Chapter One
Violet Jones walked into the club’s shooting range, wondering if it was too late to run. She’d loved moving to Bluff Creek. She had a job at the daycare for families, a place to stay, and she’d started making friends.
Unfortunately, with close friends, they butted into her life and wanted to help her. She’d been friends with Beth Franks for years, but after moving to Bluff Creek, Frankie, Emerson, Harriet (or Harry, as she liked to be called), Savi, and Faith had become close friends, along with Sprite and the other Franks sisters.
Today was about all of them ganging up on her and deciding to help her learn to stand up for herself. And didn’t that make her feel low. Thirty-four years old and Violet had a hard time not giving in when someone was pushing her.
It probably came from years of conditioning to give in to her mother’s demands because disagreeing came with its own passive-aggressive consequences.
“C’mon, it won’t be so bad. Let’s go in,” Frankie said, throwing an arm around Violet’s shoulders and guiding her inside.
“Yeah, because you have no problem speaking your mind,” Violet muttered.
Frankie chuckled. “Nope, if anything, I have to hold my tongue, especially when some man is trying to mansplain something to me. But it came from standing up for myself and having to help Emerson stand up for the kids when Stone was sent away. It wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I can now. Just like you will be.”
Violet dragged her feet as she walked across the gun range’s store. She didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but it was so hard to say anything. And it wasn’t that she didn’t have an idea what to say. Nope, her inner monologue had some great comebacks. Violet always bit her tongue and kept the words trapped inside.
“This will be fun,” Frankie said, holding the door open to the part of the range where the bail bonds and the MC had fake buildings set up with pop-ups. Beth had brought Violet up last week to watch a couple of the guys practice in them.
“Yeah, you made it. I thought I might have to drive to your place and drag you here,” Beth joked, walking toward her with a smile.
Violet held back what she wanted to say and pressed her lips together.
Beth stopped in front of Violet, smirking. “Well, this won’t do. Come on. I know you had a comeback for me. Let’s start with you not holding back your words when you’re with friends. I was being obnoxious and a smart aleck. What did you want to say?”
Violet glanced around at all the women smiling at her. What could it hurt to say what she’d thought?
“I considered hiding in the closet but figured you’d sic your dogs on me, and I didn’t want to be peed on,” Violet said. Beth’sdog Lilly was notorious for peeing on things when she didn’t get her way.
Good-natured laughter and pats on the back were the only response. Hmm, maybe she could do this.
“We’re going to start with what I like to call positive reinforcement. Form a circle. You need to say something positive about the person to your right when it’s your turn,” Beth said.
Violet stood as everyone got in a circle. Faith came over and slid between Violet and Emerson.
“Hey, I wanted to get to do Violet’s,” Emerson whined.
“Tough cookies, chick. I’ve been with smelly boys who decided they’d have a farting contest. I deserve a little time with women who don’t rate the farts on how they sound and whose is the smelliest,” Faith said.
Violet laughed. “Grant started that at daycare this week. Stella was volunteering because of people on vacation. She shut that down fast there.”
“Well, at least I know whose kid to blame,” Faith said, glaring at Sprite.
“Listen, blame Roam. He had years with them before I came into the picture. I thought when I banned the contest at our house that he understood it meant everywhere, but I’ll talk to him,” Sprite said, rolling her eyes.
“Let’s start or we’ll be here all night,” Beth said, motioning toward Sprite to start.
Violet listened to all the nice things the women were saying until it was Harry’s turn to say something nice about her sister Emerson.
“I like how you are so smart that when it’s time to deep clean the hall bathroom, there’s an emergency at the tattoo studio,” Harry said.
Emerson laughed, her body shaking as she did. “Boys are nasty,” Emerson said. Violet didn’t think it was a very positive comment, and since it was someone else, she couldn’t keep quiet.
“I think you need to say something else. That was one of those mean comments couched in something nice, but it still stings,” Violet said.
“It was and it was planned. Now ask yourself why it was okay for you to say something to defend Emerson but if one of us would have said it about you, you would have kept quiet,” Beth asked.
Violet had to consider why. She’d never asked herself before why she didn’t stand up for herself. Growing up, everything was always about Violet’s mom. Violet didn’t fit the idea of how a daughter looked or acted, and her mom found fault with anything Violet did. If Violet chose to stand up for herself and say anything, her mom always turned it around to be Violet’s fault. It was better to be quiet than say something and deal with her mom being ten times worse.
