Open mouthed, Scarlet turned to me.
“I’m not sure if he’ll make it,” I said. “I did say it wasn’t definite, didn’t I?” I asked Darcy. It would be humiliating if he didn’t come now people knew. “He’s working on a huge case. He said he’ll try, but I’d be surprised if he can spare the time.” I released Scarlett and picked up my wine glass.
“Don’t have so little faith,” Darcy said. “You originally thought he’d never even consider it. He’ll be here.”
“You’ve never met him,” I replied. “How would you know?”
“Just a feeling.” She took a sip of her wine, grinning around the glass.
“This is big news, Violet,” my sister said.
“It’s really not.” The last thing I wanted was for everyone to make a big deal out of this. We might have been dating a few months, but because Alexander was so busy and we both knew it was a temporary thing, it wasn’t that serious. It couldn’t be.
“Have you said ‘I love you’?” Darcy asked, stirring up trouble.
“No! It’s not like that.” I doubted Alexander had even told his wife he loved her. He wasn’t that guy, and I wasn’t that girl. We were just hanging out. Enjoying the moment.
“You’ve been together months though, haven’t you? I’ve never known you to be with a guy this long. You must like him.”
“Of course I like him. I mean, he’s a moody, brooding asshole at times but—”
“Who’s an asshole?” Max came over, with a plate overflowing with food. He must have heard the word asshole and assumed we were talking about him.
“Her boyfriend,” Scarlett said.
“You’re dating, Darcy?” Max grinned.
“No.” Scarlett nudged him with her elbow. “Violet.”
“What? You have a boyfriend?” he asked, looking at me as if I’d just told him I’d decided to donate a kidney. “A British guy? I can’t handle any more British blood in this family.”
Oh my God, Max was fast-forwarding to the birth of my children. “Will you guys stop making a big deal about this? He’s going to think you’re all crazy when he arrives.”
“What, he’s coming to Woolton?” Max asked.
“Tomorrow,” Darcy said.
The girl was dead to me after this weekend. She was spilling all my secrets.
“Are you pregnant?” Max asked.
I rolled my eyes and turned to leave this group to top up my wine.
“She’s not pregnant; she’s in love.” Scarlett grabbed my arm. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“No, I’m not pregnant, and I am definitely not in love. How many times do I have to say it?” I wished I’d never invited him. The whole thing was going to be a horror show. Except that I didn’t really wish I hadn’t invited him. I was excited that he might be coming, that he was giving up work for a few hours to spend time with me. I wanted to show him around the house and take a walk with him around the lake, wrapped up in our coats and scarves. Kiss him looking over the croquet lawn.
“You guys have to promise that you’re not going to act like freaks.”
“We’ll be fine. We won’t tell him he’s your first boyfriend since college and the only guy who’s ever made your eyes light up when he’s mentioned.”
“Scarlett, please. And anyway, he knows all about David.”
“You told him what happened?” she asked.
“Well, yeah.” It wasn’t a big deal that I’d told him, was it? I didn’t want to keep things from him and after the Gabby debacle I didn’t want him keeping things from me.
“About the business?” Scarlett asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I said. He knows.”
“Wow.” She took a sip of her wine, trying to disguise her smile.
“There’s nothing ‘wow’ about it.”
“Well, I hope he’s not an asshole,” Max said.
“Then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed,” I replied.
“Well, if he puts a foot wrong—” Max’s chest expanded and I rolled my eyes.
“He can’t be an arsehole,” Darcy said. “Not if you like him as much as you do.”
“Who said I liked him that much?”
“Has he signed his divorce papers yet?” Scarlett asked.
“The asshole is married?” Max asked, his mouth full of food. He swallowed. “Jesus, Violet. You’re involved with a married man?”
“Thanks, Scarlett,” I said, shaking my head. “Yes, he’s signed his divorce papers, and he’s been separated from his wife for over three years.”
“I don’t like the sound of this guy,” Max mumbled.
“Well, you two have a lot in common. You’re both workaholic assholes, so you should get along just fine.”
I wasn’t really sure Max and Alexander would get along at all. I’d never really seen Alexander interact with anyone other than me in a non-work public setting. But he was a good man. He might be brooding and moody, but that was just a cloak. When you got to know the real Alexander, he was decent and kind. I hoped my family could see that. I wanted them to like him because he was the first person in a long time that I’d cared about. And I wanted to be right about him. I wanted them to see what I saw in him. It was as if Alexander represented a new Violet—a woman who’d moved on from the scars of her early twenties. And if it turned out I was wrong about him, then what else was I wrong about?
I just hope he didn’t cancel. Not now.
Twenty-Eight
Alexander
For the second time in three months I was driving into the country for Violet King. When she’d left chambers on Wednesday, she hadn’t complained that I wasn’t leaving with her. And she hadn’t asked me how long I’d stay, or even if I was sure I’d definitely make it. She just took each day as it came.
I’d found that the lunches we spent together didn’t impact my workload as much as I might have expected. In fact, our stolen moments invigorated me, leaving me more efficient after time away from my desk. It made me yearn for more time with her.
I turned up the gravel driveway the map indicated. The Duke of Westbury’s estate was beautiful. Violet King was full of surprises.
As I pulled up in front of the house, the door opened and Violet came tripping down the steps. I was only just out of the car when she threw her arms around my neck.
“You made it,” she said, more delighted than I could have hoped for.
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“And you never say anything you don’t mean.” She pressed her lips against mine and I pulled her in tighter.
“This is a beautiful place,” I said, scanning the gardens. “Capability Brown by the looks of it.”
“Yes, we should take a walk down to the lake, but after lunch, which will last the whole day. So tomorrow. If you’re going to stay?”
“I’ll stay if you’ll have me.”
She tilted her head. “I really like you,” she said.
I chuckled. “I really like you, too. Now come and help me with this,” I said, opening the back door. I handed her two paper bags.
“What’s in here?” she asked.
“I didn’t know what to bring, so some booze for the adults and toys for the children.” I closed the door and went ’round to the boot and pulled out my weekend bag. “What?” I asked as she stood there, her brow furrowed.