my closest friends. She had become so important to me that I quit allowing myself to think of her in any other way. I killed the fantasy before it ever had a chance to develop into yearning. Lust had no place in my brain when it came to Violet. I rarely allowed it because I adored her so much it hurt.
I had been living on a razor’s edge since I first met her. Seeing Tom kissing Bethany cut me up inside. I knew there was no stopping the hurt Violet would undoubtedly feel, but the possibility of a chance at having more with her bled into my heart and drowned out all the reasons why she was forbidden. The thought of Tom being out of the picture filled me with nothing but want, like I had time traveled back to college and was falling for my best friend’s girl all over again.
Maybe this was finally my chance with her.
Or maybe I should keep my feelings to myself and ensure the friendship we’d built over the years remained intact. The thought of losing her even as a friend after all this time was unfathomable.
“Uncle Jake.”
Startled, I spun in my chair. I had been spending a lot more time in my Sweetbriar office lately. I was employed by a large law firm in Portland and had recently made partner, gaining me enough clout to open Lyla’s Place, named after my mother. It was to be a safe place for abused women, as my mother had been. It would operate as a shelter and legal aid center, teach self-defense, and offer therapy both in groups and by referral for one-on-one sessions. I’d finally earned enough money and respect in this area to make the dream into a reality. I could finally do something tangible in her name like I’d always promised myself I would. “Harper, hey.” My assistant/niece bustled into my office, takeout bag in hand.
“I brought breakfast burritos and bad news.” She studied my face with expectation as she sat down.
“If this is about Violet and Tom, I already know.”
She let out a sigh. “Well, I saw it for myself right before I dropped Bella off at school. I know Tom is your friend, but I feel like I can finally admit that I never liked him. What a douchebag.”
Involuntarily, I barked out a laugh. “I haven’t liked him in years.” Douchebag—that was putting it kindly. He was an idiot. An absolute fucking fool. Violet was perfection. The ideal woman. She was everything I could never find, no matter how many women I had dated over the years while trying to shove her out of my heart.
Harper grinned. “I had my suspicions. And it does fit in with the stories floating around town.” Harper is my older sister’s only child, but that didn’t stop her from disowning Harper after she got pregnant during her senior year of high school. I let Harper move into the other half of my duplex here in Sweetbriar and she’s been my tenant/neighbor ever since. Her daughter, Bella, is as cute as could be and now a kindergartner. A few months ago, Harper earned an office management certificate from the local junior college and had finally accepted my offer to come work for me.
“Of course you did. What stories?” I played dumb about the recurring rumor that I only remained friendly with Tom to keep my friendship with Violet because I was a lovesick chump. Was it true? That was a question I had been avoiding since my college days. It was a question that’d had no place in my life as long as there had been no hope.
“Did you tell Violet about Tom?”
“I was going to. But I didn’t get to her in time.” There was no way I ever would have allowed Violet to play the fool, and I wished I could have spared her the sight. Tom and I grew up together in Portland. He’d been my best friend all through school and into college, where we met Violet. However, he’d changed so much over the years I’d long stopped thinking of him as my friend. Tom and I grew up poor, but only one of us seemed to remember where we had come from.
“Poor Violet. Jude said she left Holly in charge of the shop to go pack up her and the boys. She doesn’t want them to have to deal with moving out of the house. Jude said she won’t let any