Violet's Valentine (Love in Holiday Junction #1)

by Tami Franklin

  “Vi?” The dimples deepened. “I didn't know you were in town! How are you?” She rounded the counter and took Vi in a tight hug. “It's so good to see you!”

  “Same here.” Vi pulled back. “You look just the same. What are you doing here? Last I heard you'd left town and were in Australia or something.”

  “I was.” She walked back behind the counter. “I spent a few years backpacking through Europe, doing odd jobs. Went to Australia, New Zealand, Bali—”

  “Sounds amazing.”

  “It was,” she said. “But after a while I got homesick, you know?”

  Vi didn't, but she didn't say that. “And you're working here? In high school you hated it.”

  Lena shrugged. “Things change. My dad got older and he was thinking about selling the shop, but—” She held out her hands. “So here I am, the fourth McKenna to run McKenna's Creamery.” She glanced toward Kade. “I see some things don't change. You two were always joined at the hip.”

  “We were not—” Kade began.

  “I don't think—” Vi said at the same time.

  Lena laughed. “Two peas in a pod,” she said. “Well, what can I get you? Two Colossals?” She waggled her eyebrows at Kade. “Think you can handle it, big guy?”

  Kade grimaced. “I think I'll just take a scoop of peanut butter chocolate in a sugar cone.”

  “And I'll do . . .” Vi perused the buckets behind the glass. “A scoop of pistachio and a scoop of rocky road.”

  “A double?” Kade's eyebrows shot up.

  “Hey, I deserve it after today.” She caught Lena's eye. “My first day teaching at the high school,” she explained.

  “My condolences.” She handed Kade his cone and started on Vi's. “Does that mean you'll be here for a while?”

  “Yeah, at least a year or so,” Vi replied. “Then back to New York, or maybe L.A.”

  Lena piled on the second scoop. “The glamorous life.”

  The bell rang over the door and Vi glanced over her shoulder to see a group of teenagers coming in.

  “Here you go,” Lena said, handing Vi her cone. “On the house, to welcome you home.”

  “Oh, you don't have to—”

  “I know I don't have to.” Lena's dimples flashed. “But I want to. And you and I need to get together and catch up. Soon.”

  “Sounds good,” Vi said, licking her cone as the kids flooded over, perusing the ice cream choices.

  They sat at a table instead of the bar—they were grownups now, after all. And the kids took all the barstools. Vi savored her ice cream, unable to keep from making little noises of appreciation.

  “Why is it so good?” she asked, wiping her mouth.

  “Fresh, local ingredients mixed with love,” Kade replied, reciting the shop's tagline.

  “Yeah, well, I don't buy it,” she said, taking a large bite and talking through a mouthful of deliciousness. “There has to be something illegal in here.”

  Kade pointed toward Lena, with her All-American, fresh-faced, nice-girl-next-doorness. “You really think Lena McKenna is drugging the good people of Holiday Junction?”

  Vi narrowed her eyes as if considering it. “It's always the ones you least suspect.”

  Kade bit into his sugar cone. “She does seem awfully happy.” He said it as if it were a crime.

  “Almost . . . too happy, I'd say.” Vi nodded sagely.

  Kade snorted.

  “I can't believe she traveled all over the world and ended up right back here,” Vi said. “How about you? Did you ever have the urge to shake the dust of HJ off your feet and see the world?”

  Kade shrugged. “I went to college.”

  “In Seattle,” she said. “That's three hours away!”

  “I like it here,” he said, popping the last of his cone in his mouth and crunching loudly.

  Vi studied him. “You never had the urge to try to be a musician? You were so good.”

  “I'm still good,” Kade said with a sniff. “And I play music. I teach. I write.”

  “But you don't want to record an album? Go on tour?” she prodded.

  “Not everyone wants to be famous,” he said, a little shortly. “I've sold a few of my songs, actually.”

  “You did?” Vi was surprised she didn't know this. “Anything I would have heard?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. You ever hear Dancing on Water?”

  Vi gasped. “By Kellie Kincaid?”

  “Well, Kellie Kincaid sang it, but it's by Kade Rivera.”

  “No way!” Vi's ice cream dripped onto the table, forgotten. “You wrote that? It was a huge hit!”

  He looked down, his cheeks reddening. “Yeah, it did all right.”

  “All right? That song was so good—so catchy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Did you write any others?” she asked, finally remembering to lick her ice cream.

  He looked decidedly uncomfortable. It was so like Kade not to want to toot his own horn. “I've sold a few to Kellie, a few to that group out of the U.K, London Eye. One to Eddie Macaren.”

  Vi sat back, stunned. “I can't believe this. You're like a famous songwriter and I had absolutely no idea.”

  “I'm not famous,” he protested.

  “And you're still teaching high school?” she asked. “Why?”

  “I like it,” he replied with a shrug. “I like teaching math, and I like teaching guitar, and I like living in Holiday Junction and writing songs.”

  “Huh.” That was all she could say. It was like Kade was suddenly this entirely different person and she didn't know him at all.

  “Your ice cream,” Kade said, startling her. When she looked at him blankly, he added, “You're making a mess. Sheesh, Chalmers, you leave town for a few years and when you come back, you don't even know how to eat ice cream? What did they do to you in New York?”

  And he was back. The Kade she knew. She swiped at the melted ice cream with a napkin and got up to throw the rest away.

  “So, really. How did it go today?” Kade asked, following her to the trash can to throw away his own mess. “You think you'll stick with it?”

  “I don't really have a choice,” Vi admitted. “But yeah, I will. Some of the kids are a bit challenging, but most of them are pretty great.”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  “And my Advanced Choir is amazing,” she said. “Some real talent in there.”

  “They did a great job at the fall concert,” he told her. “When do you start rehearsals for the spring musical?”

  “We’ll do the first read-through tomorrow. I met some of the cast in my classes today and they seem pretty excited.” She grinned at him. “It's always been my dream to direct.”

  “Watch out Steven Spielberg.” He held the door open for her.

  She waved goodbye to Lena before walking out. “Like Spielberg could handle a high school production of The Music Man.”

  Kade laughed as they crossed the sidewalk, heading to the car.

  He had a nice laugh.

  Well, that was a weird thought. She'd never noticed Kade's laugh before . . . well, at least not in a way to say if it was nice or not nice, or whatever. But for some reason, it hit her differently in that moment, the glint of his teeth, the sparkle in his eyes . . . the way he shook his head like he found her utterly charming.

  Okay. Definitely weird.

  “Violet? Violet Chalmers?” A masculine voice had Vi stopping in her tracks. She turned around and couldn't hold back a little gasp.

  Liam Durant.

  Liam Durant.

  Kade had never had any hard feelings toward Liam. He was a pretty nice guy, all things considered. But suddenly, he had the urge to punch Liam right in the face, and he had no idea why. Kade took a deep breath, hanging back a little as Violet hugged him.

  “I—I can't believe you're here,” she said, stepping back. “How are you?”

  Liam smiled and swept a hand over his neatly brushed, sandy hair. He wore a tailored dark suit and overco
at with a dark red tie. Kade couldn't help comparing it to his own jeans, boots, and gray wool sweater.

  “I'm fine. Good,” Liam said, and it was obvious he bore no ill will toward Vi for dumping him. He subtly took her in, his eyes raking over her when her gaze dropped to the ground at her feet.

  “How have you been?” he asked. “When did you get back?”

  She looked back up at him, her cheeks pink. “Just this weekend,” she said. “I'm doing well. Moved home for a while and I'm teaching at the high school.” She tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear, smiling up at him.

  Why was he so tall?

  Why did that irritate Kade so much?

  “That's great!” Liam said, his smile widening. He leaned toward her, his head tilted down, and it was like the two of them were in their own little world. “It's really good to see you.”

  “You, too.” She chewed on her bottom lip.

  And that was about enough of that. Kade stepped closer, until he was right next to Vi. “How's it going, Liam?” he asked, holding out a hand.

  Liam looked surprised but shook his hand. “Hey, Kade. Fine. You?”

  “Fine.” Kade might have put a little extra muscle in the handshake, but Liam didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't say anything about it.

  “Wow, it's like old times.” Liam pulled back his hand when Kade released it and stuck it in his pants pocket. Then he startled and checked his watch.

  “Oh man, I have to go,” he said. “I have an appointment.”

  “Oh, sure.” Vi tried to hide it, but Kade could tell she was disappointed. “It was nice to see you.”

  Liam hesitated, then seemed to square his shoulders, bracing himself for something. “We should get together and catch up,” he said to Vi. “Dinner sometime, maybe?”

  Vi practically beamed. “That would be great. Perfect!”

  Liam pulled out his phone, and Vi gave him her number. He seemed like he was going to say something else, but he shook his head.

  “I'm sorry. I've really got to go,” he said, starting off down the sidewalk before he spun around, walking backward. “I'll call you.”

  “You better!” Vi called back, and he whirled around and walked quickly away. Vi watched him go with a faraway look on her face.

  It was like high school all over again. “Seriously?” Kade muttered under his breath, and Vi elbowed him.

  “You better!” he mimicked, and she glared at him.

  “Shut up.”

  “Oh, Liam!” He fluttered his eyelashes. “You're so dreamy!”

  “Oh for—” She shoved him toward the car. “Can we go, please?”

  “His eyes! And that smile!”

  “That's it, I'm walking home,” Vi said, pushing him again. “On second thought, I'm taking your keys and you're walking home!”

  Kade laughed and rounded the car, unlocking the doors. “You couldn't handle this car.”

  Vi eyed it, and Kade knew what she saw: A ten-year-old hatchback with a dent in the back quarter panel.

  “You're right.” She nodded somberly. “This is way too much machine for me.”

  Kade laughed and got in the car.

  They took off on the short ride toward home; Vi leaning her head on the passenger window and staring out silently.

  “So—” Kade cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. “You and Liam?”

  She glanced over at him. “What about us?”

  Us. Were they an us already?

  “You really think you want to—I don't know—start things up again?”

  “No.” Vi laughed, shaking her head. “Yes. I don't know. Maybe?”

  “That's a lot of options.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It was nice to see him again. There seems to be something there . . . maybe. So, I don't know. I guess . . . maybe?”

  He arched a brow. “So definitely maybe.”

  She scrunched up her nose, looking at him sideways. “Is it weird?”

  Kade wasn't sure what to say to that. In fact, he did think it was a little weird. But Vi was his friend, so . . .

  “Not weird,” he replied slowly, turning the corner onto their street. “But it has been a long time. You've changed. He's changed.”

  “I know that.”

  “You can't go back to high school,” he said.

  She huffed out a laugh. “I definitely know that.” Vi shook her head. “It's just dinner. He might not even call.”

  Kade snorted. “Oh, he'll definitely call.”

  She bit her lip. “You think?”

  “I take back what I said about going back to high school.” Kade sighed heavily. “Yes. He'll call. He likes you. He likes you, likes you.”

  Vi smacked him on the arm. Did she hit him this much in high school? He didn't remember.

  “Well, I could do worse,” Vi said after a moment. “He's a good guy. Stable. Reliable.”

  “Boring.” Why did he say that?

  “I doubt that,” Vi said, turning in the seat to face him, one leg tucked under the other. “But I've been with fun guys. Spontaneous guys. Ben was fun and he—” She leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes. “There's something to be said for boring and reliable. Someone you can trust.”

  Kade turned into his driveway and pulled to a stop. “It's not one or the other, you know,” he said quietly. “You could have it all.”

  Vi said nothing but tipped her head a little in acknowledgment before she got out of the car. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “No problem. See you in the morning?”

  She nodded and headed up the front steps of her house.

  Kade watched her go, uncertain why his stomach felt heavy as a rock.

  “I'm home,” Vi called out as she kicked off her boots and hung her coat by the front door. “Mom?”

  “Back here!”

  She followed the voice to the kitchen and took a seat at the counter, sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar while her mom wasn't looking. Lou stood at the stove, staring warily at a pot bubbling away. Vi sniffed, unable to recognize the scent.

  “What are you making?” she asked. There was a cooled pie crust sitting next to the stove, along with a can of tuna, mayonnaise, and an empty box of . . . was that lemon Jell-O?

  “I'm not sure,” Lou replied. “It's called Summer Salad Pie. The book club wanted a sixties vintage theme this month, so I'm trying out some recipes.” She poured boiling water into a bowl. “This one seems questionable, but it won some baking contest back in the day.” She slowly stirred what was in the bowl, and Vi could smell lemons. So that explained the Jell-O.

  “Why aren't you at the store?” Vi asked.

  Lou poured tomato sauce and vinegar into the bowl. “Charlie's closing tonight.”

  “Charlie?”

  Her mom gave her a puzzled look. “I told you about Charlie, didn't I? High school kid who works in the afternoons?” When Vi shrugged, Lou kept stirring, pouring some Worcestershire sauce into the bowl. “Anyway, he's a nice kid. Hard worker. And it gives me time to do other things.” She added a splash of Tabasco, and Vi grimaced.

  “Okay, what is that? It looks disgusting.”

  Lou gave the bowl a sniff. “Lemon tomato gelatin filling,” she said, mixing in a pile of chopped celery, onions, and olives. She crossed the room and put it all in the refrigerator. “It has to chill for a bit, want to help me with the tuna salad for the top?”

  Vi kind of thought the idea of tuna salad was the revolting cherry on top of the rather horrifying cake—or pie—but she shrugged and opened the can of tuna while her mom started in on the dishes.

  “So how was your first day?” her mom asked.

  Vi checked the recipe and added some celery and onions. “Pretty good, I think,” she replied. “A few hiccups, but overall it went well. Oh, Kade took me to McKenna's afterward—”

  “Oh yeah?” She shot her a glance that Vi couldn't really read.

  “What?”

  Lou turned back to the dishes.
“Nothing.”

  Vi let it go. “Anyway, I saw Lena. We're going to get together soon and catch up.”

  Lou dried her hands. “Oh, that's nice. She's such a sweet girl.”

  Vi glopped in some mayonnaise. “And then as we were leaving, I ran into Liam Durant.” As she said his name, a rush of butterflies took flight in her stomach.

  “Oh really?” And what was that tone?

  “What is that tone?” she asked as Lou went to the fridge and pulled out the tomato bowl.

  “No tone,” Lou replied, holding the bowl out to Vi as she moved the spoon through it. “Does that look partially thickened to you?”

  It looked terrible to her, but she shrugged. “I guess.”

  Lou nodded, poured the concoction into the pie crust, and put it back in the fridge. “So how was Liam?”

  “Fine.” Her stomach flipped again.

  “Fine?”

  Vi gave the tuna a final stir and pushed the bowl away. “Yes. Fine. Why?”

  Lou's eyes narrowed and she leaned across the counter, studying her daughter. “What's up with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Mm hmm . . .” She stood up straight, but didn't let up with her penetrating gaze. “What happened with Liam?”

  “Nothing happened with Liam,” she said, eyes dropping to the countertop. Why did she feel like she was fifteen again? “He just said we should have dinner sometime.”

  “And you want to have dinner with him?”

  “Sure. Yes. Why not? Why is everyone being so weird about this?”

  “Who is being weird about it?”

  “You. Kade.” Vi threw up her hands. “We're old friends and we might have dinner. What's the big deal?”

  Lou crossed her arms over her chest. “Kade was weird about it?”

  “Yeah, he was all you could have it all, whatever that means,” she replied, irritated. “Like I'm planning to marry the guy or something.”

  “Huh.” Lou tapped a finger on her chin.

  “Huh, what?”

  Lou shook her head. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

  “See?” She pointed at her mother. “Case in point. Weird.”

  Her mom smiled slightly. “Honey, we just want to make sure you know what you're doing. That you don't rush into anything. After everything you went through with Ben—”