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“But you do know if she’s still at Kate’s, right?”
He paused for a long moment. “I'm sorry, man. Can't tell ya.”
“Didn't expect you to. I just want to reach out to her. Hear her voice. Make sure she's well.”
“Of course,” he said quickly. “Layla will let you know.”
In a few seconds, Layla's voice came on. “Hi, Shawn.” She sounded a bit muted.
I gritted my teeth, hating how they spoke to me like I was a ticking bomb in the last seconds of a countdown. Maybe I was. I felt like I would snap at any moment. "I know Violet doesn't want to see me, but I need to speak with her."
“Shawn, she's fine. I don't know if she'd appreciate you calling.”
“Please!” I pushed through clenched teeth. “I just need to hear her voice, Layla.”
She sighed heavily. “Fine. But I hope you know that if she gets upset, I'm not taking the brunt of this. I'll tell her you insisted.”
I said nothing, glad she was going through with it at all.
“I'll send Kate's number.”
I paced for the five minutes it took for Kate's number to drop into my phone. Once there, I dialed, anxiously tapping my foot. Now that I was so close to hearing the voice I'd been craving, I wondered if I was right—did she leave me because of Eric? Or did she leave because she wanted nothing to do with me and Eric was an easy excuse? Before I panicked and ended the call, a voice came over the phone.
“Hello, this is Kate.”
“Hi, Kate. It's Shawn.”
“Oh my God. Hi, Shawn. How did you—”
“Layla gave me your number.”
"Ugh, she's such a softie." Before I could ask for Violet, she went on. "Now that I’ve got you on the line, you might as well apologize."
“Apologize?”
"For goddamn Phillip, who you invited to come to Cape Worth and become my neighbor. He's a pain.”
I snorted a laugh for her benefit. Inside, I was tense with anticipation. If talking about her issues with my friend would warm her up, I could spare a few seconds. "What did he do?"
“Be my neighbor?” She went on narrating all the instances that brought about her ‘immense dislike’ for him.
I remembered Violet mentioning a history between them. “I’ll talk to him,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said more forcefully than was called for. She probably needed to vent more than she needed a solution. “Say hi to Violet for me. Does she want her suitcase? Because I can pack it in an hour."
I frowned. Was that supposed to be funny? “What do you mean?”
"Violet's at your house, isn't she? I knew it. I knew once she went back to you, she wasn't coming back." She laughed. "Tell her..."
“She's not here, Kate,” I said emphatically. “I just got your contact from Layla so I could reach her since she won't take my calls.”
Kate began to sound worried. “Is this a prank? You're kidding, right?”
“Kate, I'm not. Where the fuck is Violet?”
She was quiet for a long minute, then her voice came out small and shaky. “She...she left the house today. She was going to see you. She should be there by now... I don't understand.”
My breath came out in slow pumps as her words sunk in. “When did she leave your house?”
