39. Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Flowers and Romantic Things
On the drive over, he stopped at a florist and picked out a bouquet of flowers for Violet. If he was doing this, he was going to do this right, though he struggled to choose just the right ones. The florist must have noted his indecision because she offered to make a custom bouquet. Lachlan liked that idea. It seemed fitting to give this one-of-a-kind woman a one-of-a-kind bouquet.
After asking him to describe Violet, the grinning florist helped him choose a selection of cream and mauve blown roses, Scottish thistle, greenery, and a few sprigs of soft white freesias. According to the florist, the roses represented her timeless beauty, the thistle her hardiness, and the freesias her sweetness. It sounded a bit far-fetched to him, but he had to admit, the final bouquet looked good. He hoped she’d like it.
As Lachlan walked up the path to Violet’s cottage, he suddenly felt nervous—not a feeling he was familiar with—and began to second-guess himself. He wasn’t used to feeling so unnerved, but it seemed that Violet brought about many feelings he was new to.
Ducking under her porch roof to get out of the pelting rain, he knocked on her soft blue front door and felt his heart race as wild as the wind. The door opened, and instead of Violet, another employee from the sanctuary greeted him. An awkwardness replaced his nerves. It took him a moment to remember himself.
“Hi, Fiona.” He smiled, trying to regain his footing. He had made sure he knew all his employees’ names.
“Hi, Lachlan.” She looked understandably puzzled as she waited for him to say something more. Lachlan smiled uncomfortably as Fiona inquisitively eyed him and the oversized bouquet of flowers he held.
“Was Violet supposed to be at the sanctuary this morning?” She smiled at him, feigning ignorance.
He was quite certain they both knew why he was there, and it had nothing to do with Violet missing work.
“What? Och, um, no. I just…” Lachlan was at a loss for words. “Is she here?” he finally managed.
“Aye, she's just popped in the shower. I’m sure she willnae be long. Did ye want to come in? Have a cuppa.” Fiona opened the door wider to allow Lachlan to come in, but he stayed where he was.
He smiled, feeling more awkward than when he and his brothers were lads and gave each other wedgies. “No' a worry. I’ll just ask ye to pass this on to her if ye dinnae mind, and I leave ye two to yer visit.” Lachlan shoved the bouquet and the paper bag with the tartan to Fiona, and turned to walk back down the path with his hands jammed into his pockets.
“Is this from the gala? Did she win it or something?” Fiona called to Lachlan as he was making his way back to his car.
“Uh, aye. From the silent auction,” he called back. He didn’t want to lie, but he wasn’t prepared to tell Fiona why he was bringing gifts to Violet. Things had not gone at all as planned. He hadn't thought about what the staff might think about him dating a fellow employee. Tension crept into Lachlan’s shoulders as he pulled away from Violet’s cottage, deep in thought.
Violet walked out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel and saw Fiona, closing the door and smiling broadly.
“Well, that was interesting,” she whispered.
“What was interesting?”
“You'll never guess who just showed up at your front door?”
Violet was looking at the flowers in Fiona's hand.
“Our boss!” Fiona blurted it out before she could respond.
Violet’s heart slammed in her chest, and she went to the little window by the front door to look out. "He's gone?”
“Aye, but he brought you this. He said it’s from the auction.” Fiona raised her eyebrows suspiciously as she held out the brown paper bag and bouquet to Violet.
“Oh, wow,” Violet breathed. She smelled the beautiful bouquet. She'd once received carnations from a sweet albeit not really her type guy she'd gone on a date with, but never had she received flowers like these. It was, hands down, the most beautiful bouquet she'd ever seen. It was the Scottish thistle mixed in with the delicate, beautiful flowers that made it so stunning. Something about that rugged twist of wild just made the combination so perfect together.
She laid it down on the coffee table so she could look inside the bag. Violet gently lifted out the beautiful rich tartan blanket. “Ohhh,” she crooned, holding it to her face to feel its softness. “I wanted this so much!”
She was thrilled, but she couldn’t possibly have had the highest bid. Could she? The thought occurred to her that maybe he’d seen she’d wanted it and got it for her. She didn’t dare hope that was the case, but, oh, if it was, her heart warmed at the very thought. Violet looked up and saw Fiona eyeing her suspiciously.
“He just dropped this off and left?” Violet asked.
“Aye.” Fiona continued to look at Violet with scrutinizing eyes. “What’s that man doing coming ’round here bringing you gifts on a Sunday morning? Like it’s the morning after the night before.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Violet couldn't help but laugh. If only she knew the half of it, but Violet didn't feel ready to divulge. She still didn’t know where she and Lachlan stood.
“It’s not a gift . It’s from the auction.” Violet asserted.
“And you’re telling me that you outbid the rich bastards at that party? Also, I dinnae recall a bouquet like that at the auction.” Fiona raised an arched brow.
“God, it is incredible.” Violet picked the bouquet back up to examine it. “I-I don’t really know,” she stuttered, not sure what to say or why he had brought it to her.
“Is it the morning after, then?” Fiona asked, clearing her throat.
“Oh, Fiona, don’t be ridiculous.” Violet tried to shake her friend off. She wasn’t prepared to talk about what had happened between her and Lachlan last night. In fact, now that a new day was here, it was hard to believe it actually happened at all. It felt like some kind of erotic dream.
“Hmm, well, I did wonder if it was like maybe a door prize or something, like the chance for us normal folk to have a chance to win,” she teased. “Maybe the flowers were an extra ‘congrats that ye won and ye’re not even rich!’"
Violet chuckled. “Who knows?”
“Interesting that he would come and personally deliver it to you. The flowers seem a definite extra. If ye ask me, I still think he’s got a thing for ye.” She picked up her coat off the hook at the front door and slipped it on.
“I’m sure he would’ve stuck around if that were true. The sanctuary is down the road. He was probably just in the neighbourhood. And maybe they had extra flowers from the gala. I’m sure it was just a nice gesture. You know he’s thoughtful that way.”
“Whatever you say, Vi. Well, I’m going to love ye and leave ye. I’ve got things to do.”
“And people to see?” Violet finished for her, teasing her about maybe seeing that Drew guy again.
“I never say never.” She grinned slyly.
Violet waved goodbye from the front door and strode back into her little cottage. Her gaze immediately landed on the stunning tartan that lay on her couch. She smiled and then sighed. Ugh , why was it that the man she was crazy about was finally showing her that he might be interested in her, and she couldn’t just enjoy it?
Nope, it just made her worry because she still didn’t know his intentions with her. She was only guessing. And when it came to Lachlan, she knew two things. He wasn't a sure thing—far from it, and if she admitted she was falling for him, she didn't think she'd recover if he didn't fall back.
She sat down on her couch, picked up her phone, and sighed. She looked up at the flowers and tartan again, biting her lip. She opened her phone to message Lachlan and thank him but hesitated, her fingers hovering over the screen. Thanks for the flowers, tartan, and incredible sex? Ugh. Gawd. She threw the phone down on the couch cushion.
It was so hard to get over him the first time, but had she really gotten over him? She never expected she'd be working for him, and she definitely never would have imagined that she'd be working with him so closely day in and day out. She rubbed her temples, the ache settling back over them.
This was more complicated than just her feelings for Lachlan. She also loved the work she was doing. Working at the sanctuary around the horses lifted her spirits, but working on the ins and outs of the business with Lachlan fueled her like nothing else ever had in her life.
Could she do the same kind of work somewhere else? It was something she needed to consider. After all, she couldn't sleep with the boss and hope it wouldn't have repercussions. God, what had she done? The thought of not working at the Highland Haven broke her heart. The thought of not seeing Lachlan again… Oh God, that broke her very soul.
"Shit." A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away. "No," she whispered, refusing to accept what her heart and soul knew.
Gathering up her resolve, she picked up the bouquet of flowers, looked again in awe, then shook her head and marched out the back door of her cottage and into the garden. The rain had eased, and the sun was trying to peep through the clearing clouds. She didn't feel right about throwing away perfectly gorgeous flowers, but she certainly didn’t want to look at them all day in her cottage—a constant reminder. She needed to be strong. Violet had to protect her heart.
She put them in a vase on the rickety metal patio table, studied them, and picked them up again. She moved them a few feet away by the ivy-covered stone shed. Stepping back, she stared at them with her arms crossed under her chest. She nibbled her lower lip, anxiety niggling at her. Walking back over to the flowers, she picked them up and walked them around the backside of the shed, setting them on the ground against it.
Stepping back, she realized it looked a bit like flowers set near a gravestone, and then she decided it was the perfect spot. Maybe it was ridiculous, but somehow, it made her feel a small sense of control over her stupid emotions with Lachlan.
She marched confidently back into the house only to see the beautiful blanket. “Arghh,” she grumbled. She picked it up and cuddled it into her chest, allowing herself to savour it for a moment. Then she stretched out her arms and held it in front of her, admiring how beautiful it was. “Crap.” She sighed as she folded it up and stuffed it back in the bag, and before she could change her mind, she quickly shoved the bag into her bedroom closet. Closing the door, she somehow felt a sense of empowerment. Out of sight, out of mind. She wasn’t going to let him in, and that was that. With her head still aching, she decided to go back to bed.
Lachlan left Violet feeling unreasonably disappointed that he hadn’t actually had the chance to see her and talk with her. He wasn’t totally sure what he was going to say. He supposed he’d ask her out on a date. Try and put the horse back behind the cart, so to speak. The whole thing was complicated, being he was her boss and there were other employees who’d obviously catch wind of things, but as he drove, he decided that they could figure it out—one step at a time.
Lachlan headed to the distillery to do some work there. He thought it might be a good idea to busy himself. He was sure that once Violet had a free moment, she would give him a ring. He was getting annoyed with himself for continually checking his phone.
He found his mind wandering, making excuses for why Violet hadn’t called him. Maybe Fiona was still with her, and she hadn’t had the chance yet. As the day turned to evening, though, he hadn’t heard from her. He decided he’d call her.
For a guy who talked to all kinds of people on a regular basis, it was shocking how nervous he felt as the phone rang. And then it went to her voicemail. He didn't want to speak to her voicemail, but it felt better than just sending a text.
"Hi, V. I'm sorry I missed seeing ye this morning. I hope ye had a good day." He paused. "I'd love to see ye, lass, if ye're not busy. It doesnae huv to be tonight," he added quickly, not wanting to pressure her last minute. "Uh, anyway, give me a ring when ye huv a minute. Right, well. Speak soon then." He hung up, scrunching his eyes closed. God, had he ever been so awkward in his life? Blowing out a breath, he sat back at his desk and tried to focus on this month's batch numbers.
The evening wore on. Lachlan stretched and looked at his watch: ten p.m. He picked up his phone—no messages from Violet, but there was one from Orlagh. He opened it and read?
Orlagh: Sooo??
With a smile, he stood from his mahogany desk and walked over to the small wood marquetry cabinet that had been his grandda's and opened it up, pulling out a bottle. He always attempted to rotate the latest whiskys from the most current bottling.
He poured himself a dram and sat back at his desk. He buried his mind in his work, although more than once, he thought how he'd like to have Violet there to ask her opinion. The next time he looked at his watch, it was after midnight. He glanced down at his phone and sighed, seeing no messages from Violet. He decided it was time to head home. He’d have a chance to see Violet tomorrow at the sanctuary. They could talk then.