“Really?” Violet laughed. “No words of warning?”
“Is that what you wanna hear? Me warnin’ you away from aniceguy?”
“Yes.No.Hell, I don’t know.”
“Did you ask Spencer what he thought?”
Violet rolled her eyes. “I don’t have to. He’ll tell me to go for it for no other reason than he’s hot.”
Elana laughed. “True.”
“What happens if I end up liking him? I mean,reallylike him. He’s not gonna be around for long.”
“Which makes it perfect,” Elana said. “You’ve never had a fling with a nice guy. It might be just what you need to break the curse.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in curses?” she shot back.
“I don’t. But you do.”
Yes, she did, and she doubted one night with a nice guy would break years’ worth of proof. No matter what anyone told her.
“Text him, Violet.”
She huffed, dropping her head back and staring at the ceiling. “What if the sex is horrible?”
“He’s leaving town soon, right? You can just avoid him until he does.”
“How?”
“Pretend you’re too busy until he leaves.”
She could do that, sure.
“But you and I both know the sex won’t be horrible.”
Yeah. That was what Violet was afraid of.
“Okay.” She sat up. “I’m gonna text him. But if you don’t hear from me tomorrow, you better come lookin’ for me.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
After hanging up with Elana, Violet set her phone on the coffee table. She didn’t want to appear too eager, so she got to work tidying up the house. It wasn’t dirty, so it didn’t take long.
Finally, with her nerves jangling, Violet picked up her phone, pulled up the text message Simon had sent when he gave her his number.
She smiled, her chest squeezing tight as she read the message she hadn’t realized he’d sent.
—I’m not nearly as nice as you think. Promise.
Taking a deep breath, she typed a response.
— I’d like to find out how not nice you are. Come over, Simon.
She typed her address in and hit send, then sat back and waited, her nerves clanging like church bells and her belly tied in a knot.
•••••
“Bailey?” Holt called to the woman currentlymoving about the house in a mad rush.
