Chapter 53
Fifty-Three
Violet
“You did not!” I laughed so hard that I had to cover my mouth to keep from snorting as Jones told us another story about his cooking mishaps. To say that he was unlucky in the kitchen would be an understatement.
Everyone was gathered in the living room as we devoured the food they had brought from Tipsy Taquito.
I had been obsessed with their tacos since the girls first took me there, and I couldn’t get enough of them.
The fact that my friends knew that about me and planned this special night meant so much to me.
While I still felt nervous about celebrating my birthday, this made it easier to let my walls down a little bit and consider it.
Enzo sat beside me on the couch, trailing his fingers along my thigh while he sipped his beer.
Asher sat on the other side of me, laughing at poor Jones and his unfortunate luck.
They brought in chairs from the kitchen, making it comfortable for everyone as we hung out.
It was amazing how something as simple as a night in with friends could really shift my mood and clear the haze that always seemed to linger over me whenever my birthday approached.
The night continued with such ease that I felt sad it was almost over. It was already getting late, and I knew a few of them had responsibilities at home they needed to attend to.
As I was saying goodbye, Lia, Kensy, and Bella pulled me to the side, each handing me a card. I felt my eyes prickle with tears that I quickly tried to blink away.
“It’s not a birthday card,” Kensy said with a cheeky smile. “It’s just a card between friends to say that I’m thankful you are in my life and that I hope the next year of us being friends is as amazing as you are.”
I shook my head and blew out a breath to keep from crying as she pulled me in for a hug.
“I don’t care that I’m not supposed to say it,” she whispered in my ear. “Happy birthday, Vi. I just know it’s going to be wonderful.”
“Thank you,” I replied, wiping the corners of my eyes as we parted.
“Don’t be mad,” Bella started as she looked nervously at me. “It’s not a birthday gift, it’s just a gift between friends. If you use my name, they’ll give you my discount.”
I didn’t have to look inside the card to know that there was a gift card to Dark Vibes.
“Thank you,” I said shakily as I hugged her. “You really didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t. But I figured after this weekend, you’d need some new stuff.”
She winked, but I frowned, having no idea what she was talking about. Kensy made a face at her and nudged her in the side with her elbow. I narrowed my eyes at them, trying to figure out what they knew that I didn’t, but was interrupted by Lia.
“I don’t do all of the emotional stuff,” Lia started with a playful smile. “But I do wish my friends a happy birthday, even if they don’t want me to. So, happy birthday. I hope this one really rocks your world.”
“You guys!” Kensy hissed, pulling Lia away after she gave me a quick hug. “Do you not know what a secret is?”
“I mean, I think it’s a bit unfair that you all know something and are refusing to tell me,” I said, testing the waters. “Doesn’t feel like you guys are being my real friends by holding out on me...”
“Trust me, it’s better to wait and find out yourself. You can give us all of the details next week at Tipsy Taquito for girls' night,” Kensy said sweetly.
I shook my head, knowing it was pointless to try to get anything out of them.
“Thank you, ladies, you really didn’t have to do all of this. Just hanging out with you guys would have been more than enough for me.”
“We wanted to,” Lia said, being sweeter than usual. “It’s okay to let people love you and want to celebrate you.”
I nodded because the words that I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. I finished saying goodbye to everyone and then sat on the couch, letting the night play through my mind.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated from the coffee table. I picked it up, seeing an unknown phone number on the caller ID. I slid my finger across the screen to unlock it and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Mary Harper calling from Haven Brook General Hospital. I’m looking for Violet Sanderson.”
I swallowed hard, recognizing the hospital name immediately. It was the hospital where my mother took her last breath.
“This, this is she,” I stammered, the color draining from my face as I felt the guys watching me. I couldn’t look at them, couldn’t focus on anything other than the woman on the other line.
“I’m calling because your father, Bret Sanderson, was brought into the emergency room an hour ago. He was in a car accident and is in critical condition.”
She continued talking, but I couldn’t hear anything as the world spun around me, and I was transported back in time when it was my mom who was in that hospital in critical condition.
Tears ran down my face as the phone fell from my hand and landed on the floor as I curled into a ball and sobbed.