Page 6 of Dr. Scandal Claus

The more I spoke, however, the less fear I saw in her eyes, like my words dissolved it. I never meant to upset her, and the last thing I wanted was to drag anyone into the misery that was my life.

"I'm so sorry. Things were just…"

"Crazy," I said, finishing her sentence.

Scarlett nodded at me and stepped forward. "I shouldn't have acted that way. It was completely wrong of me to just believe therumors. Even the newspaper made such a big deal of it. I wish I'd have done things differently back then." The look of genuine remorse in her eyes made me feel comfort from another human being for the first time in eight years.

"Well, hindsight…You know what they say." I shrugged but I knew I had no shot with her at all. If she wanted nothing to do with me then, she'd want nothing to do with me now either. My small hometown, where she also lived now apparently, had never forgotten and they'd never let me forget either.

"I'm sorry, I should have been honest with you when you stopped by my bakery. I just…The other customers." She winced but I understood that too.

"At least you were kind enough to serve me and not kick me out." I chuckled, which she looked confused about. But I'd been living this for long enough I could laugh at the ridiculousness of it at times. Other times, it hurt bad enough to make me want to leave and never come back.

"Well, I'm sorry anyway…" She looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "Have coffee with me. It's the least I can do to say I'm sorry."

I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. She wanted to have coffee with me? Was she nuts?

"I probably shouldn't. People will talk. I'd hate to drag you into my mess." It pained me to say it, but I knew protecting her was the right choice. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

"That's silly. People talk about everything. I want to have coffee with you, Saturday, at the Christmas market…Will you meet me there?" Scarlett's eyes seemed to sparkle. How could I say no? I hadn't received an invitation to coffee or dinner, or anything else for that matter in years.

"Alright, if you insist." I smiled, a real, genuine smile and it felt amazing.

"Alright, I'll see you then." Scarlett excused herself, but I stood there for a solid five minutes feeling completely giddy. Maybe my curse was broken. Maybe things were about to change.

5

SCARLETT

Isat on my living room floor with a package on my lap waiting for Ethan to finish putting the ribbon on it. Tomorrow morning was the Christmas market in downtown Evergreen Creek, an outdoor bazaar-type gathering where all the local craft vendors, farmers, and shop owners set up booths to boost their holiday sales and exposure. With only a few days left until Christmas, it was the last-minute jab at making a bit more money.

Ethan had just gotten released from the hospital, and we promised to bring all the gifts he bought for his school friends to the market, but we never finished up wrapping them after what happened. When Nick discharged him, it was with strict orders to rest, and I didn't think wrapping presents would be too strenuous.

"It's perfect," he said, backing up. The bright red bow matched the silver paper, and with a green gift tag it was quite festive. He was smiling now, happier to be allowed to do anything besides sitting in bed. I didn't have any illusions to the fact that bedtime would be difficult. He'd done nothing but lie around for the past three days.

"Next one," I told him, setting the wrapped gift to the side. Not only was I carrying the weight of his sickness on my shoulders, but guilt from my past that I thought I'd dealt with thoroughly was now consuming me.

I had hidden an entire person from Nick for years. When he gave me his number—on his business card—I knew instantly who he was. I'd seen some of the headlines already and I knew his life was a trainwreck. I promised to call him, but that was before I learned who he was, that I'd be sucked into that mess and probably have my name smeared through the papers. I couldn't afford to get bad press back then. My bakery had only just started. I needed it to succeed, and I couldn't throw that away over hot sex.

The spark of connection we had became a one-night stand, and I put it behind me, until months later when I learned I was pregnant, and I knew immediately whose it was. Guilt suffocated me for months as I decided to bury the secret. It consumed me postpartum too, when I should have been bonding with my son, but I spent weeks crying and wound up on anti-depressants.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Ethan the instant I felt him kick the first time. But being a single mom was so hard. On top of that, hiding the father of my baby wasn't easy. I had to give him my last name, keep Nick's name off the birth certificate, lie to my family and friends, and if that wasn't enough, I had to do it all alone. No one knew. Not a single soul.

"This one," Ethan announced, and he handed me a football he picked out for his best friend. "But maybe it just needs a ribbon. It's a weird shape." He plopped onto the floor and picked up the bag of ribbons, but he frowned at me. "You're sad, Mommy."

The weight on my shoulders should never have been visible to my boy, but he was so compassionate, I knew I'd never hide it from him.

"Just a little worried," I told him, though I didn't tell him about what. He was way too young to listen to me vent, and how would I ever bring up the real worry I had? If Nick told me, as a skilled professional, that Ethan would be fine, then I had to trust that. My worries were deeper now, things a child shouldn't have to know.

"I'm not sick anymore, okay. I'm better, so you don't have to worry." If only it were that simple. I smiled at him, but he wasn't buying it. "I'll be right back," he said, and he shot off to the kitchen.

"Walking!" I shouted, biting my lower lip.

Ethan's pace slowed, but he was still rushing. I hated that for the foreseeable future he wouldn't be a normal kid. His heart needed to rest more, which meant no roughhousing and no sports. It made me sad because Ethan really was so good at everything, so athletic, he could very well grow up to pursue sports as a career, or at the very least, end up with a scholarship to college for something. We just had to fix this heart issue first.

When he came back, it brought tears to my eyes. He had a Christmas cookie on a saucer, and in the other hand he carried a cup of milk. His hands were unsteady, and he dribbled a bit of milk as he set the cup and saucer down on the table, but he beamed with pride.

"Cookies always help me feel better," he said as he sat back down beside me, and I set the football aside to pull him onto my lap.