The British Knight by Louise Bay
One
Violet
Men and cocktails were two of my favorite things to waste time on, and I made sure my day always had plenty of either one or the other. “Cheers.” I raised my drink and clinked it against the glasses of two of my most treasured people in the world—my sister, Scarlett, and her sister-in-law Darcy. We were at some fancy bar in SoHo where the drinks were twice the price of a car. It was Darcy’s first night in New York City, and I wasn’t going to worry about how I was going to pay for anything tonight when I had no job to go to tomorrow. I adored her and didn’t get to see her as often as I’d like as she lived in England, so I was all about the positive. Maybe I could get her laid as a welcome gift? Sex always put me in a good mood. I was certainly going to find someone to go home with. I needed to forget what a terrible week I’d had, and I wasn’t sure just one of my favorite things was going to be enough. It was going to take alcohol and a man.
“Is there anyone special in England at the moment?” Scarlett asked Darcy. “Someone to sweep you off your feet?”
I groaned. “She’s not Cinderella. She’s a capable, confident woman who needs no sweeping. The question you should be asking is whether or not she’s had any good sex lately.”
“I’m not saying she’s not capable and confident, but a knight in shining armor is always a good thing,” Scarlett replied.
“I wish I had sisters,” Darcy said, grinning at the two of us.
Scarlett and I bickered because we were opposites. She was married for a second time. I had no desire to tie myself down to one man. Scarlett had a successful career whereas I couldn’t even keep a waitressing job. She had two kids and I wasn’t allowed a cat.
She was going to kill me when she found out I’d been fired.
But she was my sister and I loved her.
“It’s the best,” Scarlett said, “though I wish she’d listen to me a little more often.”
“You just need to accept that not everyone wants the house in Connecticut with the perfect husband and two perfect but very loud children.” I glanced around the room. What I wanted was ferocious sex with someone who could make me forget about what was or wasn’t going to happen tomorrow. But no one had caught my eye so far.
“I just want you to be happy,” Scarlett said, tilting her head to the side.
“Well that makes two of us.” The last thing I needed was my sister’s pity. Especially today. “Anyway, what are you going to do while you’re in New York?” I asked Darcy. “I can come on the tourist trail with you if you’d like.”
“Don’t you have work?” Scarlett asked.
The problem with being close with my sister was that as much as we might be dissimilar, we couldn’t hide things from each other.
“Sure, but I can fit my shifts around Darcy. I want you to have a good time.” I took another sip of my cocktail, avoiding my sister’s burning gaze.
“Oh, Violet. You didn’t quit your job again, did you?”
From the corner of my eye, I caught the sag of Scarlett’s shoulders and the bow of her head.
“Not exactly,” I said.
I didn’t want to see that look of disappointment in her eyes. Couldn’t she just accept that I wasn’t interested in a highflying career? Life had taught me more than once that the moment was to be enjoyed and that tomorrow could be figured out when it arrived.
“Not exactly?” she asked. “I thought you liked the girls at that place?”
“I did.” The other waitresses had been a lot of fun and the tips had been amazing. “But I don’t think I should put up with it when my ass gets grabbed at work.”
“Who grabbed your arse?” Darcy asked.
“This regular we have. He does it to all of us, but I don’t see why it’s okay.”
“It’s totally not okay. So you quit?” Scarlett asked.
“No, I called him a sleazy prick and I got fired,” I explained, ready to move on. I’d dealt with enough assholes in my time—I didn’t want to waste any time thinking about them. “Hopefully it will mean he’ll lay off the other waitresses. At least for a while.”
I’d discovered that the way not to be disappointed in life was to have few expectations and the easiest way to keep expectations to a minimum was not to get too involved. It didn’t matter if it was a job or a man—I didn’t keep either long enough to emotionally invest, and that meant I could walk away from either without it hurting. Losing a job wasn’t a problem—I was over it the moment I left. Not having any money was more of an issue.
Scarlett sighed. “It’s not like you to lose your temper like that. I totally know he shouldn’t be grabbing anyone’s ass but . . .”
“You expected me to suck it up?”
“Absolutely not. I’m just saying it’s not like you to lose it. I’m worried about you. Is this about the news yesterday?”
“News?” I asked, feigning ignorance. I was a terrible liar. The worst. But the last thing I wanted to do was discuss my ex-boyfriend and the fact that yesterday’s business pages had announced he was taking the company we’d founded together public.
This was exactly the conversation I’d been avoiding.
“Are you upset?” Scarlett asked, clearly knowing I was full of shit.
“Not at all. You know I’m totally over it—it was years ago.” It had been almost four years since I’d been betrayed by my college boyfriend and had the company I’d worked so hard to build taken from me. “I’ve told you before, life is good.”
I’d genuinely thought I was over it. But yesterday’s news had been a shock and brought back a lot of emotions. I enjoyed my life—most of the time. I had an amazing family, good friends, and I didn’t have to worry, make difficult decisions, or do any of the stressful stuff that came with running your own business. I just didn’t have the life I’d thought I’d end up with. I’d expected to be in the photograph alongside David. We’d be married—maybe with a kid or two—a tech power couple. Instead he was standing with his new wife, months away from winning the IPO lottery, and I was a waitress.
Scarlett reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “I think it’s great you’re happy. But honestly, sometimes it’s good to have a plan, mix things up a bit. Isn’t that right, Darcy?”
It was a low blow bringing Darcy into this conversation. She didn’t know how loaded the question was.
“I love to plan,” Darcy said. “I’m slowly increasing profits of the estate. We’re looking at a fifteen percent jump over the next three years. If that happens, I want to open a farm shop, selling local produce. Also, I want to adopt a kid before I hit thirty-five. Oh, and if a knight in shining armor shows up, I don’t need to be swept off my feet, but if he wants to take me to dinner and give me a foot rub then I’m not going to say no. Business, kid, foot rub. In that order.”