Page 76 of She Was Made for Me

I nod. “Yeah. I’m really happy with the way we’ve struck a balance between the historical and the modern.”

“You ever think about doing this full time?” Bob asks. He holds out the box of leftover donuts from this morning and I take the last cruller.

“Idodo this full time.”

“Not in the city,” Ryan points out. “This must be quite different from what you do back home.”

Back home.

I think of my cabin by the lake, the place I yearned for when I first got to New York, but have thought about a lot less since I’ve had Violet in my bed. Kennebec County felt like home from the moment I moved there, but lately I’ve felt right at home here, with Vi. It’s almost as though we’ve lived an entire lifetime in the last couple weeks, and I’m not sure I can go back to Maine, to the life I had before. To my life without Violet.

But what choice do I have? Rich and Diana return to the city today, and this has to end. I could ignore the guilt while her parents were out of town, but I don’t think I could look Rich in the eye knowing I’m secretly sleeping with his daughter. I couldn’t live with myself.

Besides, even if we didn’t have the issue of Rich, things still couldn’t be any more than they are. My life is in Maine, and Violet’s life is on the West Coast. We said we’d spend two weeks exploring this, and now our time is up.

“Yeah, it’s different.” I tear off a piece of cruller with a frown.

“You have to admit it’s nice to work on these grand old buildings,” Dale says with a wistful smile. “So much history. I like to see them restored like this.”

Ryan nods in agreement. “I’d be interested in working on more places like this. If you decide to stay in the city, I think we make a pretty good team.”

I cast my gaze across the crew, all looking at me expectantly. “What are you saying?”

Bob chuckles. “We’re talking about doing this on other houses. Starting a business that specializes in historical restorations in these old New York neighborhoods.”

“Well,you’drun the business,” Phil says. “We’d be the crew.”

My eyebrows spring up in surprise. “You’ve discussed this?”

“Sure.” Dale sets his empty coffee cup down. “We were all at a loose end before Richard hired us for this project. As good as it will be to see it finished, I’ll be sad when it’s over.”

I scratch absently at my beard, contemplating the idea. They’re a good group of guys, hardworking yet easygoing, and we do make a good team. But the thing that’s made this entire project tick over so smoothly isn’t us. It’s Violet. It’s her meticulous planning, her staying on top of every aspect of the project, her energy and enthusiasm. As much as I love these historical buildings, as much as I’ve enjoyed this project, I don’t think it would be the same without her.

I finish my cruller, saying nothing. The guys disperse to continue working for the afternoon, and I trudge upstairs to sand the floorboards. Most of the work is done up here, so we’re moving on to finishing the floors. I spend almost two hours sanding, lost in thought, before heading into the bathroom to wash the dust from my hands.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror above the sink, thinking about Violet. I’ve felt like a different man these past two weeks. There’s a light in my eyes I haven’t seen in a very long time, a smile that won’t leave my mouth. Only now it’s fading, knowing what’s coming.

“There you are.” Violet appears in the mirror behind me, smiling. “I’ve finished the last coat on the basement wall. It’s going to look good.”

I exhale, turning to lean back against the sink and study her. She looks different lately, too—her skin is a darker shade of olive from working in the garden, her complexion pinker and healthier thanks to less time in front of her laptop, her eyes bright. All the sex is probably helping, but it’s more than that. She’s happy in a way she wasn’t when she arrived here, and so am I. If only we could freeze time and live inside the past two weeks forever.

She glances over her shoulder to check we’re alone, then steps closer, between my outstretched legs, sliding her arms around my waist. Her face tilts up to mine and I brush my lips over hers with a deep sigh, my heart aching in a way I’m not used to. A way I’ll never get used to. I want to tell her that I don’t want it to be over, not yet, but I know it will only hurt us both if I drag it out.

A buzz in my pocket jolts me from my thoughts, and Violet steps back, pulling her own phone out. We stare down at our screens in tandem.

Rich: We’re coming out to the Heights this evening. Let’s meet for dinner, the four of us, so you can update us on the house.

My shoulders sag with disappointment, which is quickly chased by guilt. I should be happy at catching up with my friend and his wife for dinner, but all I can think about is how this is it. I have to face Rich and I can’t keep lying to him. I need to end things with Violet. It’s the right thing to do.

I send a reply telling him we’ll be there, then stuff my phone back in my pocket with a weighted sigh. I glance up to find Violet gazing at me, her eyebrows knitted, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she slides her phone away. She knows what’s coming and she doesn’t want it any more than I do.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I murmur, stepping forward to press a chaste kiss to her hair.

“Me too.”

“It’s just what needs to be done.”

She swallows. “I know.”

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