“I know, right? It’s way more crowded right now since it’s the summer and it’s tourist season, but the rest of the year it’s damn-near perfect.” Turning her head, Katie smiled. “Walking on the beach in the fall and winter when you have it basically all to yourself is kind of glorious.”
“I can imagine.”
“I know you’re a bit of a nomad, but would you ever consider moving this way permanently? Or at least semi-permanently?”
With a shrug, Violet replied honestly. “I never really thought about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying myself here, but this has been a little like a vacation. My place in Nashville is right in the heart of the city and there’s always so much going on. Plus, most of the time, I’m living out of a suitcase so I don’t pay too much attention to whether or not I want to move.”
“Because you’re essentially always on the move.”
“Exactly.”
“Wow. I don’t know how you do it.” She paused. “I mean…I know why you started traveling, but I never thought you’d make a career out of it. For years you talked about going into advertising and…”
“What can I say? After planning those first few trips, I found I was good at it. Plus, if you think about it, I’m still into advertising. I market and promote not only myself and the agency, but the destinations I recommend to my clients.”
“You know Morgan would have loved working with you,” Katie said quietly after a minute.
“Yeah. I know.” Feeling the first sting of tears, she said, “I have a feeling she would have been more than happy to do nothing but travel the world non-stop; just renting a closet with one of us to keep random stuff.”
“Like her assortment of 80s metal CD’s.”
“And her collection of Minnie Mouse figurines.”
They both went quiet. Violet knew they were both thinking about the friend they’d lost too young. Morgan had rounded out their trio in foster care. They had spent years talking about going to college together, getting an apartment together, and all the places she was going to travel to. Her dream had been to see the world. Her whole life, she’d never left Tennessee. At eighteen, she’d been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She died less than a year later.
One of the last conversations Violet had with Morgan, she had promised she’d go and visit all the places Morgan never would.
“I’m keeping my promise,” she said softly, and Katie squeezed her hand.
“I know.”
“Mommy! I gotta go pee!” Kira called from inside the house.
Violet jumped up and helped Katie get to her feet. When she was by the door, she turned to Violet and smiled. “Just be sure you remember that it’s okay if you don’t see the whole world, Vi. More than anything, she wanted you to be happy.”
She was a little too overcome with emotion to do anything but nod.
Once Katie was out of sight, Violet turned toward the yard and let out a long breath. She wasn’t lying when she said she loved what she did. It really was like she’d found her niche.
Did she ever think about doing anything else with her life? Not really.
Did she look at the life Katie had–married to a great guy and having a couple of kids–and feel a little envious? Sometimes.
The thing was, Violet had no idea how to do what Katie did. She didn’t have the faith in herself–the confidence–to believe that anyone would want to do the whole happily ever after thing with her.
So travel was something safe for her. It was the perfect excuse to keep her from getting too seriously involved with anyone.
And at the end of the day, there was comfort in knowing she was the one who was leaving and not the one being left behind.
And just as that dark thought was starting to take hold, she heard tiny feet running toward her.
“It’s time to flip, Vi!” Eli called out as he leaped into her arms.
Saving her.
Hunter pulled away from his father’s house with an enormous amount of guilt.
Not that it was anything new.
Tonight’s guilt was because his father and Eli were having a sleepover. It was something they did at least once a month, and typically Hunter had no problems with it. With the way things were currently going, however, he felt guilty for every moment he wasn’t with his son.
His father encouraged him to go out with his friends for drinks or to call up a pretty girl–his father’s words, not his–and go out on a date. Sadly, all he wanted to do was grab something to eat, take it home, and crash in front of the TV.
“It’s official. I’m completely lame,” he murmured as he turned onto Main Street. “When grabbing takeout is more appealing than taking out a woman, there’s a serious problem.”
But apparently not enough to make him reconsider his plans.
“Pizza. I want a large pizza with pepperoni, peppers, and mushrooms. And maybe even a beer or two.” Then he had to stop and think if he even had any beer in the house. He didn’t drink when Eli was staying with him, but considering it was now a full-time thing, he figured he’d probably have to stop and pick some up.
Pulling into the parking lot of Michael’s Italian Restaurant, he planned on ordering his pizza and then walking across the lot to the Publix grocery store and grabbing a six-pack of beer. He’d bring whatever was left over to his father’s tomorrow and leave it with him.
Feeling good about having a plan, he parked and climbed from the truck. He waved to Sam Westbrook who had just stepped out of the restaurant with a pizza and then said a quick hello to Mrs. Henderson from the bakery who was also leaving with her dinner. He was about to open the door to Michael’s when someone stepped up beside him.
“Here,” he said, smiling, “I got it.” When he turned, he saw it was Violet. “Oh, hey, Violet! Picking up dinner for Katie?”
She smiled and saw her cheeks flush slightly. “No, just for me. There was some playgroup get-together that she and Kira went to, so I’m on my own tonight.”
They stepped into the restaurant, but neither made their way to the counter to place their orders.
“You didn’t want to go with her?”
Laughing, Violet shook her head. “As much as I love kids, going to a mommy and me thing really didn’t seem like someplace I belonged.”
“I can understand that,” he said, grinning. “Although I bet you could have gotten a whole new group of kids doing cartwheels and somersaults.”
“As fun as that would have been, I’m kind of looking forward to a kid-free night.”
“Yeah, I imagine it’s not easy living in someone else’s house and being surrounded by kids all day–and kind of all night with Kira–when you’re used to being on your own.”
“It hasn’t been bad at all. Although…” She moved in like she had a big secret to tell. “The worst part is the incredibly uncomfortable bed in Katie’s guest room. It’s the worst.” Putting a little more space between them, she laughed.
The image of Violet in bed flashed through his mind–not for the first time if he were honest–but this time, it was a little more vivid.
“Anyway,” she went on, “because of what I do for a living, I’m used to not being in my own space and my own bed, but usually the beds are way more comfortable than this.”