Page 9 of Might as Well

Talk about putting the cart before the horse. We’re in the early stages of things; I don’t need to think too far ahead just yet.

“Do you get those often?” I ask.

Violet nods.

“Always that bad?”

“More often than not. Did you sleep okay?”

I nod.

“You look nice gussied up in a suit. Wouldn’t have expected you to wear one for your type of work.”

A grin quickly leaps onto my face. “Protocol for games,” I explain. “How’d you end up at the arena last night?”

“Cassie took a pair of tickets off a friend of hers who couldn’t go and insisted I tag along. Certainly wasn’t expecting to see you.” Violet drops her gaze to her mug. “I didn’t tell anyone what happened in Vegas and I got in such a tizzy over seeing you, I had to tell her. Needless to say, she’s thrilled.”

“Were you ever going to reach out?”

She nods and lifts her gaze to me again. “Would need to get it resolved at some point.” Violet sets her mug down on the end table.

I don’t want to think about her solution for this, so despite my better judgment, I ask, “Who’s the guy?”

Her eyes widen as if not expecting me to ask that. “My younger brother, Graham.”

Her brother? Violet made out like she was completely alone. As if whatever family remained hated her and wasn’t around. A thousand questions rush to the tip of my tongue. I bite my cheek to prevent myself from asking. Something tells me now is not the time.

She stands. “I should get some more sleep. Thanks again for staying.” Her mouth opens to say more, but she falls silent as her lips seal.

“What is it?” I can’t help but ask.

“Nothing, it’s silly.” She takes a step away, but I quickly follow suit, grabbing her wrist.

“Nothing you could ever do or say would be silly. Tell me.”

She hesitates for what seems like forever. “Will you lie down with me?”

I was not expecting that at all, but I nod in agreement. She leads the way back to her bedroom. A heavy awkwardness hangs in the air as we lie next to one another on our backs. Violet rolls onto her side, presses her face against my shoulder, and pulls the blankets up until her eyes are covered. She sighs with contentment.

It seems like within minutes, her breathing deepens and evens out. I’m not sure why she wanted me in here. Maybe she just wanted the presence of someone next to her. With a deep breath, I close my eyes and decide I might as well get a little more shut-eye as well.

CHAPTER 3

VIOLET

Alovely aroma wakes me up. Is that…bacon? I pull the blankets down just enough to peer at my surroundings. The sun manages to shine through my closed blinds some, but the light doesn’t hurt. Man, that migraine was a whopper. I’m still tired. A clanging from another room causes me to remember my guest.

Right.

Zane.

I asked him to stay. And to lie with me. He’s still here? Rolling over, my old-school alarm clock shows it’s nearly seven at night. Goodness. The entire day is about gone. Surely, he left. Which would mean an intruder is cooking in my house and that seems just as unlikely as the thought that Zane is still here. But it has to be him; my brother certainly wouldn’t be cooking anything.

My stomach grumbles and the harsh pangs make me realize anyone cooking in my kitchen will be a welcome sight. With a bout of nerves washing over me, I toss my covers aside and venture into the kitchen, noting the door to my brother’s room is open, a sign he’s left to go who knows where. Sure enough, Zane is here and apparently cooking a feast. Nearly every breakfastitem I had is now spread over my kitchen table. Eggs, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, and french toast.

Zane jumps as he turns to place the bacon on the table and spots me.

“Sorry, Violet. I tried to stay in there with you, I really did, but I had to use the restroom and my stomach was attacking itself from hunger.” He looks down at the table as if just realizing how much food he fixed. A boyish grin appears as he lifts his gaze to mine. “Sorry. I couldn’t decide what I wanted, so I made a bit of everything.”

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