“Why? Packing up shouldn’t take long. I can’t imagine that you have a huge house to go through.”
Arms crossed, hip cocked, she glared at him. “Oh, really? And why is that?”
“Why is what?”
“Why would you just assume I don’t live in a big house?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Violet. I didn’t mean anything negative by it. I just figured you’re a single woman and you’re very practical. You don’t strike me as the kind of person to have a large house when it’s just you.”
Clearly it was the wrong thing to say.
“I’m going to just ignore what you just said,” she huffed. “And for the record, I happen to have a fantastic townhouse that I own, Hunter. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and it’s fantastic. So yeah, even though I’m practical, I also enjoy having a nice place to live where my friends can come and stay if they need to.”
“Oh. Um…I guess…”
“I’m going to have a lot to pack up and deal with putting it on the market,” she went on. “So I realize it’s not going to be a quick transition, but it appears you did not.”
Raking a hand through his hair, he realized all the ways he’d misread the conversation.
And the situation.
“Let me ask you something, Hunter. Will you be coming to Nashville at all?”
“Um…well…I guess it would depend,” he stammered. “I mean, I can’t just pick up and leave, Violet. I have to worry about Eli, and once Katie starts working again, I’ll be going back to work so I can’t put in for any more time off…”
She held up a hand to stop him. “If I said to bring Eli with you and come home with me next week, would you?”
And he froze. It was a simple question, but for some reason, he simply wasn’t prepared to answer it.
“And not just to help me pack,” she added for clarification.
“Violet, why don’t we put a pin in this for today and we’ll sit down and talk more about it his week.”
And for a minute, he thought she’d agree.
“What if I said we should take a week and take Eli to Legoland down in Florida? Or that we plan a trip to Disney World in the fall?”
“What does that have to do with anything right now?” he asked, feeling more than a little exasperated. This wasn’t going as he had planned and things were quickly spiraling out of control.
“Fair enough,” she said slowly. “What if I said I was going to need a few months to make this transition?”
“But…why? I get that you have to pack up, Violet, but you can put your place on the market and still move here. You’d be moving in with me so your only expense would be for the movers. And I’d be more than willing to help with that.”
She began to pace. “You don’t get it. Like you seriously aren’t getting this.”
“Getting what?” he demanded, hitting his own limit.
Rather than answer, Violet paced back and forth for a moment as if trying to choose her words carefully.
Wish I had thought of that before suggesting coming down here…
“Okay,” she said after a minute. “I think maybe we’re rushing things because it’s becoming blazingly apparent we’re not on the same page.”
She didn’t give him a chance to respond.
“This can’t all be one way, Hunter. I can’t be the only one making sacrifices or being willing to travel. You need to be willing to meet me halfway!”
Quickly calculating the math in his head, he said, “So…what? We meet up in Charlotte for a weekend?”
The look of utter disbelief on her face told him–again–how wrong he was.
“Violet, I…”
“No,” she interrupted, her voice oddly calm. “I think we need some time to think about this because we’re getting nowhere. Plus, this really isn’t the time or place to be discussing this.”
The sounds of laughter and music suddenly felt like it was mocking him.
“Please tell everyone I said goodbye.” With a curt nod, she went to walk past him. His hand reached out and gently grasped her arm to stop her.
“You’re leaving?”
And now that she was standing close, he could see the slight tremble of her lips, the unshed tears in her eyes, and he felt utterly helpless.
“I think it’s for the best. This is a happy occasion, and you should be up there celebrating with your family.” Leaning in, she kissed him on the cheek. “But I need to go.” When he didn’t release her arm right away, she glanced down at his hand and then back up to his face. “Please.”
With no other choice, he released her.
Staying where he was, he helplessly watched as she walked up the pier and out of the yard.
And possibly…out of his life.
Sixteen
“Go ahead and say it. You think I’m making a mistake.”
“Do you think you’re making a mistake?”
Violet closed her suitcase and turned to stare at Katie. “Don’t do that. Don’t answer my question with a question.”
“Technically, you didn’t ask me a question.”
“Kate…”
“Okay, fine. I think you’re making a mistake. I think you hit a bump in the road and you’re running.” She sighed. “And I’m not going to say I told you so, but…I do recall having a conversation with you about this and telling you this is your M.O.”
“It’s not like that. Not this time,” she argued, placing the luggage on the floor. “He’s completely inflexible! Like the thought of leaving his precious town paralyzes him! I’m not asking him to climb Everest or to bungee jump off of the Macau Tower, for crying out loud! I asked him to come to Nashville and see the city!”
“What’s the Macau Tower?”
“Seriously? That’s what you’re focusing on?” With a huff of annoyance, she answered, “It’s the highest bungee jump in the world. Now, can we please get back to the topic at hand?”
“Sue me for being curious. I’m not as worldly as you.” And yes, there was a lot of sarcasm in that one statement.
“I was more than ready to take the leap, Kate!” She began to pace the small room. “And you know that wasn’t easy for me! I had started looking at real estate back home to see what I could sell the townhouse for!”
“I know, but…”
“I was willing to relocate my entire life here to Magnolia Sound to be with Hunter and Eli!”
“Yes, I know that too, but…”
“All I was asking was for him to be willing to come to Nashville! Not even for the long-term, and I certainly never would have suggested that he pick up and move there, but he wouldn’t even consider coming for a damn weekend! I refuse to be the only one giving and sacrificing! It’s not reasonable!” And before Katie could comment, Violet quickly added, “And this is not about me running away or sabotaging anything! This is about Hunter not being flexible about anything!”
You could have heard a pin drop in the room and it was a stark contrast to the last several minutes. Violet was breathless and full of nervous energy and she didn’t know what to do with herself.