Chapter Eight
Violet
Violet hung up her cell phone and stared at it with a heavy heart. She was disappointed. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Violet liked Frank a lot, but she couldn’t allow herself to be with him if she couldn’t trust him. Trust was everything in a relationship. How could she be with a man she didn’t trust?
He was clearly someone with something going on in his head or someone with a lot of secrets. Violet figured it had to be the second one because he never gave her the impression that he was certifiably insane. She imagined a thousand scenarios about what his secret could be. Maybe he had a wife and kids somewhere. Or he was a criminal involved in some kind of scheme. There were other ideas, but they were less plausible though still realistic.
Any of them could be true, and the very fact that she was sitting thinking through whatever issues he was going through instead of him just being upfront with her about it made her furious. Why was he messing up a good thing?
Violet considered herself a reasonable woman. That was one of the top words her friends would use, if they had to describe her but this man was just making excuses. Violet punched her pillow in frustration and tossed to one side trying to get comfortable, but her bed felt like a brick at that moment.
Frank Lodge was going to hear from her. She would be going to his office first thing in the morning.
Violet never really considered how nice it was to be her own boss, but at this moment, she was grateful because she didn’t have to open until she wanted. Most of her customers liked coming late, anyway, so she didn’t feel bad as she pushed through the big glass door of Lodge Accountants. She smiled politely at the receptionist in the lobby as she walked toward the elevator. The only person she planned to speak with was Frank.
The elevator seemed to take forever, but finally, it opened to the familiar landscape of glass and gold embellishments. It was clear Frank had a thing with gold. The doors were glass with gold bars as handles for pulling and pushing, there were plants around the offices in glass vases, and she couldn’t help noticing the way he got distracted by her jewelry when she wore gold.
If she wasn’t so angry, she would have asked him about it. Instead, she stormed past Cathy with a set face, daring Cathy to stop her, into Frank’s office, making sure to close the door behind her.
Frank’s eyes widened, and he sat up in his chair, holding up one finger since he was on the phone.
“Yes, Brett. I completely understand, but it’s best we file it now rather than later.” Frank nodded, giving the impression he was involved in the conversation when he was enthralled by Violet.
He waved Cathy off, who was right on Violet’s tail for barging in uninvited. Even as he ended the conversation and hung up his desk phone, he never took his eyes off her. Violet stood her ground, unwilling to give in to the magnetic pull Frank had on her. Even as he stood and walked around his desk to her, she fought the urge to run into his arms.
“Violet,” Frank said before clearing his throat. His voice sounded nothing like it had when he was talking to his client on the phone. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak with you,” she said.
“Okay,” he said ushering her to sit down. “Let’s talk.”
“No,” she said standing her ground instead of sitting in the comfy chairs by the window. “This won’t take long. I just want to know why you called me yesterday.”
Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “I called to hear your voice.”
“You were obviously upset, and yet, you wouldn’t talk to me.”
“I wasn’t that upset,” he said, trying to brush it off, but she shook her head. He just admitted that he was upset, which confirmed what she was thinking. He didn’t want to talk to her about it.
“Frank, I might not know much, but I know enough to say that’s not true. Your voice sounded different. When we talk on the phone, you sound interested, confident, and happy. That’s how you usually sound. Last night, you sounded scared.” Frank opened his mouth and closed it. “So, I just want you to tell me why you couldn’t tell me what was wrong? Did I do something?”
Frank grabbed her hand, and she didn’t pull away. “No, Violet. It’s not you.”
“Really? The ‘it’s not you, it’s me’?”.
“Trust me,” he said putting his hands on her shoulders. She didn’t like how close he was to her and that she was falling for some of his charm. “There’s nothing you did. You’re perfect.”
It was hard for her to believe that. “Then why, Frank? I thought we were building something here and you’re pulling away. If it’s not me, what is it?”
Frank’s face cracked, and instead of confident and convincing Frank, Violet could see he was scared and questioning some things.
“You’re married, aren’t you?” she asked.
“No,” he said, scowling.
She pulled her hand from his and placed it on her hips. “Then what do you have to hide?”
“Nothing,” he said with a shrug.
“I don’t buy it. You called me just to tell me your day wasn’t good and then ask me about mine?”
“Yeah,” he said and cringed.
“I don’t buy it. Just tell me. Do you have a kid or something?”
Frank growled and plunged his hands into his hair, “I’m a dragon.”
She tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Okay, so you’re bipolar.”
“No, Violet. I’m sane.”
Violet should have walked out. She wanted to, but she didn’t want to leave Frank… not like this. She was always the friend people leaned on and told all their secrets to. Something in her wouldn’t let her leave this one alone. Of all the people to tell, she felt she was the most trustworthy, reasonable, and reliable. She had to know what he was hiding. She had to know why he didn’t want to tell her. She had to understand why this, of all things, was the lie he chose to tell her.
“Okay then, drugs. That makes sense,” she said thinking to herself. “You do have some weird ticks. So, what are you taking Frank? I promise I won’t judge. Just tell me the truth.”
“Violet,” he said tempering his anger. “I am not on drugs.”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded like a parent to a child. She could help him. She didn’t know much about drugs but there was always the internet, and they lived on the outskirts of New York, so there had to be plenty of rehab facilities nearby. “Have you been to a meeting? I’ve heard those can really help.”
Frank started, trembling as if fighting to keep something in and Violet wondered if he was going to be sick. Maybe he was going to throw up. “Please don’t be scared,” he said between clenched teeth as he closed his eyes. Fists balled at his side, he took a deep breath and smoke came out of his nose as sweat beaded on his forehead.
“I would never hurt you,” he said in a garbled voice just before his skin split open and a scaly animal replaced him.
Violet’s feet moved on their own as the animal took up the entire space in the room. Even with its wings tucked into its body and the tail curled toward its feet, it still knocked over the computer on the desk, the chairs at the conference table, and a bookcase as it grew. Violet looked up, happy to see the beast was too tall to see her, and grabbing her opportunity, she turned foot and ran. There was no reason for her to stick around. Things had gotten crazy too fast, and no man was worth that.
She trembled as she waited for the elevator, and thankfully in seconds, it came up, and she ran in. Standing there in shock, she stared down at her trembling hands, and as soon as the door opened, she ran out, praying that Frank hadn’t noticed she was gone already. What could he say? At this time, there was nothing she wanted to hear. Nothing would have made what she saw seem okay.
She ran right into Cathy who grabbed onto her to prevent herself from falling over in her high heels.
“Violet?”
“Oh, please excuse me, Cathy,” she mumbled, nervously glancing back to the elevator as it closed. She took a step to the side, not willing to stay still with danger so close.
Cathy grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?”
Violet shook her head no. “Cathy!” Violet realized with wide eyes. She gripped Cathy’s shoulders tightly. “You can’t go up there. You need to leave. Come on.”
“You’re crying,” Cathy asked, and Violet reached up to touch her face, shocked to find the tears. She hadn’t realized she was crying. “Please, Violet. You can talk to me. What’s wrong?”
How could she tell Cathy that Frank turned into a giant lizard? Or something similar. She couldn’t even bring herself to say the words. There was no one she could trust with the insane words bouncing around in her mind.
“Let me take you back upstairs.” She tried to lead Violet away, but there was nothing that could make her go back upstairs. She had already wasted too much time by talking.
“I’m sorry. I really need to go,” Violet said running through the lobby and out the door. She didn’t dare glance back as she ran through the parking lot and as soon as she was safe in the car, Violet speed dialed Claire. She didn’t wait for her to say hello.
“Tell me you’re at the Crystalline Aurora,” Violet said.
“I am,” she said, “What’s—”
“Is anyone there?”
“No. You know three isn’t a peak hour,” Claire said clearly concerned.
“Great. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Violet said.
“What’s going on, Violet?” Claire asked.
“I’ll talk to you when I get there,” she said before hanging up. She gripped the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles started turning white.
Violet had never been more grateful that Claire had bought the property across the street from The Velvet Box than she did now. She needed a safe place to hide out in case Frank tried to chase her down to The Velvet Box. Claire would lock up and protect her. Alone, Violet wasn’t sure she could talk to him… not right now. She didn’t know what to think, and she knew Claire was the only one she trusted to listen and help her make sense of everything.
She pulled into her parking spot and crossed the street where Claire was waiting at the door with worry lines creasing her forehead.
“Vi, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Claire asked, holding the door open so Violet could come right in. The sound of the deadbolt turning in the door calmed and comforted Violet as she paced into the store.
Although Claire’s store was across the street from Violet’s, it was set up differently. There was nothing similar about it in décor or placement. For one, there were several small round tables, causing the customer to zig and zag in between all types of objects. The store was organized by small table markers. There were several sellers, but the main ones were fortune telling, mythical creatures, incense, herbs, and jewels.
Everything was covered in black or silver, and as a result, the store ran hot, which meant Claire spent a fortune pumping the air conditioning. Violet could feel just how heated her face was as she paced, trying to figure out where to start and wiping her still wet face. “I need water,” she said looking around for the signature water bottles Claire hid around the store.
“Tell me the problem, and I can recommend the right herb to drink with it.” Claire headed to the back of her register.
“I don’t need any more herbs. Just water,” Violet demanded, and Claire went to the small fridge to get her something. Violet took it, unscrewed it, and guzzled half the water bottle down before deciding there were no words that could make what she had to say any easier.
“I think I’ve been drugged,” she said,
“What?” Claire screeched, coming over to hold Violet’s face. She stared into her eyes and frowned. There was a comfort in her hands. “Your pupils aren’t dilated.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She let her arms fall to the side. “I mean, you do seem super hyper, and you’re hot and sweaty, but that could be from the heat outside or you working yourself up. Did you run before you got here? You look winded.”
“Yeah. I ran to the car.”
“Well, maybe that’s why you feel like that,” Claire said trying to figure out Violet out.
“No,” Violet said shaking her head as she continued to pace. “No. No. No. I was drugged. I know it. That’s what happened.” She squeezed the bottle, crushing the bottle in her fist without realizing until Claire pried the bottle from her hand.
“Why do you think you’ve been drugged? Did someone hurt you?”
She wanted to say yes, but she shook her head no—not physically, anyway. “I think Frank drugged me. Some kind of hallucinogen in the air.”
Claire froze. “I would ask you if you just finished a spy movie, but I can tell you’re serious.”
Violet turned on her heels to stand in front of her friend. “I am.”
“What makes you say that?” Claire asked.
“Frank! He said he was a dragon. Of all the things to say! Why would he say that?” Violet ranted more to herself than Claire before pacing again. She was like fire, constantly in motion. Pacing back and forth in a straight line, she continued, “He literally looked me in the face and said he was a dragon. Of all the things to say. Of course, he’s not a dragon.”
“We were having a moment last night. He called me, and I could tell he was upset, and I thought we were on to something. I thought we were getting closer, you know?” she asked without waiting for Claire to respond. “He could have just been honest with me. He didn’t have to lie, and you know what Momma used to say. Men lie when they have something to cover up, and so I couldn’t leave it alone, you know? I went to his office and asked him straight up. I figured maybe he was married or had a kid but I knew that couldn’t be it. You would have told me. So, maybe he’s an undercover spy, who knows but either way, I wanted him to tell me why to my face and do you know what he told me?”
She stopped, throwing her hands up, and noticing that Claire was still in the same place as if frozen like ice. “He told me he was a dragon! What is the world coming to when men, good men who are smart and nice, randomly announce they’re dragons? You know, I might have tried to work it out if he said he was a spy or something, but this. A dragon? The world has gone crazy. This is crazy. Why don’t we just get really crazy? The next thing you’re going to tell me is Katherine is a dragon, too.”
Claire was silent, and Violet stopped so abruptly she tripped forward. Claire’s face said it all.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
For an extended second, Claire’s eyes remained steady and unblinking on Violet’s face. “I’m not.”
Violet bent forward, gasping for breath, and clutching at her knees in disbelief. “This is a joke.”
“It’s not.” Claire moved to her side and rubbing her back.
Everything in Violet’s life felt fake. There were dragons, and her friend was ridiculously calm about it almost like she already knew.
“You knew?” Violet stood to look into Claire’s eyes. “Did you know Frank was a dragon when you told me about him?”
Several emotions flickered across Claire’s face—shock, fear, guilt.
“You knew!” Violet slowly backed away from her, shaking her head.
Her world was a lie. Nothing made sense anymore. How many other things had Claire kept hidden from her?
Claire didn’t object but instead hung her head. It was admission all by herself.
“What the hell?” Violet screamed. Claire flinched at the sharp edges of her voice. The silence hung between them, and Violet wasn’t sure if it was because Claire was speechless or choosing to say nothing. “What else don’t I know about you?” If Claire hadn’t told Violet about this, what else had she not told Violet? What little details were ignored or skimmed over, for whatever reason? “How long?”
Claire bit down on her bottom lip as if to keep the words from coming out.
“How long have you known about dragons, Claire?”
She took a deep breath and bit the bullet. “My entire life.”
Violet felt like the floor fell out from under her feet. Nothing was the same. She didn’t know what anything meant anymore, but she knew nothing would be the same.