17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
VIOLET
As I expected, the arson investigator had nothing useful to tell us other than to start back at the beginning. So Dylan and Aiden had started canvassing again and I’d watched hours upon hours of video footage. This would be my life for the foreseeable future, or until we found something.
Thankfully, I could leave for the night and go get ice cream with Seth.
I smiled thinking about earlier at the coffee shop.
The surprise on his face when I’d given him a quick kiss.
I’d seen him noticing the women looking at us, and I’d just assumed he was leaning in to kiss me.
But then he’d stared back at me in surprise… and something else I couldn’t discern.
Oh well. Hopefully, I hadn’t made things awkward.
I continued through the police station and out the door that led to the sidewalk. I glanced both ways before spotting Seth leaning against the front of his car a few spots away. He looked up and sent me a smirk. One I wasn’t sure I’d seen yet.
Actually, that was a lie. It was similar to the one he’d given me at dinner Saturday night when Ashley asked me why I hadn’t just climbed down the ladder.
“You ready?”
I nodded. “I’m always ready for ice cream.”
He grunted and opened the passenger door. Nothing felt awkward, thankfully. And the playlist he’d made me was already playing from his car’s speakers. I smiled thinking about him listening to it even when I wasn’t in the car with him.
He pulled out into traffic and glanced over at me. “Do you get the same thing or change it up?”
“I am definitely a mood ice cream eater.” That new coffee drink I’d ordered earlier made me want something with caramel. “I’ll probably get their salted caramel.”
He chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me since you ordered that brown sugar caramel latte today. Are you a pumpkin spice girl too?”
Wow. He literally didn’t miss anything. Was he that observant with everyone else or just me? “Will you think less of me if I said yes?”
“Not at all.” He lifted his hand from the steering wheel and pinched his thumb and forefinger together, almost but not quite touching. “Well, maybe a little tiny bit.”
I rolled my eyes. Silence followed, and I was surprised I didn’t feel the need to fill it with useless chatter.
Maybe because I was starting to understand he liked lulls in conversation.
That just sitting and listening to music, or being in a big group, observing and listening, felt more like his speed, so I didn’t need to constantly find things to talk about.
It was…refreshing. Almost relaxing.
I sat back and closed my eyes listening to “Feel Like This” by Abra. Some of the songs he picked I wouldn’t have thought I’d like, but I actually did.
I still hadn’t gotten over that he made me a playlist. I glanced over at him, studying him, and wondering again what his story was.
“How come you’re still single?” tumbled from my lips without much thought.
His back went ramrod straight. Shit . Whatever it was, it didn't seem like something he wanted to talk about.
But then he sighed, and his shoulders relaxed just a bit. “I had a girlfriend in Charlotte.”
Was that part of the reason he moved here? “What happened?”
His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, making his knuckles turn white. “I thought I’d give her a ring and we’d move here together. She wasn’t thinking the same thing.”
“Oh.” I could definitely relate to that feeling of a rug being pulled out from under you. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “It happens. I probably should be happy I found out when I did that she wasn’t as invested as I was.”
“At least your ex isn’t here harassing you to get back together.”
He glared over at me. “Is he still bothering you?”
I chuckled at the overprotectiveness in his voice. “No, not anymore. I think he finally got the message.” But I still couldn’t seem to avoid him.
“Good.” He nodded.
We were quiet again as the minutes passed, and it wasn’t long until he was pulling into The Shack’s lot.
After he parked, we got out and fell in step next to each other as we made our way to the small building to order.
I expected him to order vanilla or chocolate, maybe Rocky Road, and I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up and slipped past my lips when he requested birthday cake.
He shrugged. “It’s my niece’s favorite. I was only allowed to order that anytime we went for ice cream.”
I shook my head. Being bossed around by a tiny human definitely did not fit the whole mountain man persona. Maybe I needed to consider changing his nickname.
“She’s scary when she doesn’t get her way,” he added.
“If you say so.”
Ice creams in hand, we sat down at one of the picnic tables scattered around the grassy area of the lot.
“Want to try mine?” I reached my cone out toward him.
His nose scrunched like he smelled something bad.
“Never mind, Mr. Serious.” I chuckled.
Before I could pull my arm back, he grabbed my hand, bringing the ice cream to his mouth, and took a bite. “Not bad. And what happened to Mountain Man?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. Just depends on what mood I’m in whether you’re Mr. Serious or Mountain Man.”
He extended his arm across the table. “Your turn to try mine.”
I leaned forward and took a slow lick of his ice cream. His gaze zeroed in on my mouth and suddenly the air grew tense as his gaze darkened.
The ringing of his phone broke through the moment, and he looked down at it.
“Sorry, mind if I take this? It’s my niece.” When his gaze met mine, there wasn’t any of the desire I thought I saw a moment earlier.
Was I just reading into it?
“No, not at all. Go ahead.” I nodded to the phone on the table that displayed a little red-headed girl in pigtails.
He picked it up and a huge smile lit his face as he answered the video call. I wasn’t sure I’d seen him that animated before.
“Are you eating ice cream?” The little voice said.
He nodded. “Yes. Your favorite.”
“Dad said you’re coming home this weekend for Poppop’s and Granny’s anniversary party?”
“Yes, I’ll be there. Told you last time we talked that I would.”
“Can you take me to get ice cream?”
His smile fell just slightly. “We can try. No promises though. With the party happening, we’re going to have a busy day.”
“Okaaay…” she said with a slight whine to her voice. “Why are you at a playground?”
Seth looked over his shoulder toward the climbing structure and swings then glanced back at the phone. “It’s for the ice cream place that I’m at.” He turned his phone, slowly scanning the area. “See…they have tables and stuff.”
“Who’s that?”
He smiled over at me before holding the phone so she could see both of us. “This is Violet.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, kinda.”
I didn’t know what to think of his admission. Technically, he didn’t need to tell his niece—or family for that matter—the lie. But maybe that was easier than explaining the truth.
“Dani, time for bed,” a woman called, followed by the little girl whining that she wasn’t tired.
“Better go get ready for bed.” Seth’s serious face was back. “You don’t want to get in trouble.”
“But I’m not tired.”
He raised his brows at her and she huffed. “Fine.”
I fought the chuckle that wanted to slip past my lips. It was times like these that made me envious of other people having siblings. I would be a kick-ass fun Aunt Violet.
SETH
“I guess tonight was kinda pointless,” Violet said as we made our way back to the car.
Pointless? What did she mean? I froze midstep, and when she looked back at me, I searched her face for the answer.
“You know, because no one was here to see us.”
Right. The whole fake dating thing. I was doing a crap job remembering that was what we were doing. I hadn’t thought about that at all tonight. I enjoyed just spending time with her.
“Maybe we can grab lunch on Friday.”
“That’d be good.”
I opened her car door, and my hand tightened on the frame as she brushed past me to climb in. Shutting the door as she turned away from me to buckle in, I took a deep breath before heading around to my side.
“Will you be here Sunday for the annual softball game?”
I nodded. “I’ll be on duty, not playing.”
“You did that on purpose, I’m assuming?”
“Chief wanted a mix of full-time guys and volunteers on the team, and then a mix on shift. Jay, Adam, and Zack really wanted to play, so Logan and I offered to be on shift.”
She tilted her head and studied me. I wasn’t sure why she was looking at me like I’d surprised her. I didn’t care if I played or not, so it made more sense to offer to work so the guys who wanted to play could.
“We weren’t given that option. There’s only like fourteen or so of us, barely enough to make a team. And no volunteers to call in.”
“They have to have someone on shift.”
She nodded. “Yeah, Ethan and Tim are on patrol. The rest of us are playing. Well, besides Martha. She said she’s too old. Although she’s not even sixty yet.”
I pulled into the small parking lot next to the police station where Violet’s car was parked.
“Thanks again for the ice cream.”
I gave her a clipped nod. “I’ll text you about lunch on Friday.”
“Sounds good.” She hesitated for a moment, running her tongue along her bottom lip.
And I couldn’t stop myself from tracking the movement. My gaze drifted slowly up to meet hers, but only for a heartbeat before she pulled it away and reached for the handle of the door.
She shut the door, and I groaned as I watched her walk to her car. The realization that I was screwed hit me like a punch to the gut. Because, dammit, I was actually starting to like this chick.
I scrubbed a hand down my face. Did I even want to go down that road again? Shaking my head, I reminded myself that even if I did, there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Yet .