Page 28 of Follow My Heart

Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, I exchanged text messages with Violet, everything from notes about our day to pictures of her newest ice-cream creation and my runs. It was nice to have someone to talk to. It made me realize I hadn’t had that kind of relationship with Stacy.

She used the classified nature of my job to avoid talking about my day. She used it to turn the focus on her.

It was nice to feel seen again. We hadn’t been able to do another Monday-night cooking class, but Violet had forwarded the class schedule. I liked that she’d gone out of her way to send it to me.

Thanksgiving was my holiday with Faith. I picked her up after school that Wednesday and took her home. Today was the day we were going to get a tree. I was cramming every bit of holiday I could get into this weekend.

Faith would get the full Thanksgiving experience with my family, and even get to decorate a tree. I planned to find one for ourselves and one for Violet. Maybe two if she wanted one for her house too. She hadn’t said.

I insisted on picking up Violet. I bought a few tree stands since it was my first time putting up a tree, and I wasn’t sure if Violet had any.

We pulled up to her house, which was in a newer neighborhood a few minutes away from her grandfather. I was sure that was on purpose. She wouldn’t want to be far from George even if he insisted he was fully capable of taking care of himself.

I parked behind her small sedan in the driveway.

Violet came outside before I could open my door.

I hurried to the passenger-side door to open it for her.

“Hello,” Violet said with a smile, handing me two to-go mugs. “I made hot chocolate.”

I heard Faith’s squeal from the backseat.

“Someone’s happy.”

Violet leaned in so I could smell the lavender in her shampoo. “The question is, are you?” Then she climbed into the truck, and I was left feeling like she’d lit a match on my body and I was burning out of control.

I was excited in a way I hadn’t been since we went to her shop to make ice cream.

I handed Faith one of the mugs, leaning over Violet in the process. I felt satisfied at the hitch in her breath. It was proof that I wasn’t the only one affected.

Then I closed her door and rounded the hood to get into the driver’s seat. This was different because I was showing her my childhood home, sharing something with her that was important to me and my family.

I sipped the hot chocolate. “Are there marshmallows in here?”

“What’s hot chocolate without marshmallows?” Violet asked with a sexy shrug.

I wanted to tell her how I felt, but my daughter sat in the back seat watching our every move. She was aware that I’d arranged for Violet to join us but not all the other texts we’d exchanged over the last few weeks that had nothing to do with cutting down a Christmas tree.

“May I?” Violet’s hand hovered over the radio.

“Of course.” I backed out of her driveway, feeling oddly complete with Violet in the front passenger seat and Faith in the rear.

Violet settled on a station that played holiday tunes and displayed a red stocking over its logo.

“It’s too early for Christmas music,” Faith said from the back seat, but her voice had a teasing quality to it.

“It’s never too early for Christmas music, especially when it feels like winter.” Violet rubbed her hands together to warm them.

“I’d love to live in Florida.”

“It gets really hot in the summer, and I missed living here,” Violet said over her shoulder.

“Why did you move that summer before third grade?” I asked her.

“My parents were worried I was getting too close to a certain boy.”

My head swiveled to see her teasing expression.

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