Page 76 of Wallflower
There’s an odd silence that lasts long enough that I consider rushing in to fix whatever’s gone wrong, but then they start laughing.
“Okay, it wasn’t the best start,” Violet admits. “But it didn’t cause any permanent damage.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Another pause before Charlie adds, “So… If that’s all, I guess we should probably get back out there.”
“Um. Wait. There is one more thing.”
“Okay?”
“The San Francisco Fury are coming to Aster Springs a week from tomorrow to train at the rink just outside of town,” Violet says in a tumbled rush. “We’ve hired it out for the day and everything.”
There’s another pause, and I frown as Charlie asks the exact thing I’m thinking.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“It’s a closed session, but I’m going to take my dad along to watch—he’s a huge Fury fan—and I thought… I mean I wondered if perhaps you’d like to come too? All of you—Finn, Dylan and Izzy, and Daisy. I know it’s been difficult in the past to get away from the ranch and travel to Chord’s games, but I bet he’d love to see you at training. You don’t have to be there for the whole day, of course, but it might be fun to stop by and take a look?”
More silence, and I swallow thickly.
“I don’t think so,” she says. “Maybe some other time.”
I love Violet for trying, but I knew there was no way Charlie would want to watch me train. And even though I was expecting it, her answer kicks me in the gut.
“Oh.” Violet’s voice is small, and I hate that she’s disappointed on my behalf. “Okay. But if you change your mind, we’ll be there all day for drills and practice and team-building games. You can drop by anytime.”
“I—” Charlie stops, and I hold my breath. “I’ll think about it.”
Violet’s exhalation echoes my own. “Great,” she says. “That’s… That’s great.”
At the sounds of movement in the kitchen, I move further into the hallway and wait for Violet to appear before I follow her into the empty living room. I clasp her hand before she knows I’m there, and she gasps as I spin her into my arms.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so fucking lucky you were in the Fury boardroom that day.”
She slides her hands around my neck and, with a puzzled little smile, twists her fingers into my hair. “Where did this come from?”
I rock our bodies from side to side as if there were music, slow dancing with my girl in the silence. “Tonight was just that good.”
“I had a nice time too.” She hums and snuggles against my chest, then chokes back a giggle.
“What?” I look down, but she’s burrowed against my body. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just…” She finally meets my eyes. “What you said about being in the boardroom that day. I was so scared of you that I wanted to fall through the floor. I went home that night and told my dad I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Chord Davenport had hired me to be his assistant. My only plan for this summer was to reach the end of it without getting fired.”
I swallow a lump of shame and hold her tighter. “And now?”
“Now I can’t believe how lucky I was that you saw me at all.”
I’d give almost anything to rewrite the way we met, but I’m determined to make it up to her for as long as she’ll let me. “I saw you, Wallflower. I saw you, and I haven’t been able to look away ever since.”
She rests her head on my chest and sinks against me with a sigh.
“A million dollars for your thoughts?” I ask.
“I was just thinking how much has changed. I didn’t want this summer to happen at all, and now…” It should be impossible for her voice to grow quieter, but it does. “Now, I never want it to end.”
I stroke her hair, set my cheek on her head, and share my dream in a whisper. “Maybe it doesn’t have to.”
thirty
