“Things sort of happened?” Mo asked, jokingly. “You’re such a romantic, bro.”
“You know what I mean,” Diego said. “Some women don’t care as much about the words. It’s action that matters.”
“You have a point,” Mo said, laughing.
Actually, his older brother did have a point. Was he worrying this entire situation to death? Trying to make something out of it that wasn’t there? She was here and she was pregnant and they were together.
“I agree, but I want to add one thing, Alec. Helena didn’t need me to up my game. She’d been ready since that seconddate, too. She’d just been afraid to tell me,” Malcolm said. “Sometimes in love you have to take a risk.”
“Wow, I’m a few minutes late and I walk in on a therapy session,” Bart said as he approached.
“Hey, not all of us can rely on an accent to charm women,” Alec said, going over to give Bart a one-armed hug.
“It’s not just the accent,mi amigo,” Bart said. “I can try to teach you boys, but I think it might be something you’re born with.”
There was a lot of good-natured ribbing as they started playing pool. Alec realized that despite the fact that he hadn’t really told them the entire situation with Scarlet, his friends had given him some solid advice.
Now if he could figure out a way to charm Scarlet into staying in Cole’s Hill. Into believing that he’d make a good father for their baby and that he was worth the risk of staying here.
He went to take another swallow of his beer and realized it was empty. The clubhouse kept the bar and the fridge behind it fully stocked in the pool rooms so he went and grabbed another drink. He had a lot to think about and the answer wasn’t that hard to figure out. He needed to ask Scarlet to stay or at least to stay in his life.
Scarlet wassurprised when she opened the door and saw Mrs. Velasquez standing there with Lulu at her heels two days later. The dog barked once and then when Mrs. Velasquez leaned down to pet her, stood up on her back legs and just watched her. Alec’s mom was a morning news presenter in Houston and commuted to the city every day. So on her days off—according to Alec—she usually spent her time chilling out. But here she was on Scarlet’s doorstep.Though the two women had met before, they really hadn’t spent much time alone talking.
“Hello, Scarlet. I’m sorry for the intrusion. I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to chat with me.”
“I can,” Scarlet said as her dog danced around her feet. “I was actually about to take this one for a walk. Would you like to join me?”
“That would be nice,” Mrs. Velasquez said.
“Come on inside while I get her harness and leash, Mrs. Velasquez,” Scarlet said, stepping back into the foyer.
“Please call me Elena.”
“Of course,” Scarlet said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes... It’s just I haven’t had a chance to get to know you and I know you and Alec have been spending a lot of time together...”
“And?”
“And I wanted a chance to just chat with you. Bianca said you’re funny and smart and I think I was a bit jealous,” Elena said with a laugh.
Scarlet realized that Alec’s mom was here to see what kind of woman she was. How she would suit her son. And it was interesting—she didn’t think she’d ever been in a situation like this before.
She got the dog’s leash and they started out on their walk. The weather today was a bit cooler but not really cold.
They made small talk about the town and the upcoming open-air movie night in the park and then finally Elena stopped walking and sighed. “My husband said don’t go over there, you’ll make things awkward, and I hate to admit it but he was right, wasn’t he?”
Scarlet shrugged. “I think so. I’m not sure what you want to know about me.”
“I don’t know, either. I miss out on what goes on in the daily routine of my kids and my husband because I do themorning news show and I’m gone a lot. And I didn’t get a chance to know you at the polo match. It just wasn’t the right time. I should have invited you to lunch or something,” Elena said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I pretty much grew up without my mother, so I have no idea how to deal with situations like this,” Scarlet admitted. Talking about her mom always made her feel hollow and empty.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Elena said. “I did know your mom had passed away... I read your bio online, and am familiar with your TV show. Seems like you’ve had your share of tragedy.”
Scarlet wasn’t sure where this was leading and she didn’t really want to talk to Alec’s mom, but she wasn’t going to be rude. Plus, she and Alec had had a paternity test just to resolve the issue and make sure there were no lingering questions, so she could speak with absolute assurance if the subject came up with Mrs. Velasquez.
“I have, but I’m sure that’s not why you wanted to chat,” Scarlet said. She wondered if Elena knew she was pregnant. Scarlet had the tiniest belly but it wasn’t visible beneath the baggy top she had on.