“Okay,” I reply. “Love you.”
“Love you, baby,” he says with what sounds like extra feeling.
I love it when his voice goes deeper like that when he says that to me – like he really wants me to know he means it.
He hangs up.
I’ve got an hour and a half left of my workweek, so I dig in to wrap it up, excited about a weekend getaway. Excited in general, because this past few weeks with Killian have been awesome.
I’m feeling so much more like the old me, but I appreciate everything and take nothing for granted, not the least of which is my relationship with my family, which has been great lately. And we had dinner with them the other weekend and it was more than I could’ve hoped for. My grandfather even showed signs of liking Killian, which has the whole family amped because he’s not big on outsiders. I heard Colleen mutter to her mom that it’s because my last boyfriend was such a colossal asshole that anybody would get the nod of approval after that. My aunt gave her shit for that, noticing I overheard.
I shrugged. “She’s right, of course, but that doesn’t take away from that fact that my guy is incredible.”
“No, you’re right about that. Sorry, Vi,” Colleen muttered.
I hugged her. “Don’t sweat it.”
Uncle Brock slid by us at that point and said, “Envy-green don’t look good on you, Colly.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and then looked to me. “He’s kinda right though. Sorry, Vi.”
I laughed.
I spent a few hours at my grampa’s yesterday, dropping food off, showing him how to use the air fryer I bought him for an early Christmas gift, and bottom line, my family loves Killian and both Kill and his brother are coming to Thanksgiving this year. I’m looking forward to getting to know Will Coulter better, too.
At 4:50, I get buzzed by Tara.
“There’s someone at the front desk for you, Violet. Her name is Sandy Iadanza.”
I jolt in surprise and it takes prompting from Tara to find out if I’m still there before I reply, “I’ll be there in a minute.”
***
When I see Ray’s mother pacing the reception area, I’m sure I’d know her if I passed her on the street - Ray looks that much like her. Sandy Iadanza looks agitated, perhaps also nervous looking around as she paces, biting her nails.
I approach and she eyes me curiously with those hauntingly familiar blue eyes. It’s casual Friday, but I’m dressed up today after having had a vendor lunch earlier, a lunch with a vendor that was very business-like, so I decided to forego my usual Friday jeans, opting instead for a business suit.
She’s dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, old sneakers. A ski jacket that looks like it has seen better days. Her blonde hair is in a ponytail and sad to say, she looks unwell. She looks like she lives a hard life of partying. And that would go along with what Ray told me about her. That she’s an abusive alcoholic and pain pill popper.
I can’t imagine why she’s here, other than maybe hearing about Ray being arrested and wanting an update, which I don’t have.
I asked Killian just last week if he’s heard anything while we were picking up mail for the last time at my old apartment. I officially no longer live there. My furniture has been sent to the Tillamook house, since we have so much space there and not a whole lot of furniture yet.
Killian told me Mrs. Shear is in an assisted living facility, that he’d sent the money to it in care of her niece, but that no, he had no idea where things were at with Ray.
“Hello?” I ask. “Mrs. Iadanza?”
“Sandy. You Violet?” she asks me.
Her voice comes out strong, rough. There’s definite hardness to her.
“I am.”
“Obviously you know I’m Ray’s mother. I need to talk to you. In private.” She shoots Tara, who is watching us, a dirty look.
“Can I use this meeting room?” I call over to ask.
“Go ahead. It’s not booked for the rest of the day.” Tara nods toward the empty conference room to the left of reception, and I gesture for Ray’s mother to go ahead of me. I turn on the light and close the door behind myself.
“It’s strange to meet you finally.”
“Strange?” she asks, looking me over with sharp eyes. “Why is it strange?”
“Yeah. Um, just because Ray and I were together for three years and we never met and now that we’re not together, we do and it’s just… a surprise.”
“You’re not together?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No. We split up just before he… um… I’m getting ahead of myself. How can I help you?”
“Figures. That little bullshitter. You seen him lately?” she asks.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but he was arrested.”
“I know that!” she barks at me like I’m an imbecile. “I mean you seen him since he got out?”
“Since he got out? I… didn’t know he got out. We split up before he got arrested.”
“He’s missin’ and he has to get his ass to court Monday or else I’m not gettin’ the money back. I need that money.”
I give my head a shake. “I… I haven’t seen him.”
“Well, fuck,” she grits out. “That little shithead best not fuck me over. I bail him out and he fuckin’ vanishes. You see him, you tell him to be in court Monday or else he’s dead to me. I got plans for that money when I get it back and if he dicks me over again…” She throws her hand up in the air. “Little fucker.” She looks me over again and then storms out.
I’m kind of thrown. More than kind of.
Ray told me he didn’t talk to his family. I can see from not even two minutes with her why he had no relationship with her. He always said she was abusive. Even more abusive than his father who used to get drunk and beat him. It’s written all over her. She bailed him out of jail? He made it sound like she was living in squalor in the same dumpy place he grew up in.
I’m glad Tara is on the phone and unable to ask the questions I can tell she has by the look on her face. I head back to my desk and shakily close things down. It’s five to five. And my head is kind of spinning.
65
Killian
When I see Violet leave her office building, I get out of the car and round it, ready to open the door for her. That’s when I hear my name from behind me.
“Killian? That you?”
I turn and see Sandra Iadanza crossing the street, coming toward me.
Violet’s approaching from the side.
Sandra looks at Violet and then her eyes dart back to me with questions in them.
Fuck. My. Life.
I open the door.
“You, stay there,” I point at Sandra as soon as her feet are on the sidewalk. “I’ll talk to you in a minute. Don’t come any fucking closer. And keep your mouth shut for a minute.”
She freezes.
“In the car, baby.”
“Killian?” Violet asks.
She’s heard me, obviously.
“In the car, baby,” I repeat and gesture for Violet to get inside.
Raymond’s bitch mother is afraid of me, but she’s standing her ground with a cold glare on her face. She used to be an attractive woman. I see the scar over her eye that I know my mother put there when they got into a fist fight over that asshole who was fucking Sandra while living with my mother. Beyond that scar, the years haven’t been kind. Not surprisingly.