Violet's Valentine: A Clean Friends to Lovers Romance (Love in Holiday Junction Book 1)

by Tami Franklin

  She stomped her foot. “Come on, Kade. You know how it drives me crazy not to know things!”

  “Did you just stomp your foot at me?”

  “Yes!” She stomped it again. “Tell me!”

  Kade finally snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. “You haven't changed a bit.”

  “Tell meeeee,” she pleaded, pulling on his arm. “Kaaaadddeeee . . . telll . . . meeeee . . .” “All right. All right,” he said, and she grinned, knowing she had won.

  She always won.

  He walked out back and looked up at the tree, deciding where to start.

  “Kaaaaade . . .”

  “Okay!” He laughed, snipping off a long spindly branch. “There's not much to tell,” he said. “There was someone I thought I might be interested in—”

  “Really? Who?”

  “—but I don't think it's going to go anywhere.” He cut off another branch. “She's . . . dating someone else.”

  “Oh.” Vi felt bad for Kade, she did. But she also felt something . . . else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Or didn't want to. A tight and dark feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  He shrugged. “No big deal.”

  Kade kept cutting off the dead branches and Vi grabbed a wheelbarrow and piled them in. They worked in silence for a while, but there was still some tension in the air. Vi wasn't sure exactly what it was—Kade didn't seem upset, really. More resigned, if she had to put a word to it.

  “Are you sure you're okay?” she asked, unable to let it go.

  Kade dropped the pruners and helped her pile the branches into the wheelbarrow. “I'm fine. I've been friendzoned. It's not the end of the world.” He grabbed the wheelbarrow handles and hoisted it up. “It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last.”

  And that surprised Violet. In all the time she'd known Kade, she’d never known him to really like a girl. Even in high school, he had casual dates, but nothing serious. And she'd never known him to be interested in someone who wasn't interested in him right back.

  She stood by the tree and watched him dump the branches in a pile next to the back fence. It must have happened while she'd been gone, she surmised. Violet felt a rush of possessive anger come over her. How could someone not see how amazing Kade was? What a great boyfriend he would be?

  Kade opened the shed in the back corner of the yard and emerged after a few minutes with a hammer and a couple of boards. He waved her over to a section of fence with two broken pieces and handed the wood to her as he used the hammer to remove the damaged boards.

  “Can you hold that right there?” he asked, moving the wood into position with his hands over hers. His palms were broad and calloused and . . . big. When did his hands get so big? Violet couldn't understand how Kade seemed to have grown over the past decade. She didn't think that was possible. Didn't people stop growing after they graduated from high school?

  But Kade was tall, his frame dwarfing hers as he bent over her, adjusting the position of the fence board.

  Vi felt her skin warm, a rush of heat filling her cheeks. She swallowed. Maybe she was coming down with something.

  Kade didn't seem to notice. He pulled a couple nails out of his pocket and hammered the board into place, then did the same with the second one. He stood back and studied their work.

  “That should hold, I think,” he said with a nod.

  Violet still felt a little unsteady, but she agreed. “Thanks for coming over. And doing this. I—” She turned to face him, and he was suddenly so close. She could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes . . . the spot on his cheek where he missed shaving this morning.

  She cleared her throat. Why were her hands shaking?

  “Thanks for being there for my mom, all these years,” she said. “You didn't have to—”

  Kade waved it off. “It was no problem.”

  “I know,” Vi said. “I know you think it's no big deal, but it is. To me. It means a lot to me that you've been looking out for her. So, you know . . . thanks.” She looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. Vi felt herself leaning forward on her toes, and was he moving closer, too? Her breath caught and she licked her lips.

  Kade's eyes flicked down, and for just a moment she thought—

  She thought maybe—

  His gaze locked on hers and she froze in place, unable to move. Unable to breathe.

  Then Kade shook his head a little, coughed, and stepped back, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “So,” he said. “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

  Vi blinked, her brow creasing. “What?”

  He pointed the hammer around the yard in a wide arc. “Anything else that I need to fix while I'm out here?”

  “Oh!” Vi stepped back, smoothing her hair back, her fingers trembling. “No, I don't think so. Mom hasn't mentioned anything.”

  “Okay, then.” Kade gave her a small smile, then walked over to the shed to put the hammer away.

  Vi watched him go, stunned. What in the world had just happened? Had she—had she been ready to kiss Kade?

  She shook her head. That was insane. Kade was her friend. One of her best friends. They'd grown up together. He was almost like family.

  And he definitely didn't think of Violet like that. She puffed her cheeks and blew out a breath. He was hung up on someone else, anyway.

  What was she thinking?

  Kade came out of the shed and locked it before heading her way.

  She was just lonely. After everything with Ben, the slightest hint of kindness had her ready to throw herself at her oldest friend. She was so grateful that he hadn't seemed to have noticed, or if he did, he didn't say anything.

  “I better head home.” Kade slipped his hands into his jean pockets. “I have a huge pile of tests to grade.”

  Vi made a face. “Sounds like fun.” She followed him to the front door and opened it for him. “See you tomorrow,” she said.

  “Bright and early,” he agreed with a wink.

  Kade jogged down the steps and headed next door. Vi closed the door and watched him through the front window, frowning when he headed toward the sidewalk, instead of into his own house. He waved at a woman walking toward him, and Vi recognized her as Lena McKenna. The woman was all smiles as she spoke with Kade, and Vi could hear laughter, even though she couldn't make out what they were saying.

  She watched them interact, a light bulb slowly glowing over her head.

  Could Lena be who Kade had been talking about? The one he was interested in?

  Finally, Kade turned and headed up his own front steps, still smiling, while Lena approached Vi's. Violet stepped back from the window, embarrassed that they might catch her watching.

  Lena knocked on the door and Vi counted to three before opening it.

  “Lena, hi!” She put on a wide smile and pulled her friend in for a hug.

  “I had the afternoon off, so I thought we could get started on all that catching up,” Lena said. “If you're not too busy?”

  “No, no. I have some stuff to grade, but I have plenty of time,” Vi replied. “Come on in.”

  Lena hung her coat by the door and followed Vi into the kitchen, accepting a glass of iced tea as they sat at the breakfast bar.

  “So, how's everything going?” Lena asked, stirring some sugar into her tea. “Are you getting into the groove at school?”

  “I think so?” Vi replied. “I mean, it's only been a few days, but I think it's going well. After the first day, I wasn't sure I could do it—”

  “You?” Lena laughed. “Of course you can do it!”

  “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but teenagers can be tough, you know?”

  “I'm well aware,” Lena said, taking a sip of her tea. “What's happened to the youth of today? We were nothing like that.”

  “Oh no,” Vi said somberly. “We were pillars of virtue.”

  “Highly responsible.”<
br />
  “Extremely mature.”

  “Oh!” Lena bounced on her seat a little. “Remember junior year when we snuck into the boys' locker room and put Vaseline on all the toilet seats?”

  “See?” Vi held up her glass. “Extremely mature.” They clinked glasses and burst out laughing.

  They chatted for a while, filling each other in on what they'd been doing since high school. Lena shared stories about her travels overseas, and Vi had some interesting stories of her own about life in New York.

  “It's weird to think I was there while you were,” Lena said. “I spent about a week in New York before I left for Europe. We might have passed each other on the street and never known it.”

  “It's a big city,” Vi agreed.

  Lena leaned in and bumped her shoulder with her own. “I'm glad you're back.”

  Vi smiled. “Actually, so am I,” she said. “I didn't think I'd ever say that.”

  “HJ gets under your skin,” Lena said, nodding. “You think you can leave it behind, but it drags you kicking and screaming right back in.” She mimed pulling a rope to emphasize her words and Vi laughed.

  She eyed Lena sideways as her friend chewed on a piece of ice. “I saw you talking to Kade, earlier,” she said, and then she felt foolish. Why was she bringing this up?

  “Hmm?” Lena looked at her blankly for a moment. “Oh, yeah. We were just talking about the town meeting.” She shook her head. “Bet you missed Joshua.”

  “Oh yeah,” Vi said. “He's a trip.” She jiggled the ice in her glass, unsure how to proceed. “So, what do you think of Kade?”

  “What do I think of him?”

  “Yeah, I mean . . .” Vi tried to search for the right words. “He's a good guy, right?”

  “Of course,” Lena replied. “Kade's great.”

  She fought back a surge of frustration. “I mean, he'd make a good boyfriend, don't you think?”

  Lena studied her for a moment. “Sure,” she said slowly.

  “I agree!” Now she was getting somewhere. “Can you believe that he was telling me he might be interested in someone . . . but they were interested in someone else?”

  Lena frowned. “That's too bad.”

  “I know!” Vi said, slapping a hand on the counter.

  Lena chewed on her lip, her eyes narrowing. “Did Kade mention who he was interested in?”

  Vi leaned in. “Not by name, but I think I have an idea.”

  “Oh really?” Lena looked pleased.

  “Mm hmm,” she sat back. “And let's just say I think Kade may be mistaken. Do you think I'm right?”

  Lena looked confused for a moment. “Well, wouldn't you know—”

  The front door slammed, cutting off their conversation as Lou blew into the kitchen. “What a day!” she exclaimed, pouring herself a glass of tea. “I had a whole box of special orders go missing, and let me tell you, the customers don't want to wait. The postal service needs to get its ducks in a row, or it’s small business owners like me who'll suffer.” She took a drink of tea and looked from one of them to the other.

  “Hi, Lena, how've you been?”

  “Fine, Lou. Just catching up with Vi.” She took her glass over to the sink and dumped the ice. “I really should be going, though,” she said. “It's getting late.”

  Vi trailed after her to the front door. “You'll think about what we talked about, right?”

  “What we talked about?” She looked confused. Why was she confused? Lena needed to learn to keep up if she was going to be dating Kade.

  “About Kade,” Vi prompted.

  “Oh, right.” Lena nodded. “Don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out,” she said, reaching out to run a hand down Vi's upper arm.

  Well, that was a weird response.

  “Okay,” Vi said, the word stretching out.

  “Come by the shop sometime,” Lena said, putting on her coat. “I'll buy you a scoop and we can figure out what to do about it.”

  “About what?”

  Lena rolled her eyes. “About Kade, obviously.”

  “Oh, okay.” Vi was feeling a little lost.

  “Bye,” Lena said, before calling back to the kitchen. “Bye, Lou!”

  Vi's mom returned the sentiment and Lena left, quickly walking down the street.

  Violet closed the door and made her way back into the kitchen.

  “That Lena's such a sweet girl,” Lou said as she got out the makings for spaghetti.

  Vi grabbed the big pot and filled it with water. “She is. She's perfect for Kade.”

  Lou dropped the can of tomato sauce and it rolled under the counter. “For Kade?”

  Vi nodded, turning off the water and putting the pot on the stove. “He's got a crush on her, but he thinks she's not interested.”

  “He does?”

  “But I think she's very interested.” She adjusted the heat on the stove, then got down on her hands and knees to retrieve the tomato sauce.

  “She is?”

  She got up and handed the can to her mother. “I think they'd make a cute couple, don't you?”

  Lou seemed genuinely confused. “I suppose.” She shook her head. “You're telling me Kade told you he's interested in Lena?”

  “Well, not in so many words,” Vi admitted. “He just told me he's interested in someone, but thinks she's interested in someone else. But I figured it out.”

  Lou huffed a laugh. “Oh,” she said, and why was she smirking? “You figured it out, did you?”

  “It's not so hard if you have good instincts,” Vi said with a smug grin.

  “You don't say.”

  “So, everything's going to work out fine.” Vi went to the fridge and took out the makings for a salad. “Who knows? Maybe he and Lena will double date with Liam and me.”

  It made perfect sense. Two of her closest friends together. It was a wonderful idea. Right?

  Vi stared out the window at the newly repaired fence. That almost kiss—if that's what it even was—could have been a huge mistake. She would have completely freaked Kade out. And the last thing she wanted to do was get in the way of his happiness with Lena.

  Right. It was a wonderful idea. They'd be perfect for each other.

  So why did she feel so hollow?

  “Vi, are you okay?” Lou asked quietly.

  She turned to find her mother watching her with concern etched on her features.

  “Me? Of course!” She forced a smile. “Everything's great!”

  And it would be. Like Lena said, everything was going to work out just fine.

  They met at Chalmers Chapters Thursday evening to discuss the Sweetheart Ball, gathering around the large table in the back used for book club meetings and other special gatherings. Vi was the last to arrive, since she had rehearsal after school and had walked to the shop again. Kade had offered to wait for her, but the day was dry and Vi didn't mind walking.

  Plus, she still felt a little weird about what had happened in her mom's backyard. Not to mention the whole Lena situation. Vi didn't know how she felt about all of that, to be honest. She wanted Kade to be happy, obviously. And Lena was a wonderful person. They'd make a great couple.

  But why did that thought put a sour feeling in her stomach?

  She could hear them all talking as she made her way past the bookshelves to the back of the store, and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly before she stepped around the corner and into their sights. Lou, Mandy, and Anne sat along one side of the table, Kade and Liam on the other, with an empty spot between them.

  “There you are!” Lou said, waving her in. “You're just in time. We were about to talk about the decorations.”

  “Sorry I'm a little late,” she replied. “Rehearsal went long.”

  She spotted a plate of sandwiches and her stomach rumbled. “Are those chicken salad?”

  Kade slid the platter toward her and shoved the chair on the end out with his foot. “They're calling your name.”

  Vi grabbed a napkin and sand
wich and was just about to sit down when she realized that Liam was watching her. She paused, mid-sit, then oh-so-gracefully stood back up and walked behind Kade to take the seat between him and Liam, across from her mother.

  Between her best friend, and the guy she was dating. Ish.

  Finally settled, she took a huge bite of her sandwich, only to look up and find all three women watching her.

  She chewed. Swallowed. And finally asked, “What?”

  “Nothing!” Lou said, suddenly interested in the notebook before her.

  Liam poured her a cup of water and handed it over. “We were just discussing the merits of twinkle lights versus paper lanterns.”

  “Oh yeah?” She took a sip. “Which side are you on?”

  He smiled. “I think twinkle lights are a classic choice.”

  She smirked. “Bold stance.”

  Kade snorted, and Vi swiveled around to look at him. “I take it you disagree?'

  “I was just saying it might be nice to try something new.” He spread his large hands out on the table before him. “We have twinkle lights for everything. We have twinkle lights in the streets. We've never done paper lanterns. Ever.”

  Liam took in a deep breath. “That's because paper lanterns are for funerals, not for Valentine's Day.”

  “Says who?” Kade asked.

  “There's a reason we always use twinkle lights,” Liam said slowly, as if speaking to a child. “Everyone loves twinkle lights.”

  “Well, maybe everyone might like to try something new,” Kade said, just as slowly. “Maybe they haven't seen how nice paper lanterns can be. Maybe they need to give them a shot.”

  Violet felt like she was watching a tennis match. A very odd tennis match with lighting options instead of yellow balls.

  “There's something to be said for the classics,” Liam said through a gritted-teeth smile. “Twinkle lights and Holiday Junction. They have a history. They belong together.”

  Wait. What? Vi was getting more confused by the moment.

  “Well, maybe it's time for Holiday Junction to try something else,” Kade said, his voice getting louder. “Maybe twinkle lights have had their chance and it's time for a change!”

  “Holiday Junction doesn't want a change!”

  “Gentlemen—” Lou said, clearing her throat, but they didn't seem to hear her.