"Ex-boyfriend," I clarified. "Kindle came here to beg me to come back. I prefer what I already have. Don't worry, Mr. Simmons, we aren't going anywhere."
"And yet you disappeared for how long again?" He asked.
Violet just popped a fried pickle into her mouth and then looked up at the man. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to enjoy my lunch, and you're ruining it."
Mr. Simmons chuckled like that had been his intention all along. Then, he turned to look at Adam. "I'm not sure if you know what kind of people these folks are, but if you're thinking about working with them, you might want to reconsider that."
"I happen to know exactly what kind of people they are," Adam assured him.
So Paul dropped his hands on the table and then leaned over them to loom into Adam's face. "Let me put this bluntly," the man all but snarled. "If you're gonna work for them, then you aren't going to work for me. I know about the things that go on at that place, and anyone who condones that isn't the sort of person I want working for me. So think hard, Adam. If you really want to walk away from all the work I throw your way, that's your choice."
Adam grabbed one of the fries from his burger basket, popped it into his mouth, and then leaned back to smile at Paul even as he chewed. "Oh, no. Whatever will I do without that hundred dollars’ worth of work that you find for me every month? The hundred dollars’ worth of work that you nitpick until it costs me two hundred dollars to get it done?" Adam grabbed another fry, but this time he didn’t eat it. "If you're talking about the fact that this man has a boyfriend? Well, I'd like you to know that my church doesn't have a problem with that. Odd, since it's the exact same church that you go to. If you're trying to threaten me by ruining my business? Then you should know that this woman is sitting here offering me about ten times as much work every month than the best you have ever given me. Mr. Simmons, I am not, will not, and have never been your employee. If you would like to contract with someone else to do your handyman work, then good luck finding him."
I had to angle my hand to cover my mouth, because I simply could not stop grinning. Of all the things I had expected this guy to say, that was certainly not it. It also made me realize that our plan might just be working. Somewhere over the last month, Southwind had gone from being a pariah to feeling like we were actually accepted in this community.
Unfortunately, Paul wasn't done making his threats. He simply turned to look right at Violet. "And here I would've thought you had too much going on up there at Southwind to worry about anything else. How is your car, anyway? Rumor has it that there was a little vandalism the other night."
Violet just pointed her long, elegant nail towards the window, to where her car was parked on the other side. "Took a couple of days to get a new window, but Mike put it back together like it's brand-new."
"I bet you're real glad he's got that new payment plan now, huh?" Mr. Simmons grumbled.
Violet just laughed. It was clear it was fake, and yet she was just a little too good at it. "Yeah, he started that program when Ash wanted to invest in the garage. From the sounds of it, Mike is finally starting to get a steady stream of business now that Southwind has stepped up." She lifted a brow as if daring him to keep going.
Naturally, Mr. Simmons couldn't back down. "And you think that throwing your money around this town can make people like you? Girl, we won't put up with people like you. Everyone knows you're whoring around with all three of those men. Never mind the things they do to each other! What are you gonna do when things go from spray paint to something worse?"
"You seem to know a lot about the vandalism that has been happening at Southwind," I pointed out.
Mr. Simmons turned to glare at me. "Yeah, because I still talk to the cops. I happen to have friends on the police force - unlike you. Eventually, you're all going to get real tired of being shunned in this small town. And Violet, we know exactly how you react when someone says bad things about you."
"Yeah, in middle school," Violet reminded him. "In case you missed it, I have had international reviews that weren't fans of me. I learned how to grow a thick skin, and your little antics here don't even come close."
Simmons shoved right into her face, making me jump to my feet. Violet lifted a finger, but that was the only reason I didn't deck the man. Across from me, Adam was braced as if ready to jump in and pull them off, and yet both of us were waiting.
"2.2 million," Mr. Simmons said. "Take the offer, Miss Dawson. Put a little more money in your pocket, and then saunter your fancy ass back out of this town the same way you sauntered in, because if you think things have been bad, you haven't seen anything yet."
Violet smiled and then curled her finger to trail it up the underside of Paul's chin, almost like she was trying to seduce him. "Oh, but Mr. Simmons, that sounds like a challenge." And then her voice changed and all the sweetness vanished. "I told you before, but I'll tell you again. You can't stop me - and I'm not going to give up. I gave my word to my grandmother that her dream will live on. What you do and do not like doesn't even come close to anything I care about." She tilted her head slightly. "Now get the fuck out of my face before I let these guys know that I won't be offended if they decide to stand up for me."
"Fucking bitch," Mr. Simmons grumbled as he shoved away from the table and headed towards the counter.
Violet just turned her attention to Adam as he spoke first. "Well, looks like I have a little more availability now. When do you want to start this?"
"As soon as you can get the paint and are ready to start," she assured him. "Just tell me you'll take a check?"
"Violet, I will gladly take your check," he said. "I have a funny feeling that it probably has less chance of bouncing than Paul Simmons'."
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Alittle over a week later, on Thursday evening, people began showing up for my mother-daughter lingerie party. This time, we'd made it clear that the whole thing would be child-friendly. Because we didn't have enough time to prepare for it, I hadn't expected the same kind of turn out as the last one - but I was wrong.
Even better, our guests decided to help out with the catering. Bev showed up with homegrown summer sausage. Somebody else had homemade goat cheese. Another woman brought chili meatballs. There were all sorts of appetizer-like dishes that I had never heard of before. It didn't matter if it was homemade bread or store-bought cheesecake, the women of Cats Peak decided that we were going to do some eating tonight. The best part was that I was able to greet most of them by name.
Violet, Cessily, and Emily took over arranging the food on the table and setting out paper plates and utensils for people to use. The guys took over handling the beverages. There was wine, beer, every brand of soda we could find, and anything else that looked like it might be appealing. It didn't take long before Billy and Darnell retreated to the back yard, claiming that they were going to fire up the grill, but Berto was more than happy to jump in and help.
And while Luke had every intention of helping, when his brother and his girlfriend showed up, Cy kicked the pair of them outside. From what I'd heard, those two had a lot of catching up to do. The girlfriend, Sadie, smiled at the pair and then claimed a chair with the rest of the ladies who were starting to gather.
At least half of the group of women here tonight came without a daughter. The rest had kids that ranged from infants up to adults. I made my way around, trying to make sure I spoke to everyone. I had just been passed a six-month-old baby when the front door opened and Meredith walked in.
"Faith!" I called up the stairs. "Your mom's here."
