Page 46 of Love, Magic and Misfortune
Rose finished folding the last towel, then turned and left the room. Violet relaxed into the pillows propping her upright, letting her mind revel in the cool quiet around her, listening for the faintest of sounds. Soon, she heard Rosie and a second, much quieter voice. A voice she knew well.
Rosie reentered the room, her eyes wide in a surprised expression only Violet could see. A moment later, Jasper appeared, cautiously, as if some alarm might go off because of his presence. Violet sat a little straighter, amazed. He looked exhausted again—pale and with dark circles. Except this time, there were raw but faint scratches on his face. He stayed inside the doorframe.
“Hi… are you alright?” His tired face was riddled with concern and other things, too. Stress? Fear? Several emotions not clearly discernible.
“I’m alright,” Violet answered, unable to pull her gaze from him. “Rosie, can we have a little privacy, please?”
Rose lifted her eyebrows and turned slowly. “Suuure… I’ll make some tea.” Jasper stepped aside to let her leave the room, but remained in the doorframe once Rose was gone. He stuck his hands in his coat pockets as he looked at the floor.
“You can come in,” Violet said, her voice soft in the stillness. Jasper shook his head.
“I shouldn’t. I’m not staying. I just wanted to make sure you were okay—”
“Jasper, what did I see?”
He looked up at her now, tired gray eyes full of apprehension and sorrow. “I don’t know what you saw.”
“Why is your face scratched up? And why do you look so tired like this sometimes? As if you haven’t slept in days. Jasper, what the heck—”
“Did you tell anybody?” He took a hesitant step forward, his voice quiet but urgent. “Rose or anyone at the hospital, about what—what you saw?”
Everything about his demeanor read frightened and anxious. It made Violet’s heart ache in the midst of her wild confusion. “No,” she said. “Of course I didn’t. I don’t even understand what I saw to repeat it.”
He relaxed, visibly. His shoulders dropped as he retreated a single step back into the doorframe. “Pleasedon’t say anything to anyone. I’m sorry that I… I shouldn’t have let things get this far. I’m so sorry you had to see that.”
Violet was about to tell him to come closer and sit, but Rose popped up behind him, making Jasper jump at the sound of her voice.
“Do you prefer honey in your tea, Mr. Laurent?” she asked.
“Thank you, but I’m not staying. I just wanted to make sure Violet was alright.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll have my groceries delivered going forward—you don’t need to do that for me anymore. Let’s just end things here. Thank you for helping me, Violet. It was really nice to see you and talk to you again.”
Without another word, he turned and disappeared down the hallway. Rose scoffed. “Did he just fire you from your volunteer work?”
Violet gripped the plush comforter in her fists and took a breath. “Yeah, I think this is the third time he’s fired me? It’s our comedic routine, don’t worry.”
“It didn’t look very funny. Why does he call me, hysterical and worried about you, come over here to check on you, but then tell you he doesn’t want to see you anymore?”
Sinking down further into the bed, Violet closed her eyes. “That’s the question, isn’t it? I don’t know, Rosie. I think I’m done. I’m not going to fight him on this anymore. If he wants to be guarded and isolated, who am I to stop him?”
“Well, you said this is the third time he’s fired you. Maybe third time’s the charm? But Gram did tell you to be patient with him.”
Violet’s eyes flickered open, and she frowned at her sister sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m confused.Youare the one who has been nagging me to let go of Jasper for the past fifteen years. I’m finally in agreement with you and now you flip sides? What is this treachery? What’s with you today?”
Rose drew back slightly, her perfectly arched eyebrow raised. “Well, I—youcouldwalk away. That would be fine, too. Maybe for the best. But I don’t know… He was so distraught when he called. It was sweet. And then he shows up here looking pitiful with a face full of scratches and that messy bedhead. I feel a little sorry for him.”
“When did you grow a heart?”
Rose chuckled. “I know, right? I blame Jillian. Even though she’s working way too much lately.”
“She’s back from Paris, right?”
“Yeah.” Rose sighed. “But now she’s talking about some huge meeting in Berlin. I don’t know. Everything feels so vague and secretive with her lately. I’m trying to trust it, but I have this nagging feeling.”
“What if she’s been lying all this time and is doing something completely off the rails? Like a high-end male brothel.”
“Random. Can we have a variety of genders in this hypothetical brothel?”
Violet shrugged against the bed frame. “Sure. And everything is consensual. Everyone wants to be there.”
