Violet looked at me like I was being dumb. “Oh, come on. If anyone knows how dedicated Dad is to his job, it’s the woman who divorced him. She was concerned about you being lonely, so she reminded me of how close we used to be before…well, you know.”
“Okay?” I said, still not understanding.
“It hit me that you’ll be off to college soon and the next few months might be my last opportunity to fix things. I didn’t want you to leave when there was so much animosity between us, so that’s why I’ve been hanging out more often. It’s why I invited you to Comic Con.”
For a moment, I just stared at Violet as I sifted through the new information she’d given me. “So let me get this straight—you being on my case about Juilliard…that was you trying to fix things?” I asked skeptically. “No offense, but that was pretty much the worst way to go about it.”
A flush colored Violet’s cheeks. “No, not exactly.”
“Then…why?”
“It’s just—I’ve always been a little bit jealous of you with the violin. You’re so talented, and I didn’t want to see that go to waste.”
“Violet,” I said with slow disbelief, “don’t be ridiculous. You’re a famous actress. Why would you ever be jealous ofme?” And before she had a chance to answer, I added, “Besides, you could’ve learned how to play, but you gave up after a handful of lessons.”
“I quit because I didn’t want to slow you down,” Violet told me. “I wasn’t terrible by any stretch, but I also wasn’t a child prodigy. Mom was always patient with me, but she was different when she taught you. Her eyes would light up, and I could tell how thrilled she was that you had a knack for it. Everyone who heard you play knew it was something special. I think that’s the reason why I started putting on plays and trying to entertain people—I wanted them to see me too.”
“But—” I broke off and shook my head. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She reached out and took my hand in hers. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty. I just want you to understand why I pushed so hard. A gift like yours shouldn’t be wasted.”
I shifted uncomfortably on the bench as a hot, tingling sensation crept up my neck and face. This was probably the right moment to fess up about missing Juilliard’s application deadline, but I was too chicken. “God,” I said, pulling away from her, “we’re idiots for being jealous of each other for all these years.”
Violet started to nod in agreement but then realized what I’d said and shot me a confused frown. “What are you jealous of? You’ve made it crystal clear how much you dislike my career and the spotlight.”
“That’s one thousand percent true. All the money in Jeff Bezos’s bank account wouldn’t be enough to convince me to switch lives with you,” I said. “But I’m not talking about your career. I’m talking about your relationship with Dad.”
Her responding snort was chock-full of bitterness. “Trust me, that’s not something to be jealous of. What you and Mom have, your bond with music? That’s special. Dad and I just work together.”
“No, you have Dad wrapped around your finger. Half of the time, I don’t think he even knows I exist. I called him out after our fight, and he’s been making an effort since, but for the past few years? Not at all.”
“Dad’s always been that way though. When we were kids, he practically lived at the office. The man thrives on work. It’s probably his one true love,” she said with a laugh, but there was no joy in the sound, just disappointment. “The only reason it seems like Dad and I have a special bond is becauseI’mhis work now. If I could go back and change things, I never would have agreed to let him be my manager. It wasn’t a healthy decision for our family.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Probably not.”
“I’m sorry, Indie. If you want, I can fire him and find someone new so the two of you can spend more time together.”
My immediate thought was to tell her yes, but then I realized this wasn’t her problem to solve. “No, don’t do that on my account. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole messed-up situation, it’s that I need to take responsibility for my own actions. Same goes for Dad. He’s the one who made the choice to prioritize work over family. If he wants to fix things with me, he needs to make the effort himself.”
“You sure?”
“I am,” I said, nodding decisively. “Also, you don’t need to withdraw from yourLady Phoenixaudition. I never should have askedyou not to try out. That was unbelievably selfish of me, and I think you’ll make a great Kelina.”
Violet’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
I grinned. “Yup, but once you get the part, you have to promise to invite me to set. I want to fangirl over all your costars and embarrass the hell out of you.”
“Okay,” she said, matching my grin with one of her own. “I think that can be arranged.”
At the sound of approaching footsteps, we both turned toward the garden path. A couple passed by us on their way out of the party, but either they were too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice us or they couldn’t see our bench in the shadow of the hedges.
Once they were gone, Violet cleared her throat. “So…I take it you and Xander made up?”
This time, I beamed at her. “Yep. I went to the studio with the intention of apologizing to you, but I ran into him, and we hashed things out.”
“I’m glad. The two of you are good together. I mean, the guy wrote a song about you. What’s not to love?” she said, bumping her shoulder against mine in a playful way. “And I adore the version you guys played tonight. It finally sounds complete.”
“Yeah?” I asked, perking up in my seat. Ever since recording my part for Xander’s song, I’d been nervous Violet would hate it. Hearing her say the opposite was a much needed weight off my shoulders.
