Violet sat on a stool and tried to read a few pages from her book but couldn’t focus. The sky was turning a silver gray but the large restaurant space seemed cold and dark inside. Waiting for Silas Black to arrive felt like all the times she’d faced the long, dreary school hallway and known he would find her somehow before the end of the day.
Thor lifted his head as a shrill tone sounded and she searched through her purse, finally snagging her phone from under her checkbook. She pressed the button, hoping she sounded calm as she answered. “Hi, Mom.”
Thor dropped his head back on his paws but kept his eyes on the front door.
“Honey, I forgot to tell you to ask Silas whether he has time to make some cutting stations in the back. I saw a really nice one when I was watching that cooking show with the mean guy who yells at all of his staff―”
“Mom, can you ask him when you see him next? You said I just had to open the place so he could come inside. I have work to do in the back.”
She could hear her mother’s confusion in the brief silence. “What work? All the prep is done for today. The evening shift covered it right before closing. They’re all pulling together this week and I’m so proud of them.”
“I― I was going to go through the menus and toss any that are stained or torn.”
“Well, that doesn’t keep you from asking Silas about the cutting stations.”
“And I was going to work on lesson plans for the fall. It’s never too early to get everything in order.” She’d also brought a book to read, but she didn’t mention that. Violet felt a twinge of guilt for pulling the harried teacher routine since her mother was always careful not to impinge on her school work.
Her mother didn’t accept her excuse and barreled ahead. “Well, ask him about it as soon as he gets there and then you can have the rest of the time for lesson planning. It’ll take five minutes. I was thinking that far corner near the freezers would be a great place to put in butcher block counters, so there would be two stations with their own sinks for washing. Just show him the space and see what he thinks.”
Violet slumped onto a stool and leaned forward until her forehead rested against the cold steel counter. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might that she could be the one back home in her mother’s kitchen, preparing to make a hundred gallons of their secret recipe pizza sauce.
“Violet? Are you there?”
Thor sat up and let out a deafening series of deep-throated barks. Violet bolted upright and saw Silas Black standing on the other side of the glass double doors. It was like seeing a vision from her past. Violet felt a spike of adrenaline, then forced herself to take a few deep breaths.
“Thor, sit,” Violet said, although she wanted to give him a treat for recognizing danger. Sure, Silas was the same darkly handsome guy she’d known. There were some slight changes, too. His jaw was more defined and he looked more like a man now. But the real change was in his eyes. He met her gaze and then looked at the ground, waiting patiently for her to unlock the doors. His posture was submissive, not angry. Probably because of Thor. Silas knew how protective mastiffs could be.
Violet still hadn’t moved from the stool. The old Silas would have rattled the handle or knocked harder. He would have smirked at her for looking afraid. Violet forced her expression into what she hoped was a cool disinterest.
“Are you okay?” Her mother sounded a little panicked.
“Yes, sorry. I’m right here.” Silas may have changed from high school, but so had she and she was nothing like the girl he knew. Jumping down, she strode to the door and flipped the dead bolt.
“Come on in,” she said, not bothering to sound cheery. Thor watched him carefully, never relaxing. She held up the phone and waved it. “Give me a second.”
He nodded and stood without moving while she finished her call. Violet assured her mother that she’d let her know if anything went wrong. She resisted telling her that everything was wrong at the moment and the only way to fix it would be to fire Silas Black.
After she hung up, she looked up at him, unable to stop herself from crossing her arms over her chest. She was used to being shorter than everyone else in the room but his height was always a little startling. “So,” she said.
“So,” he repeated. There was the smallest hint of a smile.
“I’m not sure why my mother thought you were the best guy for the job. You probably gave her some sob story, right?”
The not-quite-smile vanished. “Your mother contacted me after seeing my work profiled in a magazine.”
Violet raised an eyebrow. “Work?”
“It was a forty-foot long floating table made from a single oak tree,” he said.
“Floating?”
“Attached at one end to a wall. Triangular design. No supports.” He made a slow sweeping motion with his hand, as if running his palm along the length of the wood.
Violet tried not to be impressed at the idea. Restaurants failed at an alarming rate and restaurants in small towns failed more often than most. Fire and Brimstone was thriving because it served delicious, garden-fresh food, but part of drawing in customers was the unique décor and concept. She could see why her mother would hire a carpenter who could create a piece like that.
“So you moved back here for this job?”
He shook his head. “I worked under a master carpenter in Billings for five years after I got my degree. I’d completed my apprenticeship as a journeyman carpenter in July. I like Idaho.”
“Degree?” Violet repeated. She hadn’t realized carpenters didn’t just pick up a hammer and nails from the Home and Garden store. “But why not just stay… wherever you were.”
“Billings,” he repeated. “It’s true that larger cities provide more work, but there are also more carpenters.”
“I still don’t know why you had to move to Arcadia Falls, anyway. There are other cities in Idaho. You could have gone to Twin Falls.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I came back because my mom was sick. Inherited the farm when she passed away from cancer last month.”
Violet felt a crippling wave of guilt. Mrs. Black often volunteered for the school’s end-of-summer festival. She would bring an alpaca and a few baby goats for the kids to pet. The kids had loved her. Violet had never tried to get to know the woman. She’d avoided anybody and anything associated with Silas. Violet knew she’d been sick that summer and passed away a month ago.
No matter what Silas had done to her, he was still a man who had lost his mother to cancer not very long ago. Everything paled in comparison to that kind of loss. She needed to put aside her righteous anger and recognize that Silas was hurting. He hadn’t mentioned her death until she’d forced him to acknowledge it. Violet felt her face go hot. How petty and cruel she must seem to him.
“Your mom was very kind,” she said.
He nodded. “She was. Now it’s just us.”
Even though Violet’s parents were divorced, she got to see her dad often enough. She also had plenty of aunts, uncles, cousins and even a grandmother in California. Having only one close family member left in the world sounded awful.
He looked around as if trying to find another topic. His gaze landed on her book. The almost-smile was back. “You’re reading The Children of Men?”
She resisted pointing out the obviousness of his question. “You probably think P.D. James a terrible writer. Anybody who reads Dashiell probably thinks P.D. James is a hack. One of those lady mystery writers.”
His brows had gone up. “Man is diminished if he lives without knowledge of his past; without hope of a future, he becomes a beast.”
Violet felt her face go warm. So he could quote a few lines from P.D. James. That didn’t mean he thought she was just as good as all the other mystery writers. For a moment she considered the truth of the words, but then shied away from it. She didn’t care if he lived with hope of a future or not. He was rather beastly already.
“Aren’t you going to introd
uce me to your dog?” Silas asked suddenly.
Violet wanted to deny him the privilege, but she grudgingly gave him points for asking. Plus, she wanted to know if Thor could spot a bully and a criminal when he met one. Moving to the side, she waved him forward.
Silas stepped toward the tan-colored mastiff and held out his hand, palm down. Thor sniffed it, then walked around Silas, running his nose up and down his jeans. “He smells Loki.”
“I wonder what they would think of each other,” Violet said. “I don’t think Thor has met another grown mastiff.”
“We could find out.” Silas jerked his head toward the parking lot. “She’s in my truck.”
“Must be a big truck.” She looked at Thor, contemplating. “Can you control her? Thor isn’t neutered.” That must be obvious but she wanted to clarify. “He’s so calm that I haven’t felt the need to get him fixed yet.”
He nodded. “Loki’s pretty good around other dogs. She was used for breeding and although she’s only a little over three years old, she’s already had quite a few litters. She’s about the same size, two hundred and ten pounds but well-mannered.”
“That’s big for a female mastiff.” Violet’s curiosity at Thor’s reaction overrode any reservations she had about Silas himself at that moment. “Sure, why not?”
A few minutes later he returned leading the huge black dog. Silas stood near the door, a tight grip on Loki’s leash. She could see why the name Loki fit. She held herself in a way that reminded Violet of warriors, powerful muscles on display. Loki managed to look imposing without being threatening. Violet gripped Thor’s collar, but didn’t wrap her fingers around the leather. She didn’t want to get injured if he lunged forward.
Loki let out a deep bark and Thor answered. Violet couldn’t help grinning. They even sounded the same.
“I’m going to walk forward a little,” Silas said.
Neither dog strained to escape. Thor wagged his tail and leaned down on his front paws.
“Hey, the play bow,” said Silas. He looked surprised and happy. Violet tried not to feel aggravated that Thor had bowed first, but then he was a playful guy. He was barely past his puppyhood, really.
“Looks like they’re going to be okay.” She nodded at him and they walked forward.
Several long minutes of sniffing ensued. Violet had to admit that Loki was as well-mannered as Silas had said. Some dogs got a bad start in life and never recovered, acting aggressively to every dog they encountered, but Loki had the good nature of a well-loved mastiff. Just like Thor.
“I think they’re friends,” Silas said. He smiled down at her and his blue eyes seemed brighter in the early morning light. For just a moment, Violet wished everything had been different. In some other life, he never would have bullied her and she never would have left for a different school. Maybe they would have been friends. Maybe even something more.
Violet cleared her throat. “So, do you need to go get tools or anything?”
“I measured the other day but I’ll take a few more pictures, mark the walls and then start on the framing.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the office. Feel free to let Loki hang out here with you as long as she doesn’t wander.” Violet didn’t wait for him to say anything more. She led Thor away, and seconds later she was closing the office door. She sank into the office chair and Thor stretched out in his favorite spot by the filing cabinets.
She checked the clock. The lunch crew would arrive in a few hours and start up the ovens. The bustle of the restaurant would prevent any more awkward conversations. All Violet had to do was work in the office and stay out of his way.
Pulling her files from the soft briefcase she’d put in the office, Violet reassured herself that it wouldn’t be hard at all to avoid him. They both had plenty to do and no reason at all to interact again. She felt a small niggle of regret and forced it away. She was simply reacting to Silas’s legendary charm. Every girl in school had wanted to be noticed by him and when he turned his attention to someone, it was like standing in the sun. Except for her.
Her mother’s request popped into her head. Violet had completely forgotten to ask Silas to look at the kitchen area. Sighing, she heaved herself up from the desk. Thor raised his head and she told him to stay put. The short hallway to the dining area was dim and she thought about how she should have turned on the main lights for Silas. It might be easier than using the entrance area accent lighting.
Turning the corner from the hallway to the main area, Violet walked full speed into something hard, her nose taking the brunt of the impact, her body bouncing back from the shock. She heard the jingle of metal and a grunt of surprise as she fell. She cried out and clutched her nose as waves of throbbing pain flooded her body.
“Are you okay?” His voice was laced with panic and he sounded near, as if he were leaning over her, but she couldn’t see Silas’s face through her tears. His red plaid shirt and battered tool belt wavered in her blurry vision. He was carrying a large poster tube under one arm.
Thor bounded up the hallway and circled Violet, sniffing her. He looked up at Silas and let out a series of deep barks. Silas tried to speak over Thor’s noise but Violet couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Thor pushed himself between them, standing crossways over Violet’s body, teeth bared and started to growl.
Silas stepped back, as if he finally got the message. Loki appeared behind him and took up a defensive stance, adding her barks to Thor’s threatening growl. “Okay, let’s all calm down,” Silas said, putting his hand on Loki’s collar.
“Ow,” Violet said simply. She shifted, groaning at the ache in her tailbone. She couldn’t tell if her bottom hurt more, or her face. She took her hands from her nose and saw them covered with blood. Silas put out his hand as if he wanted to help her up and Thor barked louder, right into Violet’s ear.
“Thor, quiet,” she yelled, and he went back to a few low growls. The silence was deafening after both dogs barking in such a small space. Violet wondered if her ears were ringing from the noise or the blow to the head. Blood was dripping down her palms now and she pinched her nose closed.
“I’m taking Loki to the truck. I’ll be right back.” Silas didn’t wait for her to respond.
Violet let out a sigh and rolled to her feet, leaving one bloody handprint on the floor. Her tailbone ached with every move. “Come on,” she said, leading Thor back to the office. “Thanks for being my protector. And thanks for not biting Silas’s hand off when you saw blood. Too bad you couldn’t have warned me who was around that corner.”
Chapter Five
“Nature does nothing uselessly.”
― Aristotle, Politics
Violet told Thor to stay in the office, grabbed some tissues, and shut the office door. She needed to wash up in the bathroom and find some ice. Silas was just coming in the front doors when she walked into the main area.
Silas grabbed something from his back pocket and held it out. “Pinch the bridge of your nose and lean your head back. You’re lucky I was carrying the poster tube sideways a little. If it had hit you straight on, it could have knocked out your teeth.”
Taking the folded red handkerchief, Violet pressed it to her nose. She was having a hard time feeling lucky right then.
“Let me look,” he demanded. His mouth was a tight line and he looked more worried than she’d ever seen him. She moved her hands and he gently brushed her hair back from her face. As he tilted her chin up, he crouched down to get a better look.
“I think the bridge is okay but you’re going to be pretty sore,” he said. He ran one finger down the length of her nose, a feather light touch, but Violet winced. He dropped his hand. “I’m really sorry. I had no idea you were walking around the corner.”
“Why were you back there?” Violet didn’t respond to his apology.
He pointed to the poster tube on the floor near his tools. “I forgot to give your mother the plans. She’ll need to sign off on them before I start any real work. Thanks for not
letting Thor bite my head off.”
Violet smiled a little but even her mouth felt sore. She must have run directly into the cardboard tube. She moved the handkerchief to say she was impressed with Loki’s ability to be calm during such a fiasco, but blood poured from her nose and she clamped her hands back to her face.
He reached out and gently tilted her head back, his hands supporting the back of her head. “Is it getting worse? You should sit down.” His expression was one of a man who was trying to look calm while inwardly panicking.
“I’m fine. Really.” Her voice sounded nasal and muffled. “I’ll just… wait.” His hands were still cradling her head. “I’m not broken.”
He dropped his hands and stepped back. They waited together in awkward silence for several minutes.
“I’m going to go clean up the floor,” he said.
“Da for?” she said, her voice muffled.
“If anyone sees those blood drops, they’re going to think there was an assault in here. I mean, there was… But not…” He gave up trying to explain and walked toward the hallway.
Violet winced at the idea of him scrubbing off that bloody handprint. What did you say to the person who cleans up your blood? Was there a card for that? She took the handkerchief down for a moment and was relieved that there wasn’t even a trickle of blood. For a moment she didn’t know whether to give back his handkerchief but then decided he wouldn’t want to put it back in his pocket. “I’ll wash this and give it back.”
“Sure, no problem.” He seemed to want to say something more but then decided against it. “I really didn’t meant to―”
“It’s okay. I should have been more careful. I guess it’s too early for me to be thinking straight.” She wiped tears from her eyes with her sleeve and hoped Silas knew that she’d been crying from pain and not because she was a wimp. A little bop on the nose didn’t faze her. And as much as she wanted to read some ill intent into the accident, it clearly wasn’t his fault. She’d been walking too fast around a dark corner and they’d collided. No one was to blame. “These things happen.”
Summer's Glory: Seasons of Faith Book One (Arcadia Valley Romance 2) Page 4
