Then Came You

by Iris Morland

  Trent took Violet’s boxes of jewelry, and the women followed him into the living room.

  “I told him he had to make himself scarce,” said Lizzie in a whisper, “and he’s grumpy he doesn’t get to watch the game on his new TV.”

  “I just bought it!” he said over his shoulder, grumbling.

  “I told you that you could go to Megan and Caleb’s, or Ash’s place. They have big TVs.”

  “Not the same thing.”

  Violet shivered at the sound of Ash’s name, her heartbeat picking up just at the mere mention of him.

  It’d been a month since that night she’d spent with him. When she’d arrived home at the crack of dawn, she’d known that she’d made a huge mistake.

  It wasn’t that the sex had been bad. In fact, it had been amazing. Mind-blowing. It had shown Violet everything she’d been missing—and she didn’t need that right now in her life. Besides, what kind of a relationship could she have with a playboy like Ash? He’d probably already moved on to his next conquest by now. She doubted he had to go without a woman in his bed for very long.

  The thought of him with someone else made her stomach clench. She didn’t want to think about that. Pushing the thought aside, she forced a smile on her face as the guests began to arrive.

  When Lizzie had contacted Violet about hosting a party where Violet could sell her jewelry, Violet had had no reason to decline, no matter who Lizzie’s brother-in-law was. It would’ve been the height of stupidity, especially considering that Lizzie was a well-known singer who was going to go on tour later in the year. If Lizzie wore just one of Violet’s pieces at a show, it could be huge for Violet’s business. It could be enough of a push to get her out of the hole that she’d dug while trying to get out of debt.

  Lizzie’s house was warm and inviting, the decor a mixture of bright colors and more muted neutrals. The living room where the party would be held was decorated with sleek furniture in shades of gray, with canary-yellow accents dotting the room.

  Lizzie introduced Violet to a few women Violet had seen around Fair Haven, not realizing they were related to Lizzie somehow. Considering the size of the Thornton family, of which Lizzie was a member, it shouldn’t have surprised Violet to find that so many people were connected—or outright married—to one of the members of that family.

  Sara, Megan, and Abby were each married to a Thornton brother (Harrison, Caleb, and Mark, respectively). Rose DiMarco was engaged to Seth Thornton, and they were marrying in the summer. Thea Younger also came, and she reminded Violet so much of Ash that it hurt to hear her laugh and joke.

  “Looks like everyone is here,” said Lizzie as she sat on the couch next to Violet, Bea on her lap. “Let’s get started. First of all, thank you so much for doing this, Violet. When I heard about your jewelry from Megan, I had to find out more, and when I realized that you make everything too, well, that sealed it.”

  “Don’t let her buy everything,” Trent called from the kitchen, “because that woman lives for jewelry.”

  “You just spent three grand on a TV!” Lizzie rolled her eyes, although Violet could tell the couple enjoyed teasing each other.

  “What is it with men and TVs? It’s like the bigger the screen, the more of a zombie they turn into,” said Megan. With her red hair and pretty smile, Megan could rival Lizzie for vivaciousness and beauty combined. Violet had already met Megan a number of times at her bakery, The Rise and Shine.

  “Does Caleb have Evie?” Sara asked Megan. On Sara’s lap sat a toddler who was about a year old. “Harrison had to go into work today, and that’s why this guy is here today hanging with us.” Sara kissed the baby’s cheek, and he laughed.

  “Yeah, he and Evie are going to build a train set today. I told him a ten-month-old isn’t going to be much help building anything,” said Megan.

  “Do you have any children, Violet?” Sara asked.

  Violet’s smile was sad. “No, but my husband and I had talked about it right before he passed away.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—” Sara paled a little.

  “It’s all right. Really. It’s been two years now. I’d rather talk about him in conversation than act like he didn’t exist, you know?” Violet tried to smile. She didn’t exactly like talking about her husband’s death, but sometimes it felt like everyone wanted to forget about him. She and Martha were the only ones keeping his memory alive.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” said Abby. Six months pregnant, Abby looked radiant, her hair a glossy brown. Violet had learned that Abby worked as an ER nurse, although she wasn’t working as much now that her pregnancy made it harder to stand up all day.

  “Thank you.” Violet laughed a little. “Good Lord, your faces! You all need some jewelry. Necklaces always make a girl feel better, right?”

  When Violet began taking out pieces for everyone to try on, the mood lightened significantly. Violet felt the tension drain from her for the first time in ages. She loved talking about her jewelry and showing women the best pieces for their features and personal styles. Getting paid to do what she loved was the main reason why she’d quit her job to start this business in the first place.

  Soon, the women brought their chairs closer to the table where Violet laid the pieces she’d brought that day, including a half dozen necklaces, pairs of earrings, and bracelets. She’d also begun experimenting with making rings, including larger statement pieces with flowers, butterflies, stars, and moons.

  “These look like something you could buy at a department store,” said Megan as she tried on a pair of silver earrings shaped like leaves. “I’m going to end up buying everything.”

  “I don’t even wear much jewelry, but this makes me want to,” said Abby as she tried on a necklace that Violet had constructed out of some silk handkerchiefs she’d found at a flea market in Seattle. “Too bad I can’t wear huge necklaces at work.”

  Rose, with her brown hair tipped with blue, was already trying on three of the bracelets at once. Violet pointed to the one that had delicate floral charms hanging from it. “That one’s my favorite,” Violet said. “I loved those charms the second I saw them.”

  “I have way too much jewelry, but I don’t think I can say no to these.” Rose sighed deeply, causing everyone to laugh.

  Bea watched the proceedings avidly, and when she tried to stuff a ring into her mouth, Lizzie snagged it just in time. Bea’s face began to screw up, turning red. Violet took one of the necklaces and danged it in front of Bea, effectively distracting the toddler from her imminent meltdown.

  “Look, Bea, isn’t it pretty?” Lizzie took the necklace from Violet and put it on Bea.

  “Pretty,” said Bea. “Want more.”

  “A girl after my own heart,” joked Thea. “We crown you Princess Bea, ruler of us all.” She placed another necklace on Bea’s head, which the toddler soon pulled off with a frown.

  “Don’t,” said Bea, and everyone laughed.

  After they’d finished admiring all of the jewelry, the group chatted and laughed, pairing off into twos and threes. When Thea sat down next to Violet, Violet could feel sweat prickling in the small of her back. She wondered if Thea knew what had happened between her and Ash, and then she dismissed the idea. What younger brother told his sister about his sex life?

  Thea was tiny, and she seemed to make up for lack of height with her style and her outgoing personality. Tattoos in complicated designs ran up the length of Thea’s arms, and a septum piercing in her nose somehow looked charming on her. Violet had never thought that a ring through your nose like a bull was attractive, yet Thea pulled it off. Violet almost envied the woman’s confidence to be so daring.

  “Do you think you’ll open a jewelry store? Like a real location?” asked Thea.

  “I’ve thought about it, but the cost of rent and everything associated with a physical location has just been too much. The cons have outweighed the pros, but I wouldn’t say no to it.”

  “Well, just an FYI: there’s
an open storefront for rent just a block from my apartment complex.” Thea smiled wryly. “It’d be nice to have more than a smoothie shop and a specialty dog store there. A girl can only drink so many smoothies or buy so many dog bones for my nonexistent dog.

  “Speaking of dogs...” Thea’s smile turned sly, and her expression looked just like Ash’s when he’d wanted Violet to go with him to the playground. Violet’s heart skipped a beat. “My brother is thinking about getting one, but I told him his place is too small. I thought he should get a cat.”

  “I’ve never had a dog,” said Violet, nonplussed.

  “Neither has Ash. He always wanted one when we were kids, but, yeah, that wasn’t going to happen with our parents in charge. Ash tends to do first, think later, especially when he wants something. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up getting a huge mutt at the pound and then being surprised that it chews up his furniture.”

  “Hopefully he’ll do some research?” was Violet’s pathetic reply. She had no idea where Thea was going with this, and she was too afraid to ask.

  “Ash doesn’t research. He just does. But it tends to get him into hot water. I’ve seen it happen many times.” Thea’s eyebrows winged downward. “I just hope that if he gets a dog, he doesn’t end up feeling like he made a mistake because the dog is making his life harder. You know what I mean?”

  Violet had a distinct feeling that in this scenario, she was the dog, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

  Instead of doing either, Violet said rather sharply, “If the dog makes his life harder, it’s his own fault for taking the dog home with him in the first place. Don’t blame the dog when the owner didn’t think things over beforehand.”

  Thea blinked before she startled Violet with laughter. “Oh, I’m glad—I like you. You have spunk. None of my brother’s other women had any spunk. They were as exciting as lukewarm tapioca.”

  “Thank you?”

  Thea didn’t get a chance to respond when Lizzie sat down next to her and started asking Violet all about how she came up with her jewelry designs. When Thea rose, she winked at Violet like she hadn’t just basically warned Violet not to hurt her brother.

  By the time the party was coming to a close, Violet had sold all but two pieces and had discussed creating customized designs for both Lizzie and Rose. If she could continue to gain more clientele this way, could she actually save her business? Then she wouldn’t have to worry Martha or have to confess that she wouldn’t be able to help her mother-in-law financially like she’d promised.

  The doorbell rang as Violet finished packing everything up. When she heard a masculine voice only yards away, she froze like a deer in headlights.

  Oh no. Oh no no no no.

  “I just need a folder from Trent,” said Ash, who’d been the one to open the door. “Where is he?”

  Thea replied, “Upstairs hiding. Come in and say hello to everyone first, though. We’re just finishing up.”

  Violet couldn’t let him see her. Getting up, she blurted, “Where’s your bathroom?”

  “There’s one through the kitchen in the back,” replied Lizzie, pointing.

  Violet grabbed her bag and headed straight toward the kitchen only moments before she heard Ash’s voice say, “You guys are having a party and you didn’t invite me?”

  Violet found the bathroom and locked the door. Hopefully none of the women present would think it was odd that she’d taken her large tote with her into the bathroom. She had to get out of here before Ash saw her.

  Then again, more than likely one of the women would mention she’d been invited here to show her jewelry. Maybe she could hide in the bathroom until Ash left? That seemed the more likely option. She was halfway tempted to sneak out the back door and drive away, but she couldn’t be that rude to Lizzie.

  Violet could hear the voices from the living room, Ash’s lower voice more easily heard than the rest. She heard him say something about doing work on a Saturday and then laughter. Violet glanced at the clock on her phone. If she stayed in here too long, someone would come looking for her, and how awkward would that be?

  Two minutes passed, then three. When it was getting close to seven minutes and Ash was still talking to people in the living room, Violet muttered under her breath in frustration. Why is he still here?

  “Hey, Violet, are you in there? I wanted to make sure you were okay,” said Abby from through the door.

  “I’m fine, just dealing with period stuff,” Violet lied, opening the door. Considering Abby was a nurse, Violet didn’t feel too weird about saying something like that, even if it was a lie.

  “Do you need anything? I probably have pads and tampons in my car.” Abby patted her pregnant belly. “Luckily I haven’t had to mess with a period for a while now.”

  “I’m good. Thank you.” Violet listened for Ash’s voice, and when she heard the front door open and close, she let out a sigh of relief. Finally.

  Slipping out of the house, she was only steps from her car door—so close to getting away without running into Ash—when she heard a rustle in the grass. Then: “What a coincidence, running into you.”

  She bit back a scream of surprise, whirled, and came face-to-face with the man who had haunted her dreams since that night a month ago.

  7

  Ash hadn’t seen Violet since she’d sneaked out of his apartment a month ago. He didn’t know how she’d managed to avoid him in a town this small—it was almost impressive, in a way.

  At the moment, she looked like a cat with its fur standing on end, her eyes blazing. He wondered for the thousandth time what the hell he’d done to freak her out. If the sex hadn’t been a big deal to her, why had she gone out of her way to avoid him?

  “Hi,” she said briskly as she opened her car door. “And goodbye.”

  He put out a hand to stop her from opening the door. “That’s it? What the hell did I do to warrant that kind of a greeting?”

  Her shoulders tensed before slumping. “You didn’t do anything,” she said, speaking to the car window. “But I need to get home.”

  Ash wasn’t about to let her leave without an explanation. He should’ve been pleased that she hadn’t tried to pursue something more serious. Wasn’t that what he always preferred? Violet was the opposite of clingy. She was practically a walking ad for anti-clinginess. If he touched her, he might get repelled from her like the wrong side of a magnet.

  “I heard you say inside that you weren’t doing anything this evening, and it’s only four o’clock, so you don’t need to get home to make dinner for your mother-in-law for a few hours,” he said. When she turned, her eyebrows raised, he added, “I can also tell when someone is obviously lying.”

  “What’s it to you, then? Yes, I left without saying goodbye that morning. Isn’t that your MO? I’m sure you’ve done that so many times you’ve lost count.”

  He gritted his teeth. “I also don’t avoid former lovers like they’ve given me the plague, either.”

  “Who says I’ve been avoiding you?” Her gaze slid away as she asked the question.

  “It’s a small town, sweetheart. The only way to avoid someone is to work very, very hard at it.”

  Violet blew out an annoyed breath. “Look, that night was great, but it’s never going to happen again. That’s it. Now, I need to get home—”

  “I want to know why it won’t happen again.” He pressed closer. “And I recommend you tell me now, because I bet you everything everyone inside is watching us from the living room window right this second.”

  Violet peered over his shoulder, groaned, and ducked under his arm. She began to walk away without another word.

  “Are you just going to leave your car?” Ash jogged to catch up with her. Damn, she was fast. “Where do you live?”

  “That’s none of your business. Will you stop following me? I don’t want to talk to you!”

  He slowed down, letting her take the lead. He didn’t understand why he needed to know her reason
ing. He didn’t know why he cared so much that she’d left him that morning without a word. He reached into his pocket to touch the bracelet that she’d left on his pillow and continued to follow her down the street.

  “So, you thought that night was great,” he began as he caught up with her again. “Is that code for ‘terrible’ or did you mean that sincerely?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not stroking your ego, Ash.”

  “Too bad. You’re so good at stroking.”

  She stopped in her tracks and glared at him, the color high in her cheeks. “You are the worst. I should never have slept with you. It was the worst mistake of my life—”

  “I doubt that.”

  “—and you’re obviously just pissed that there’s one woman in the whole world who doesn’t worship the ground you walk on.” She pointed to herself, her voice going low. “Well, surprise! I’m that one woman. Now, leave me alone.”

  Anger blossomed in his chest. “Stop lying to yourself. I saw the way you looked at me that night. I heard the way you cried out my name when you came not once but twice. And this.” He pulled out the bracelet, and her cheeks reddened even more. “You left me a piece of jewelry and a note about how you hoped I had good luck and focus. That doesn’t sound like a woman who doesn’t care. It sounds like a woman who was terrified of feeling too much and ran at the first opportunity.”

  She trembled, and the hurt on her face instantly made Ash feel guilty.

  You always push too hard. You run right over people’s feelings without a second thought. That had been the last text he’d received from his ex-girlfriend Kayla over six months ago. At the time, he’d refused to consider her words, but now he wondered...was there a kernel of truth in them?

  “Violet...” He reached up to touch her face, but if she was irritated before, now she was livid.

  She slapped his hand away. “Go. To. Hell.”

  He held up his hands. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” He sighed, pushing his fingers through his hair. “I just—I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and it was eating at me, why you left without a word. Because I refuse to believe you didn’t feel something that night. I saw your eyes. And this bracelet—” He tightened his fingers around the circle of twine and beads. “You don’t make a bracelet for somebody you hate.”