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This gets my attention and I sit up with a start, letting the comforter fall to my waist, and reaching for the blessed liquid. Her eyes wander back down to my chest, where they linger as she hands over the cup. She can look all she wants so long as she doesn’t take the coffee away.
It’s a little sweeter than I usually like but it does the job. As soon as I start drinking, I can feel the fog lifting from my brain, and it feels like maybe I can function like a human being.
Violet’s still leaning over the back of the couch, still ogling me, and still has that ghost of a smile playing on her lips. All of that falls into the background because whatever she’s wearing is low cut, showing me a perfect view of her cleavage. Now it’s my turn to ogle as I sip on my coffee.
After a minute, she seems to realize where I’m looking and stands up, adjusting her dress and tossing me a stern look.
“I didn’t come over here for you to stare at my breasts.” She huffs, crossing her arms, which only accentuates them further. Not that I would ever tell her that.
I take another sip of the coffee and rest the mug on the side table. “I didn’t invite you over to stare at my chest, but here we are.”
Her cheeks turn a pleasant shade of pink, and she tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m surprised, that’s all. I didn’t expect it to look so…” She trails off, glancing to the floor, her next word barely a whisper. “Nice.”
This has me sitting up a little straighter and flexing my arm as I pick the coffee back up. See, I knew Violet staying here was a bad idea. I’m already preening like a male peacock, and I haven’t even left my couch. It’s only day one. This doesn’t bode well for the week.
“Well, thanks,” I respond dryly. “That’s exactly why I spend the extra time in the gym, to impress all my baby sister’s friends.”
Hurt flashes across her face, and I know I’ve hit my mark. I push away the guilt that rises in my chest. I needed to remind her that there’s a chasm between us. We need some distance. Hell, I need the distance. I need the reminder that she is, in fact, mylittlesister’s best friend and not someone I can pursue in any form or fashion. Doesn’t matter if her breasts are spectacular.
I don’t need relationships or complications. Especially not this summer when the fate of the resort is literally in my hands.
“Might want to finish your coffee. Some of us have things to do.” Violet slides away from the couch, refusing to look at me, and perches on the kitchen barstool. She takes a small sip from her coffee and mumbles something into the cup.
The bitter taste of shame has me hanging my head. Or maybe it’s the coffee. The coffee she was nice enough to make me even though she had no obligation. I should apologize for my dig. I’m not a complete douche canoe, after all. But I leave it alone. It’s safer that way. With all this uncertainty I’m feeling right now, safe is good.
“Do you have any partnerships with any of the local vineyards?” Violet asks hesitantly.
“No, I think my mom had everything shipped in from California.”
“Well then, after you put on your fancy suit and tie, we’re going to pay a few of them a visit. I’ve already contacted the owners, and they’ll be ready to wow us with their signature blends. This will give you a more unique offering and give your guests a more memorable experience.”
“Wait… we?”
“I’m assuming you’d want to be involved in a decision that might result in a business partnership. You can host special wine tasting events and schedule tours for your guests. As far as I can tell, none of them have an attached or affiliated resort, so they have nowhere to send their guests to.”
People rarely catch me off guard, but Violet has. Honestly, I half expected her to leave as soon as she realized how much work this was going to be. Instead, she’s up before me, made me coffee, and has a whole day planned. Maybe she’s not quite the party girl I pegged her for.
Either way, the chance of her being able to pull this off and make the party a tremendous success is slim. The vendors should have been finalized weeks ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone we meet with shuts the door in our faces.
There’s still a good chance I’ll be cooking hot dogs and playing music on my phone, but if she can pull this off, I’ll owe her big time.
I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I also need this to work.
“I guess I can clear my schedule for the day. Not like I have an actual job to do or anything.”
Violet grunts and glances back at me. “Look, I don’t want to spend the day with you either, but here we are. Either you want to have a killer party, or you want to look like a jackass. Although when we’re done, I suspect you’ll do both.”
“Fantastic.” I push up from the couch, wrapping the blanket around myself. “I better go put on my fancy suit, then. Can’t look like a jackass without it.”
She’s going to be the death of me. I just know it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Violet
Turnsout his fancy suit doesn’t make him look like a jackass. Not even a little bit.
If you asked me last week about my taste in men, I’d have told you my ideal guy would be funny, easygoing, and blonde. He’d be casual, more comfortable in a pair of jeans than dress pants. Ambitious but wouldn’t want to work himself to death. And of course, I would be the most important person in his life.
