Page 28 of Loving Violet
“Why are you flirting with me?” she asks, her expression earnest.
I pause for a moment, searching for the right words. “Why wouldn’t I?” I reply honestly. “Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You are a gorgeous woman, and I hope I’m not being too forward, but I’m extremely attracted to you. Since the moment you spilled coffee on me and I got a glimpse of you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and I hold my breath, waiting for her response. This is it—the moment of truth.
"Really?" Violet's says in disbelief.
"Yes. I was hooked from the first moment."
A soft chuckle escapes her lips. "I guess that Josy was right."
"Right about what?" I ask, curious to hear Josy's insights.
She hesitates for a moment. "She told me that you come to the shop every morning and that you are always paying attention to me, and..."
I lean forward slightly, waiting for her to finish her sentence. I need to know what Josy has been saying about me.
“Well, Josy said that I was blind if I didn’t notice that you were attracted to me,” Violet admits, her cheeks flushing slightly.
I chuckle softly, feeling relieved. “I guess Josy did notice. I have not been very subtle.”
Violet laughs, a sound that fills the air with warmth and lightness. "I'm glad she did. It's nice to know that I wasn't imagining things."
"Definitely not," I assure her with a smile. "I've been looking forward to this lunch date all week."
"Me too," she admits, her eyes meeting mine with a newfound confidence. "And I have to say, it's been a while since I've felt this excited about something."
All of a sudden, I see her face and body language change, almost tense and very pensive.
"Then I'm glad I could be a part of it, "I reply sincerely, trying to maintain the connection. I stare at Violet’s beautiful eyes and give her a small smile. But her posture doesn’t relax; it’s like she just realized that I am flirting with her or she said something that she wasn’t supposed to.
She straightens herself and says, “So, what happens next?” changing the subject.Did I do something wrong?I thought she was flirting with me, but she just did a 180.
We sit in silence for a moment, the connection between us growing stiffer. Then I break the silence with a gentle smile. "The next step is to talk a little more about your dream home. I want to make sure it's perfect for you and Adrian."
Violet's smile returns, more genuine this time. "Yes, let's do that. I can't wait to see what you've come up with next."
As we dive back into discussing the plans for her new home, I can't help but feel more determined than ever to make this work. Not only the house, but also making sure that I am the one that gets to see that smile each day.
When we are almost wrapping up our meeting, Violet's phone rings. She picks it up from the table. I can't hear whoever is on the other side, but I can see that Violet’s face is now filled with worry.
“Okay, I will be there in a few minutes,” Violet says to the caller and starts to stand up. She hangs up the phone and says to me, “I have to leave. The school nurse just called to let me know that Adrian is not feeling well and that he was vomiting. I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay. We can meet later and finish discussing the changes we just talked about.”
“Sure. Call me and we can set up a time.”
Violet gives me a smile and then walks over to Josy, presumably to let her know that she needs to leave. She goes to the back, and then returns with her purse, giving me one last apologetic look before heading out the door. I stay seated, taking deep breaths and trying to understand what just happened. As I gather the papers and place them back into my folder, Josy sits down in the chair that Violet just vacated.
"Hey, Austin," Josy says, giving me a knowing look. "Rough meeting?"
"Yeah," I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "She seemed really excited at first, but then she just...shut down. I don’t get it."
Josy nods sympathetically. "Violet’s been through a lot. It’s not easy for her to let her guard down."
"I just want to make this perfect for her and Adrian," I say, frustration creeping into my voice. "And maybe get to know her better in the process."
Josy takes a deep breath and leans in closer. "Austin, there's more to Violet's story than you might realize. She's been through hell and back with her ex-husband, Taylor."
