I think he misses you.
He’s a different person around you, you know.
He actuallysmiles.
I knew all that, of course, but hearing the truth from Parker makes it even harder to ignore. I put my hands on my hips with a sigh and turn to Randall.
“I should get going, too,” I tell him. “Do you want help cleaning up?”
Randall ignores my question, instead asking, “What do you think it would take to get a tour of the place?”
I frown, not following the change in subject. “A tour of what place?”
“Pretty Boy’s facility,” he says like it’s obvious.
I stare at him, unable to process what he’s saying. “You…want a tour ofProlimbinary?”
Randall rolls his eyes. “Well, I need to make sure this company is a worthy investment, don’t I?”
I swear…the world stops spinning, if only for a moment. My mouth drops open, and I shake my head, unsure if I heard him correctly. “But…Randall, that’s not…I didn’t tell you all that so you’d consider investing in Landon’s company. That’sinsane.”
Randall gives me a heavy look. “Do you know how much money I have, Violet?”
“Um, no, but-”
“Millions of dollars. Hundreds of millions of dollars. Stupid money, Violet. Stupid amounts of stupid money.”
“Okay, great, but-”
“You’d make a shit businessman, you know. Stop trying to talk me out of it and get me the damn tour.”
I nod slowly. “Alright. I’ll get you the damn tour.”
Randall grins at me. “Atta girl.” And then he takes a bite of the one remaining Linzer tart like it’s nothing. Like he didn’t just drop this monumental bomb. “You know, this could use less peanut butter, more jelly. And dump some more liquor in the caramel bourbon cookies while you’re at it. I can barely taste the booze, for God’s sake!”
* * *
Pulling up in front of Landon’s house is hard, but I do it.
Ringing the doorbell is even harder, but I do that too.
It all feels so…formal. I don’t like it. I want to park my car on the street like it’s nothing and barge in through the front door. I want to make a home in his kitchen and burst into his office without a second thought. I want to call his name and push his buttons and take over his space, his time, his head, his heart. I want to heal the hole in my chest and call him mine, officially and forever.
But it’s not the right time. Maybe one day, but not right now.
So, I ring the doorbell again, and I wait.
Coming straight from Randall’s, I’m brimming with the sort of information you can’t just sit on. I know we need space and perspective, but I can’t keep this news from Landon. It wouldn’t be right, and I’m horrible at keeping secrets anyway, especially ones I’m excited about.
Twilight’s fading rapidly, transforming into dusk, and for a moment, I get an acute sense of déjà vu. I think back several months to the girl who stood on this very doorstep, shaking with anticipation, waiting with bated breath and a hopeful heart for a sister who didn’t want her and never would.
I feel different from that girl. Stronger. Braver. A little less naïve.
It’s a good different, I think.
Past the narrow windows on either side of the front door, a light flicks on. The door swings open, but it’s not my sister who stands in the doorway this time. Nope.
It’shim.
