Scarlett Crawford, a widowed mother with a young daughter depending on her, struggling to keep her life and emotions in check, but with the help of her best friend and her big brother she does what she can. But will a chance encounter with an attrac...
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Nikki
Quinn and I were playing Barbies in her room when Letty got home from work. I quickly got up from the floor to go talk to her before she got too comfortable for the evening, no point making bad news worse.
"Hey, how was your day? Where's Quinny?" She asked with a big goofy smile.
"Quinn's in her room with her dolls. We need to talk, sit down." I ushered Letty into the lounge and awkwardly made her sit on the edge of the couch.
"What's going on? You're freaking me out."
"Uh, well um..." I was stalling, and we both knew it.
"Nikki, just tell me what's going on." she asked impatiently.
"Ok, um, well I totally forgot we had a land line phone here till it rang this afternoon and scared the shit out of me. It was Mr Crawford, Andy's dad. He's coming to town and would like a 'sit down' with you to discuss the house and Quinn's future. He sounded pissed and kept calling me Nicole and referred to me as 'the eater'. Asshole."
I'd intentionally rushed through it all. I'd been practicing in my head since I'd gotten off the phone from him. Mr Crawford was still a terrifying man, the few times I'd met him in high school he'd been terrifying. At least he was consistent I guess. I sat down next to the stiff, white knuckled Scarlett. "Are you ok? Do you need me to get you anything? Letty? Scarlett, hello-o." I waved my hands in front of her wide unblinking eyes, yet she remained stiff, her face pale. "Scarlett, you're freaking me out now. Snap out of it." I reached over and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her back to life. Her face went from ghostly white to matador red.
"What the fuck do you mean he wants to talk about the house and Quinn?! He has no right to talk about Quinn! I'm surprised he even remembered her name!" She'd flown from the couch and was storming around the lounge room like an angry red-hot lunatic. "That bastards never met her, never seen a picture of her! He didn't even go to his own son's funeral for fucks sake. This is a joke, this has to be a joke. Or a nightmare." Scarlett flopped down onto the couch, her red face fell into her pale hands.
I rubbed her back reassuringly, hoping to calm her down.
"Do you want some water?" I asked gingerly, I was trying to be supportive without setting her off again. Having to be the bearer of bad news was bad enough.
"No, I just need a minute. Can you start dinner, I need to take a shower." she moved like a zombie from the lounge room across the hall and to her room, closing the door behind her.
Shit. I broke her. I pulled my phone from my pocket as I walked back to check on Quinn. Still happy and oblivious. Phew. I sent Dean a quick text.
Hey, we've just had some bad news here and I need your help to defuse the bomb. Andy's dad called today to talk to Letty, it's bad. Please come over. Now!
