Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
CHASE
I walked into my kitchen to choruses of “Hey, Chef” and pats on the back from my summer crew, who had returned to cater a VIP event. I was pulling out all the stops for Forrest and Sierra’s engagement party. Though I had a catering staff and a commercial kitchen for the parties Violet booked through the events business, the kitchen I ran myself was separate from that.
For starters, everything for The Noble Pig was cooked in my home kitchen which had also been zoned for commercial use. And I worked with a different team, a set of chefs who—like me—didn’t run a restaurant full-time. Most guests didn’t know that the crew who helped me were retired chefs from the most iconic restaurants and private chef services in Tennessee. A combination of lust for being back in the kitchen and pure joy for the craft was why all of it tasted so good.
The guests of honor had given me carte blanche on how we’d choose to have it catered. I’d gone back and dug up the menu I’d served on their first date. Reaching back in my texts to see the first night they’d attended together had taken more than an hour. All of it would be a surprise.
“It’s so good to see y’all.” I took a good, long minute giving hugs all around. It had only been three months since we’d all cooked together. Since then, everything in my life had changed. I was not the Chase who had been bored and restless at the end of the summer. Forrest had shown up on my doorstep with an offer; I’d discovered foul play in my best friend’s death; and Violet had told me she was leaving Noble Farms.
But now, at this moment, I loved being back to cooking a fine dinner in my kitchen. In my kitchen, I had control. I could engineer operations so that everything turned out right. I was in the flow when I started to direct my team; excited about the smells that were already emanating from the fresh ingredients crowding my table; grateful for the honor of preparing something special for my friends.
True to its name, The Noble Pig was heavy on things like short ribs, pork belly, and bacon. Tonight’s short ribs would be served with a creamy horseradish sauce. A sticky Chinese pork belly would be cooked with ginger and chili glaze. We would oven-bake candied bacon to serve in a warm sweet potato salad. This, and there would be an addition to what we had served at their first dinner—an homage to something that had brought them together—Sierra’s legendary bacon bites.
And we wouldn’t stop with the dinner menu. We would make the same dessert and we would even be pairing the menu with the same drinks. Violet had gone back in her own files to hire the same bluegrass band that had played for them before. Violet had added other surprise touches beyond what the couple had requested: lanterns like the ones we had hung that night strung outside to welcome guests in, and accents around the room that looked like firefly jars.
Unlike most events that took place on my farm, I would also be a guest. It meant I could only be in the kitchen in the afternoon. After prepping the pork belly, I left things to my second-in-command. From there, I went up to my bedroom, showered the smell of the kitchen off of me, and put on a suit that I’d had tailored expressly for this event. All week, I’d been sentimental thinking about how the supper club Violet had prompted me to start had created so much magic, and brought so many people together.
When I walked into the dessert barn—the name of the venue where the party was being held—I couldn’t help but search the room for Violet. It was so long since I had attended an event myself that walking inside gave me pause. I was mostly in here when the barn was empty, dealing with periodic inspections and doing repairs. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen it all decked out.
Round tables circled a dance floor. Tiny strings of lights in a style I couldn’t name created what looked like a bunting made of lights. Enormous flower arrangements hung above the wooden dance floor—crowns of flowers on top of disco balls. Guests who were already seated at tables appeared to be having a lively time. A large bar was off to one side, but guests needn’t go to it if they didn’t want to. Floating servers passed hors d’oeuvres and took orders for drinks.
But not all guests were at their tables. Two photo booth areas had been set up on opposite corners of the room. An extravagant arch had an artful vine of different-sized balloons rising upward in soft whites, sage greens, and muted golds.
The other photo station featured another planked-wood backdrop. A neon sign that said It Was Always You in a pale fuchsia was lit up on top. In front of the sign was a tufted French sofa in dusty rose on top of an elegant rug. Professionals had been brought in to take photos of the guests.
And those were just the adult spaces. The party was a family-friendly event. Violet had coordinated an entire corner for kids. It was covered over in green astroturf and she’d set up a five-foot-tall Jenga set, giant Legos that were bigger than any Legos I had ever seen, and a Connect Four that was taller than Bri. The kids’ corner had its own photo booth. A rack full of dress-up clothes sported outfits that appeared to be split between two themes: mini turnout gear to transform kids into firefighters, and beige uniforms and park hats to turn kids into rangers. The backdrop was an eight-foot-tall forest made of felt. Nannies from a local service wearing khaki pants and uniform shirts had been hired to give respite to weary parents.
“This is fucking unbelievable,” Grizz Grady wasted no time informing me. “I didn’t know Violet could do all this.”
He motioned around the room with the hand that held a signature drink. It had ginseng to represent Sierra and the park and mezcal to represent Forrest and his firefighting. It even had wildflower honey to represent a meadow that was special to them. It was complex, with notes of citrus and something herbaceous. Violet had formulated the drink based on the story of their relationship. I couldn’t have done it better myself.
“Told you she was fucking amazing,” I pointed out to Grizz.
Firefighter Dan Means found the both of us soon after Grizz found me. But I had yet to put my eyes on Violet. She was who I really wanted to see.
Dan wasn’t one of the firefighters I’d worked with when I’d been with Green Valley. At secret poker night, we’d formed a bond. Dan was a family man, just like me. He’d come to it later in life, having been in his thirties before he married and started a family. He’d proven himself to be circumspect and wise.
“She’s just like you described her.” Dan had only been with Green Valley Fire for about a year. He hadn’t known Todd and had no previous occasion to know Violet. He was sharp in a suit, and wore an infant in a carrier on his chest. “I knew her the second I saw her. It was obvious. You can see how much she loves what she does.”
He jutted his chin into the crowd and I followed his gaze. Suddenly, there was Violet. She sat at the head table near the front. I recognized the people she sat with as Sierra’s elderly grandparents. For long seconds, I just watched her—her warm smile, the animation on her face as she spoke, the attention and happiness on Sierra’s grandparents’ faces. Violet herself was a guest at the party. But this—it was in her nature. She cared so much about making sure people felt welcome, that everyone could be comfortable and have a good time.
By the time I broke from gazing at her, more members of the Secret Poker Society had materialized at my side. Jed Lawson, Sebastian Kirkwood, and Buck Rogers all fell into form. The guys were literally at my back as I gathered the courage to approach her and say what I wanted to. So much had happened these past two weeks, between Violet turning down the insurance company’s final offer and preparing to go to court. But I hadn’t forgotten about that kiss.
Not that I liked to kiss and tell, but I’d been to another meeting of the Secret Poker Society. Or, rather, another special meeting had been held for me. The guys had implored me to recount the kiss in painstaking detail. The consensus had been unanimous based on my retelling—that she had initiated the kiss.
“It’s on now, brother.” Buck gave me a hard clap on the back. “Remember what we talked about Wednesday. Tonight’s your night.”
“Daggone right it is,” Grizz encouraged. “You look good in your suit. You’re all clean and fresh-smelling. Now go on and ask that woman to dance.”
I gave a curt nod. Even though the dance music hadn’t started yet and the bluegrass was ambient for the time being, I appreciated the pep in his talk.
“It’s like I told you that first night.” Jed was next to offer his two cents. “What she needs most is permission. She put herself out there. Now it’s time for you to make a move.”
I had to admit—the guys were really pumping me up.
Sebastian was the last to lend his support. He came right in front of me, put both hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Go get her, tiger,” he said.
Two hours into the party, I hadn’t seen nearly enough of Violet, though I had greeted her after the guys gave me their talk. I walked right up to where she was sitting with Sierra’s grandparents and sat down to join in with them in their talking. Only when the food came out and the room had been called to order did we have a moment alone. As folks were finding their own tables and we should have been relocating to ours, I insisted that she walk with me to take a picture. I told her I wanted to remember everything about this night.
As we’d waited to take the photo, I told her what an amazing job she’d done for Sierra and Forrest. As we sat underneath the neon sign, I told her how ravishing she looked. It was true—she’d never looked so beautiful. She was iridescent in a silk evening gown that started on top as a flattering olive before descending into a deeper green. It somehow hugged her in delicious places but it also flowed as she moved, giving the illusion that she was floating. As the evening progressed, it did seem that way. Moving among the tables to make sure the guests were happy and tended to, she was ethereal in her glow.
I need to get her alone.
It was easier said than done for the both of us. Most people in the room knew we were the hosts, that Violet had been in charge of the party and that I had been in charge of the food. It was an embarrassment of riches—both of us subsumed for most of the night in a barrage of gratitude and compliments, seated together, but thoroughly chatted up.
“I’m gonna take the kids up.”
I placed my hand on the small of her back and said it discreetly, as she was in conversation. Trey was practically falling asleep. Bri was getting restless in that way that told me a combination of the late hour and too much sugar foreshadowed a meltdown.
I fully expected a protest. Violet only gave me a soft look and did something she rarely did—she just nodded, acquiescing to my plan.
“Come on, shortcake,” I said to Bri, rising from the table and scooping Trey up into one arm. “You want me to carry you, too?” Bri nodded and I scooped her up. Carrying both of them like this reminded me of firefighter training.
The barn was warm, and walking outside into the cool night air felt refreshing. It would only take a few minutes for me to get them to my house.
I talked to keep them awake. If I put Trey down asleep, he would stay that way. But if I let Bri nod off now, then woke her up to get her to bed, she would stay wide awake.
“What did you like most about the party?” I focused more on Bri than Trey.
“I’ve never been to an engagement party.” Her voice was soft.
“I’d imagine it’s a bit early for any of your friends to be engaged. Any kids at your school said anything about getting married? Not in second grade, but maybe in third?”
I expected her to appreciate my joke, but she didn’t giggle.
“I want Mommy to get married again.”
Maybe the pouty look she’d sported back at the party hadn’t been fatigue at all. Her voice was still soft and it seemed clear: this whole affair had gotten her thinking. It broke my heart a little—the earnestness of her wish and the kinds of worries she had at only seven years old.
“Do you think your momma’s not happy?”
I wondered whether Trey was awake. I couldn’t tell whether his eyes were open from the way his head was turned.
“Not happy like Miss Sierra and Uncle Forrest are.”
I made a sound of acknowledgment, but quieted for a spell, not knowing what to say in this situation. Wanting her mother to experience the same joy as Sierra and Forrest was definitely a beautiful thing. But feeling the weight of Violet’s happiness? That was a lot for a kid. It was a burden I didn’t want for her.
“Is there any other reason why you want your momma to get married?”
Asking more questions seemed like the safest bet. I’d leave it to Violet to give her advice. Plus, as I’d come to learn from watching Man Enough , sometimes a listening ear was all a woman needed when she wanted to get something off her chest.
“I think it would be nice to have a dad.” Now, Bri’s voice was a whisper, almost like she was choked up. I got the sense that what I’d just stumbled upon was what this was really about. I knew better than to recite my standard response—that Bri did have a dad. And that Todd had loved her very much.
“How do you think your life would be different if you did have a dad?” My own voice softened when I asked the question.
Bri sniffled and it broke my heart. “I don’t know.”
By now, my house was coming up in the short distance. There were still cars outside from the kitchen crew, who would still be there cleaning up now that dessert had been served. The lights in the upstairs were on. We had briefly discussed the possibility of taking the kids to the loft in the events barn to sleep and giving them a walkie-talkie. When we’d realized we wouldn’t be able to hear it over the noise of the party, we’d asked Jules to come and stay.
“You know one of the things I love about you?” I finally said to Bri. “I love that you have the courage to say what you think and to ask what you really want to know. And I feel honored that I’m one of the people you trust. You know I’ll never tell your momma anything you say to me in private unless you ask me to.”
Her little head nodded against my shoulder.
“Is this something you want me to tell your momma or is it something you’ve already said to her?”
Bri yawned as I maneuvered carefully to enter the door of the house.
“If I told Mommy, it would make her sad.”
“Well, your momma’s happy tonight,” I said. “Even if it’s not the same as Sierra and Forrest. Just remember, even if your momma seems sad sometimes, she has a lot of blessings in her life, and a lot of joy.”
“I know,” Bri murmured.
The reflection in the front mirror showed me that Trey was dead asleep. Jules sat in my living room and rose upon seeing me enter. I jutted my chin toward the stairs, to let her know that I was going to put them down.
I’d gotten one of my guest rooms ready for the both of them. Standing at the foot of the queen-sized bed, I was careful in setting them down.
From there, it was repositioning both of them, carefully removing shoes and socks, sending Bri to the bathroom to change into her nightgown and stripping down Trey, who was still asleep. Once Trey was in bed, Bri was out of the bathroom and I tucked her in. It was too late for a story, but I offered to sing her a song. By the end of it, she had drifted off.
Shutting the door to my guest room, I closed my eyes and took a few breaths, doing what I could to reconcile what Bri had hit me with on our walk home. When I opened my eyes again, Jules stood a few feet away. The woman moved with catlike stealth.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered in surprise.
As usual, Jules was pinning me with a hard glance.
“Violet’ll like you in that suit.”
My confused expression was only half put on.
“Julia Watson…did you just pay me a compliment?”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say I thought you looked good in your suit. I said Violet will. Seems like as good a time as any to hit her with some woo.”
“I’m sorry—” I cut myself off, truly unable to believe my ears. “You think it’s time I hit Violet with some woo ? You mean, you’re actually in favor of me and her? There is literally nothing about me you like.”
I said that last part in a hushed whisper and steered us away from the room where the kids were sleeping and back toward the stairs.
“It wasn’t you I didn’t like,” Jules admitted. “It was the way you never took your shot when you first met her. You’d sit there watching her with that pining look in your eyes, but you never made a move. Then, when Todd came along, you didn’t fight for her, even though you would’ve been good for her. Even though she was worth fighting for.”
Her take knocked the wind out of me. It also weakened my filter. “When Todd came along, I didn’t stand a chance.”
Jules’s expression became thoughtful. “Maybe not. They were right for each other in a different way.”
I quieted, unsure whether to feel vindicated or affronted. The questions that arose from this revelation burned. After a long minute, I could no longer contain them.
“If you knew how I felt about Violet—how I still feel about Violet—why didn’t you just help me?”
Jules’s stern look returned. “Why do you think I spend so much time pointing out Marcus’s flaws? He is you. You are Marcus. He’s perfect for Chelsea but he’s got one fatal flaw: he won’t be bold and claim her. You and him both need to piss or get off the pot.”
Wow.
I held my tongue on mentioning that Violet wasn’t a jacket at the coat check. In no way was it my thinking that she could be claimed. But I did think both Marcus and I could stand to be more direct. Jules’s advice bore striking resemblance to that of the secret poker night crew. Before Violet changed everything about us, I had to let her know I was an option.
“Point taken,” I finally said, then cast my gaze down the stairs. If I wanted to woo Violet, I needed to make it back to the party.
“And thanks.” For the second time in weeks, I was grateful for Jules’s advice.
She was glaring at me again. “Don’t fuck it up.”