Her Billionaire Heartthrob - Kaylee Baldwin Page 0,19
had a tendency to fall into a deep, almost unwakable sleep, if it got too late.
Viola’s phone rang loudly over her car’s blue-tooth speaker. Bobby’s name flashed on the screen. She answered it. “Hey, Bobby. I’m running a few minutes behind, but I should be there in about five.”
“Well, that’s the thing,” he started out, and Viola’s stomach dropped. “You know Kendra, right?”
“Your ex, who I went to school with since Kindergarten? Yes, I know her.” She struggled to keep her voice light.
“We’re getting back together. Which means I’ve got to respectfully bow out tonight. It doesn’t look good to go on a date with another woman when you’re dating your ex-wife, know what I mean?”
Viola wanted to be happy for them—as happy as she could be that such a dysfunctional relationship was getting a second round—but this was leaving her in a lurch.
“Bobby, I don’t have time to find someone else.”
“I know, I get it. I hate to do this. You’re a great girl, Viola, but I’m in love with Kendra.”
“He thinks he’s breaking up with you,” Grandma whispered with almost no sound, her eyes narrowed.
“Seriously,” Viola mouthed back. Why had she asked Bobby again? Oh, yeah. Because everyone else was busy or already in a relationship.
“It’s fine, Bobby. I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will,” he said, his southern accent even deeper, making her wonder if Kendra had walked into the room. “Bye.”
Viola ended the call. “I swear, if he posts about this on Facebook, I’m deleting my account.” She tried to laugh but felt the tears welling in her eyes. It wasn’t like she’d wanted to go out with Bobby, but dang it, could a guy not bail on her, just one time in her life, when she needed him?
“I’m going with you to the gala,” her grandma declared.
“No.”
“You can’t change my mind. I’ve already texted Fern.”
“No you haven’t. Your phone is still in your purse.”
“Fine, I haven’t,” her grandma admitted. “But I will on the way. You can’t go to this dinner alone.”
“Sure I can.”
“But you don’t want to.”
Viola hesitated before answering. She didn’t want to go alone, but there was no way she was going to take Dane Lowbridge from her grandma.
“I have a back-up person,” she said instead.
“Who?” Her grandma’s eyes narrowed.
“Liam Nichols.” She winced as soon as she said it. She’d promised to check on Liam while Callie was gone. They’d left two days ago, and she hadn’t done much in the way of “checking-in” on him.
“The one from Hawaii? The one who bought the theater for you? The one with all the money? That Liam Nichols.”
“He didn’t buy the theater for me.” She was really regretting telling her grandma everything now.
“Okay,” her grandma said. “Call him, then.”
“Right now?”
Her grandma leveled a look at her, the one that called her out for being an idiot. “Fine.”
She pulled his number up on her phone, surprised when he answered before the first ring even finished.
“Viola,” he said. “How are you?”
“Good, good,” she replied. “Found your phone, sounds like?” She winced at bringing it up, and was relieved when he laughed.
“I did. It was just an arm’s reach into one of the ducts.”
“Good, good,” she repeated. Her grandma rolled her arm in a get-on-with-it motion.
“I don’t know if you have plans tonight, and this is really last minute, so I totally understand if you can’t come …”
“I’m free,” he said. That deep, confident voice never failed to wrap her up like a warm blanket. “What do you need?”
“Oh, just a plus one for this little dinner-thing tonight at town hall. It starts in about thirty minutes, though,” she warned him, almost like she was trying to convince him not to go.
“I haven’t had dinner yet. That sounds fun. Is it formal, casual?”
“Formal, but I’m sure whatever you have is fine.”
“Send me a text of the address, and I’ll get dressed and meet you over there. Does that work?”
A weird blend of emotions swirled through her: anticipation, relief, nerves.
“Sure. Thanks, Liam.”
“Anytime. See you soon.”
She hung up and turned to her grandma. “There. Happy?”
Her grandma merely lifted her eyebrows. “Girl, you’ve got it so bad.”
She felt her cheeks turn pink. “Like you’re one to talk. Go give Dane a kiss for me.”
“I’ll give him a kiss for myself, thank you very much.” She laughed and opened the car door, then turned and took Viola’s hand in her own, her eyes glistening. “I am so proud of you.”
“For calling Liam?” she asked, somewhat petulantly.
“Yes, but more, for the accomplishment