"Oh, come on." He gestured out toward the front. "Who drives a fucking Audi in the middle of the country?"
"I do," I told him. "Although I have a feeling that my car has nothing to do with this."
"It haseverythingto do with this," he snapped. "That car, your flat, and me being an idiot. When I stopped on the road that day, I thought I was saving the damsel in distress. I had no idea that I'd just been bit by the damned viper. A million fucking hints, you know, and I was blind to every one."
"What are you talking about?" I asked again.
He began to tick things off on his fingers. "You made it clear that you don't like kids. Ash warned me that you're a 'viper.' A woman as smart as you hanging ass up out of her trunk? That had to be a set up. Then there's that ploy about you not eating, making me want to take care of you? The perfect woman has one little weakness, right? Justone,and it's not even a big deal. And look how easy you made things. Get my horses over there so I'm hooked. Then you kept reeling me in."
"That's not how it happened," I breathed.
"No? Ever since Vera's funeral, people have been talking about you.You,Violet. How you're ruthless, twisted, and don't care about anyone else. How you left that old woman when she needed you most!"
"She didn't tell me she had cancer!" I screamed. "She said she was fine. I called to ask how she was, and she told me not to worry about her, and she'd ask about the next catalogue. She'd tell me about the others. She said she was fine!" I had to stop, swallowing to get my voice back under control. "Until she wasn't."
He shifted off the counter but didn't move toward me. "Why me, Violet?"
"I didn't make you come over," I told him.
"No, you just knew all the tricks to reel a man in. You made it too easy to need a little more. The pool? That kiss? The first job? Just a lot of little breadcrumbs, and I ate them all up. Before I knew it, I was praying to the prophet, just like the rest of your little 'family.' The great and wonderful Violet. If I was lucky, I got a kiss. If I was good, I might get invited to her bed, but not just me. Oh, no."
"What?" I asked.
"You, Cy, and Ash keep trying to turn me against Brody. Three people. Well, everyone else in town is saying that you're the one who's the problem. Fifty people? A hundred? Who am I supposed to believe, hm? When that many people think the same way, and all the proof you supposedly have can't exactly be proved, well, it kinda says something. It says I'm a fucking idiot. I let y'all make me think I likedmen!"
"I had nothing to do with that," I reminded him.
"No?" He slammed his drink down on the counter. "We all know you're the fucking ring leader. No one does shit at that place if Violet won't like it. And I don't know how you did it. I have no idea how you made me think this was all the best thing ever, but I fuckin' did. I didn't even care when you fucked another man in the next room because it all seemed so reasonable. Somehow, you made that into a great idea in my head, and I'm a fuckin' idiot."
"What man?" I asked. "Since I've been here, the only person I've had sex with wasyou,Luke. Just you."
"And Ash," he shot back.
Which was when I remembered what he'd said in the pool. He'd told me to spend the night with Ash and he'd stay with Cy. It had been the thing to alleviate his guilt, and I'd agreed.
"I spent the night with him," I explained, "but I didn't have sex with him, Luke. We talked about you. We talked about all of us. Wetalked.We didn't fuck."
"And you expect me to believe that?" he asked, shoving a hand into his hair. "Then why'd you send me away?"
"I didn't," I assured him. "I just told you that it was ok. That I actually care about you enough to want you to be happy."
He stilled, slowly looking at me. But just when I thought I was finally getting through to him, he proved that I was so wrong. "That," he breathed. "That's how you do it. Empty little words that I can make mean whatever I want. Just like Cy at church. He told the pastor to his face that he'd been engaged. Never said it was to another man, just called the guy his 'fiancé' and let David fill in the blanks. It's how you people fuck with us. I just don't know why you had to bring Faith into this."
"I'm trying to help Faith!" I told him.
"By ruining her life?" he asked. "Fuck you, Violet. I'm a good dad. I think that's what you didn't count on. I actually love my daughter. More than I love you. More than I loveanything,and I don't care how pretty you are, how sweet you make things sound, or anything else. Faith will always comefirst,you hear me? And she's not going to some foster home. I'm not gonna let you destroy her mother and make her watch it. I'm not going to give you the chance to teach her about the shit that happens in places like Paris and Tokyo!"
I pulled in a breath, struggling to keep my composure. "I want to help her, Luke."
"So much that you forgot to mention she was cutting? I don't even know if that's fucking true! But if it is, you sure took your time about speaking up. You were so worried about her that you'd let her hurt herself for days without doing anything to stop it. Vera would beashamed. If you were everything you said, then you should've stepped in!"
"Look - "
"No,youlook," he snarled, coming around the counter and right into my face. "Ever since you swept into Cats Peak, the only one to suffer for it has been me. You made me feel like a hero, and then you fucking played me. Whatever shit we had? Yeah, well, it's done. We're done! I'll move my horses and you can keep your fucking hay."
"Stop!" I demanded.
"Oh, I'm not your little boy-toy anymore," he growled, taking one step too close. This man was pissed. There was nothing but anger in his eyes, and he kept moving toward me. "You ruined my memories of Southwind. You betrayed everything Vera stood for. I honestly thought that you were my safe place, but youdestroyedmy life, so I want you gone. Don't talk to me, don't talk to my kid, and don't you dare send your boys to try."
