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“I don’t think that’s something I need to be thanked for.”
Maybe not, but he was relieved anyways. “Why did you decide to fix my shower today anyways? You could have waited until the weekend when you had more time.”
Violet’s cheeks turned a little red. “I wanted to get that repair done because it was the one that affected you the most.”
“Hang on, what? Why would that matter?”
“If I’m useful, then I have a place here,” she said. Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but she kept going. “And I knew you were mad about letting me work on the house, so I wanted to help you as a peace offering.”
Charlie stared. A peace offering and Violet Moore didn’t compute.
“And I made it weird.” Violet sighed. “Okay, I’ll leave you alone now.”
“Wait.”
Violet paused and looked at him expectantly.
“It was nice to have the handle working. I appreciated it. And I do actually need the help, but I don’t understand why you feel like you have to make yourself useful. What have I done since you’ve stayed here to make you think like this?”
“You don’t like me-“
“That doesn’t matter right now. Whether I like you or not, it doesn’t mean I’m going to kick you out. Have I somehow made you feel like I was going to? Or is it just that we’re enemies?”
Violet sighed. “There is a part of me that knows I’m on thin ice because we’re enemies and we always fight. But it’s not you that I’m like this with. I can’t accept help from anyone.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I can barely accept it from Liv, even. It wouldn’t be better if I was staying there, either. I'd have to find a way to help to make it even.”
His chest loosened when he realized it wasn’t about him. This was about something to do with her – something he didn’t have a part in.
Charlie was curious about her past, but as he opened his mouth to ask, he realized she wouldn’t tell him anything about it. Not only did she not like getting help, but she also didn’t like him. She hadn’t in six years.
Violet had always looked at him like a kicked puppy when she thought he wasn’t looking. Her eyes were dull and sad, and he didn’t know why. She was always lost in thought, always remembering the thing that had caused this - something he had done.
More than anything he wanted to know what that was. He wanted to know why she went off on him after he sent her the first draft of her paper back. Why was she so mad, and was it really the paper?
But he had tried a few times in the beginning, and she had looked at him with a confused expression on her face.
“You should know, Charlie,” was how it started, and nowadays, it was, “Fuck off, Davis.”
Eventually, he had stopped trying. Lauren had always said she wasn’t worth his time anyways.
“I’m going to go to bed,” Violet said softly. “And don’t worry. I’ll forget what I saw.”
She disappeared up the stairs then, and Charlie sighed. Maybe he would eventually work up the courage to ask once again where it all went wrong. Maybe once she had another place to go and felt less trapped.
Maybe then they could move forward.
Chapter Six
Violet
The next morning, when Violet was ready for the day, she came down the stairs preparing to go help Liv with decorating the wedding venue. Charlie was getting back from his run, and when they met in the foyer as she was planning to leave, they both paused, remembering what happened the day before.
And it wasn’t about the repairs anymore. No, what was burned into her mind was seeing Charlie naked in his bathroom.
Ugh. She needed to put it out of her mind. She said she was going to forget about it, but he looked so good. He was so much taller than her, with wide shoulders and a lithe, muscular build.
