Page 83 of A Spot of Trouble
Everyone in the stands stood and cheered, while the players stopped what they were doing. The umpire blew hard on his whistle.
Coach Murray screamed, “Interference! Interference! They forfeit!”
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than Cinder bolted from the dugout and proceeded to chase Sprinkles around the bases.
“There are two Dalmatians on the field,” the umpire yelled. “I repeat—two Dalmatians on the field!”
Chaos reigned, but in the midst of the insanity, Violet spotted Sam walking toward her. They met in the middle, in the emerald- green grass of centerfield.
“Don’t go,” she blurted.
Sam’s brow furrowed. “I’m not going anywhere, love.”
Love…Violet’s heart swelled. She’d never felt less beige in all her life. “Mavis told me you were moving back to Chicago.”
Sam’s lips curved into the lopsided smile she knew and loved so much. “I thought we learned a long time ago not to believe anything that Mavis, Opal, and Ethel say.”
Violet laughed. “Maybe she had the right idea, just this once.”
“Just this once?” Sam shook his head. “I’ve come to realize those crazy friends of yours were right about a lot of things.”
He slid his arms around her and pulled her close, and even though Violet had lived on the same small island for her entire life, she felt like she’d finally come home. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“Like the fact that I love you.” He pressed a tender, reverent kiss to her lips, and whispered against her mouth, “You saved my life, Violet March.”
“Not really. I set you on fire first, remember?”
“I’m not talking about the culinary torch. I mean in general. I was a shell of a man when I got here, and you saved me. You’re everything I want to be, Violet. You brought me back to life.”
A sob escaped Violet’s lips, and she pressed her fingertips to her mouth to keep from breaking down. “You mean you don’t think I’m too much? Too…”
“Silly woman, I think you’re perfect just the way you are.” And then he kissed her again, right there in front of everyone, and Violet couldn’t have cared less.
When they finally broke apart, Sam dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. “Violet March, will you attend the Fireman’s Ball with me tonight as my date?”
“Yes!” She laughed. “Yes, of course.”
“Hold up, wait a minute. What’s going on over here?” an astonished Coach Murray said as he approached.
Violet’s dad marched toward them from the other direction. “Good grief. It’s like history repeating itself.”
Sam stood back up. “Violet and I are going to the Fireman’s Ball together tonight.”
“We’re in love.” Violet pointed back and forth between her dad and the fire chief. “You two are just going to have to deal with it. This has nothing to do with your ridiculous feud.”
“Pshhhhh.” Her dad scowled at Coach Murray. “The feud was his idea, not mine.”
“I beg your pardon. It was not. You started it after…” Murray glanced at Violet and went quiet.
Violet searched her dad’s gaze. “Dad? What’s he talking about? And don’t try and wiggle your way out of the conversation this time. Tell me what happened all those years ago.”
“Come on, Ed,” Murray said. “Maybe it’s time.”
Her father sighed. “It all started when Murray here gave your mother that rowdy Dalmatian.”
“Polkadot?” Violet gasped. “That’s where my mom’s Dalmatian came from?”
“I gave her the dog, yes.” Murray nodded. “And she loved that pup with her whole heart, but it still wasn’t enough to convince her that she was better off with me. She loved your dad even more than she loved that crazy dog.”
