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  “Is everything all right?”

  “I think so,” she replied, pushing past him. “I just have to get out of here. I’m really sorry—I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She let the door slam behind her.

  • • •

  Ben knew something was up with Violet, and he was running out of patience when it came to waiting for her to decide to open up to him. He tried as best he could to let her know he wanted to be there for her, but it didn’t seem to help. Her continued silence worried him and, despite the fact that she insisted she didn’t want the out he’d offered, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was backing off in a big way.

  To top it off, Wynne had finally revealed her plans for Violet. He’d received a phone call the day Violet left early. After being sworn to secrecy, Wynne confessed that she and the corporate team had been working on opening a warehouse location so they could begin shipping their treats throughout the United States. The plan was to have the operation run by a two-person management team, and Violet was already marked to manage the kitchen. Ben couldn’t have been happier for her, until Wynne asked him to take Violet under his wing and show her the finer points of management so that Violet could take her place as production manager when the facility was ready. His heart nearly stopped; working together more closely than ever put him and Violet at a greater risk of getting caught.

  Had Violet somehow heard about it through the grapevine before Wynne had told him? If she had, and the news of her pending promotion was the reason for her pulling away, then he couldn’t really blame her. But that didn’t stop the feeling of dread from filling the pit of his stomach as he admitted to himself for the first time that he was worried about losing her.

  He sat in his usual booth at Ollie’s, one restless knee tapping against the table as he fidgeted, waiting for one of two people to walk in. Violet would be meeting Tommy tonight, and they were both running late, which didn’t help Ben’s anxiety at all. Beyond Lisa, he hadn’t introduced Violet as his girlfriend to anybody. Given the necessary secrecy, it hadn’t been something he’d thought much about. But introducing Violet to Tommy seemed to make it real, official even. He ordered a glass of red that Violet had been drinking on their first night together and did his best to remain patient.

  Just as the waiter dropped off Violet’s merlot, the jingle of the door over the music playing softly made Ben look up, and his heart calmed as her gorgeous face came into view. Clad in skinny jeans, heeled boots, and a cashmere top, she looked like a million bucks. He loved when she left her curls cascading down her back and over her shoulders like a lion’s mane; it fit her perfectly, symbolizing the strength he saw about her. She grinned when she spotted him, heading toward the table with a swish in her hips that made him consider calling Tommy to tell him to turn around and go home. Ben stood to greet her, pulling her in for a hug.

  “You’ve never worn those heels before,” he remarked. “I like them more than I can express right now.”

  “Mmm, thanks,” she replied, staring down at her legs as she did a slow turn. “I happen to love the way my legs look in these shoes.”

  Ben grinned, admiring her curves unabashedly as she settled into her seat. “The condo is a hundred feet away. Don’t think I won’t scoop you up and take you there in less than a minute.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him flirtatiously. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

  He sat slowly, his stomach doing backflips at her sassy response. He nudged the wine glass in her direction. “I heard you like red wine.”

  “You heard right.” Violet accepted the glass, holding it to her lips.

  “Tommy’s running late, so we might just have to spend a little time getting tipsy and eating dumplings.”

  “I like the sound of that,” she answered, leaning toward him. “But before we roll out the dim sum, I was hoping to talk to you about something.”

  Ben tilted his head in interest. “Am I going to find out what’s been bothering you?”

  She nodded, taking a deep breath. “It’s not fair that I haven’t told you yet. You’ve been so caught up with Elena, I didn’t want to bother you with this. But it’s getting out of control, and you deserve to know.”

  “What are we talking about here?” He steeled himself for bad news. Here we go.

  “Well, do you remember the guy who stood me up last month?”

  “Yeah, Steve,” he replied quickly.

  “That would be him. Well, after you and I started dating—”

  The door opened again, grabbing Ben’s attention. After staring at it briefly, he raised his arm and motioned. Tommy had arrived and effectively cut their conversation short.

  “Tommy, this is my girlfriend Violet.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Tommy said as he motioned for the waiter. “Ben hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

  “Is that right?” Ben’s brow had furrowed; it was amusing how easily he embarrassed.

  “That’s right. That’s the point of all this, isn’t it? I had to meet the woman who turned my boy’s life upside down.”

  Ben pressed his lips together. “I’m sure that’s not all you’re here for, Tom.”

  Tommy laughed in response. “No, it’s not. I’ve actually got some good news, but I’ll give you a choice. We can talk strategy first, or … ”

  In unison, Ben and Violet blurted out, “The good news!”

  “Well, that answers any questions I had about the two of you.” He grinned. “My source is willing to testify against Elena.”

  Ben leaned forward, eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

  “That’s amazing,” Violet added exuberantly.

  “Who is he?” Ben asked. “How do we know he’s for real?”

  After a brief pause, Tommy replied cautiously, “I invited him tonight. He should be here any minute, but listen, I don’t want you to get how you get.”

  “What do you mean ‘get how I get’? Who’s about to walk through that door?”

  Tommy looked to Violet and explained, “He’s a proud guy, Violet. When that door opens, Ben’s gonna either walk out or punch him in the face.”

  Ben folded his arms. “Would you stop filling her head with nonsense? I may have been a hothead in college, but I’m not that guy anymore.”

  “We’ll see,” Tommy said, his eyes focusing on a spot behind Ben’s head. “He’s coming in now.”

  Eleven

  Ben felt his blood boil. “Ethan?”

  Ethan, Ben’s former best friend and Tommy’s elusive “source” stopped in his tracks, giving Ben a wary look. Tommy jumped to his feet and held a hand over Ben’s chest. “See, pal? I knew you’d flip. Sit back down and let the man talk.”

  If there was anything in the world Ben wanted to do, it definitely didn’t involve letting this scumbag talk. He remembered with perfect clarity what had happened the last time he saw Ethan.

  Ethan had been standing in the hallway, less than a foot from the bedroom door when Ben entered his condo. Seeing his best friend standing there holding a suitcase had confused him; when he entered the bedroom, he’d realized it was stripped of everything that had been in it when he’d left that morning. Elena had then announced she was leaving, and all Ethan could say in accompaniment was, “Sorry, bro.”

  Ben could’ve laid Ethan out right there in Ollie’s. But at that moment, both Tommy and Violet were standing in front of him, and Ethan looked prepared to run.

  “What could this backstabber possibly have to say to me?”

  Violet put a hand on Ben’s chest. “Why don’t you sit down and find out?”

  He met Tommy’s gaze, whose expression had hardened. Through clenched teeth, Tommy warned, “You’re going to ruin everything. Sit. The hell. Down.”

  Ben looked to Violet, who nodded imploringly before leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek.

  “I don’t blame you for getting angry,” she whispered. “But listen to what he has to say. There has to be a reason he’s
ready to testify against Elena.”

  “I haven’t seen him since he took Elena and her things out of the condo. I wasn’t ready for this.”

  “I know,” she said, rubbing his back soothingly. “But let Tommy work. This could all be over sooner than you think.”

  The thought of this whole mess being over and done with appealed to him. And he knew he had to find a way to get past his anger if he was going to finalize his divorce and get Elena out of his life. Begrudgingly, he took a breath and sat down.

  Tommy blew out a gust of air and took a seat. Violet and Ethan followed suit, though Ethan sat on the edge of his chair.

  Ben pointed a finger at Tommy. “You’ve got one minute to stop me from making you regret meeting me here, Tommy.”

  Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but Ethan held out a hand. “I get it, Ben. I screwed up and destroyed our friendship. This isn’t a ‘bros before hoes’ thing, and I’m not suggesting we be friends again. But she’s not playing fair, and this whole situation is getting out of control. I can’t let her do this to you, and honestly—I owe you this.”

  Violet pursed her lips and made a noise that told the table she agreed with that much.

  Ethan hesitated at first but then held his hand out toward her. “I’m Ethan, by the way. You must be Violet.”

  She took his hand and shook it quickly. “I am. I’m guessing Elena told you about me. She and I had a fun little encounter a couple of days ago.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ethan scoffed. “She still hasn’t stopped talking about it. And you’re in her crosshairs now, too.”

  Violet shrugged. “It can’t be worse than what I’ve already been through. Am I supposed to be scared?”

  “She’s unbalanced, bitter, and hurt. And it’s not a good combination,” Ethan answered.

  Ben gave Violet a curious glance, making a mental note to ask her precisely what she meant by that comment. And he still wasn’t convinced this was worth his time. Ethan already sounded like he was on Elena’s side. No surprise there.

  “Hurt?” he repeated. “She left me! And how do you even know what she’s planning? Does she just offer this information up to you?”

  “What I know can prove she needs help,” Ethan replied. “Since the day she left you, her goal has been to get everything.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. He was just about done listening to Ethan—this whole meeting was turning into a joke. He shifted in his chair, and Violet placed a hand on his knee. It calmed him enough to decide to stay put another minute or two.

  “But explain yourself,” she insisted. “What is she after? What does she want? And why is she dragging this out?” It was a good thing Violet was there with a cool head to ask the good questions. All Ben could think about was slamming Ethan’s face into their table and walking away.

  “It’s a really long story,” Ethan answered.

  “I’ve got time,” Violet remarked, “and so does he.”

  Ethan looked to Ben. “I’m telling you now, you’re not gonna like what I have to say.”

  Well, that’s nothing new. “Just say what you have to say, man.”

  “All right, here’s the deal. I know that she left you, but when she did, she was hurting. She believes you left her no choice. She was angry that you never heard her—and it took a huge toll.”

  Ben glanced over at Violet, who looked like she might’ve felt some sympathy toward his ex-wife. The last thing he expected was to end up looking like the bad guy. “Is there a point to all of this?”

  “That,” Ethan said. “That’s the point. You’re not listening. If something doesn’t fit in line with your plans, you gloss right over it. You don’t even fight, you just act as if it doesn’t exist. And it drove her crazy.”

  Ben thought back, tried to remember an instance of that being true. Within seconds, a memory hit him: Elena, telling him that she wanted more in her life than just housewife duties. Maybe she’d mentioned some sort of class or workshop. He hadn’t wanted to fight, so he’d handed over his credit card and told her to do whatever. He frowned. What the hell was wrong with that?

  “She had no support,” Ethan continued. “Just your money. She told me that she felt it when you guys slept together, so she stopped wanting to be near you.”

  Ouch. He remembered that long phase before the end of their marriage where she wouldn’t touch him. She refused to share a bed, wouldn’t hug him in greeting, and couldn’t handle being in the same room with him for too long. Could Ethan be right? In trying to give Elena everything she wanted, had he forgotten to give her what she needed? He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear any more.

  “The marriage failing broke her heart, and it made her bitter because she only wanted to be married once, and she blames you for having to leave,” Ethan said. “The more time I spent with her, the angrier she got. And she wants payback. I mean, I’ve got a phone recording of her laughing as she wonders how you’d deal with life after she took everything and you learned the hard way that money didn’t make dreams come true.”

  A wave of nausea ran through Ben’s body. Everything Ethan said made sense with the pieces of Elena’s frequent rants that he could remember; even the fact that he couldn’t recall her words drove Ethan’s point home. You jerk, Ben. And if anything could get Violet to throw her hands in the air, this development would be it.

  He was surprised to hear Violet speak. “So why now? Are you telling me you care about what happens to Ben after everything?”

  “Look, I’ll level with you,” Ethan replied. “Normally, I’d mind my business. But Ben and I go way back—and I’ve seen both sides of the story. He’s not a total jerk like Elena would like everyone to believe. And she’s not well, if you know what I’m saying. She doesn’t handle situations the way you or I do. She needs help, and her getting her way isn’t going to get it to her.”

  “She sounds determined,” Violet sighed.

  Ethan nodded. “She is. And she’s not going to stop. She’s a woman with a broken heart who has an interesting way of viewing the world. And as a result, she’s selfish, co-dependent, and often times delusional. I know I wasn’t the best friend to Ben in the end, but I can’t let her win this one.”

  • • •

  Only a couple of hours had passed by the time they left Ollie’s, but thankfully Ben had finally relaxed enough to hear more of Ethan’s desire to testify against Elena—at another bar further downtown, where Ethan worked. Violet politely declined the invitation but stuck around long enough to see them off. She and Ben strolled hand in hand toward the curb as Tommy and Ethan walked ahead to attempt to hail a taxi.

  “Do you think he’s telling the truth?” she asked.

  Ben nodded. “I know he is. Everything he said made sense. And it bothers me. Have I made you feel that way since we started dating?”

  Violet thought about it. Complications with their involvement aside, she couldn’t think of a time when she didn’t feel he was hearing her. With the exception of the secret she was keeping from him now, she’d describe their time together as great.

  “No, it’s been fine between us. But it does look like you’ve got some things to re-examine.”

  “You’re right,” Ben replied. “And you’re sure you don’t want to come to Babbo with us?”

  “No, I’m just going to head home and process all of this.”

  Ben squeezed her hand. “Is everything okay?”

  “Ultimately, yes. Everything’s okay right now,” she answered. “But this is a lot, and I’ve kind of got my own … stuff happening.”

  Ben stopped her. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that. If you come along tonight, we could talk about that too.”

  Violet shook her head, leaning on his chest. “We’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll meet you here after work, okay?”

  He nodded, reaching into his pocket. “I’m glad you said that. Here … ”

  He pulled out a set of keys, dangling them in the air. Her heart sped a little, and she wasn’t sure she understo
od why. Was having a copy of his keys truly a “next step” kind of thing, or was she overcome because of the incurable romantic that had just stirred inside of her?

  “No more keys in the icing bucket.” He grinned. “I figured you might as well just have keys of your own.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked several times as she tried to string a sentence together, realizing with embarrassment that she was about as floored as if he’d proposed marriage. “Ben, I … ”

  “I hope I’m not moving too fast for you,” he added. “It just makes sense for you to have keys. I made these yesterday hoping you’d agree. I’m not overwhelming you, am I?”

  Violet nodded with a laugh. “Oh, you absolutely are! But you’re right—it makes sense.”

  She pocketed the keys with a watery grin, and he cupped her face in his hands and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek.

  “Do you want me to take you home? I can always meet up with these guys later.”

  “Ben, please—I’m a big girl, I can make it home without an escort. Go sort all of this out, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.”

  “Okay, deal. And then we’ll talk about you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They were interrupted by the sound of Tommy calling Ben’s name. Ben paused for one more kiss before dashing over to Tommy and Ethan, getting in the cab, and promptly disappearing down Freedom Place. With a happy smile on her face and a giddy spring in her step, Violet headed in the opposite direction, planning to stop at CVS for a salty snack before taking the bus back home. She paused on the corner of West Seventieth and West End; for a split second, she wanted to take her shiny new keys and go back to Ben’s house and surprise him when he got home. But instead she crossed the street, knowing that he needed this night out with the guys and she needed a glass of wine and a bubble bath. Violet had barely reached the opposite side when someone tapped her shoulder.

  She hopped onto the curb, a little startled that anyone would be touching her. She turned and came face to face with Steve, who looked like he was barely holding it together.

  “Making new friends, Vi?”