Chapter 5 Violet
Violet
“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Nicole asked.
We were the last two at the office today.
“Yeah. I’ve just got to figure out a little hitch in one of my accounts. The math isn’t mathing.” I pulled up the Bear Creek Lodge account again.
“I could stay if you want me to.”
“That’s so sweet. But really, Red Oak Mountain is the safest place I’ve ever lived. And I don’t think I’ll be here that much longer. You should go home and see your boyfriend.”
Nicole laughed. “No boyfriend for me. I haven’t dated much since Ryder.”
I glanced up at Nicole. “Who’s Ryder?”
Nicole almost looked embarrassed. “He’s the one everyone thinks ‘got away’. But we weren’t really the right match. And he’s settled down now with Charlotte, and they make a cute couple.”
She didn’t seem heartbroken by that, and she rambled on, “I mean, he’s such a sweetheart.
And we had a nice time together, but… that fire you’re supposed to get was missing.
Do you think all the romance books are lying when they talk about the fire between two people? Because I’ve never felt it before.”
If she only knew. I’d never even been with a man before. I’d kissed a few boys in high school, and that was about it. Everything I knew about relationships came from the Hallmark Channel and watching my parents.
“I’ve never felt that fire either,” I told her, then instantly furrowed my brow. “I mean… maybe I’ve felt a little crush,” I added, thinking about Easton. If anyone started a fire in me, it was that man. But he was so far out of my league, I knew nothing would ever happen between us.
Nicole’s eyes lit up. “A crush? On who?”
Instantly I got tongue-tied, as though saying his name would put it out into the world. I knew Nicole wouldn’t tell anyone, but… what if it somehow got back to him, anyway? I would die of embarrassment.
So I told her, “I’m not ready to say yet.”
Nicole nodded. “I understand. Some things are private.” Then her eyes shadowed over.
“I just don’t know that everyone gets to have true love.
Maybe some of us are destined to just find a pleasant companion.
That can be enough, right? Sometimes I think I should have stayed with Ryder, just because we did have a nice time together.
But it’s too late now, and he seems like he’s deeply in love with Charlotte. I’m happy for them.”
My heart went out to her. It seemed like Nicole had given up on finding love. “Yeah. I think it’s enough. Right now, the only man who loves me is my cat, Snowball. I’d do anything to kick-start my love life.”
She grinned as she headed for the door. “That’s what I’m talking about. You know what I’m going to do?”
I looked up at her, curious. “What?”
“I’m going to sell myself off at a marriage auction. I’m ready to have someone in my life, even if I won’t get any flames of passion. Right now, I’ll be happy to settle for someone who’s willing to wake up by my side every morning. Love is overrated.”
I laughed as the door closed behind her. Surely she was joking, right?
A marriage auction.
The idea of that sounded terrifying.
What if you didn’t like who you ended up with?
What if they were the type to leave the toilet seat up?
Even worse, what if they liked anchovies on their pizza?
I snickered at that as I dove back into the Bear Creek Lodge account. The idea of having to split toppings on a pizza for the rest of my life almost made it worth staying single.
And no one would like my topping choices. Banana peppers and pineapples were underrated in the world of pizza toppings.
I’d practically gone cross-eyed looking for the issue, but I was pretty certain I’d finally found it.
The purchase order number for the bathroom vanities was off. I’d call the manufacturer tomorrow to double-check it.
The relief I felt was enormous.
Von Renpel Enterprises was known for being quick to push the fire button if someone messed up. And going nine thousand dollars over budget without prior authorization would definitely count as a big mess-up.
Now, all I needed to do was catch up on my actual workload. I’d been distracted all week. Between trying to find this discrepancy and pondering who was giving me these random Christmas gifts, I’d hardly focused on my work.
I turned on some music, cranking it up loud. Then started singing along as the artist Melanie sang Brand New Key.
This song always put a smile on my face.
I got up and did a little two-step shimmy, dancing along as I sang my way to the inbox that held the paper invoices I hadn’t processed yet.
The sound of the front door creaking open pulled me out of my work, and I stopped in mid-shimmy as the maintenance man, Easton, walked in with his lips quirked up in a smile.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he rumbled. “Looks like you were having some fun there.”
“Oh, uh, I was just working late, and you caught me having a moment,” I said as my cheeks flushed hot. I could only imagine that I was probably blushing like a schoolgirl right now.
Of all the people to walk in and catch me dancing, it had to be Easton, the hot mountain man of my dreams.
Embarrassment turned me a rich shade of pink. And that only made me feel more self-conscious.
Can he tell I’m blushing?
I swallowed hard and returned to my desk, turning off the music coming out of my computer speakers.
“W-what are you doing here?” I asked as the office returned to its normal silent state.
“I’ve been working on replacing the handicap sign for the last few hours. I’m done now, and I need to clock out. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His eyes were steady upon me, a warmth in his gaze that set me on fire. If the man only knew what one look from him did to me. I felt myself getting swept up in his magic. It happened whenever he got within a few feet of me.
I could hardly talk straight. My pulse was pounding. And I felt a little delirious.
Can a man make you swoon just from the look in his eyes?
It seemed so, because Easton was a swoon-machine.