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“Oh, good. What did you get done?”
“The basement stair.”
“Good! It was a health hazard anyways. What made you finally make the change?”
I had Violet Moore here, and we needed to make it even.
“Oh, you know. I figured it was time.” He needed to change the subject before he brought up Violet. He was already feeling far too conflicted about her. “Hey, are you still coming to Lewis’s wedding in two weeks?”
“Two weeks? Shoot, is it that soon?”
“Yep,” he said. “There’s also the rehearsal dinner.”
His mother was silent for a while. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I had a … work trip come up.”
Charlie tried and failed not to feel disappointed, but his mother’s work as a real estate agent did have her traveling sometimes - even if it was right around Christmas, and Lewis’s wedding.
“It’s okay. I can tell them you’re not coming. I’ll miss you though.”
“Oh, you know I’ll miss you too. I’m so sorry I didn’t manage my time right.”
“Don’t be. You’re busy. I get it.” And he truly did. When he was a kid, his mother had to pull long hours to ensure they could pay their bills, but she never made him feel bad for it. So, he wouldn’t do it in return. “Can we meet up sometime after?”
“Of course. I’ll come by the house.”
“Uh, maybe we should do a work lunch.” The last thing he needed was for his mother to meet Violet. “Would that work?”
“I think I could make it happen,” she said. “I do need to go. I have a long day tomorrow. Are you sure you’re okay, honey?”
“Yeah,” he said, still grappling with his disappointment. “Never better.”
He said his goodbyes and then sat his phone down. So, his mother was busy for the wedding. Damn.
But maybe it was a good thing. Charlie had no idea if Lauren was going to be there since she had been giving him the cold shoulder after their awkward lunch. His mom and Lauren didn’t get along.
Plus, Violet would also be there. If his mother didn’t like Lauren, who Charlie dated, then she certainly wouldn’t like Violet, who he despised.
Yeah, maybe this was for the best. He needed to avoid an awkward situation the best he could. Things were already bad enough.
Chapter Six
Violet
It was early in the morning. Violet had gotten back from grabbing breakfast and was going to work on Charlie’s shower. Charlie was usually out of the house at this time, so she figured it would be a good time to get it over with.
In the last few days, she had gotten a list from Charlie on what needed to be fixed. The shower handle in his master bathroom was high on the list.
She walked into Charlie’s bedroom, feeling a little odd in the space. Roo followed her diligently.
“I don’t know if he lets you in here,” she told the small white cat. “So don’t scratch anything.”
Charlie knew she would be coming in here eventually, but she hadn’t caught him before he left to tell him her plan.
Working on the house was giving her something to do. She felt better about staying with him if she had a purpose. And he wouldn’t kick her out if she was helping him, right? He already didn’t seem happy he had to let her work on his house. Maybe now he could see that she knew what she was doing … mostly.
His room was an addition, but it had nice, bright windows and a fireplace on the wall.
Charlie’s bed was made, and he had a basic grey comforter. Roo jumped on it immediately and made herself at home. Violet didn’t have the heart to kick her off.
