36. Violet
CHAPTER 36
VIOLET
I stand at our booth at the fall festival surrounded by all the smells of fall: caramel apples, popcorn, and pumpkin spice everything. Hannah and I have set up a display of homemade crafts and baked goods, and a steady stream of people have been stopping by to browse and chat. Hannah did most of the work here, but I’m happy that she doesn’t point that out to people who stop by and compliment us on being “so talented.”
“I can’t wait to see how much money we’ve made! It’s going to help the homeless population so much.” Hannah ducks back into the money box, and I can hear her counting.
“You know, Hannah, we’ve only been open for an hour. You should probably wait until the afternoon to start counting our riches.”
Hannah laughs. “I just want to get an idea of how much we could make per hour.”
I let her do her counting as I answer a customer’s question about the pumpkin bread. “I’ll take a loaf. No, I better take two if I hope to get any before my husband does.”
I place the two plastic-wrapped loaves in a bag and take her money. “Hey, Money Girl, I need $5 change.”
Hannah appears from the box, her cheeks rosy, and makes the exchange. “You just made me lose my place. Now, I have to start counting from the beginning.”
“I just made you $15, so don’t be complaining.”
I turn back to the woman with her change who is watching our banter with amusement. “Now, hold on a second. You aren’t Caroline Haven’s daughter, are you?”
I freeze, then nod. I don’t recognize this woman.
“I’m in bunco with her.”
I blink, having no idea what this woman just said.
She must see my confusion. “It’s a club. We meet once a month to play bunco on Tuesday nights. It’s a fun game. Wow, you have grown up ,” the woman says, her eyes scanning me again. I would feel embarrassed if she were a man, but I’m actually pretty proud of the sexy fox costume I put together.
I’m wearing a tight, brownish red bodysuit that compliments my hair, and I added some cotton balls to the front for the white fur foxes always have on their chests. I’m wearing a headband with little fox ears, and I painted my nose black with mascara.
“Thank you. I figured we should do the fall festival in style.”
“We? Are you and her… together?” the woman asks, eyeing our costumes and trying to figure out how they might fit.
Hannah stands up and swirls around in her pumpkin costume. “No, my boyfriend will be here later. He’s a squash.”
I burst into laughter because Hannah hasn’t mentioned anything about Charlie’s costume until now. The woman laughs as well. “What a good sport he is! Well, have a good rest of the festival.” She wanders off, and Hannah admires my costume as well.
“I bet Jay will like it,” she says, raising an eyebrow. I can tell that she still doesn’t completely approve of our relationship, but at least she’s not trying to tell us what to do.
“I guess we’ll see. He’s supposed to get here soon.”
“Please tell me you made him dress up. I need to make sure I have my camera out if you did.”
“He might have. We talked about it, but I haven’t seen his costume or anything.”
Two girls, maybe eight years old, run by holding hands. They are laughing about something, and it makes me smile.
"This place is amazing. I always loved the fall festival as a kid, but it's even better being part of it."
Hannah leans against the booth. “I seem to remember us coming here at that age. We brought plastic bags to fill with candy, and then you kept losing all the games. I had to give you some of my candy.”
“I try not to remember that part.” I poke Hannah in the ribs.
"So, what’s next for you? Are you going to stay with your mom indefinitely?"
I sigh, not wanting to talk about the whole living situation issue but at the same time, needing someone to listen to me vent about it. "I don’t know. The house is a mess after the storm, and the insurance company is dragging their feet. It feels like they’re trying to find any excuse not to pay for the repairs. I mean, it’s not like we purposely damaged the house. We can’t be the only home affected by that storm. It…" I break off and shake my head. I don’t need to get so riled up.
Hannah nods sympathetically. "Insurance companies can be the worst. Have you thought about what you’ll do if it takes a long time to get everything sorted? I mean, are you going to keep staying with Jay?"
"I don’t want to stay with Jay forever, imposing on him like that. I don’t know. Living with him and my mom is like… being a teenager again. She wants to know when I’m getting back from work, and it feels like I’m constantly listening for her if I kiss Jay or–” I cut myself off before I give more details, because Hannah does not need to know any details. “But I also don’t want to leave my mom right now. I quit my job to come here, and… I have a lot going on.”
"I would offer our place, seriously, but I just don’t think it would be a good solution.”
I smile, grateful for her support. "Thanks, Hannah. I just wish I knew what was going to happen with insurance. That would be one weight off my shoulders."
Before Hannah can respond, I hear a familiar voice behind me. "Hey, ladies. How’s the booth going?"
I turn to see Jay approaching, and my breath catches in my throat. He’s dressed in a bear costume, complete with fuzzy ears and a big, goofy grin. It’s hard to see much of him under it, but it definitely looks warm in the cold fall wind. He looks absolutely ridiculous, and I can’t help but laugh.
"Oh my god, Jay. You look amazing."
Jay strikes a pose, making Hannah and me laugh even harder. "Why, thank you. I thought I’d get into the spirit of things. And I couldn’t leave my foxy lady hanging."
Now, it’s my turn to strike a pose. I put a hand on my hip and lift my chin, gazing off into the distance like I’m too good for those around me.
Hannah claps her hands, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You definitely did. That costume is perfect."
Jay grins, looking pleased with himself. "I’m glad you think so." Then, Jay turns back to me. “Hannah, if it’s going to bother you, then look away,” he says, before putting his hands on my hips and leaning down for a kiss.
I hear Hannah making comical retching noises as Jay kisses me. If I felt cold before, I don’t anymore. His kisses ignite something in me, and I want to strip that bear costume off right now. I wonder if he’s wearing anything underneath the fuzzy brown fur.
I feel something stirring in me, and then, I remember that there are a lot of children running around. I should at least try to be a good example. I push back and try to catch my breath as Jay smiles his heart-stopping smile.
Seeing him like this, so willing to be silly and have fun, makes something click inside me. Or maybe it was the sensuous kiss while he’s wearing the bear costume. Either way, I realize just how much he means to me, how much I care about him. That he would go to such lengths to make me smile means more than I can put into words.
"Thanks, Jay," I say, feeling a warmth in my chest. "You really did surprise me. I thought you might have forgotten the whole costume thing or decided you were too cool for it or… whatever."
He looks at me, his eyes softening. "I’m glad you like it. You deserve to have some fun, Vi."
I want to say something, something to explain the change that just happened in my heart, but then I remember something. It’s not something I can just pretend hasn’t happened either. I’m pregnant, and Jay still doesn’t know. I look up into his smiling eyes and wonder how his expression would change if I blurted it out right now.
Before I can even think about doing that, Hannah nudges me.
"Hey, why don’t we take a break? Violet and I can get someone to watch the booth for a while, and we can all go enjoy the festival together."
I glance at Jay, who nods eagerly. "That sounds like a great idea."
"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling a bit guilty about leaving the booth.
"Absolutely," Hannah says. "We’ve been here for a couple of hours already. And what’s the point of being here all day if we don’t get to enjoy the festival ourselves?"
As another volunteer from the shelter takes over for us at the booth, Jay slips his hand into mine and whispers something close to my ear. “You look sexy. I can’t wait to take your costume off you when we get home.”
His words send a shiver of desire through me.