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“I don’t.”
“Yeah, right you don’t. Let me pay you. I don’t want this biting me in the ass later.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… when all of this is over, and this weird kindness you got roped into fades… you’re going to use this against me. So, I’m trying to get ahead of the curve.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Big words coming from the guy who said I looked like a hooker at Liv’s engagement party.”
Charlie frowned, trying to remember their last few conversations. “I didn’t actually call you a hooker.”
“Not in words, but you said I was upstaging the bride.”
“In what world does that mean I called you a hooker?”
“Maybe it didn’t, but you definitely would have gone there if Lauren hadn’t thrown her drink on me.”
Charlie sighed. “I didn’t need a reminder of that.”
“Why? I thought from your perspective it would have been hilarious.”
“No,” Charlie replied firmly. “It was too far. And made it more of a scene then it already was.”
“Huh,” Violet said. “I thought you and Lauren would have cackled about it the moment I left.”
“There was no cackling. The lecture I got from Lewis would have killed any joy I had.”
“Well… I guess that makes me feel a little better knowing you didn’t enjoy me getting spiked fruit punch all over me. Thanks for telling me that.”
“I’m … I’m sorry she did that. I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me and not her but…” Charlie paused when he saw the flabbergasted look on Violet’s face. “What?”
“I never thought I’d hear the word sorry come out of your mouth, Davis. It’s a good look.”
“I’m trying, Moore.” He said, a little irritated at her teasing.
The Violet Moore he knew would have smirked and threw an insult at him, but this Violet Moore looked a little alarmed at his tone. She looked down, blinking as if she remembered something. When she looked up, her face was blank.
“Thank you for all you’re doing.” Her voice sounded shaky. “I’ll … I’ll use the washer, but if your water bill goes up, I’ll pay the difference.”
Then she was gone.
Charlie blinked, as if he had imagined her leaving. He had never seen her disappear from a fight like that. She had … given up and gone silent, like she was a shell of herself.
It was absolutely terrifying.
Charlie didn’t like the complete 180 she had done. Sure, fighting with her wasn’t pleasant, but it was familiar. Watching her fold everything into a box and run away felt … wrong.
Charlie started at the space Violet used to occupy for a long time. Then he realized he needed to get to work. He didn’t see Violet when he left, but a part of him wanted to. He wanted to figure out why she had walked away - why she had given up a fight rather than go for it.
It didn’t match the women he knew.
His workday was busy, but his mind kept drifting to Violet. He wondered if she was getting revenge by trashing his house, which made him leave work early to check on his belongings. But when he did … nothing was out of place. It still looked like she never existed.
He could hear his washer running downstairs, and her car wasn’t in the exact position it had been in this morning, so she had left, but was still completely invisible upstairs. He wanted to go to her and demand to know her problem. He wanted to know why she was giving up, why she didn’t think it was worth her time to argue with him.
But then his phone rang, and he thankfully had a distraction.
