AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Vi nodded. It was the right thing to say. “I accept your apology and your espresso. But…” She stopped on the other side of the car door from him, taking the cup while being careful not to touch his hand. “This has only proved what I’ve been saying all along. We should just be…friends.”
His expression turned stony. Those cheekbones stiffened. His eyes didn’t sparkle. His mouth didn’t grin mischievously.
And she missed his irreverence. His upbeat demeanor. His interest in her.
Violet sat in the car feeling sad and hollow. The easy camaraderie they’d experienced earlier in the week was painfully missing. And the worst part of it was that she’d be here for weeks to come with Grandma Dotty calling on Chuck to provide them with transportation.
For a brief moment, she considered buying or renting a car. Converting her grandmother to using the ride sharing apps would be more financially sound.
Chuck closed Vi’s door and came around to the driver’s seat.
“Why is everyone so glum today?” Grandma Dotty finger-combed her hair into an upright, haystack position. “It’s not like Chuck’s lost career as a stable boy is a tragedy. He’s destined for bigger things. This is just a sign.”
“That’s a nice way to put it.” Chuck didn’t so much as glance in the rear view mirror.
“I’m a nice person,” Grandma Dotty said. “But so is Vi. Go on, Vi. You tell him.”
“Beeswax Farm isn’t your…” She’d been about to say destiny. Instead, she substituted, “…fate.”
“And here we go,” Chuck muttered. After a moment, he sighed and caught Vi’s gaze in the rear view mirror. “I don’t want to fight about what I did or what my fate is.”
“That makes two of us,” Violet said.
“Three,” added Grandma Dotty.
“Someday soon, I’d like to sit down and explain everything.” Chuck slid on a pair of dark glasses.
Grandma Dotty leaned over toward Vi. “Why can’t he explain himself now? We have a nice car ride there and back.”
“That’s what I was wondering,” Vi told her. “I guess it’s just not something we can understand easily.”
Chuck grunted in the front seat. Possibly in agreement?
“Vi, we need to really work on our game today at hip hop cardio.” Her grandmother was in full distraction mode today. “I hear Xuri is back for the weekend and planning something huge. This is my chance.”
Yes, but it wasn’t Vi’s chance. She didn’t want to be a hip hop runway model. She’d wanted to be loved by a stable man who still knew how to have a good time. Not a good time charmer who had no clue about what to do with his life.
Chapter Nine
“We’re partying tonight.” Wearing Xuri’s white, puffy jacket, Grandma Dotty practiced her hip hop moves late Friday afternoon.
And the funny thing was that after a week of private lessons and hip hop cardio classes, she was starting to look good in that oversized white denim coat. That was the silver lining to this week, Vi had decided while going through the motions in their hip hop cardio class that morning. Grandma Dotty might just check another box off her bucket list—be a runway model.
But a party…
Vi wasn’t in a party mood.
She was working at the kitchen table. She closed her laptop. “Who invited us to this party?”
“Marguerite from hip hop cardio. She and Xuri are close because Marguerite buys the complete collection every year.” Her grandmother wiped the back of her jacket back and forth over her behind, presumably shaking her tail feather. “I hear Marguerite’s party is just to screen who gets invited to the after party. And then there’s a big mystery about the after-after party. We can’t miss out on the after-after party.”
“Stop.” Violet removed her reading glasses and channeled her father’s sternest voice. “We can only go to one party. You do remember that you like to go to bed at nine. It’s why you pop out of bed in the morning before six.”
Grandma Dotty’s mouth made a little o. “You don’t want to be social and dance?”
“I don’t.”
“But this is my chance to show Xuri that people of all ages can model for her.” She flipped her hood up over her head. It dropped into place and covered her eyes and nose. “You don’t have to go to the after parties. I’ll attend alone.”
