20. Chapter 20
Cooper, Emma, and I barge into the kitchen to find Violet. Only, I’m met with Margaret instead.
No singing. No dancing. No trace of Violet here.
“Hi kids, what can I get for you?” Margaret asks.
“Where is Violet?” I ask out of breath from the running Emma made us do.
“Oh I’m so sorry dears, she left since I got here early and she decided to do more prep than was needed.” She chuckles.
“Did she leave with Alexander?” Emma asks.
“Oh no. Of course not. She doesn’t trust that man.” She waves at us like we’re completely stupid for thinking that of Violet.
“But he just said—” I started.
“Liam. I’m already angry with you. You let my girl walk away. How dare you believe what that idiot said. He doesn’t know my girl, you do. She doesn’t trust him, she trusts you. And you let her leave here without telling her how you feel.”
“I didn’t—I mean—I am working on it. Alexander was unexpected.” I sputter.
“What my brother here is trying to say is that we just learned the ugly truth about Alexander. And we immediately came to find Violet.” Emma covers for me.
“Well I suggest you get your ass to New York City, son. If Alexander says they’re going together, I know for a fact that she didn’t tell him about the gala, and that means he and that scum Larry are planning something.” Gran crosses her arms and faces the three of us.
“Yes! Road trip!” Cooper yells.
“I think someone needs to do this road trip alone, and someone else needs to take over his chores at the inn.” Emma smacks Cooper’s stomach.
“I mean. I guess. That isn’t as fun though.” Cooper pouts.
“Go pack! What are you waiting for!”
I look at my watch, calculate the driving time, and then look at them, “What am I supposed to do? Barge in there at bedtime to a house, I have no idea who lives there?”
“He has a point,” Gran says, tapping her chin.
“Oh! I have tons of airline miles. I can get you a flight, and a hotel then you can go to the gala tomorrow!” Cooper is immediately on his phone.
“You’ll need a tux. Or a suit at least,” Gran points out .
“I have one.” Cooper doesn’t even look up from his phone as he starts to leave the inn. “Are you two coming?”
Emma and I look at each other then follow him back to the truck to drive over to his cabin, but he interrupts us as we slow down near his cabin, “At Mom’s.”
His nose is back in his phone. I didn’t think that booking an airline ticket would take this long.
We stop at Mom and Pop’s house.
Finally he speaks, “Ok you’re booked on a three p.m. flight to JFK, a hotel near Central Park, and I hired you a car to bring you to the hotel, and to her home for the gala. My buddy also has an engagement ring on standby.”
“A what?” I ask in shock.
“Aren’t we going for grand gestures?” he asks, furrowing his brow like I’m the crazy one.
“I think we could probably nix the engagement ring, Coop. Maybe leave that part to Lee.” Emma hops out of the car.
“Eh. It’s there if you want it. I watched a lot of rom-coms on my last trip.” He puts his phone in his pocket and hops out behind Emma.
I steady myself for a minute before going into Mom’s and dealing with explaining the whole situation over again.
“Three of my babies so early in the day?” Mom exclaims when I walk in as she’s mid-hug with Cooper.
A pang of guilt hits me because I don’t come to see them very often even though I live here on the property with them. And I’m never home to invite them over.
“Hey, Mom,” I sheepishly say .
“What are you three doing here? What’s the special occasion?” She rushes off to the kitchen, with us following behind her.
“Lee is going to get his girl in New York. And he needs my tux.”
She stops almost immediately and spins on her heel.
“Oh my, please say he’s going to get Violet?” Mom pleads with Emma.
She nods her head enthusiastically in response.
“Oh my boy!” Mom pushes past Cooper to hug me.
“It’s not a big deal.” I hug her back.
“My boy, you are in love with that wonderful girl that you’ve loved your whole life. It’s a big freaking deal!”
“Mom, almost cussed. That means it’s true.” Cooper rejoins us, popping a cookie from the kitchen in his mouth.
“Oh hush.” Mom swats at Cooper. “Wait. Why is she in New York? I thought she was here for good?”
“She was. She is. Here for good. She’s in New York for a gala for her stepfather.” I give Mom the simple, drama free cliff notes version.
“Except Liam is leaving out that there is a man here from New York who works with her stepfather and they’re in some secret plan to take the inn when it goes into foreclosure, and get Violet to be with him back in New York. But we figured him out, and thank god G paid our balance with the mortgage because now that he can’t get it, he’s leaving. Except he’s going to the same gala as Violet, so Liam needs to go now and win her back with a grand gesture, starting with showing up at the gala.” Emma takes a big breath at the end of her explanation .
“Oh dear. That sounds serious, I’m so sorry you got dragged into that, kids. I had no idea.” Mom apologizes for the millionth time about Pops’ secret.
“Ugh, those snakes have been coming for years Mom. They just don’t usually sneak around lying, or use Violet.” I shrug.
“Okay people. Not to rush us, but Lee still has to pack and get this tux and get to the airport. So can we do this love fest another time?” Emma interrupts.
Mom blinks back the building tears, and leads us to the spare room that houses Cooper’s stuff.
I slip into the tux to make sure it fits. It isn’t a perfect fit, but it’ll do for now. Coop was a little skinnier when he needed the tux for a work gala in Boston.
“You can come critique me now.” I yell to the hallway.
Mom and Emma come in, not joined by Cooper.
“Oh honey, you look so handsome.” Mom fusses over the collar of the jacket and the bowtie.
“You look good, bro. Violet is definitely going to fall for whatever you say. As long as you’re not an idiot.”
I roll my eyes at Emma’s sisterly love. Though she does have a point.
Cooper is driving me to the airport and now my nerves are kicking in. I can’t believe I’m flying to New York, and going to tell Violet that I love her. This isn’t something I’ve ever done and it’s so far out of my comfort zone.
I thought the table for the bakery was a grand gesture but this beats it by a long shot.
I’m terrified to show up at her parent’s house. Terrified to confess that I love her. And terrified of whatever Alexander is planning with her stepfather.
Cooper parks the car at the departures area. “You ready?”
“No,” I answer honestly.
“Well you better get ready. You have one hour and forty-five minutes to get there, then you just have to keep your shit together until the gala.” He slaps me on the shoulder.
I get out and grab my stuff from the back of the truck.
“Let me know if she thinks you’re a jackass and I’ll book you a flight home.” Cooper laughs at his own joke.
“Thanks, jerk.” I smile, because this is his love language. A little shit talking means he cares.
I wave goodbye as he pulls off, leaving me at the airport.
This is real. It’s really happening.
It takes forever to get through the security line, but I finally find my gate and settle in before they post that our flight is delayed. We won’t be leaving until after midnight now, thanks to a snow storm somewhere along the path. I find a spot to settle in, and pull out a book that Violet recommended for me. Losing myself in a different world will help settle me. I wish I could have had something to carve for her, but I don’t think the TSA would have approved of my whittling knife.
After a long night, the flight attendant finally comes over the intercom to tell us that we are going to be boarding shortly. I pack up my stuff and run to grab a cold soda before boarding. I need caffeine since my bedtime was a solid four hours ago .
Luckily Coop was able to change the time on the car, so I don’t have to worry about getting a cab and finding where I need to go once I land.
I hand the flight attendant my boarding pass, and find my seat.
My palms are sweating, my stomach is doing flips, and I can’t decide if I want to smile from happiness, or vomit from nervousness.
Is this what love is?
No it can’t be.
Love is watching Violet sing and dance in the kitchen. Love is finding my favorite baked good on the counter. Love is bringing her a book I know she wants to read. Love is wanting to have her with me for every sunrise until there are no more sunrises left.
This is just me, scared to tell Violet any of this. Scared to be rejected. But willing to risk it all.