A Dash of Destiny in Fortune's Bay

by Jenni M. Rose

  “Just cleaning some stuff out.”

  He spied the brand-new coffee pot she’d bought the week before poking out of a box. Violet quickly closed the box with some packing tape and pushed it forward with her foot.

  Far be it from him to jump to conclusions, but she looked like she was packing. Immediately, he felt himself bristle with annoyance which only stirred the question that had been on his mind since Lily brought it up.

  “Have you been talking to Lily about her mother?”

  Violet’s head snapped up from the box she was taping. He’d expected her to look at least a little guilty, but instead she looked confused.

  “Yeah,” she admitted. “Why? Was I not supposed to?”

  “It just seems awfully personal.”

  She stood slowly then, sizing him up in a way that made him vaguely uncomfortable.

  “What did I do now?” she asked, her voice annoyed. “Yesterday you came here and had me naked before we left the dining room and now you’re sneering at me. What did I do to piss you off now?”

  She was right. Just the day before he’d come by to help with the house and they hadn’t made it past the dining room table before he’d taken her right on top of the damn thing. She’d been so alive, laughing at his urgency as he filled her, pressing her back against the hard surface until she screamed her release.

  “You know,” she said, her voice quiet. “You’ve got a lot going on Gabe, and I appreciate that. I want to fight for you. I want to tell you I’m the girl for you and that we could make this thing work between us. But, I’m just not sure that’s true. One day, I’m just what you need and you treat me like I actually matter, and the next, I’m the most disgusting thing you’ve ever come across.”

  “You do matter,” He insisted. “But I’ve got Lily to look out for—”

  “That’s a load of crap and you use it like a crutch. It’s old, Gabe. Man up and admit that you’ve got issues, just like the rest of us. Why don’t you just tell me what’s bothering you instead of coming over here with some kind of accusation in your eyes, but not on your lips. I’m a big girl, I can take it.”

  “Lily wants you to come to her goddamn open house at school, like you’re some kind of permanent fixture in her life, and here you are, packing up to leave.”

  Her face froze and he felt a small victory, like he’d finally caught her in a lie, but it still stung. Here she was surrounded by boxes of belongings, packing up her life, and she hadn’t bothered to say a word about it. No big going-away parties like she’d promised, no word about anything.

  “This was exactly what I warned her about,” he continued. “That you didn’t know how to settle down somewhere, that it just wasn’t you. But you insisted and now she loves you, and thinks you’re a part of her life. How do you think she’ll take it when she finds out you’re gone?”

  “The only thing in this world that would keep me from Lily, is you,” she told him through clenched teeth. “I told you before and I meant every word, I won’t allow you to make me feel like this. I’ve never lied to you and I’d sure as hell never lie to Lily. You want to see every move I make as my one foot out the door, that’s on you.”

  “I have to protect—”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that story,” she interrupted him as she took a step back and away. “But the bottom line is, you’re just trying to protect yourself. Here I am, wondering how I’m going to clue you in to the fact that I love your big dumb ass and you stop by, ready to stomp me down.”

  “You—”

  “You, despite being everything I want when the doors are closed, never fail to let me down in real life, when it matters the most. You’re the first in line to pick apart my failures and make sure I know just what I always do wrong.”

  She was furious and in her anger, flushed and absolutely lovely. It broke his heart nearly as much as it fueled his own anger. She was standing in the middle of the evidence of her departure and still expected him to look away. She declared her love for him and planned on walking out the door anyway.

  “Violet, you’re literally packing your things in front of me. You’re getting ready to leave and you want me to be happy you’re going?” His voice was rising and it was work to keep himself from grabbing her and shaking her.

  “So, without asking me a thing, you already know what’s going on here?” She shrugged and shook her head. “You know what they say about assumptions, Gabe?”

  “I can’t do this,” he told her, running a hand down his face.

  “I agree. You definitely can’t.” Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was glaring at him. It brought him right back to where they started, her on the food truck and him giving her the cold shoulder.

  He hated it.

  “I think you should go,” she told him, her voice firm.

  He agreed. “The only thing I ever asked of you, Violet, was to tell me if you planned on leaving. I’m only trying to protect Lily.”

  “So you said.”

  “She needs stability in her life. Someone that’s going to stick by her and be loyal.”

  Her head snapped back as if he’d struck her. “And that’s not me, I suppose, is it?” The words choked out of throat.

  Gabe held out his hands to encompass the boxes. “No. It doesn’t seem like it is.”

  She nodded. “You’ve made your point, Gabe.”

  “You’re a good person, Violet. You’re kind and smart—”

  “Just not loyal enough for you.”

  When she said it like that, it didn’t make sense. He knew Violet and she was loyal. Not just that, she was thoughtful and kindhearted. Why would she do something like pack up and leave without saying anything?

  “Prove me wrong, Vi,” he begged. “Tell me this isn’t what it looks like.”

  “Why?” she asked, her voice low. “You made your mind up about me the minute we met and that opinion obviously hasn’t changed. I have no intention of defending every move I make.”

  “Please, Violet.”

  She shrugged, not saying a word.

  “Well,” he whispered. “I guess that’s that.”

  “Guess so,” she replied.

  Then she turned on her heel and went inside, the door closing behind her with a near-silent click.

  8

  “What did you do?”

  Lily stormed into his bedroom the following night, after Violet didn’t show up to the open house like she said she would. Not only was Lily disappointed, but he was too. He was hoping she’d show herself and prove him wrong.

  He still felt sick about what had happened the day before. His gut churned when he recalled the look on her face. He had the underlying sense that, no matter what it looked like, he was the one in the wrong and he’d made a terrible mistake.

  She’d told him she loved him. Well, she hadn’t exactly told him, but she had, and her arrow had hit its mark. He’d felt her admission clear down to his soul, and he felt ten kinds of a fool for not admitting that he felt the same.

  He should have told her that even if she was packing to leave, he wanted her to stay.

  More than that, he was prepared to give her something to stay for. He wanted to be the thing she could always come back to, even if she needed an adventure. He wanted to be invited on her adventures and have them come back together.

  He wanted her to be someone Lily could count on.

  Then she hadn’t shown up to the open house, and he knew he’d not only ruined what he had with Violet, but he ruined it for Lily too.

  “What did you do?” she repeated, her eyes red from crying. She was holding up her little iPod, where she texted often with Violet and her other friends.

  “I don’t know, Lil,” he admitted. “I thought I was protecting you.”

  “You ruined it!” she cried, her little fist clenching at her side. “She was my only friend.”

  “I’m sure she’s still your friend.”

  “She said she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. She said
you wouldn’t like it.”

  Lily held out the phone and he read Violet’s last message.

  I love you, Lil. You know that. But your dad doesn’t think our friendship is a good idea right now. He wants to make sure you’ve got good role models and let’s face it, I’m not that girl.

  “Why would you do that?” Lily’s lip wobbled and a tear streaked down her cheek. “She’s the only one that gets me.”

  He shook his head. “I…”

  He had no answer for her. The more he said the words out loud, the less sense they made.

  “Please, can we go see her. You can fix it. Please, Dad.”

  He checked his watch. It wasn’t that late. Violet would still be up. Maybe he had a chance of fixing what he’d not only broken, but smashed to smithereens.

  Violet looked at the moonlight as it reflected on the water under Pearl Ridge. It was hard to tell what were ripples from the ocean’s surface and what were tears, threatening to fall from her eyes.

  It stung, there was no doubt about that.

  She knew he’d be a tough sell, that he thought she was a flake, but she thought they were working past it. To see him just ignore everything he knew about her, everything she’d shown him in their time together, hurt.

  It more than hurt. It crushed her.

  Never one to back down, she’d stood up for herself. Only when Gabe had finally driven away did she allow herself to implode and cry her heart out. Mere hours later, she’d shown up at her parent’s boat, with a bottle of wine in hand and a sob story for the ages.

  “How’re you doing, V?” her mother, resplendent in a white dress under the moonlight, asked as she sat across from her.

  Her mother was the most beautiful woman she’d ever met. Nearly ageless, her long red hair hung in a braid down her back, her big, blue eyes solemn as she watched her daughter blubber into a wineglass.

  “Living the dream,” she replied, her usual sarcasm falling flat.

  “I can see that.” Iris poured the last of the wine into her own glass and sat back, looking out over the dark sea. “How’s Lily taking things?”

  Violet looked down at her phone automatically, the screen dark since she’d turned it off hours ago. Lily’s pleading messages had been overwhelming and Violet’s heart broke the more she read them.

  Eventually, it had just seemed easier to say her goodbyes for now, and let some dust settle.

  “I don’t think she’s feeling any better than I am.”

  “And she doesn’t have her mother to cry to, now does she?”

  “Or a bottle of wine to drink,” Violet pointed out, guilt clawing at her. Gabe had been right. Lily was the one in the middle of their argument, and there was nothing either of them could have done to protect her from that.

  “Do you think the wine helps?” Her mother arched a brow.

  “It isn’t hurting.” She spun the empty glass between her fingers.

  “I can’t imagine there’s anything that could hurt you as much as your heart right now, is there?”

  “No,” Violet whispered. “I don’t imagine there is.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell him, Violet. It wouldn’t have been a big deal to tell him you weren’t leaving.”

  “He thinks I’m a total flake, Mom. Every single thing I do just proves it more in his eyes. To him, I’m irresponsible because I forget my phone. I’m careless because I cut my finger. I dream too much and laugh too loud. My head is in the clouds and I always have one foot out the door.”

  “Sounds a lot like your father when I met him,” Iris commented.

  Violet watched a small, secret smile stretch across her mother’s lips.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know I never really knew much about my father. He was never a part of my life. Your Gram and I, we were a team, a lot like Gabe and Lily, actually. She worked so hard to build a life for me here in Fortune’s Bay. Something I could hold onto, you know. A foundation.”

  Violet nodded, seeing the similarities.

  “It all made so much sense,” Iris continued. “Marrying Marx and building a future here. Until the second I laid eyes on your father.”

  “Swimming in the ocean like a merman,” Violet recounted the story she’d heard a million times.

  “He was a dreamer.” Iris’s laugh was warm, like just the memory of that moment heated from the inside. “Traveling with no real direction, exploring the world. I was so jealous, but terrified to reach out and grab what I wanted.”

  Violet scoffed. “Somehow, I doubt Gabe is sitting around terrified of what we have going on.”

  “Put yourself in his shoes, V. Think of him as me and your Dad. He wants you, but he’s been working for something his whole life. He’s been building this thing with Lily for years, seeing exactly where he thinks their lives are going to go. And here you come, a whirlwind of life experiences that don’t fit into that puzzle at all.”

  “That’s nice,” Violet muttered.

  “He wasn’t expecting you, Vi. Some people take a little longer to figure things out.”

  “Some people stick their feet in their mouth every time they open it,” she countered. “I might love the fool but I have no intention of letting him squash me at every turn.”

  “Nor should you,” Iris agreed.

  “Ivy said I can catch a ride with you guys, down to her place, to stay a while. I might take her up on it. I don’t think I can stay here anymore.”

  “You don’t have to decide right away. We’ll be here for a couple days, anyway.”

  “Well, I certainly have no intention of going back into town. If I run into Lily, I’ll change my mind. If I run into Gabe, I’ll end up in jail.”

  “I was going to ask if you ladies needed more wine, but now I don’t have to.” Reed Hart exited the boat’s cabin, a bottle in his hand and a sympathetic smile on his lips. “Talk of going to jail always means more wine.”

  “Ha-ha,” Violet deadpanned. “You should have more sympathy for me. I’m you.”

  Reed looked to his wife for clarification as he poured them all some wine. She explained the situation, likening Violet to Reed when he and Iris met.

  When she finished, Reed clinked glasses with Violet. “To the world’s dreamers. May we always know who our home is, if not where.”

  Violet thought on his words for a moment and dismissed them. She didn’t want optimism while she wallowed. She wanted commiseration and pitchforks.

  She looked at her parents who were sending each other heated stares and knew their moment of parental advising was over.

  “Gross,” she murmured as she stood. “Thanks for all the help. I’m going to bed.”

  9

  Gabe’s day was not going well. He worked on autopilot, hammering nails and letting the sound of saws drown out the real world.

  It had been two days since his blow up with Violet and he had not heard a word from her. More concerning, neither had Lily. Not since she’d explained why their friendship was a bad idea had anyone heard from Violet.

  Her house remained dark and the door locked. He’d stopped by no less than ten times, just checking to see if she’d come back. She wasn’t answering calls or texts.

  It was exactly what he’d feared was going to happen but he knew, he’d caused this, not Violet. She hadn’t walked out of Fortune’s Bay looking for her next great adventure. He’d pushed her out, and he knew that down to his bones.

  Furious with himself, he hammered harder, working his aggression out physically.

  He thought about Violet from sunup to sundown. The last days had eked by, passing slowly while he walked through his life like a robot. Lily would barely speak to him, rightfully blaming him for the loss of her friend.

  He’d lost out too, he’d realized quickly.

  If Lily was the light in his life, then Violet was the heat. She warmed him, made him feel comfort when he thought there was none. She thawed him, when he thought he was well beyond being worth the effort.

/>   She was right when she accused him of being the one who felt the long-term effects of Rachel leaving Lily. He had trust issues and it all stemmed from that incident. Sure, he and Rachel hadn’t been together, but he’d thought they’d be parents together. He hadn’t expected to be raising Lily on his own. Not only did he hold resentment toward Rachel, but he let it cloud the rest of his life. He didn’t trust easily, and no matter how many times she’d proved otherwise, he’d pegged Violet as a flake and a temporary fixture.

  He had to fix things with her. Not just for Lily, but for himself. Violet wasn’t the only one who’d fallen in love this summer.

  He swung the hammer back but this time it hit with a sickening thump and his thumb exploded in pain. He yowled, most unmanly, gaining the attention of his crew.

  “Boss?”

  He held his thumb in his other hand, almost afraid to look. The pain was scorching, streaking up his arm, and he gritted his teeth and breathed through his nose.

  “Let’s see,” his surly foreman, Nick, said, unwrapping his fingers and revealing the digit.

  There was some blood but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

  “What the hell happened?” Nick asked. Nick was a medic and a war veteran, and though he was younger than Gabe, his eyes often looked like they’d seen a thousand lifetimes.

  “Wasn’t paying attention,” Gabe growled.

  “Huh,” Nick replied simply, a brow raised. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with why you’ve been stomping around here for a few days, would it?”

  “No,” Gabe lied, snatching his thumb back and holding it in his hand.

  “Nothing to do with the little redhead who mysteriously skipped town a few days ago?”

  Gabe narrowed his eyes. “Is there a direct line you call to get town gossip or do you have your own rocking chair in the knitting club?”

  Nick raised his other brow. “I like sandwiches. No sandwiches the last few days now that Batten Down the Hashes is getting fixed.”

  “Fixed?”

  “Refrigeration unit shit the bed. Was gonna take a few weeks to get back up and going.”