Page 111 of Love & Other Disasters

Thirty-Seven

Violet wrapped her arms around Jordan’s neck and squeezed. She’d dreaded watching him get into the car for hours. They didn’t get enough time together. He didn’t have a choice but to return to Illinois; she didn’t blame him and wouldn’t ask him to stay. It was his mom.

“I’ll let you know when I get there,” he said, closing the door between them.

Violet nodded and stepped back.

“You’ll come up for the long weekend in two weeks,” J.P. said, rolling down the car window.

“I can’t wait.”

“Love you,” was the last thing he said before driving away.

Violet walked back to the house and sank into the couch. He wanted her to take a flight from Nashville to Chicago, but she’d never been on an airplane. And she had no idea how the airport worked. What if the airline lost her bags? What if she got lost?

Flying made the most sense. It would take her eight hours by car, at minimum, and two hours by airplane. People travelled by airplane every day. There was no reason she couldn’t figure it out. It’s not like she’d wander the airport lost with no help. Instead of worrying, she needed research and brought up the website for Nashville International Airport and began reading.

“J.P. gone?” Jill asked, bringing her out of the article on what they allowed in a carry-on bag.

“Yeah, he had to catch a flight back.”

“Cool. I’ve been trying to give you guys privacy. You okay?” she asked, dropping on the other end of the couch.

“With what? Him leaving?”

“Well, yeah. That was a whirlwind of a night.”

“You have no idea.”

“Oh yeah, I do. You’re not quiet.”

Violet grimaced. “Sorry.”

“Nothing that digging my noise cancelling headphones out of the box didn’t cure.”

“He is good,” Violet mused.

“Ew, don’t need to know. I take it you’ve forgiven him?”

“We’ve forgiven each other. Clean slate.”

“Are you okay with him not living here?”

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t want him to go, but I understand why, and I’d be terrible to talk him out of it. His mom has Alzheimer’s. We’ll make it work long-distance for now. He wants me to fly up for the long weekend in a couple weeks.”

“I can’t imagine having to deal with a parent with Alzheimer’s.”

“Heartbreaking,” Violet whispered, remembering how J.P. grabbed her and held on like he was clinging to her for comfort.

“Have you ever flown?” Jill asked.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so. Do you want to?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t make any sense to drive sixteen hours on the road on a round trip when a plane will be a fraction of the time.”

“That doesn’t mean you want to.”

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