lifted his head, he tasted the salt of her tears and saw them streaming down her cheeks. Violet’s hand reached up and wiped at his lips. “Take care of yourself, Hunter Jones. Be happy.”
And then she was walking away, and Hunter had no idea if it was for the best or not, but he was ashamed of himself for simply letting this end. For someone whose job was being brave, he just proved he was anything but.
Seventeen
“Thank you so much, Frannie! I know this is going to be an amazing trip! Take care!” Taking her headset off, Violet stood and stretched. She’d been back in Nashville for two weeks and luckily had been incredibly busy. It looked like all the advertising and promo she’d been doing on social media was really starting to pay off. Her sales for this month alone were her highest ever, and with the networking she’d been doing, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she was going to double what she made last year. This was everything she’d dreamed of and yet…she was miserable.
There wasn’t anyone to talk to about her day, and it just seemed wrong to call up Katie for the sole purpose of bragging about herself.
Besides, they both knew she’d end up asking about Hunter and Eli just like she had every time she’d called her friend.
Which was almost every day.
Sure, she made a good play of making it seem like she wanted to make sure Katie was feeling well, that Brian was adjusting to life at home, and that the kids were both okay. Inevitably, Katie would ask her if she wanted to know how Hunter was, and because she was a glutton for punishment, she always said yes. Apparently, Brian had gone over to help Hunter with the deck, and they’d been hanging out more and more.
Which made getting her daily dose of torture much more convenient.
“Okay, no calling Katie. I’m sure I have emails to answer.”
And she did.
Most people who were looking for quotes on a vacation reached out via email first so she could work out the numbers for them before they hopped on the phone. It made the process much easier, but unfortunately, not everyone was tech-savvy, and occasionally she had inquiries where they forgot to leave their name or phone number. Emailing back and forth always felt impersonal, but sometimes it was the way things had to be.
Like now. This was the second time the same person had filled out the form on her website looking for recommendations for a romantic getaway. No dates were given, no specific locations.
After a couple of back-and-forth emails, she finally had a place to start. It felt like she’d already run a marathon, so when her phone rang, she was thankful for the distraction.
Katie’s face was smiling up at her, and Violet happily scooped up her phone. “Hey! How’s my favorite family doing today?”
“Girl, I am exhausted!”
“Oh, no! What’s going on?”
“My sweet Benjamin has turned into a bit of a terror. He’s got his days and nights mixed up and I swear he’s looking for you.”
Her smile grew. “Is it wrong how I love that so much?”
“Yes! I know I didn’t want to admit it while you were here, but you really were like the baby whisperer with him. Can you come back for a few days so Brian and I can sleep?”
“As tempting as that sounds, I think I’m going to pass,” she said with a small laugh.
“Wow, I guess we found there are limitations on this friendship.”
Violet knew she was teasing and figured she could tease too. “Well, I always knew this day would come. Of course, the fact that you haven’t booked a vacation with me since your honeymoon has made me wonder if you don’t trust me…”
“Ooo! That reminds me!” Katie excitedly interrupted. “Brian wants us to plan a trip!”
“Kate, I was just kidding! I know you guys have a ton of other things on your plate right now–like a newborn. We’re cool. Really.”
“No, I’m totally serious right now! He wants to take us to Disney!”
“Really? When?”
“Next month.”
“Oh, sweetie. No. Don’t do it.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s too much with an infant.”
“Rose will be with us to help out! Trust me, it’s going to be great! We want to go the end of next month since school starts the first week, we figured most people wouldn’t be taking vacations at the end. Lower crowds and maybe better deals. Plus, you know, military discount. Can you work something up