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“With who?” Lando looked absolutely confused.
“Diane.” Violet hissed out the name as though it were a curse. “We all work together, we’re all in very tight spaces together, and you think it’s a good idea to get in bed with her? It’s idiotic.”
Lando’s jaw dropped. “What are you even talking about?”
“It’s inappropriate.” Violet moved so she wasn’t sitting as close to Lando, the unbidden image of Lando springing to mind—pressed against her that morning as they looked at maps, in Colorado when she’d fallen asleep on Violet’s shoulder, in the bathroom when she’d look so lost when Violet shared their long connection to each other. She was just as guilty, but she wasn’t about to admit that.
“Violet,” Lando’s voice softened, and she reached out a hand to Violet’s thigh.
Standing sharply, Violet moved out of Lando’s reach. “It is. You shouldn’t be doing it.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Sure you are. I watched it all day. The two of you flirting up a storm.”
Lando crossed her arms, giving Violet a hard stare. “What are you going on about? She was flirting. I was not.”
Violet huffed. “Sure. If that’s all you want to admit to.”
“Violet.” Lando’s brow furrowed. “Why exactly would it bother you?”
“I don’t want this team to fail because of your libido.”
“My libido?” Anger flashed across Lando’s face. “My…that’s rich coming from you. For the record, Violet, I am not sleeping with Diane, nor do I want to. You, on the other hand…what exactly is your obsession with her?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Violet curled her fingers tightly until her nails bit her skin.
“You and Diane. All you do is fight and argue. You, mainly. Any time she talks to me or gives me attention, you flip out. You either get absolutely quiet or you flip out like you’re doing now. What is it with you and her? Are you two dating or broken up? Oh God, she’s not the one who broke up with you, is she?”
Violet shook her head, the truth coming out before she could figure out how to even answer. She didn’t know what to say. They weren’t dating. They never had. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t ever done anything.
“What is it with you two?” Lando asked again.
“Just stop being inappropriate with her.”
Lando snorted and rolled her eyes. “Right. I’ll put that at the top of my to-do list.”
Violet deflated. What was she even doing? At every turn she was picking an argument with someone. Lando just happened to be in the line of fire that night. She went to apologize, but Lando had already moved and grabbed her pajamas, leaving the room. Violet cursed, every muscle in her body tense.
She wished there were somewhere else she could sleep, somewhere away from people, away from Lando and the person she’d just made an absolute ass of herself with. Grabbing her shower stuff, Violet stalked to the bathroom and waited at the door until Lando was done. They said nothing as Lando went to the bedroom and Violet to the bathroom.
In the hot shower, Violet closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She needed to figure this out. She needed to stop being the person she’d become because she didn’t even like herself anymore. Lando was right, again. Violet needed to figure out what to do about Diane, and sooner rather than later, otherwise she would be the one to ruin the team.
CHAPTER11
Three days had passed,and Lando was just as confused about Violet’s reactions to her and Diane as ever. There had been no further explanation, no more yelling—which had been a bonus—but also no resolution. The tension living in Lando’s chest was overwhelming. They’d missed the Colorado storms since they veered too far north and Diane apparently didn’t want to drive that far to catch them. That had put Violet in even more of a sour mood, but at least Lando understood that one.
They were there to storm chase, and for the better part of a week, they hadn’t done anything except sit on their asses and wait for Diane to decide a storm was close enough for them to take off and go. She’d spent some time with Eli in those three days, some out in the fields, but largely she’d wanted to keep close to the house in case Diane changed her mind and they were able to leave.
Largely, Lando had spent the three days carrying around Eli’s old camera and taking photos. She’d stuck to landscapes and cattle mainly, but every once in a while, Violet would show face and Lando would snap a photo or two without her knowing. Lando couldn’t figure out why she kept doing it, but Violet looked so sad since they’d left home, as though it seeped from every pore into the world.
Whatever obsession she had with Diane must run deep, because Lando had never seen anything like it before. To her it was clear Diane had no sexual interest in Violet, but they were friends. That much was true. Diane, however, seemed to have a cold shoulder where it concerned Violet, as if Violet was constantly chasing at Diane’s heels, nipping at them.
The fire was warm even though it wasn’t a particularly cool day. It was nice, beautiful weather—well, for anyone who wasn’t a storm chaser. For them it was like the worst lull in work ever. Lando put her feet up on the coffee table and crossed her ankles and arms, staring into the flames licking at the logs. Three whole days of nothing. If she wasn’t getting paid for it, she would have called it quits already. Which reminded her, she still needed to talk to Diane about when she was going to get paid.
She caught sight of Diane out on the deck and debated whether or not to join her to ask. It seemed any time Lando tried to bring up that conversation, something else came up and diverted it. The other family staying there for the week stomped down the steps. Lando cringed.They were so loud.She’d thought Violet and Diane were loud, but it was nothing in comparison to this family of six. They had all the other rooms atIndigo, and it was a tight squeeze for someone not used to living in close quarters with that many other people.
The mother came down with her two daughters, the teenagers sitting on chairs around the fire with their faces in their phones. That had pretty much been what they did the entire time they’d been there. Lando made no comment but did glance toward the mother.
