her lips pursing in judgment.
“Yes, well, it is my house, too.”
She muttered something under her breath, but I couldn’t hear it.
“Listen, I was thinking we could get together for lunch.”
“Really,” she scoffed, leaning against the counter as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Youwere thinking that?”
“Well, Sawyer wants me to get to know you, and I love my brother, so yes, I was thinking that.”
“Fine,” she said after a minute.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at noon.”
“I can’t do noon. I’m getting my hair done.”
“Then one o’clock,” I said, biting back a vicious retort.
“I suppose I could do that. But you’ll have to pick me up at the salon. I won’t have time to get home. Of course, if I had my own car, I wouldn’t have to rely on you to take me where I need to go,” she said pointedly.
“Then perhaps you could spend the morning looking for a job.”
And with that, I grabbed my purse and walked out. Our lunch was already headed in a terrible direction, and it was bound to get worse before it was over. But at least I could say I tried.
I spent the whole morning thinking of all the nice things I could say to her.
I love your hair. Is that your natural color?
Wow, your breasts are so firm and bouncy. Did husband number one or five buy them for you?
Or my personal favorite…
Are your eyes naturally green, or did they change that shade with every dollar you scammed out of your lovers?
I was being a total bitch, and I hated that. I was never mean to anyone. In fact, I went out of my way to put people in a good mood. I was going to have to try harder if I wanted to keep my brother in my life, and that meant sucking it up and putting my petty comments away for the rest of the day.
By the time the clock struck 12:45, I grabbed my things and locked up, turning the sign on the shop toClosed.I was early, butI was dreading this lunch so much that if I waited any longer, I might not go.
I waited outside Hair She Goes for a good ten minutes when I finally gave up and went in search of her. She was in the corner of the salon, hanging out and drinking coffee with Katie, one of the younger stylists.
“Scarlet,” I interrupted, trying to keep my tone even. “Lunch?”
“Oh, right!” she laughed, finishing off her cup. “I’ll be right there. I just have to pay.” She bent down to pick up her purse and clucked her tongue thoughtfully. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to ask Sawyer for money. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”
I did mind. In fact, I minded very much. I was saving up every penny I had for a new vehicle, and I didn’t waste my money on things I couldn’t afford. I had been cutting my own hair for the past two years!
“Sure,” I answered sweetly.
Do not punch her. Do not trip her. Do not yell at her.
It seemed maybe a bad sign that I started with the worst first and progressively got less aggressive with my intentions. But I pulled out my card, ignoring the burning anger, and swiped it through the card reader. I even managed to avoid choking to death when Katie told me the total was two hundred fifty-seven dollars.
“For a haircut?”
