CHAPTER SIX
Violet
In the last two months, things have settled down. I’m in a routine that I can live with. One that allows me to feel safe but also stretches the boundaries of what makes me feel comfortable. The only thing I would change would be my living situation. I hate being out in the middle of nowhere and wish I could afford to move closer town.
I’m wiping down the counter, waiting for The Café to open when Caleb drags himself through the front door. “Morning.” I give him a smile.
He gives me a look, scrunching up his nose. “It should be illegal to be getting up this early, especially to be in a good mood about it.”
“When you’ve been through things I’ve been through, you’re glad to be able to wake up in the morning. You’re thankful for it.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I guess.”
“C’mon back here.” Ernie motions to the younger boy. “I already got enough dishes for you to run a sink full.”
He sighs but puts on an apron and gets to work. It’s a Saturday, I guess I can understand why he’s upset. He probably has a party to go to tonight. According to Anthony, the kids have been partying it up in the fields and at the barns lately. Although Caleb is a good kid, it doesn’t mean he’s not out having a good time too.
“I’m going to open the door,” I yell back to them, checking the time on my cell as I do. Leighton will be in a little later today, and we’ve picked up a high school girl who helps fill in the gaps.
As I lift up the blind that covers the plate glass door when we’re closed, my breath is taken. The sun is coming up over the horizon, marking the sky with pinks and purples. Stars are still shining in certain spots as a new dawn starts to reclaim the night sky. Taking a deep breath, I realize what I said to Caleb is true. Anytime I can enjoy a sunrise and a sunset, I will mark it as a blessing in my book. Months ago, when I laid in that hospital bed, I worried I’d never see one again.
Pushing the door open, I hold it with my foot as I pull the chalkboard sign out that announces our specials for the day. When the weight is taken off my foot, I glance up. Standing in front of me is a person who sometimes takes my breath away. “Mornin’, Violet.”
Dressed in his gear, Anthony is a feast for the eyes. “Morning.” I take in his appearance, the scruff on his cheeks and chin, the dark circles under his eyes. “Did you work overnight?”
“Yeah, it was unexpected, but Stella’s sick enough they had to take her to the ER so I covered for Renegade. Which means I have to be back to work in about eight hours.”
“What are you doing here?”
He runs a hand across those abs of his pulling his shirt tight against the muscles. “Hungry as hell, and I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Now my interest is piqued. He holds the door open for me as we enter the still empty Café. Ernie sees him from the back and yells out a greeting, telling him his usual will be right up.
“Coffee?” I ask, as I get behind the counter and he has a seat at one of the chairs attached.
“Better not, I’ve got to go to sleep when I get home. How about some OJ?”
“Coming right up.”
Making myself busy, I get him a big glass of OJ and then pick up the food Ernie has already finished for him. Setting it down, I watch as he digs in. “So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Oh yeah.” He takes a drink of his OJ, washing down the huge bite of food he took. “You know I live in a duplex? The other part is now vacant. They were evicted last week, and my landlord hasn’t rented it out yet. I told him about you and how you wanted to move closer to town. You should come take a look at it this afternoon.”
“There’s no way I can afford to live there, Anthony. Thank you for recommending me, but I can guarantee you I can’t afford it.”
His green eyes meet mine, the dark stubble around his mouth making his lips stand out. “I think you’d be surprised. All you have to do is go check it out and talk to him. He’d be willing to work with you. Besides you aren’t stuck in a lease with where you’re living. Brent is in jail for the foreseeable future, so sweetheart, you can do whatever the fuck it is you want.”
I know with every fiber of my being that I won’t be able to afford the duplex, but to make Anthony happy, I’ll have a look. “Can you get in touch with him and ask if I can look after I get off work?”
He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, giving me a heart-fluttering smile. “Sure thing.”
* * *
And that’s how I ended up here, sitting outside the duplex Anthony lives in waiting for his landlord. I’m assuming Anthony is fast asleep, or just waking up, depending on when he actually has to leave for his shift. I’ve been here a few times, and each time, I wonder what it would be like to live in a nice place. The outside is brick, the doors to each side face each other with a shared wide porch in the front, and in the back. The doors aren’t the cheap kind that my mobile home has. They’re solid wood with an actual peephole and a patterned glass situated in the middle. Again, nicer than anything I’ve ever lived in.
A huge truck pulls up beside my little car, and a man hops down, walking toward me with his hands in his pockets. This must be the landlord. Quickly grabbing my purse, I get out of my car.
“You must be Violet.” He holds his hand out for me to shake. “Ace has told me a lot about you. I’m Fulcher.”
I just bet he has. “I am, and nice to meet you.” I shake his hand confidently. “I’m gonna be real honest with you though, Fulcher. I’m not even a tiny bit sure I can afford what you’ve got here.”
“Let’s just take a look at it, and then we’ll talk about it.”
There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to get my hopes up, but there’s another part of me that desperately wants something good to happen, something that I didn’t expect. A beautiful surprise. Dear God, let this be it. We enter, and the clean smell assaults me. No stale cigarette smoke; I still can’t get the smell out of the trailer even though Brent’s been gone for months. There’s newly finished hardwood floor, judging by the way the boards shine. The open concept is appealing, I can see the front door from the sink. There’s a nice stove, a dishwasher, and a small pantry.
“It’s a one-bedroom,” he cautions as we walk down the hall-way. “Ace has two, but I wanted to have options when I built the place.”
“One is perfect for me,” I assure him as we enter. It’s good-sized, bigger than both the bedrooms in my trailer and it looks like they’ve put in new carpet.
“Because it’s only a one bedroom, it’s got a walk-in closet that’s huge. I’ve seen other people in my rentals turn them into closets with offices in some of the extra space, it’s so big. Ready to see it?”
“Yeah.” I grin.
When he opens the door, I gasp. It’s huge, gorgeous, and everything a woman would want. There’s even a vanity in the back, which is probably why many turn them into offices. We end the tour with a look at a basic bathroom.
“There’s a small storage shed on your side. Ace has his own in the backyard. I don’t allow pets without a deposit, but if you were to want to get one, the back is completely fenced,” he explains as he watches me, looking over the place again.
“What about upkeep?”
“I take care of everything that naturally happens. You bust a hole in my drywall, I charge you for it. A pipe bursts, the washer or dryer goes, the dishwasher takes a shit, that’s me. I also take care of yard work, that’s included in the lease.”
I take a deep breath, ready to ask him the question that’s been at the back of my mind since we started this. “How much is it a month?”
“You were honest with me, I’m gonna be honest with you.” He sticks his hands in his pockets and leans against the breakfast bar. “I normally rent this place out for seven-fifty a month with a deposit, background check, and credit check.”
My face crumbles. I’m paying five hundred for the little trailer, and some months it’s hard to come up with that. There’s no way I have enough for a deposit or another almost three-hundred bucks a month. “This place is gorgeous, and I wish I could afford it.” Embarrassing tears are pricking at the back of my eyes.
“Wait.” He holds up a hand. “That’s what I normally do, but Ace has told me a lot about you. My niece was in the same sort of situation you were in, and someone helped her. I’d like to pay that forward. This place is paid off so all this is, is income for me, and I served with Ace in the military. He saved me once, and I’ve owed him a long time. How much do you pay for rent now?” He crosses his legs at the ankle and stares at me.
“Five hundred.” I cringe. “Thank you, but there’s no way you can give me this place for five hundred, and I understand that.”
“Yes, I can.” He comes off the bar. “I hear you’re in school.”
“I am.” I nod. “Should be done at the end of next year, when I plan to get a better job.”
“How about we do this?” He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.
I eye it, it’s a folded-up piece of notebook paper, and he’s making notes on it in hurried scratches. The writing so undeniably masculine it makes me want to laugh. I watch as he writes what he’s saying.
“The first year, you’ll pay five hundred a month. If you’re still here during the second year, after you’ve found a new job, you’ll pay six hundred, and then if you can afford it and you’re still here, we’ll raise it to the normal price in the third year. I’m not above working with you, Violet. Like I said, I owe Ace my life, and there were a lot of very nice people who helped my niece. I know you’ll pay your rent.” He lays the pen down. “The people here before you didn’t pay shit for almost six months. They made me evict them. I have a feeling you’re honest.”
“To a fault,” I agree.
“Then let me do this for you. Let me do it for my niece, let me do it for Ace.”
My heart is pounding and my head is spinning. “Are you sure I wouldn’t put you in a bind?”
He shakes his head, smiling ruefully. “I fucked my knee up on Ace and mine’s last mission. I was medically discharged from the military and Uncle Sam pays me a nice pension. I do this because I don’t wanna be fucking bored all day long. I can afford to be nice to you, if you’d just let me.”
I lean in, take the pen he’s set down, and sign my name. “There, sign yours so it’s a contract.”
He grins. “Awesome, but can I be real honest with you again?”
“I think that’s the only way we know how to be, Fulcher.” I grin back at him.
“I have a real good feeling you’re not gonna be here in a year. That guy next door seems to care about you, and if there’s one thing I know about him, he’s patient but he’s stubborn as fuck.”
“We’re friends,” I argue.
“Friends make the best lovers.” He holds up his left hand, showing a wedding ring. “If anyone knows that, it’s me.”
I’m speechless as I look at him.
“Here’s your key.” He hands me a set. “They’re new locks, so the old tenants can’t get in. The utilities are still on; all you have to do is have them transferred. Your first month’s rent will be due on the fifteenth of next month. That day good for you?”
In a whirlwind I tell him yes and watch as he walks out of what’s now mine. Left alone, I twirl around in a circle. How did I ever get this lucky?
And when my eyes land on the door across the way from mine, I realize it was all when the man living there came into my life. If there ever was a gift from God, Anthony has been mine.