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“Miss Summer. I must talk to you.” Xuri spoke with the haughty tone of royalty on the outer deck of the yacht as they headed out to sea. She snapped her fingers at Vampira. “Layla, bring my coat.”
And Violet, who’d seen Simon fall overboard, knew to tread carefully with her host.
“Such anger when you dance.” Xuri’s gaze stroked Violet up-and-down in an unwelcome assessment. “Where did it come from?”
“My grandmother—”
“Ah.” Xuri batted away Violet’s answer with a swipe of her hand through the air. “You are the boring Summer. Everyone knows this.”
Boring.
It was one thing to regulate her life to Harvard standards, and another to have her lifestyle tossed back in her face. Ten years ago, no one would have called Vi boring or would have been surprised that she’d entered a dance off.
The frustration that had driven Vi on the dock resurfaced. “I’m not boring. I’m serious about my career goals. Do you know how hard I worked to get a position at Harvard? Or how hard I’m working to be awarded tenure?”
“Yes. I do.” Xuri seemed serious. “To be the best… In the best of places or industries… It is hard.” Xuri’s expression almost turned…empathetic. And in that moment, it felt like Xuri and Violet connected, until the fashion designer added, “ButI’mnot boring.” And then she gave Vi a superior smile.
Shades of every bully Vi had ever encountered in school. And those shades…they struck all the discordant, angry places inside of her.
“You can have your fun.” Violet drew herself up and rolled her shoulders back. “You may not be boring, but I’m not a shallow, attention-seeking woman who’ll do anything for a trending hashtag. And for that, I’m glad.”That’s right. Boo-yah!“If you’ll excuse me, I have to locate my grandmother.”
Violet found Grandma Dotty and Kelcie on the upper deck. Heads together, they were watching the coat thief across the way. Pop music played, but softly, the quietest music had been played all night.
Vi joined the pair. “Why don’t you just go up and ask him for your phone and ring back?” But instead of taking her own advice, Violet took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She needed the anger with the world to recede or she might do something rash, something unbecoming of a Harvard professor.
She frowned at the cameraman filming the gathering and tossed up her coat hood.
“We have to be careful. That guy is ruthless,” Kelcie said in awe. “He threw Simon overboard.”
“Or maybe Simon didn’t ask nicely.” Vi sipped her champagne. It was cheap, just like Xuri’s promotional stunt.
The coat thief was facing their way, dancing with a group of friends. Or rather, they were holding drinks like props in a mannequin’s hand and doing a side-to-side mom dance. None of the group had been forced to dance their way on board. Did they even have dance moves?
The anger inside of Vi refused to recede.
“I didn’t hear Simon say please.” Grandma Dotty had a glazed look about her, which she sometimes got when she was overly-tired. She needed rest and hydration.
But first things first. The coat and the ring had to be reclaimed.
“I’ll handle it.” Violet drained the champagne glass, hoping the alcohol would take effect soon since she still felt like she was one small thread away from attempting to throw someone overboard.
Calm down, Professor Summer.
Vi scoffed. The time for formalities and protocols had long passed. She crossed the deck toward the group of dancing models. She moved through the crowd like a killer shark with a familiar, ominous theme song playing in her head.
Da-da. Da-da. Da-da, da-da, da-da.
Jaws.
On some level, she knew she should back up, turn around, and cool off. But on another level, she’d spent six years being the hard-working, trouble-free Violet. If ever there was a time to let the old Violet loose, it was now.
And so, she walked past the cameraman, never taking her eyes off her target. And when the male model finally glanced up and met her gaze, she tossed her head to acknowledge thatyeah, I’m looking at you, loser.
He smiled at her. A friendly smile.
Only then did the ocean breeze hitting her face find a chink in her wrath.
