Now
VIOLET
Although, I’m his good luck charm.
They’re not my words.
They’re his.
I’ve been trying to distract myself by creating some graphics for Noah’s book, but it isn’t working. My work usually does a good job with distracting me from getting too deep into my thoughts. This is why I like to keep myself busy.
I’m on break at work, so I figured I should utilize my time by doing more work.
I really need to learn how to take an actual break.
“You’re zoning out again,” Willow says.
Once my eyes readjust, they land on Willow.
Her ginger hair is down with a cute floral headband to match her burnt orange sundress and white Converse. Her makeup is always natural, highlighting her light brown freckles.
“Mm-hm.”
“Does any of it have to do with a certain basketball player who invited you to his homecoming game tonight?” She slightly narrows her eyes, tapping a pen on the checkout desk.
“Get out of my head, and stop with the pen.” I start to put out more stock on our bookshelves.
“Can I ask you what the big deal is about it?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How so?” She picks up a stack of books to help me.
“The last time I went to one of his games was the year when everything blew up.”
“Right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to open a can of worms for you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She makes eye contact with me after she stocks a few books in the LGBTQ+ romance section. “Have you guys talked about all that stuff yet?”
“Nope, and I want to. It’s just…I’m not ready. I don’t want him to hate me again when I tell him the truth.”
“He’s not going to hate you, Violet. You did what you thought was right.”
“What are you girls chatting about?” A familiar voice asks us.
I turn around to see Laura.
Her dirty-blonde hair is pulled back into a low ponytail. She’s wearing a white tank top, dark-wash jean shorts, and gray sneakers.
“Violet is going to Grayson’s homecoming game tonight,” Willow spits out.
“You have such a big mouth,” I tell her.
“What? She asked us what we were talking about.”
Laura steps in front of me with her back facing towards me. “Hey Will, can you see if we have more copies of the Rebel Blue Ranch series by Lyla Sage in the back?”
Willow nods, walking away from us and heading towards the back of the store.
“How are things going with you and Grayson?” Laura asks me.
“Things are good.”
“I can tell you’re hesitant about going to his game tonight, and I understand why.”
“Can you elaborate more on that?” I sit down on one of the bean bag chairs in front of the store.
Laura sits down on the bean bag chair next to me.
“You two have a lot of history, and I know you’re scared considering what happened after the last time you went to one of Grayson’s homecoming games.
” She pauses for a few seconds. “He wants you there, which tells me how highly he thinks of you. Just remember to take deep breaths. Okay?”
Laura Kaplan always knows what to say to me when I’m upset, anxious, or stressed out. She’s the person I confide in when I need advice.
I don’t know what I would do without her.
“Okay,” I say.
“While I have you, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
As I look around the store, there are a couple of teenage girls looking through the sports romance section and a trio of twenty-something women in the romantasy section.
When Laura first opened Sweet & Salty back in the early 2010s, the shelves were organized by color. After I joined the team, we set up the shelves by subgenre since romance as a genre has grown immensely over the past several years.
It’s quieter than it usually is on a Friday afternoon, which is strange. Our busiest days are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Maybe it has to do with the homecoming game or something.
I lower my eyebrows. “What’s up?”
“This store is the first romance-only bookstore in Sunset Cove, and I’m so proud of that.
We’ve been through a lot as a team, and I’m lucky to have such dedicated employees.
Violet, I’ve been super impressed by you over these past several years.
You joined the Sweet & Salty family when you were just thirteen years old.
You were so young. And yet, you had so much knowledge about the romance genre.
You knew things that I didn’t know. You’ve accomplished so much here in a decade.
” She breathes in and out before she continues on with her train of thought.
“You’ve been one of my booksellers for several years now, and I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a few weeks, so here it goes…
” She trails off, building suspense. “I’m promoting you to assistant manager of Sweet & Salty. ”
Am I dreaming?
“Are you serious?”
“Oh, honey, I couldn’t be more serious if I tried. Honestly, I’d love for you to be our new store manager, but we’re going to do this one step at a time.”
“This isn’t a joke?”
“No, of course not.”
I scream and jump from the bean bag chair to express my excitement, and she stands up to meet me.
Laura hugs me tightly. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispers in my ear.
All of our potential customers in our store are staring at me and wondering why I’m crying my eyes out.
“Everybody, I’d like to introduce you to our new assistant store manager, Violet Prescott!”
Willow rushes out from the back, attacking me with a hug. All the girls and the women clap, which fills the room with the best kind of noise.
Celebration.
“I’m so happy for you. You’re going to be the best assistant manager ever,” Willow says.
“Thank you.” I focus my attention on Willow. “Hey, are you going to the game tonight?”
“I wasn’t going to. Why?”
“You should come. It’ll be more fun if you’re there.”
“You know that I’m not a sports girly, right?”
“And I am? C’mon, please.” I give her puppy-dog eyes.
“Fine. I’ll go. When does the game start?”
Taking out my phone from my back pocket, I check my calendar app. “The game starts at 7 p.m., so we should head out around 6 p.m. because traffic on campus with these games gets out of hand.”
“I was thinking we can take our own cars. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, definitely. It would be a pain if we took one car because the SCU campus is thirty to forty-five minutes away from town, depending on traffic.”
“True,” Willow says, emphasizing the U.
Laura overhears our conversation. “It’s 5:15 p.m. now. I’d get ready to leave if I were you. Like you said, traffic is really bad on campus when there are games going on.”
I nod in agreement.
Willow and I clock out on the tablet in the back of the store where we keep our shipments of books, stationery, and decor.
I unlock my locker using the correct numerical combination and get my purse out of there, slinging it over my shoulder. I find my way back into the main area of the store where Laura is. Willow beat me there.
“Hey Laura, when do I start my new role?”
“How does Monday sound to you?”
I look at Willow with a big smile quickly forming on my face.
“Awesome!” I respond ecstatically.
“Well ladies, I will see you both on Monday.” Laura’s eyes land on my face. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you do in your new role at the store, Violet.”
Willow heads out, walking towards her white Honda Accord LX parked in one of the back rows of the parking lot.
My eyes lock with Laura’s dark brown eyes. “I’ve been dreaming of being an assistant manager here for a couple of years now. It’s wild that this is actually happening.”
“You’ve earned it. Do you know on the days you’re off that our regulars ask if you’re working? That’s how much of a footprint you’ve left at the store. There’s no Sweet & Salty without you, Violet.”
“Well, the store wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you for giving me a place to call home these past several years.”
“I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be able to have a warm and welcoming place for you and other romance readers.” She smiles. “Now go before you get caught in that horrible traffic!”
“Bye!” I push the door open and the bell chimes as I walk out.
How does it feel like it’s eighty-five degrees when it’s supposed to be fall? Where’s the cool breeze and the leaves changing colors? I’ve lived in Sunset Cove since I was a baby, so I’ve adapted to the weather because there’s only one season. A season and a half, if we’re lucky.
The irony is my favorite season is winter, and we barely have weeks where it gets colder than seventy degrees during the day.
Willow is leaned up against her car, waiting for me. I can see small beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.
“Ugh, I can’t wait to blast the A/C when I get in my car,” she says loudly.
Willow Thorne has been working at Sweet & Salty since my freshman year of college. I don’t know if our paths would’ve crossed if it wasn’t for this bookstore. She’s a graphic design major, and she’s getting a minor in animation.
She was the only friend I had when I started SCU, but I’m grateful to have more friends like Dani and Bella. Maybe Sage will be a part of the group if I’m able to get her to forgive me for going off on her the way I did.
“Then go! I’ll meet you there.”
She breathes out a sigh of relief. She rushes into her car and backs out of her parking spot, zooming off onto the main road.
I inspect the paint on my metallic silver Acura Integra before I get inside. After I get comfortable in the driver’s seat, I stare out my windshield for a minute.
I’m on my way to my ex-boyfriend’s homecoming game because he asked me to be there.
Life has its way of throwing the biggest curveballs at us, specifically ones we’re not ready for.
I can say I never predicted that Grayson and I would reunite, but that would be a lie.
Somehow I knew at some point in our lives that we’d reunite.
The thing is, I didn’t know I’d be the one to reignite the flames.
It’s going to be okay. All you have to do is breathe. You got this.
Pulling into a parking spot into Tidal Wave Arena, I turn the engine off.
I spent a good ten to fifteen minutes driving around to find a space.
When I finally found one, I had to mark my territory by waiting for it.
The spot is located further back, which isn’t great since the game starts in fifteen minutes.
It’s 6:45 p.m.
Whipping out my phone, I text Willow to find out if she’s here.
Me
Hey, are you here?
Willow
Yeah, I’m by the front entrance
Me
I’ll be there in five, and I’ll see where Noah’s girlfriend and her friend are. We could sit with them if they let us
Willow
Okay, cool
Before I start walking towards the arena, I switch to my text conversation with Dani.
Me
Hey, I just got to the arena. Are you guys inside?
Dani
yeah, we’re sitting down in the second row from the top of the bleachers. it’s the section closest to the entrance into the arena
Me
Okay, I’m going to have a friend with me. Hope that’s okay
Dani
are you kidding? the more the merrier
Me
Cool, we’ll be there in a bit
Instead of a written response, Dani gives my text a thumbs up. I slide my phone into my purse and head over to the arena.
I haven’t talked to Grayson at all today because I knew he’d be busy preparing for the game, and I wanted to give him his alone time.
He deserves it.
Ugh, there are people everywhere.
Some are walking aimlessly, and some are rushing into the arena to get a good seat.
Cars are driving all over the place and searching for a parking spot in this crowded parking lot. They’ll have to see if spots are available in the parking garages. The scent of exhaust and people honking at each other overwhelm my senses.
Once I safely make my way to the entrance of the arena, my eyes search for Willow. I take my phone out of my purse and tap on her name on my Phone app. The phone rings for a few seconds until I hear her voice.
“Hi!”
“Hey, where are you? I’m at the entrance.”
“I’m right in front of the doors. I’m waving at you.”
I catch a glimpse of an arm sticking up in the air and see Willow waving at me like she said.
“I see you!” I hang up the phone and make it over to her.
“This is why I never go to these games. It took me forever to find a parking spot. They really need to expand the lot.”
I laugh. “Yeah, they do.” Hanging up my phone, I slip it back into my purse.
Before we make our way inside the arena, security checks our bags and clears us for entry.
My ears are filled with the sound of Wallows blasting through the giant speakers and people chattering amongst themselves inside of the arena.
I scan the section where Dani said she’d be with Bella. Noah and Xander are with them as well. My eyes land on Dani as she peeks her head out. I smile and wave at her. She gestures for Willow and I to come over to them, so we do.
“Hey! We saved a couple seats for you guys,” Dani says.
Dani’s dark brunette hair is pulled up into a ponytail. She’s wearing a white tank top with spaghetti straps and ripped light-wash jean shorts along with a pair of white sneakers.
I sit down to the left of Dani, and Willow sits down next to me. The coolness of the bleachers goes through the thin material of my shorts.
“Hi, I’m Willow.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Bella.” She points at Dani. “This is Dani.”
Bella has her super dark brunette hair down and styled with a red hairband. She’s wearing a white lace cropped top, white jeans, white Converse, and she’s decked out in gold jewelry. Her white clothing pairs nicely against her olive skin.
“Hey, I’m Xander.” He reaches to shake Willow’s hand.
Xander’s dark brunette curls are tousled. I’m so used to them being all over the place. He’s wearing a graphic tee of a smiley face printed on a solid yellow background and dark denim jeans with sneakers. The yellow in his T-shirt makes his tattoos stand out against his bronze skin.
“I’m Noah.”
Noah is wearing a white T-shirt, navy blue cotton-knit shorts, and white sneakers. His dirty blonde hair isn’t styled like Xander’s. It’s loose and free-flowing.
Checking my phone, I see it’s 6:55 p.m. and anxiously shake my leg.
Dani notices, and she grabs my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
I shake my head and stop any tears from forming in my eyes before it’s too late. “I hope so.”