AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You two were never friends.” Lauren hissed out the last word.
“What does that mean?”
Lauren laughed humorlessly. “He met you and it was like he was looking at the stars themselves. All he could talk about was Violet this and Violet that, and he was my boyfriend.”
“I …” Violet paused. She had known he had liked her since college, but it still made her heart race to think about.
Lauren huffed. “Of course, you act all embarrassed now, but I know you were into him, just by the way you looked at him.”
“So, you made us hate each other? Because it looked like we liked each other? And now you’re trying to get me to move across the country because Charlie and I are friends? Are you nuts?”
“It’s a win-win. He gets me back and you get to finally live your dreams with a mountain of cash out in the desert.”
“I’d be alone.”
“If I recall correctly, you like that.”
Well… maybe she did. But she had also been lonely. Now? Well, now … things were different.
“Let me give you some advice," Lauren said. “You like to appear to be a nice girl, but you want the money. So, take it. Your problems with your mom and all your insecurities would be gone. I mean, look at me. I’m doing great.”
“You’re literally stalking someone your ex helped out of the goodness of his heart.”
“I’m only taking what’s mine.”
“What’s the point in doing this if you’re happy with your life?” Violet said, shaking her head. Her decision came tumbling out of her mouth, unbidden. “And if I do what you want me to, I wouldn’t be either. Money doesn’t solve problems other than ones it can buy. My mother has no friends, only connections. If her house collapsed, she would have no one. But that wasn’t what happened to me. I have friends. I don’t have to manipulate them into caring for me. They just do, and I’m not going to turn my back on that for any kind of money.”
She hadn’t realized what she felt until she was looking at the embodiment of who her mother wanted her to be. Now it all seemed simple.
“Is it not enough then?” Lauren said, slowly. “Do you need more?”
“I don’t care about the money.” Violet shook her head. “I care about having a life worth living. If I do this, I’m not sure I will be.”
Lauren opened her mouth to say something, but Violet decided she was done. She turned to walk away.
“Hey!” Lauren called. “I’m not done! I can give you what you want!”
“No, you can’t,” Violet said as she neared the door. She turned for one last smile in Lauren’s direction. “Because I want to be myself, and I want to do that with Charlie. You could never give me that.”
It was all so much clearer now. Money hadn’t given her mother happiness, and it certainly didn’t give it to Lauren, not if she was still chasing Charlie.
It was time to stop. Yeah, she was broke. Yeah, she had to depend on someone. But she had a job she loved - a job she was good at, and friends who cared.
And most of all, she would have Charlie.
~
Charlie
Charlie couldn’t go to work. He tried. He had even pulled into his office building’s parking lot, but he knew his head wasn’t in it. He was thinking about Violet, because of course he was, and he was desperate to know what she was thinking.
He didn’t know who to talk to about this. Lewis and Liv were out. They had spent enough time being in the middle of their issues. Damon hadn’t said whether or not he was on Elijah’s side after the incident at Micah’s party, and there was no one else he trusted to know about this.
Well, except for his mother.
He needed to talk to her. Maybe fixing some of their problems would lead to clarity about he and Violet. So, Charlie left work and drove the hour to his mother’s house.
She lived in a newer house than his, but it was nice. The brick exterior felt familiar, and the small porch was crowded with his mom’s favorite rocking chair.
