Page 13 of Loving Violet
“Me too,” I reply, feeling content. “Here’s to new beginnings and making things happen.”
“To new beginnings,” Josy echoes, raising her glass. The clinking of glasses marks the start of an exciting journey ahead, both in friendship and in business.
After dinner, Adrian heads to his room to finish his homework, and Josy and I sit on the couch, enjoying the last of the cinnamon bread sticks. We talk about our plans for the coffee shop, brainstorming ideas for social media campaigns and special promotions.
By the time Josy leaves, I feel more confident about the future. I tuck Adrian into bed, and as I kiss him goodnight, I’m filled with gratitude for this fresh start.
“Night, Mom,” Adrian says sleepily.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” I whisper, turning off the light. “Sweet dreams.”
As I lay in bed, I think about the day's events and smile. Despite the rough start, it turned out to be a pretty good day. I close my eyes, ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
Chapter 7
Austin
How isit possible that I can’t stop thinking about my beautiful attacker?
Since the moment I exited Josy’s Coffee Shop, I have been repeating the encounter in my head. There’s something about her that I can’t shake.And I can’t stop obsessing over it. What is it about this woman that has captured my attention?
Her eyes, the color of honey, pulled me in from the first glance. The way her face was concentrating on making sure to clean the coffee off my chest was beautiful. She wasn’t even smiling, and I was captivated. If I had to make up the perfect woman for me, she would be it. This has never happened to me before.She is undeniably the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen. The instant attraction is not lost on me. She has that shy type of aura around her, like she doesn’t even realize how gorgeous she is and that calls to me.
I've had plenty of one-night stands, casual flings, and relationships that never went beyond surface-level attraction—but this was different. There was something about her, a genuine sincerity in her actions that I found incredibly appealing. I can’t even explain why, but it felt like there was an instant connection, mimicking the love found in fairytales, the love I swore I would never find.
As I drive home, I try to focus on the road, but my mind keeps wandering back to her. I remember the way her hair fell over her shoulder as she apologized, the way her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. She looked like she belonged in some romantic movie, not spilling coffee on strangers in a small-town coffee shop.
By the time I pull into my driveway, I’ve decided that I need to know more about her. Maybe it’s a long shot, but I can’t let this go without at least trying to see her again. I don’t even know her name, but I know I need to find out.
The next morning, I find myself back at Josy’s Sweet Shop—earlier than usual. The bell jingles as I enter, and Josy looks up from behind the counter with a smile, but she is too busy to talk to me.
Today, the coffee shop is more crowded than usual for a morning. There’s even a long line of people waiting to be served. I look around, trying to find my beautiful attacker from yesterday, but I haven’t been able to locate her yet.
Did I just call her mine? I’ve got it bad for this woman.
I hope she’s here today. I need a glimpse of her to see that I’m not crazy, that yesterday happened, and there’s a connection. My mom always told me I’d find my dream girl when I least expected it.
Dream girl? Now I’m really losing it.
I stand at the end of the line and greet Mrs. Mirtha and Mrs. Henrietta. “Good morning, ladies,” I say.
“Good morning, young man. How are you on this fine August morning?” Mrs. Mirtha replies.
“I’m doing great. How about you? I’ve never seen you in the coffee shop this early.”
“Well, there is a new girl who moved here recently, and everyone is talking about her,” Mrs. Henrietta says, her voice almost a whisper. These old ladies are the gossip queens of our town. If you want to know something, you come to them, and you’ll get all the details. I guess my pretty girl has caught their attention.
I act like I don’t know who they’re talking about and say, “Really? What about her?”
Mrs. Mirtha and Mrs. Henrietta exchange a knowing glance, their eyes sparkling with the thrill of sharing the latest gossip.
“Oh, she’s a real sweetheart,” Mrs. Mirtha begins, leaning in conspiratorially. “Moved here just recently, and from what we hear, she’s trying to get settled in. Poor thing had a bit of a rough start yesterday, though.”
“Yes, I heard she spilled coffee on some poor man,” Mrs. Henrietta adds, her voice dropping to a whisper as if she’s sharing a secret.
“Really?” I say, feigning surprise while internally cursing my luck. Of course they would know about the coffee incident. “I hope he wasn’t too upset.”
“Oh, no, he was very understanding, from what we’ve heard,” Mrs. Mirtha assures me with a wink. “But it’s her second day, and everyone’s eager to see how she’s doing. We all want to make sure she feels welcomed.”
