Plain Obsession (Hunters Ridge Book 1)

by Alison Stone

  Violet had never felt so desperate in her whole life. She had always prided herself on being a smart, independent woman. Yet now, the most content she felt was when she was home with Betty or—if she were being honest with herself—when Theo was by her side.

  Heaven help me.

  At some point, Violet had drifted back off to sleep, and now she woke up to the mechanized rumble of the automatic garage door opener. Isaac and Betty must be headed off to church. Betty had to go in a little early to help set up for a breakfast that was going to be held after the service. In her despair last night, Violet had told Betty not to wake her. A ping of guilt nudged her as she stretched across and picked up her phone, surprised to see it was after nine a.m. The least she could have done was humor Betty and help at church, considering everything she had done for her.

  Violet swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pulled on the roller shade until it snapped up with a loud clack. The snow was coming down heavily. Tracks from Isaac's truck lined the driveway.

  She thought of Betty's words when they chatted yesterday: Rely on faith.

  Violet closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The thought of getting behind the wheel of the SUV and driving on the snow-covered roads threatened to extinguish her flickering hope. She couldn't push herself today. She felt like she was in a huge gerbil wheel, running, running, running, but unable to escape her rioting emotions.

  Rely on faith.

  A burst of courage made her grab her phone from the bed where she had tossed it. She scrolled through her recent calls and dialed Theo's number before she lost her nerve.

  He answered on the second ring. "Morning, Violet."

  He sounded downright cheery.

  "Morning." She found herself smiling. "Are you a morning person?" She blinked away the gritty feel of her eyes from her restless night of sleep.

  "Is that why you called? To check my mood this morning?"

  She laughed. Theo had a wonderful sense of humor. She remembered him as the class clown in high school. Back then it seemed obnoxious. She was too young to realize it was a way of coping. Eventually they had become friendly, but it took looking past his rough edges. Then Jenny saw to it that they didn't remain friends.

  "I was wondering if you were going to church this morning."

  "Daddy!" Liam shouted in the background.

  "Hold on," Theo said to her, then to his son, "Go brush your teeth."

  "Oh, I'll let you go," Violet said, suddenly losing her nerve. She wasn't used to asking people for favors.

  "No, I have a little more time. Yes, Liam and I are headed to church this morning. He needs a little encouragement to move quickly otherwise we'll be late." His voice sounded husky. "Did you need something?"

  "This is going to sound silly, but I was wondering if you could pick me up. For church," she added, as if her request needed clarification.

  "Sure," he said. "Service starts at ten."

  She suddenly felt like she was outside herself, listening to herself ramble. "I'm not too keen on driving, especially in bad weather." A silence stretched over the line. "I shouldn't have asked. It's an imposition."

  "No, no. Not at all. I'd be happy to pick you up. I'll be at your house twenty minutes before. Can you be ready?"

  Violet opened her closet, scanning the racks of clothes. "Yes."

  "Violet?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm glad you called."

  "Me, too." She ended the call and stared at the phone, feeling a mix of uneasiness, excitement and hope.

  Theo watched as Violet's eyes grew as wide as the huge saucer under the large coffee mug spinning slowly over the "Breakfast" sign at a diner in the next town over.

  "Do they serve coffee here?" she asked, laughing.

  "Yeah! And hot chocolate with whipped cream!" Liam chimed in.

  "And hot chocolate," Theo repeated and winked at Violet.

  "I've never been here. I usually go to the Hunters Ridge Diner," Violet said. She had been quiet after church, other than to agree to Liam's persistent please, please, please take him to his favorite after-church breakfast spot. Actually, it was their second breakfast. They'd stopped briefly to chat with Betty and Isaac and have a donut at the church, but Liam liked his hot chocolate and strawberry pancakes every week from the diner with the big mug on the roof.

  "Hunters Ridge Diner is great, but Liam likes this place and the short drive out into the country."

  Violet smiled, apparently getting the irony. A kid who lived in the country enjoyed a ride out in the country.

  Theo opened the diner door. Liam slipped inside and ran ahead to the hostess stand. Theo could hear him saying, "Three. My new friend Miss Violet came to church with us. Now she's coming to breakfast with us."

  The young hostess smiled at Liam and grabbed two oversized plastic menus as well as a paper kids' menu. Then she turned her smile on Theo and Violet. Violet was a beautiful woman. And polished. Much too polished to be with a rough-around-the-edges guy like him.

  He felt a sense of pride as he held a hand to the small of her back as the three of them followed the hostess to a curved bench in the corner of the diner. Violet slid in, while he and his son scooted in on either side of her.

  Liam picked up the green crayon and started coloring the leaves on the tree on the kids' menu-slash-placemat.

  "Are you having the usual?" Theo asked Liam.

  "Yep. Pancakes with strawberries and whip cream." Liam shifted in his seat to face Violet. "The pancakes are really good."

  Violet folded her hands and smiled. "Then looks like I'll be having the pancakes…and coffee."

  Liam crumbled his face. "I don't like coffee."

  Violet scrunched up her forehead and made a confused face, but a light lit her eyes. "How do you know you don't like coffee? Have you had any?"

  The little boy shook his head emphatically. "No way. I don't like the way it smells. I know I wouldn't like how it tastes."

  "Fair enough." She cut her gaze over to Theo, obviously enjoying herself. Sitting this close, he noticed a hint of yellow in her brown eyes. "Are you a pancake man?"

  "Of course." He unrolled his silverware from the paper napkin and placed it on the table. "Nothing like a couple pancakes to top off the donut I already ate." Theo patted his stomach. Her eyes drifted to his midsection and back up again. Pink blossomed in her cheeks.

  The waitress took their order. The three of them made small talk while they waited for their food. Theo was struck by how good this felt. Like a small family. Jenny and he had fallen apart before Liam was even born. They'd never even had a chance.

  After Liam was born, Theo mistakenly believed his only responsibility was financial.

  Hanging out with Violet and Liam felt easy, comfortable. Right.

  Theo scooted a fraction away from Violet and draped his arm over the empty bench next to him. She was just a friend—an employee—who had reached out to him to go to church.

  That's all.

  Besides, she had no plans to stay in Hunters Ridge long-term. He couldn't break Liam's heart.

  He couldn't break his own.

  Liam twisted around and knelt on the bench and chatted with a little boy in the booth behind theirs. Someone from his kindergarten class, apparently. This gave Theo the opportunity to talk to Violet uninterrupted.

  "I'm glad you came with us this morning." He peeled back the lid on a creamer and dumped it into his coffee. The metal spoon clacked against the white ceramic mug as he stirred.

  Violet glanced down, playing with the edges of the napkin on her lap. Then she looked up, her eyes bright. "Me, too. It's been a long time. It was a nice service."

  "Did you grow up going to church?"

  "No, my mother's not much of a churchgoer, but Betty is." She took a sip of her coffee and a small smile played on her lips. "This is really good coffee. They've definitely earned the big coffee mug on the roof."

  Theo laughed. "Ah, yes."

  "You know…" Violet tipped
her head. "I felt at peace at church this morning. More at peace than I've felt in a long time."

  "I'm glad." Theo covered her hand with his.

  Liam was in a long discussion with his friend about whether or not they might have a snow day tomorrow if it kept snowing. He didn't want to squash the boys' enthusiasm by reminding them that it had to snow a lot for Hunters Ridge to cancel school. The communities in and around Western New York were experts at efficient snow removal.

  "Ah, to be a kid." Violet smiled and pulled her hand out from under Theo’s and placed it in her lap. Something flickered in the depths of her eyes that he couldn't quite name.

  "Theo!" A loud voice hollered across the diner. He snapped his attention toward the shrill voice and an uneasiness settled in his gut. Liam's mother stormed across the diner, rage heating her face. She jabbed her finger at Violet, and Theo shifted his body to block her, fearing what she might do.

  Liam spun around and plopped down in his seat, his enthusiasm draining from his sweet face.

  Theo slid out of the booth and stood in front of Jenny, gently touching her arm, but his anger raged hot. How dare she? He whispered, "Not in front of your son."

  "That's right." Jenny lowered her voice a fraction and glanced around, as if suddenly aware that people were watching her. "He's my son."

  "Don't do this," he whispered.

  Jenny's eyes flashed angry at Violet. Obviously ignoring him, she plowed forward. "I came here because I thought we could have a family breakfast like we did a few weeks ago."

  Theo should have known better than to invite Jenny to breakfast at the time, but it seemed like the civil thing to do. Now it was blowing up in his face.

  In Liam's.

  "Stop, Jenny. Don't do this in front of Liam." Theo glanced over his shoulder, and his son was sitting in the booth staring up at his parents with wide eyes as if he had done something wrong. Violet had her arm around him in a comforting gesture.

  Sadly, this wasn’t unlike his own childhood. His mother who was always angry until she finally left his father and her family. He often wondered if she ever found happiness.

  Jenny's expression softened a fraction, but the anger still burned bright in her eyes. She leaned over and gave Liam a perfunctory peck on the cheek. "Everything's okay."

  "Hi, Mommy," he said, and the eagerness in his tone broke Theo's heart.

  "Would you like to join us?" Violet patted Liam's shoulder, then pulled her arm out from around him.

  The question caught both him and Jenny—based on her expression—off guard.

  "I'm not very hungry any more." She leaned over and tweaked Liam's nose. "I'll see you in a few days, okay little man?"

  "Okay, Mommy."

  Jenny nodded at Theo, then Violet, a wary look in her eyes. She strode over to the counter and ordered a coffee to go.

  Liam got back up on his knees and asked his buddy in the booth next to theirs for a red crayon. He didn't seem any worse for the wear. But he was. Every incident like this had a way of wearing down a kid.

  Theo sighed heavily and turned to Violet. "Thank you. You didn't have to invite her to eat with us." He kept his voice low.

  "She's his mom." Violet shrugged. "I don't understand her anger, but I imagine she must love Liam dearly."

  Emotion clogged his throat. Theo's gaze drifted to Jenny and he wondered how he could have been attracted to someone like her, and then, now someone like Violet. Two very, very different women.

  Perhaps when he connected with Jenny, he hadn't thought he was worthy of someone like Violet. Not that Jenny wasn't worthy of love and happiness, it's just that she had turned to drugs to seek it. She hadn't found herself worthy of love either.

  Liam plopped down in his seat when the waitress approached with their food. His son's entire face lit up as he licked a dollop of whipped cream from his fork. He seemed unscathed by the scene played out by his mother. Theo wasn't sure that was a good thing. Maybe Liam had grown accustomed to her behavior, and this was not acceptable.

  Theo tracked Jenny until she walked out the door.

  "Those look like they're really good." Theo's focus shifted back to his son's plate. Violet wiped a blob of whipped cream from his son's cheek with a napkin.

  His heart constricted.

  No matter the twists and turns in the road, Theo was forever thankful that God blessed him with his beautiful little boy.

  And perhaps Violet Jackson had entered their lives for a reason. A reason far more important than organizing his financial records.

  Chapter 12

  By midweek, Violet was making progress, getting through a lot of receipts uninterrupted and setting up new record-keeping software. Theo hadn't had much time in the last few days. She had hoped he could sit down with her so she could show him the software. It wouldn't be too hard to train someone, if they had the time.

  And that's why they had hired her. Neither of the men seemed to have much idle time to sit and do paperwork.

  Violet leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. Light flurries swirled in the gusty winds visible through the slats of the blinds. The space heater seemed to be working better today, keeping her toes warm and making the trailer seem a little stuffier than usual, so Violet lit a vanilla candle she had brought with her. She never liked the smell of burnt lint on a heater.

  She ran her finger across the mouse pad and her screen came to life. She got back to work and she wasn't sure how much time passed when she heard a jiggling at the door handle. A spike of adrenaline surged through her veins and her palms went slick. The events of last week still had her on edge.

  Rolling her eyes, she scooted out of her chair, realizing she was being absolutely ridiculous. She pulled back the thin roller shade and let out an awkward, sharp laugh. "Liam!" Violet released a sigh. The mind was a powerful thing. She turned the handle and tugged on the door until she finally pried it open. Theo really needed to fix that sticking door.

  Liam stepped into the trailer with his bright blue winter coat, matching knit hat and gloves. His backpack nearly dwarfed him. "Hi, Miss Violet."

  "Hi, Liam. How was school? I thought you were staying after today." Theo had run an errand and had told her that Liam had planned to stay after school for intramural sports.

  "I changed my mind. They were going to play badminton." He spit out the last word as if it tasted bad.

  "Not a fan of badminton?”

  "Nope. Last time I played, I broke a racket and got in trouble."

  Liam dropped his backpack and shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the couch.

  "Do you have a lot of homework?"

  "Done. It was easy. I did it on the bus."

  Violet picked up his backpack and groaned. "What's in here? Rocks?"

  "Library books. We can take as many as five out of the library."

  "And let me guess. You took five?"

  Liam plopped down on the couch and leaned over the backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out a thick textbook-type book, 1001 Practical Jokes, and handed it to her. She flipped to a random page. "Oh, you better not short-sheet your dad's bed. He might get cold."

  "He'd laugh. My dad can be silly sometimes."

  Violet closed the book. "He probably would laugh." She imagined the smile lines around his warm brown eyes. "What other books did you pick out?"

  Liam's eyes lit up. He reached into his backpack and pulled out an action adventure book that looked more like a middle school reader.

  "Can you read this book? It has a lot of words." She fanned through the pages, and breathed in the smell of library books and smiled. She had spent hours upon hours in the Hunters Ridge library with Betty. She loved to read.

  "I can read a few words." Liam took the book out of her hands. He opened to the first page and ran his finger down the words, reciting the familiar ones. "The…and…can…"

  Violet pressed her hand to her heart. The little boy reminded her of herself. She'd wanted so desperately to be able to read books that were
several grade levels above her own. She had a lot of time to practice in her mother's Manhattan apartment where she was often left to her own devices, sitting at the well-heeled feet of her mother's assistants.

  "Would you like me to read it to you?"

  Liam looked up, eagerness lighting his eyes. "Do you have time?"

  Violet glanced over at her desk, the pile of work waiting for her. He was obviously a little boy used to asking the adults in his life if they had time, especially when he got off the school bus and came to his dad's place of work.

  Shouldn't little boys be going home to warm homes, mothers' kisses and chocolate chip cookies? She smiled at the silly notion. It wasn't the fifties where mother wore pearls and had time for baking. She bit her lower lip and looked around. But was coming "home" to this work trailer the proper place for a five-year-old boy? It wasn't her place to decide. But for now, she'd give him the attention he craved.

  "Of course I have time." She slipped in next to him on the comfy couch and opened the book. "You ready?"

  Liam nodded and leaned into her, resting his head on her arm. An emotion she couldn't quite define settled in her chest and made it hard to breathe.

  She opened to the first page and started to read. Near the end of the first chapter, Liam's head bobbed forward. Violet angled her head to see his face. His eyes were closed, his long lashes sweeping across his sweet cheeks. A lock of hair swept down on his forehead.

  She maneuvered him and placed his head on a pillow. She stared at him for a long minute before standing up. She planted a kiss on his forehead. He smelled like snow and cold, little boy sweat and kid shampoo with a hint of vanilla from the candle.

  She glanced toward the door and shuddered at the heavy snow now blowing across the parking lot, covering the cars in a thick layer of snow. A tingling of panic squeezed her heart. She'd have to drive home in this.

  Her gaze fell back to the little boy on the couch, peacefully asleep. He still had a few hours before his father could take him home. She remembered seeing homemade cookies in the break room inside the main warehouse.