The man stopped and stared. “Violet, what are you talking about?”
“Ah, I mean, John said that you were back with her. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have been discussing your private life. It just occurred to me how wrong that sounded.” She shut her mouth before it wandered further afield. What a pity it didn’t stay shut. “But it’s great that you’re happy and everything.”
“I’m happy and everything?” he asked, as if he were double checking.
“Umm, yes.” Though now that she had a good look at him, he didn’t seem all that happy after all. Beautiful, yes, but happy? No, not really.
“With Jane?” he repeated.
“Yes? I mean, you went to counseling with her and everything. Right?”
She didn’t know exactly when he’d gotten quite so close or so tall. The man loomed over her. Possibly she had finally perfected the art of sinking into the floor during moments of duress. It wasn’t completely out of the question. Since infancy she’d been trying to perfect the act during one mistake or another. Nice to know it had finally come to fruition. If only it would work a little faster.
“Are you happy, Violet?” he asked.
“Thank God that’s over.” John breezed in, oblivious.
“Get out,” his brother said.
“What?” The Chef ground to a halt.
“Get out,” Alex repeated.
John growled. “Again?”
“And lock the door.”
Her shoulders hit her ears when John slammed it as well on his way out. Meanwhile, Alex took another step forward. She would have retreated but she already stood in the corner, trapped behind the big old desk with her back to the wall, trying to disappear. Sadly, it didn’t seem to be working out so well for her after all.
“Are you happy, Violet?” he asked, his voice very soft.
“Sure.” Her eyelids chose this moment to go stupid, blinking crazily.
He set a hand on the wall to either side of her head and leaned in. “See, I’m happy enough. But I could be happier.”
“Oh?” Every proximity warning alarm in her head went nuts. For weeks she’d been doing her best to steer clear of him and now here he was, all up close and personal. It was a disaster in the making. She shoved her hands behind her back before she got grabby. The want to latch on and not let go nearly overwhelmed her.
“You’re right,” he said. “I did go to counseling with Jane. I had a lot of leftover anger to deal with and she kindly agreed to help me out with that. We’re talking again. I doubt we’ll ever really be friends, but I feel better for it and so does she.”
“Great,” she said, because she needed something to say.
“I hadn’t really started moving on from that whole situation but now I am. I got my own place and I’m getting myself sorted.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “So here’s the thing, Violet. I miss you. Which is kind of nuts when you consider how little time we’ve actually spent together. And I want you. I really do. But this is the last time we’re going to have this conversation because I am moving on with my life. I have made that decision. Now, I would prefer that you were a part of it outside of work, but you need to decide for yourself if that’s something you want. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.”
“Do you really?”
Did she? Her mind blanked. Critical mass had been reached. “I, I, umm…”
For a moment he waited. Then slowly, he began to back up, moving away from her. “You can do this, Violent. You just have to decide if I’m worth the risk. Give it some thought.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
His smile was bittersweet. “Vi, it’s as hard for me to trust you as it is for you to trust me. I get it, sweetheart. I really do. But we’ve both got to start somewhere.”
Her heart beat so hard she might have been having a heart attack. Or maybe a panic attack. One of the two. Problem was, it wasn’t him that she didn’t trust. It was her. Her decisions sucked. History confirmed it. This one already hurt, wouldn’t going back for more just compound the issue?
Alex kept his eyes on her as he backed to the door, flicked the lock and opened it. “Night, Vi.”
*
Alex forced a grin as the blonde in front of him giggled and did her best to spill her cleavage onto the bar. “Negroni, coming right up.”
Cue another giggle.
The bar had been packed solid, standing-room only. Things were finally starting to calm down. So far as he could see, the restaurant had been busy too. They’d be closing up now and the bar wouldn’t be far behind. He hadn’t heard a peep from Violet since their talk last night. That was what…almost twenty-four hours? Time enough if she felt the way he did. He was not being the least bit unreasonable.
Fuck it. He’d done all he could. If she wasn’t prepared to take a chance on him then that was that. Having spent years trying to keep Jane happy when she wasn’t invested, he wouldn’t be going straight back into a similar situation with another woman.
He handed the blonde her drink with a friendly smile and put the cash in the register. Then he turned to face the next customer.
“Violet.”
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey. How you doing?”
“Good.”
Her hair was piled up on top of her head again in some ornate ’do. No one had cleavage like Violet did. No one could even compare. She wore a plain black blouse and one of those tight knee-length skirts she liked. He’d spied it earlier as she’d bent to pick something up. Amazing that he hadn’t swallowed his tongue. But he wouldn’t be running after her. No, not him. He was done making a dick of himself.
The blonde beside her made disgruntled noises. Violet ignored her. So did he.
“I noticed the furniture was back in the office,” she said.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “It was time.”
Her green eyes looked huge and gorgeous, lined in black, and her lips shone like the stars. “Lucky you never had to move the desk. It looks really heavy.”
“Ah, yeah. I bet it would be.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “It’s probably really solidly built.”
“Mm.”
She nodded all contemplative like. Where the hell was she going with this?