Kinda.
Though probably not since he’d sworn off women six weeks ago when he caught his girlfriend—now hisex-girlfriend—tongue-fucking some dude’s mouth in a club. It was that scene that had brought on the epiphany and opened his eyes to the long string of women he’d been wasting time with. Admittedly, he didn’t believe in the type of love that bowled you over and made you do stupid shit and think stupid thoughts, but that didn’t mean he had a level head when it came to women.
“We’ve got a few more stops to make,” Holt was saying.
Yes. More stops.
Since it would be weird to tell Holt that he’d be fine lingering in this bookstore for the rest of his life, Simon nodded in agreement.
“It was nice to meet you,” he told Violet, meeting her gaze.
She had the most beautiful eyes. The color of rich, melted chocolate. And now he was thinking about drizzling the stuff all over her because he wanted to know if she tasted as sweet.
“Enjoy your time in town,” she said in a tone that felt oddly like a dismissal.
“Maybe I’ll see you around.”
A brilliant smile flashed on her face. “Maybe. But probably not.”
Her sass should’ve been off-putting, but Simon found it as alluring as the rest of her. Then again, Holt had warned him that she was a spitfire. Said Violet had all but ignored him the first time they met, absolutely unimpressed that a #1New York Timesbestselling author had graced her store. Of course, Holt laughed when he told the story, but Simon had heard the underlying disbelief. After all, just about anyone who read any genre of fiction had heard of Holt Callahan.
“Challenge accepted,” Simon told her before following Holt toward the door.
He couldn’t help himself, so he glanced back once more before stepping outside. To his dismay, Violet wasn’t staring after him as he’d hoped.
“Was I right or what?” Holt asked.
“About?”
Holt laughed. “You, too, huh?”
“Me too what?”
“Let me tell you a little story about the Anderson sisters,” Holt said as they started toward the park.
Simon found Walker Park oddly endearing. It was the epitome of small-town living, with its large white gazebo surrounded by flowers of various colors and species. The large wooden structure was flanked by two small fountains that glittered from a wealth of coins scattered across the bottom. Branching off from it were various walking paths dotted with small benches for relaxing. The grass that separated the downtown businesses from the bed and breakfast was well maintained, as were the large trees that shot skyward, seeking sunlight.
“There are four of them,” Holt continued. “Whitney, Amanda, Violet, and Honor. Their mother, Daphne, is a Walker.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means? Like inGame of Thrones?”
“That’s a White Walker, so no, not the same.” Holt stopped and gestured toward a sign. “The Walkers are the original family that formed the roots of this town.”
Ah. Well, that explained why it was called Walker Park. It alleviated some of his concern that the town lacked the creativity required to name it something other than the purpose it served—i.e., for walkers.
“At one point,” Holt explained, “the Walkers owned every square inch of land. When Frank Sr died, his son, Curtis, parsed it out, giving a good majority of it to the town, the rest he gave to the people leasing it from his father.”
“Did you read that right off the sign?” Simon joked.
Holt smirked. “Anyway, Violet’s mother, Daphne, is one of eight kids. Most of them still live here. The girls’ father, Harold, is … well, let’s just say he’s not one of the town’s favorite people. Ican’t confirm it, but the rumors are that Harold married Daphne because he thought there was money to be had. Since they wed only seven days after meeting, he probably should’ve done his homework first. Or she should have.”
“Wow. Seven days.” Simon couldn’t fathom liking someone enough within that span of time to consider spending the rest of his life with them, much less legally sealing the deal.
“Harold and Daphne popped out a couple of the girls right off the bat, but then they separated for several years.”
“Not surprising, considering,” Simon mused.
“Yeah, well. Daphne clearly saw something in the guy. Almost eight and a half years passed before he planted himself in her life again. She got pregnant with Violet right away. From what I heard, he stuck around for the pregnancy. Most of it, anyway. He wasn’t at the hospital when she was born because he ran off to Shreveport with a girl he met at Moonshiners. Some people say Daphne told him to take a hike after that. Others claim he was sowing more oats and told her he’d be back as soon as he did.”
