Chapter 19
VIOLET
Itrace my finger over the words on my phone.
Declan
I’m going to be in Lake Spark tomorrow.
That wasn’t on the calendar. ;)
Fuck the calendar, we freeze time. I’ll see you tomorrow. Spread yourself wide and be ready.
Some of us need to work, Mr. Impatient.
Fine. I’ll pick us up dinner and you can meet me at my place. I got the keys. We have surfaces to test. ;)
What an offer…
And you love it.
I do, I really do. A smile dances on my lips as I place my phone flat on the table, as Ford will be here any moment.
I’m waiting in Catch 22 for dinner with my brother.
He wanted to meet up after last week’s babysitting weekend turned into an adventure not for the faint of heart.
It’s a little messed up, but despite my teenage nephew ending up with a hangover, I’m kind of happy that the weekend ended the way it did.
I got to experience another side of Declan, a softer side.
It’s a big problem too, because it’s hard to see the guy you’re only supposed to be casual with as just that, when you were already feeling things, and then he swoops in like a knight in shining armor.
Not to mention, when we came back to my house and we slept together that night, it felt as though our connection deepened.
We text every day, and when he was in Lake Spark a few days ago for a meeting, he came to my place after. I ate dinner while sitting on his lap because he wouldn’t let my hand go.
“What has you in a good mood?” My brother greets me by placing his hand on my shoulder.
My body jolts as my brain tries to rewire my focus. “Oh, hey, you’re here.”
“Yeah, we said we were meeting at seven.” He offers me a goofy look and slides onto the chair across from me.
“Sorry, I had a lot of orders today, and my brain is a little foggy,” I fib.
He nods in understanding as he gets comfortable. “It’s okay. Did Connor stop by on time to do his clean-up duties?”
“Yes. Nugget very much appreciates a new servant to his kingdom,” I reflect with sarcasm.
My brother laughs. “I always appreciate your positive view of the world. Again, I’m sorry he got a little unruly. I assure you, I have him on Nugget, house, and training center duty for another week.”
I wave him off. “Stop apologizing. We were all his age once, and I think he learned his lesson.”
Ford smiles at the waitress who arrives at our table, and we both order our drinks, keeping it to soft drinks for now. When she walks away, my brother grins at me peculiarly.
“What’s up with you?” I wonder as I grab a piece of bread from the basket.
“Nothing. It’s been a while since you and I had a little one-on-one time. I haven’t checked up on you enough lately—”
I hold up my hand, indicating for him to stop. “For that, I count my blessings,” I tease.
Ford rolls his eyes. “I just mean, I felt I didn’t need to, as you seem pretty happy. There isn’t anyone new in your life?”
My heart jumps into my throat and gets stuck. I internally question why it’s my heart and not my words, but I don’t have time to analyze now; I need to deter Ford. I rip my bread into tiny pieces. “Nobody. It’s just summer in Lake Spark, how can you not be happy?”
“It’s been raining more days than I care to count.” He looks at me blankly.
“And? Dancing in the rain can be good for the soul.”
“Right.” It drags out of him, as he doesn’t seem to be buying it. “No idea what you’re up to in your free time, but I hope it’s nothing illegal. I would love for you to find someone to settle down with, you deserve it.”
The waitress drops off our drinks, and we thank her but indicate we need more time to order.
“Where is this coming from?” I take a sip of my drink.
Ford rests his arms on the table. “I just… you kind of punished yourself for your last relationship, even though you are not to blame, and I’ve been waiting for the sign that you’re ready to move on again. Lately, you seem to be in a good place, so I have to ask. Are you ready?”
My mouth opens but only air escapes. He has caught me off guard, but then honesty overwhelms me, along with a gushing smile. “I think… I am.” Ready for a relationship, a real one. There is someone who has unintentionally given me a taste of how great it could be.
Ford wiggles his finger in the air. “I was hoping you would say that.” He smiles to someone over my shoulder, and suddenly, I feel as though this is an odd situation. “Don’t kill me. Brielle mentioned you might. But I kind of invited someone to dinner.”
Oh my God, did he figure out that I’m seeing Declan? Is this his way of testing me?
“What do you mean?” I ask with caution.
Ford doesn’t have the opportunity to answer, because he stands to greet the man arriving at our table. My eyes roam up, and I think I might kill my brother.
The sheriff.
“Hey, Violet, I was hoping to run into you.” Carter smiles at me like I’m treasure. He’s out of uniform, in dark jeans, and I notice a few eyes land on him, as natural good looks don’t get ignored by humans.
Quickly, my eyes dart between both men before me and quickly connect the dots. “Hi. Let me guess, my brother mentioned I would be here…” I nervously smile.
Ford answers for him. “I ran into him at the general store and invited him to join us. Please, have a seat,” he offers.
My entire body tightens from disappointment that the wrong man is in front of me, and the fact that Ford, although with good intentions, sprang this on me.
To be fair, I may have mentioned months back that the sheriff could be a contender, but that was before Declan entered my life and raised the bar so disproportionally high that I’m not sure anyone can compare.
We all sit down, both guys in front of me very much ready for this evening that I’ve been tricked into.
“How was your day, Sheriff?” Ford asks.
Nervously I twirl hair around my finger. “Bet there were a lot of cats in trees to save,” I attempt to joke, but my stomach feels numb.
What the hell do I do? I can’t exactly say I’m taken, because then Ford would want to know by whom. Can’t exactly say I’m sleeping with his friend, because no sister wants their brother to know about their sex life. Besides, Declan doesn’t want more than this, whatever it is that we’re doing.
Carter chuckles. “No cats today. Actually had to appear at the county courthouse to testify in a case on speeding tickets. I wasn’t working the big bad streets of Lake Spark today.” I hear the humor in his tone. “How is the flower business going?” Carter asks with interest.
“The usual. Men phoning in to ask for the right flowers to apologize. Brothers ordering flowers after their sisters threaten murder. Oops, shouldn’t share that info with you, as I may soon be involved in a crime.” A short laugh escapes me because this is just beyond bizarre.
“I’ll go easy with the handcuffs,” Carter jokes.
My brother chortles, while I stare blankly at these men.
Someone save me.
“You’ll what?” A deep voice with an undertone of rage fills my ears.
No. Nope. This is not who I meant to save me.
My eyes turn to saucers and snap in the direction of the familiar voice that I love. “Declan.” I sound unsteady.
Declan looms over our table, with his jaw tight and his eyes blazing with fury.
“Hey, man, I didn’t know you would be here.” My brother smiles while he stands to greet his friend with their ridiculous team handshake.
Declan looks at Ford, completely unimpressed. “I told you when I was at the rink earlier that I would be in town for the weekend, and you mentioned we should meet for a drink tonight.”
My head gently falls into my hand as this is one colossal setup, and I shoot a death stare at my brother.
“You’re right, perfect timing. We can leave these two alone and go grab a drink at the bar,” Ford suggests.
Declan ignores him and grabs a free chair from the table next to us and slides it between Carter and me. “Or we could stay here. I’m sure your sister doesn’t need two guys chaperoning her date from the bar. Might as well make it a group dinner, less awkward, you know.”
Ford blinks then shrugs. “I mean, I guess.”
I wave to the waitress passing. “Can I have a Chardonnay; I think my iced tea isn’t going to cut it right now.
” I take a deep breath then briefly catch Declan’s gaze directed at me which causes my body temperature to rise.
“I thought I was having dinner with Ford, then by coincidence, our local sheriff showed up.” I smile tightly to the table but feel a need to subtly explain to Declan.
“Well, this is fun,” Carter lies, as the atmosphere of our table shifted the moment Declan showed up.
“Thrilling.” Declan’s gaze is a dagger at the sheriff.
“So, you’re in Lake Spark tonight?” I ask Declan, confused because he told me that he would be here tomorrow.
“Yeah, sorry to crash this fun-filled evening, but your brother and I only want the best for you. Have to check the sheriff’s intentions, don’t we?” Declan offers a sweet vindictive smile.
Ford passes the breadbasket to Carter. “Forgive my friend. He looks at Violet like a sister, it’s kind of hockey-team code. He’s protective like me. But I’m sure the local sheriff is not the guy we need to worry about.” Ford shoots Declan a warning glare.
“You know I’m off duty. I’m just Carter now.” The poor guy seems to grasp the awkward situation that he unknowingly volunteered for.
“Lucky us,” Declan mumbles. I kick his leg under the table because he isn’t helping.
My wine arrives, and I puff out a breath before taking a long sip. “Uhm, so uh, Carter, what happened to the kindergarten teacher? I thought you were dating her for a while.”
“She moved to Indiana about a year ago. You know, I can tell this evening kind of caught you off guard. I thought you weren’t seeing anyone, and we run into one another all the time, then Ford mentioned we should all hang tonight…” Bless Carter for trying to smooth this over.
“Cute,” Declan mutters under his breath.
“My sister isn’t seeing anyone, otherwise I wouldn’t dare try anything like this,” Ford mentions.