35. Jay
CHAPTER 35
JAY
I t’s a long night at The Rusty Oak, with a line of demanding customers and people who are determined to complain just because they like finding fault with things.
But whenever I start to get frustrated, I just turn in Violet’s direction and see her gliding back and forth among the tables, greeting customers and smiling at them. I love the way her red hair reflects the lights and makes it easy to spot her when I need a momentary breath of fresh air.
Suddenly, she turns and heads in my direction. I turn back to what I was doing, though I realize that I’ve completely forgotten what that was. I was supposed to be making some sort of drink, right?
“Hi,” I say, glancing up from the empty counter when she arrives. She’s carrying a tray of dishes which she sets beside the sink, unloading them from the tray as she speaks.
“Hey, how are things on your end?”
I finally remember what I’m supposed to be making and grab the vodka from the shelf behind me. “Busy. Very busy. I don’t know why it’s so busy on a Thursday.”
Violet shrugs as she finishes unloading the tray. “Guess people don’t need a weekend to drink. Hey, it’s good for your bottom line, isn’t it?”
I smile as she turns around and watches me. “Sure. I’ll take all the customers I can get. Are you… doing okay?”
She looks at me sharply. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. You’re busy. There’s a lot of people. I just wanted to make sure you don’t need an extra break.”
“No, I don’t need anything extra. I will take my regular break soon, though, as soon as I get that table in the corner wrapped up.”
Violet starts to move away from me, but I tap her elbow before pouring the newly mixed drink into the glass. “I’ll take my break with you. We can head out back and talk.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“What? That I want to talk with you?”
Violet shrugs, eyes me, then disappears back to serve her tables. I keep an eye on her, waiting for her to take a break before I head for the back myself, leaving things in Jerry’s capable hands.
Once we’re outside, the cold autumn wind hits me hard. It’s like a slap in the face.
I immediately pull Violet into my arms, and she snuggles up to my chest. It’s a relief to feel her like this, that she’s not pushing me away. We stand there like that for a full two minutes before she pulls back and looks at me. “You wanted to talk. What about?”
“Nothing specific. I just like talking to you. Is that so hard to believe?”
Violet raises an eyebrow at me, but the twitch at the corners of her mouth says that she’s flattered.
“Well, since you aren’t bringing anything to the table, I have something I’d like to talk about. Remember the fall festival?”
I nod because I do remember both Violet and Hannah mentioning something about that, though it’s been a little while.
“I thought we could work on our costumes. We still need to finalize a theme.”
“Costumes? A theme? I didn’t know I would have to wear a costume when I agreed to this.”
Violet laughs and pushes up on her toes to give me a quick kiss. “Well, now you know. Hannah keeps me updated on all things fall festival. How about something classic, like scarecrows or pumpkins? Or we could go for something a bit more whimsical, like woodland creatures.”
I chuckle. “Woodland creatures, huh? I can see you as a cute little fox. In fact, there might be some very sexy fox costumes at the lingerie store.”
She blushes slightly but smiles. “You could be a huge bear. The bigger, the better.” She reaches toward my groin and grabs at my dick which is starting to wake up and press into her.
I wonder if anyone would find us if I started pushing myself up under Violet in this alley back here.
But then, Violet is laughing, and her hand is gone from my groin. “Okay, a fox and bear. Gosh, I’m going to feel like I’m four years old, but I’ll do it for you.”
“Hey, you suggested it first. I’m just the one that likes the idea of you being a fox.”
Violet hides her face, so I can’t quite hear what she says.
“What was that?” I ask.
“Just… that you’re crazy.” But Violet has suddenly gotten very serious. I wonder if it’s something I’ve said that bothered her or if she’s dealing with the pain of losing her dad and the recent storm and everything else she’s been through in the last month. I never quite know with her, but I think I’m slowly starting to learn her wordless communications.
“Maybe I could make a list of what we’d need,” Violet suggests.
I nod and kiss her forehead. “I think that’s a great idea.”
We don’t speak for a minute, but I just like being close to her. I’m very conscious of the fact that our break is almost halfway over, though.
“Are you going to live here forever?” she suddenly asks.
“Here? In this alley?”
Violet shakes her head. “Maplewood. You know what I mean.”
“I haven’t… thought about it extensively. I mean, I have the bar, and I couldn’t imagine selling it and moving anytime soon. I like this place. I could see myself living and dying here.”
“It’s a small town, so everyone knows everyone else’s business. That can be both good and bad. There’s a strong sense of community, but sometimes it feels like there’s no privacy.”
“I get that. It’s one of the things I’ve had to adjust to as an adult. But it’s a nice place overall. I wouldn’t just up and leave my bar behind. Violet,” I grin. “Are you asking me to run away with you?”
She blushes, then laughs. “No, I… I just wanted to know. I mean, we’ve never really talked about the future much.”
“The last time we talked, you weren’t so sure about wanting me to be your boyfriend. I think once that’s figured out, then the rest of it will come naturally.”
Violet buries her ear in my chest, and I grip her a little tighter. “I think… I need a little more time.”
I want to push her. Ask her why she’s willing to dress up as ridiculous animals with me but she won’t commit to a relationship. Just last week she was running off to some lake because she wanted more than she thought I could give her. I thought I was the one with commitment issues.
She smiles. “I love a lot of things about Maplewood, but I just don’t know if I’m willing to stay here forever. And I get the sense that with your bar, that’s what you want.”
I watch her as she speaks, noting the fondness in her voice. “You’re here for your mom, but you won’t be here forever, in other words.” Could this be what’s holding her back from committing to me?
Violet hesitates. “I’m not sure. I mean, I love it here, but there’s a part of me that wonders what else is out there. But lately, I’ve been thinking it might be nice to stay close to my mom, after… everything.”
I nod, understanding the bond she and her mom share now that her dad is gone. “That makes sense. If you do decide to stay, know that you’ve got a place here.”
She looks at me, her expression softening. “Thanks, Jay. That means a lot.”
“Any other deep, thoughtful questions you want to ask?”
Violet laughs. “I’ll let you know if I think of any.”
“Can I kiss you then?”
“Ah, so you’re tired of talking to me because you want to kiss? I see. Well, I suppose I can let you, just this once.”
I bend down and take Violet’s lips on my own, pushing aside all of my concerns about when she may or may not take off to explore the rest of the world. I pull her closer against me until I can feel her breasts pushing against my chest. If I wasn’t hard before, I am now.
I don’t want to stop kissing her. My hands start to wander up her body. I slip my fingers under the edge of her shirt. She jumps away from me like I’ve shocked her.
“Jay! Your fingers are icicles!” I touch them to my face, but they don’t feel that cold.
We both start laughing, and I wiggle them in her direction as she squirms away. My phone beeps. “Break’s over. You could have gotten another minute of kissing in, and you wasted it.”
“I wasn’t going to be kissing you anymore if I let that icy touch spread up my body. I would have just been frozen like this.” Violet makes a ridiculous pose, like she’s kissing an invisible statue before she bursts into laughter.
I wrap an arm around her, being careful not to let my icy fingers touch her skin. “Come on, then, princess, get inside so you don’t call HR on your boss for letting you freeze to death.”