of the family help either. She wants to be alone. I just can’t imagine.” Jude was one of Violet’s younger brothers and Harper’s best friend.
“What? Back up a second. I thought she was going back to the shop for the day.”
She shrugged. “That’s what he told me. Mrs. Barrett is picking the boys up from school when it lets out and taking them home with her.” I stood. Harper smiled knowingly. “Are you going to head over there?”
“I—yeah, I think I will. I’ll try to help her pack. Maybe she’ll listen to me.”
“Oh, she’ll listen to you, all right. Everybody knows—”
“Nobody knows anything,” I insisted.
Her eyebrows raised as she smiled at me. “Yeah, they do. Everyone knows you secretly—”
I sighed; I was long since tired of the rumor that reared its head over the years about my feelings for Violet. Even though almost everything I’d ever heard had been somewhat true at one point or another, it was no one’s business by mine—and I denied it every time. Usually by finding a girlfriend. Serial monogamy was the best deflection. It also kept me from getting too lonely over the years. “No, they don’t. I’m not secretly anything, Harper.” I smiled to soften my denial. “Vi has been my friend for years. I care about her and the boys, and that’s the end of it.”
“Okay, fine,” she huffed. “You know you can talk to me. I dump everything on you all the time. I’m a grown up now, Uncle Jake. You can tell me stuff too.”
“You’re sweet, Harper. But that’s not going to happen.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be weird to talk about your love life. You’re more on the dad side of the line than the uncle side of it anyway. And come to think of it, it would be weird for an uncle too.” Touched, I turned back and grinned at her. “Maybe I’ll have Bella start calling you grandpa or pop instead of Uncle Jake,” she added.
“Ha ha, very funny. I just turned forty. That isn’t old enough to be a grandfather, is it?”
She shrugged with a grin. “I have no idea. I’m not friends with math. Will I see you later?”
“Probably. But lock up if I’m still gone when you get off. There’s a lasagna in my freezer if I’m not home in time for dinner.”
“You do too much for me,” she protested, as usual.
I grinned and shot back my usual answer. “Family helps family. Would you help me if I needed you?”
“Okay, yeah, you know I would,” she conceded. “But that isn’t the point, and you know it.”
“I’m older, just like a dad—you said it yourself. Listen to my wisdom and eat the lasagna.” I flicked two fingers out in a wave as I left, shutting the door and getting the last word.
I pulled into the driveway next to Violet’s SUV, but my knock on the front door went unheeded. The idea that she was in that big house packing up her memories alone didn’t set well with me. She wanted to be by herself and I respected that, but I also felt compelled to help. I pressed the doorbell and stepped back to peek in the adjacent window for any movement.
“Ugh! I’m out back!” The shout came from the backyard. “You guys never give up, do you? Quit blowing up my phone and quit offering to help. At least for now, anyway. And if it’s you, Tom? Go screw yourself, I’m packing.”
With a grin, I stepped off the porch, rounded the house and let myself through the side gate. I heard the jets and saw the steam floating over the crisp winter air before I rounded the corner to the backyard proper. She was in the hot tub at the edge of the massive rectangular built-in pool.
“Oh, Jake, it’s you! I decided to enjoy my hot tub one last time before I pack. And don’t you worry, the pool service was here today performing a cleansing with chlorine. All the cheater cooties are gone. Buh-bye spray tan! Hasta la vista lube, or whatever the heck else they probably left in here.” She cackled to herself as she sat back in the water. Holding up her glass, she beckoned me closer. “Want some? This is expensive tequila. You know how Tom is about high-quality booze.” She flopped her other hand around, giggling when she splashed herself. “I decided to have a drink and toast the end of my marriage. Grab a glass and join me. It’ll