by Christina Li
Landry pursed her lips, unconvinced.
“I used to live here and I’ve got my cell. Call if you get worried about me.” Finally, her agent appeared at least mollified. Before Landry changed her mind, Violet took the keys and left. Once on the highway, a million memories came flooding back. She thought of Dr. and Mrs. Givens and how kind they had been. Mrs. Givens had taken a chance on a girl she hardly knew and hired her when she needed a job so badly.
She thought of Ivy. What a sweet and wonderful friend! Without her there would be no Lily Green. Without these people, Violet wouldn’t be here today. Her time spent in Chicagoland made those books possible.
Then, there were Jesse and Will. Jesse hadn’t even liked Violet when they first met. Of course the pepper spray hadn’t helped. Will was friendly at least. She wondered if he had ever figured out what a terrific girl Ivy was.
She drove past the place where she and Sam got into that car accident, and a tear rolled down her cheeks. Some red trash lay on the ground, reminding her of Ginger’s roses back in Butterfield. Like the other woman’s treatment of those roses, she tromped all over Sam’s love for her and the friendship of Ivy, Jesse, their parents, and Will. Her thoughtlessness shamed her.
When she got to the Coffee House, she sat out in the parking lot for several minutes trying to gather up her courage. Her stomach rumbled, signaling lunch time. Jesse spent most of his day at a booth in the Coffee House, so he probably occupied his favorite space. Of course, Mrs. Givens would be there. She owned the place after all. Would Ivy and Sam come for lunch?
What if no one showed up? Maybe this was all a huge mistake and it would be best to let it all be. No one came to those bookstores in Chicago proper. What if she stayed out of their lives forever? Would that be the better thing, the kinder thing?
No. That would be cowardly and her friends deserved better. Her Lord provided this opportunity. ‘All things worked together for good…’ If she didn't do this, it would be wrong. She took a deep breath, opened the car door, and stepped out. As she drifted toward the door, she wondered if she should get some coffee first to fortify herself. No, the little caffeine already coursing through her made her fidgety enough. She hung back from the counter, then, biting her lower lip forced herself forward.
“Is Mrs. Givens here?” The barista smiled and pointed off toward the back of the Coffee House. Mrs. Givens sat at a booth doing some paper work.
“Hello, Ma’am,” Violet whispered. She shifted from one foot to the other and braced herself for a much deserved rejection.
“Violet?!” Mrs. Givens stood and practically through herself on her. “I’ve missed you so much. How have you been?”
At first no words came. She felt like the Prodigal had come home. “I-I’ve been doing a lot of traveling, my books and all.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
Violet blinked back tears at the older woman’s kindness. “Mrs. Givens, I-I must apologize for the way I treated you and everyone else. You invited me into your home and practically made me part of the family. I left, and it was so wrong. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Oh yes. I forgive you. We all prayed for you every day.”
“Somehow, I knew.”
“Violet?!” Jesse stood up from another booth nearby and hurried over. “How are you?”
“Jesse, I-I’m so sorry. What I did, I hurt you and you didn’t trust me in the first place…” She closed her eyes and then opened them, looking him in the eye. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Yes. You hurt my brother, but you hurt so much yourself. I couldn’t stay angry and I couldn’t hold your bad choices against you. You just should have come back sooner.”
Violet nodded and smiled ruefully. She appreciated his candor. What an awesome brother! Two down, but she still needed to make things right with Ivy, Will, and… Sam.
“A lot has happened in the last year,” Jesse continued.
Violet started to ask what, but she a shriek from the other side of the room stopped her.
“Violet!!!” Ivy stood at the counter one moment and then barreled forward in the next. She grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug.
When Violet finally got her breath, she said, “Ivy, I need to apologize. I wronged you so, so much. Please forgive me.”
Ivy grinned. “I love you, and I worried about you.” She gave her another hug. “You should have come back sooner.”
“I know.” Violet blinked back more tears. She did not deserve such kindness.
Then, Will came in. Violet saw his eyes widen from across the room. He jogged over and gave her a big hug too. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, but I came back to apologize. I should have done that much, much sooner. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course. You’re ‘family’. But, you’re right in that you should have come back sooner.”
“Thank you.” She needed a tissue.
Sam walked in then with a beautiful woman. She punched his arm and shook her head. They looked like they belonged together. Of course, he moved on and Violet should be glad for him, for them. At the moment, unfortunately, jealousy rose up and her hands fisted. They hadn’t seen her yet.
Her smile tightened as she tried to focus on the people surrounding her, but the thought of facing Sam and the beautiful girl with him felt like a tractor running over her heart. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Givens stepped aside allowing Violet to move past her into the small hallway behind them.
Violet felt guilty slipping out, but that beautiful woman, who was she? In a stall she leaned her head against the door and concentrated on breathing. It shouldn’t surprise her Sam got on with his life. Too much time had passed. She blinked several times and pressed her lips together firmly. Tears were not an option. Like a soldier going off to battle, she opened the stall door and marched back into the Coffee House.
“Violet, I want you to meet someone.” Jesse spoke to her as she came back. Sam stood at the counter ordering coffee with Will next to him. Jesse indicated Guinevere, and Violet pulled her lips back into what she hoped might qualify as a smile.
“Hello. I’m Guinevere.” The beautiful woman put her hand out to shake.
It was hard to not respond to Guinevere’s radiant kindness. Her British accent only added to her appeal. Violet shook her hand. “Violet Carsten.” She tried to clear the sudden huskiness in her voice. “Nice to meet you.”
“Wait a minute! Violet Carsten?” Guinevere’s eyes widened. “Are you the author of the Lily Green Adventures? I love those books!”
Violet nodded a little self-consciously. “That’s me.”
“Oh, I can’t wait for your next one. Tell me, though, are you going to allow Lily and Garrett to finally marry? They seem to have such a time.” Guinevere brought her hands together in front of her face, and Violet caught sight of a wedding band.
Of course, but Sam deserves to be happy. “It doesn’t look too good right now, but we’ll see.” Inwardly, she thought perhaps she ought to make Lily’s relationships much better than hers had been. Guinevere seemed good for Sam. At least she probably treated him better than she ever did.
Violet looked up and saw him then. He stood next to Guinevere, but to her, the whole rest of the world disappeared. “Hi, Sam.”
“Hello,” he replied. Violet couldn’t read his expression.
Everyone excused themselves and moved to another part of the Coffee Shop. She looked down, swallowed, and looked back up. “I came back to apologize. I treated you worst of all.”
“I forgive you.”
Violet looked down at her shoes, courage gone. The tears wouldn’t be held back much longer. She raised her head, but struggled to look at him directly. “Thank-you.” She could barely speak over the lump in her throat. “Congratulations. I saw Guinevere’s ring. I’m really happy for you. She seems like a nice girl.”
Sam’s eyebrows crinkled. “Uh, thanks. We all
love her. She’s good for Jesse.”
Violet didn’t understand about Jesse, but Guinevere would probably be a wonderful sister-in-law. That must have been what he meant. “I need to get going. I have another book signing to go to this afternoon.”
Sam blinked. “Are you in town for long?”
“No. I have to catch a plane at 10 o’clock tonight.”
Sam frowned. “Where do you go next?”
Small talk. Did she expect more? All she wanted to do at that moment was curl up into a ball and weep. “I’m going back to New York. I haven’t gotten an apartment there yet, but I probably should. Hotels are expensive and I spend a lot of time there.”
“Oh. New York is bigger than Chicago.”
“Yes.” Only her will kept the tears in check. She needed to leave, now. “I have to go.” She tried to give everyone one last smile as she hurried out. Then, she got into her rental car and wiped away rivers of tears all the way back to the hotel.
Chapter 23
“Wait a minute,” said Jesse. “She left? You let her go? Why don’t you go after her?”
“I think she is under the impression that Guinevere and I are together.” Sam shook his head wishing he had said more.
“Why didn’t you enlighten her?” asked Ivy.
“She said she had to get to the bookstore this afternoon. Then, she ran out before I had a chance to say anything else.”
“The one in Bartlett, right? I planned to go tonight,” said Will. “If she didn’t come to us, I would go to her. She needs to know what happened with the case involving that man she found in the dumpster and your car accident.”
“She deserves to know,” said Ivy. “I tried to contact her several months ago, but this would be best in person, not in e-mail or over the phone.”
“She didn’t want any contact. She got her wish,” said Jesse. “What could we do?”
“Maybe one of us could have gone to her aunt’s funeral,” said Ivy.
“She didn’t want us there,” said Sam. “We needed to honor her choices.”
“Even though they were bad ones?” asked Ivy.
Guinevere grinned. “The Lord has a way of working out all things for good, even the stupid things we do.”
Jesse grinned back and squeezed her hand. “What if all of us take a trip out to Bartlett and finish some business?”
Sam grinned and nodded, fingering the ring in his pocket. “I’ve got a couple of things to take care of at the lab. I’ll meet you guys there.” Hope had returned. Despite their awkwardness, he had glimpsed love in Violet’s eyes. He refused to let her go easily.
“Oooh, I can’t wait,” said Ivy. “When does the book signing start?”
“Four o’clock,” said Guinevere. “If Jesse hadn’t already planned to go, I would’ve gone by myself.”
“No chance of that,” said Will.
***
Violet spent the rest of the day in her hotel room.
Finally, at 3:00 Landry knocked on Violet’s door. Upon her, she asked, “Are you all right, Violet?”
“I’m tired.”
“I suppose these book tours do take their toll. It’s good that this is the last one for a while. We have only a couple of meetings in New York next week. Then, you’re free to write for the next few months.”
Violet smiled at that. “That sounds really good.”
“Well, you have been working hard.” She looked down at her watch. “We need to go now. I want to get everything all set up and be sure they have plenty of books for you to sign.”
The people at the Barnes and Nobles in Bartlett greeted them eagerly. Despite Violet’s earlier disappointment, the mere smell of a bookstore always lifted her spirits. She liked the staff instantly and worked hard to remember everyone’s names.
She used her own IPad to take a picture with everyone and typed in their names and the location of the store. After her book started really selling, she purchased an IPad, along with a keyboard and a carrying case. Thus far, it proved more than worth the expense. It allowed her to take pictures, take notes and reminders, and research on the Internet. It also weighed a good deal less than her old laptop.
Her book signing was supposed to last from 4-6, only two hours. Violet would be glad when it ended. Then, one more week of meetings and she could go back to Butterfield. All she wanted was to go home and hide for a while. Things hadn’t gone as she had wished, but what had she expected? Did she really suppose Sam would wait for her? Why should he? She certainly hadn’t given him any reason. She never even tried to call him in almost a year.
The cold and light snowfall didn’t keep people from coming to the bookstore. Landry, pleased with the turnout, wandered around the store picking up books and thumbing through magazines. Violet tried her best to be kind and attentive to each person who asked for her signature, but she longed to be alone.
Suddenly, Sam appeared in front of her table. She blinked twice to make sure her tired brain hadn’t merely conjured him. “Sam?”
“Yes. You didn’t suppose I would let you leave again, did you? You forgot to say goodbye—again!”
Violet blushed. “I guess I did forget to say goodbye. I’m sorry.” He stood there looking at her, his eyes speaking what she feared to hope, feared to let herself dream. “Do you want me to sign a book?”
“No. I don’t want you to sign a book.”
Violet looked at all the people standing behind him, including Ivy, Will, Jesse, and Guinevere. “Um, well...”
Then, Sam came around the little table and got down on one knee like a knight of old. He took her hand and gazed into her eyes. “What I want, Violet Carsten, is to ask for your hand in marriage one more time. Will you marry me?”
This can’t be real. “But, but, what about Guinevere?”
“Guinevere is quite happily married to Jesse,” said Guinevere. Violet noticed then that they held hands. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at Sam.
“So, you’re not already married?”
“Well, I hope to be soon, if you’ll have me.” Sam was eye to eye with her, still on one knee.
“Sam, how can you still love me? I was awful to you.”
“Violet, I told you. I forgave you a long time ago. You made things right today when you apologized to everybody.” Then, he pulled the ring out of his pocket. “I’ve been holding onto this for a long time now. Don’t you think it’s time for you to put it back on?”
“Oh!” Violet stared at the ring in unbelief. “You’ve been carrying this for a whole year?”
“Yes. I love you, Violet. I never stopped loving you. I will always love you.” He smiled that beautiful smile with those deep, deep dimples that melted her all the way to her toes. “Now, before my knee falls asleep completely, will you please say ‘yes?’”
“Oh! Yes! I love you, Sam!” Violet threw her arms around him and nearly knocked him over.
“Well, it’s about time,” said Jesse.
“I’ll say,” said Will.
Ivy and Guinevere grinned at each other.
Then, everyone surrounded Violet and Sam and congratulated them. Not only did they hug Ivy, Will, Jesse, and Guinevere, they hugged people they had met only that night.
Sam sat down with Violet and several people asked that he pose with Violet and sign books too. Both young people fairly glowed for the rest of the night.
Finally, at 6 when the signing ended, they all went over to the Barnes and Noble restaurant and had coffee and muffins. They agreed that it wasn’t nearly as good as Mrs. Givens’, but it was a decent second.
As they sat around the table, Will said, “Violet, we finally solved that case involving that man you found in the dumpster.”
Violet’s eyes widened. “Really? I’ve been wondering about that.”
“Well,” said Ivy, “Sam and your car accident is involved in that too.”
“What? When that car ran into me, I thought I somehow caused it all.
”
“No. That was a hit and run. It turned out that Opal hit you two. She also murdered that guy you found in the dumpster. She had another boyfriend on the side who helped her,” Will explained.
“What? Opal? Manny’s girlfriend at the jewelry store?”
“Yes,” said Will. “And Opal is not her real name. It’s Mara Richman.”
“Richman? As in Manny and his uncle? She’s related?”
“More than related,” said Ivy. “Opal, or Mara rather, was Mr. Gil Richman’s daughter. Gil was Cal Richman’s brother, part owner of the jewelry store.”
“And Gil Richman was the one I found in the dumpster. So, Mara was his daughter. Why would she kill her own father?” Violet was horrified.
“Apparently, Gil got Mara’s mom pregnant and then took off. Mara’s mother was very bitter about the whole thing and passed her hate along to her daughter. After her mother died, Mara spent the next several years looking for her father. When she found him, she decided a simple murder was too good. She wanted revenge, and not just on him, but on his entire family. So, she killed her father and then planned on killing Cal Richman and eventually Manny as well.”
“Wow,” said Violet, “but how does our car accident fit in?”
“Well, Mara read your blog posts on your latest book and thought you were on to her. You used the jewelry store as your setting and had the girlfriend be the culprit. In fact, it was something that you said that made us take a closer look at her. When we ran her name and picture through our system, we found all kinds of stuff on her. She is wanted for armed robbery in at least two other states.”
When Will took a breath, Sam took over. “Mara was worried that you had her figured out and tried to scare you off first by trashing your house. When you didn’t leave, she decided to take you out by running us off the road.”
“That’s insane,” said Violet, “I still don’t see how on earth she could have gotten Gil Richman into the dumpster.”
“Remember that other boyfriend?” asked Ivy. “He was a jealous boyfriend, in fact. That was another thing that helped us catch them. He saw Manny hugging her and took a swing at him.”
“When we arrested him for assault, and ran him through our system, we found out that he and Mara were partners. Once we leaned on him, he spilled everything.”
“Wow,” Violet repeated.
