Page 77 of Love & Other Disasters

Twenty-Six

Violet spent a fitful night fluctuating between being sure she was on fire from the inside and freezing solid. Her cold weather expert man, lay sound asleep on the couch. For a moment, she’d watched his chest rising and falling. She tore her gaze away from the brownish blond hair that lightly covered his chiseled chest and didn’t think she’d ever have a man this gorgeous again. It’d be creepy for him to wake and see her staring. She tiptoed outside, wrapped in the comforter from her bed.

Violet watched the sun rise from her back deck. The grass was tipped in an early frost that would burn off with the sun’s rays. Without a cloud in the sky, it appeared bright and warm through the window, but stepping outside, the morning was crisp like autumn weather. September didn’t mean chilly here. It could easily reach ninety degrees.

Both Jill and Monique had shown up yesterday. She’d been far too tired to deal with either of them and relieved J.P. got them to leave her in peace. While making up with both of them was a priority, with Jill, she couldn’t let their prior dynamic return. It’d never worked, not since they were kids. Jill had another thing coming if she thought Violet would resume the role of family appeaser. They all did.

But at least Jill showed up. Was she ready to take responsibility for her role? Her mom was still leaving overdramatic phone messages. The door behind her opened.

“Babe, what are you doing out here?”

“Didn’t want to wake you,” she turned, and there he stood in the doorway, unshaven and sleepy eyed. Shirtless in pajama pants, sporting a head full of bedhead, she loved this look on him. “Just enjoying the sunrise.”

“You will catch your death of cold out here.”

“Why, Mr. Harper, you may have been in the south a bit too long now,” she said exaggerating her drawl into one from Savannah. Violet laughed, a full belly laugh. It’d been days.

A smile spread across his face. “It’s good to see you feeling better.”

Violet crossed to him. “Well, I’m not dead, but not willing to go that far, yet.”

He patted her on the bottom as she passed. “I’m thrilled you’re still alive.” He yawned.

“You know you don’t have to sleep on my couch. It’s probably not comfortable.”

“It’s not bad.” He closed the door against the morning chill.

“How gallant,” she quipped. “If you don’t want to sleep in bed with me, your own bed would be more comfortable.” She liked him there, but didn’t want him walking around with a sore back, either.

J.P. snatched her by the wrist and pulled her to him. “I know, but I don’t want to leave you. And I can’t check your temperature or bring you acetaminophen. What if you needed a drink in the middle of the night?”

She giggled, leaning her head on his chest, his arms encircling her. How on earth could J.P. get any sweeter? He wasn’t at all what she expected at their first meeting or their second. But he’d slowly proved himself over the last few weeks to the point it would hurt when this ended.

He kissed the top of her head, “Go get comfy on the sofa. Do you want anything to eat?”

“No, I don’t think so.” She pulled away and padded over and curled up on the corner of the couch.

He brought her a cup of ginger ale and a package of saltines before disappearing down the hallway. The shower started, and she settled against the pillow and dozed.

Violet woke disorientated. She picked up her phone to check the time and found a text message notification from overnight.

Jill: I came by to talk. Didn’t know you were sick & guess it’s my fault. The not knowing part.

Maybe this was Jill’s way of handing her an olive branch. Violet had never made her apologize, she’d been the one to cave first on any disagreements. Violet always took the fault and made the compromise to keep her and their mom happy. Was she the unreasonable one? After all, she’d trained them for years to treat her that way. And now her adamant resistance to smooth things over had left them confused. She’d changed the rules without a word.

Violet: It hit me the day before yesterday like a train. One minute, fine, the next exhausted and aching.

She set the phone beside her on the couch. It was way too early for Jill to respond, if she ever did. It would be like her to expect Violet to apologize. And since she didn’t, Jill would throw her hands up in the air and complain in exasperation that she’d done all she could. The phone vibrated next to her leg.

Jill: Hope you’re feeling better. They arrested Geoff and everyone at the farm last night.

Violet: omg. For what?

Violet: Oh, and I am okay.

Jill: The warrant was for drugs. Apparently, they were growing and selling pot. Also meth. And using teenage runaways for labor.

At a loss for words, she went with the “wow” emoji and powered on the television to find a news story about the arrest, but another headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen: Local Healthcare company CFO and Co-Founder Melvin McAvoy embezzled from Medi-Health source alleges.

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