And then he disappears into his car and drives away, just like that. My stomach sinks. Did he change his mind? Was the facility not what he thought it was? Did Landon get flustered during the presentation? As soon as the car disappears around the bend in the street, I whirl on him.
“What happened?” I cry. “How did it go? What did he say?”
Landon doesn’t respond, he just stares off into the distance, and my stomach sinks.
“Landon! Hello?” I wave my hand in front of his face. “Don’t do this to me again!”
Finally, his eyes shift to me, focusing in.
“He’s in,” he says.
I blink at him. “He’s…wait. He’sin?Likeinin?”
His mouth breaks out into the most glorious, blinding smile I’ve ever seen. “He’s fuckingin,Violet!”
I don’t think. Just launch myself at Landon, throwing my arms around his neck and pressing my body up against his. His arms wrap around my back as he lifts me off the ground, and I squeal when he spins me around, both of us laughing with joy and relief.
When he finally sets me down, his hand moves up to my cheek, cupping my face, and the genuine look of affection in his dark eyes is so all-consuming that I get lost for a second. “You made this happen, Violet,” he says, his voice low. “This is all you.”
I beam at him, leaning into the warmth of his hand. “I can’t believe he’s going to invest.”
“Neither can I,” Landon says, his voice breaking off in a laugh. He sounds…light. Carefree. I’ve never seen this side of him before, except briefly that night in the kitchen, and I love it just as much as the rest of him. “He also said…” He trails off, sobering up.
“What did he say?” I ask carefully.
“He also said that I have three weeks to come clean to my father andfile for divorce.”
I exhale a sharp breath, my eyes widening. “Three weeks?”
The corner of Landon’s mouth twitches up in a grin. “I think that part was for your benefit,” he says. “He’s pretty fond of you.”
“But can you do that all in three weeks?” I ask, concerned.
“I’ve been waitingyears,Violet,” he says, his eyes locking with mine. I can see the sincerity in them. “Three weeks is fuckingnothingto me.”
I chance another smile, daring to hope. Just a little. “Okay.”
“So.” He claps his hands together, his eyes getting all twinkly. “Where are we going to dinner?”
I reel in the hope, hesitation taking its place. I know I need to keep my distance from Landon, because if I get too close…if I get too close, I know what will happen. I’ll wrap him in my arms and never let him go. “I’m not sure we should.”
Landon’s brows draw together. “You’re really going to make me celebrate alone?”
“Can’t you call Eli?”
“You know Lemon’s glued to his hip, and I can’t listen to my horoscope again. I just can’t.” He steps closer to me, and his hand reaches out, fingertips gently brushing down my arm until he takes my hand in his, gathering me even closer as his eyes bore into mine. I start to waver. Just a little. “I understand your hesitation, but there’s no pressure here, Violet. I’ll even let you pick the restaurant.”
Okay. I wavera lot.“Seriously?”
He nods down at me, smirking a little. “Yup. Though I’m sure I’ll live to regret this decision.”
“What if I want to go to The Crab Shack?”
“The Crab Shack?” asks Landon, disgust shining through his eyes in a normal Landon-esque reaction. I smile because I didn’t realize how much I missed them. I didn’t realize how much I missedhim. “That’swhere you want to go to celebrate? I was thinking more five-star, less dive bar.”
“The Crab Shack isn’t adive bar,” I tell him, grinning.“It’s a novelty.”
“Trust me, Violet. There’s nothing novel about the smell of unwashed floors and discarded seafood.”
