Chapter Thirteen
Frank
Frank hadn’t taken Violet’s leaving well. In fact, he was so angry he had to go for an emergency flight session. He was invisible but still, in broad daylight wasn’t the safest choice. He didn’t fly long, just long enough to calm down and focus on the more important things. Like how to fix it.
He couldn’t get Violet’s haunted face out of his mind. She looked pissed, and Frank sincerely hoped her pulling on her clothes and running out of his house wouldn’t be the last memory he had of her. He decided he didn’t care if he had to beg, he was going to get her back. He didn’t wait three hundred years for this kind of love only to lose it because of something insignificant.
When he was calm, he called his best friend for some advice.
“Des,” Frank said.
“Save your breath, I already know why you’re calling,” Desmond said with glee.
Frank could only sigh and shake his head. “Of course, you do.” Despite what Desmond claimed, he was a big gossip. He tried to pretend that he didn’t, but he’d gossip with anyone who would stand still for it.
Desmond only snickered at the claim. Sure, he liked to gossip, but Frank could bet his life on Desmond discretion. The man liked to talk, but he was also like a vault. Secrets went in but never went out.
“So. A fire maiden, huh?”
“Can you believe it?” Frank walked naked to his bedroom.
“And you just couldn’t reign in your excitement?”
“How could I?” Frank asked. “You know how badly my parents want grandchildren. And, yes, times have changed, but there’s still a lot of stigma toward fire-blooded humans. My parents want dragon grandchildren. They want to share that experience with me, and you know how hard it was for me to even accept that she was human and could never bear my children. I fought my mother for her and now, come to find out she is a fire maiden. You bett\ your ass I was excited, and I’m not sorry for showing that.”
Desmond snickered, and Frank rolled his eyes. His friend had a way of making Frank seem overdramatic, but he wasn’t. He was just passionate. “It wasn’t about your excitement, you idiot.”
“Then what was it? What did she say?” he said worried he might have ruined the best thing that ever happened to him.
“If you think I’m going to tell you what Violet said, you forget who you are talking to. I will, however, help you see the light. Does Violet strike you as the kind of woman who would want you to hide your happiness?”
“No.” Absolutely not. Violet repeatedly said how much she liked Frank’s smile.
“Then you must surmise it was not your excitement that caused her to storm out of your bed.”
Frank snarled. He didn’t like the idea of Desmond imagining Violet in bed, even if that thought meant she was climbing out of Frank’s bed. It didn’t make sense, but he was possessive and couldn’t hide it. Desmond ignored it.
“The issue was your assumptions.”
That stunned Frank. What did he assume of Violet? “Was I wrong to assume she wanted to be with me?”
“No. Try again,” Desmond said giving Frank room to think on his own.
“Children.”
“Ding. Ding. Ding,” Desmond said, “Children, my friend. Why do you assume Violet will want to have dragon babies? You’re not even sure if she wants to have your babies.”
Desmond was right. Frank had assumed a lot. He had assumed that Violet was thinking along the same lines as him. He knew he wanted to be with her. He already told his mom about her. He didn’t, however, know how she felt. He was already on thin ice with the whole dragon thing, and here he was raving about children with her. Of course, she ran off.
“I messed up,” Frank said, running his hands through his hair.
“You sure did.” Desmond sounded like he was gloating, but Frank was too concerned about his relationship with Violet to argue with him about it.
“How can I fix it?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Desmond said before hanging up. Frank used to hate how abrupt his friend was on the phone. Now, he never expected a goodbye. He smirked as he pulled on some clothes. Even though he’d only known Violet a short time, he knew her pretty well. She was a bit predictable, and he liked that about her. It meant he could pick a gift for her with confidence.
They had something in common—jewelry, and Frank had the motherload of options. His hoard took up an entire floor in his house. Finally dressed and with a plan in mind, he went into the back of his closet where a secret elevator was behind the wood paneling. Pressing his hand to the secret board that opened it, he rode the elevator to the bottom, where his basement moonlighted as a jeweler’s vault. Inside, mounds of jewels lined the floor in heaps and piles based on jewel type but in no specific order.
Frank was a bit meticulous in the way he organized, preferring the diamonds stuck with the diamonds, the opals with the opals, the pearls with the pearls, and so on, without regard for cut, clarity, or color. It had taken him centuries to store such a vast collection, and it comforted him to see it all in one place.
He walked down the aisles, not really looking but knowing he’d find what he was searching for eventually. This was going to be something for Violet. A gift as lovely as she was and it would prove that he had been paying attention when she talked. Something rare.
He rounded the corner to his collection of antiques. Technically, everything in there was an antique, but he knew she wouldn’t accept anything too expensive. It had to be just right, and when he saw the meteor rocks he collected and had turned into a jewelry set, he knew he chose right.
A ring would be too awkward right now and a necklace might seem like too much, but a bracelet would be just right. He fingered it with a smile. It would look beautiful against her pale skin.
With it in hand, he rounded the corner looking for the necklace Desmond gave him. Even though it was cheaper than the things he owned, he wanted to show Violet he really did have it. It wasn’t too far, still in its box behind some other gifts he received over the years. He removed it from its box and replaced it with the bracelet he would be giving her. Then put the necklace around his neck. It made him feel closer to her. Decision made, he rushed to get in the car before it was too late. He had to catch Violet before she left work.
Frank was right. Violet was at work, and given the way she was staring off into the distance he could tell she was deep in thought. He opened the door, hating how the tiny bells signaled his entrance. He wanted to stare at her a little longer.
“Frank,” she said, fidgeting. “I didn’t expect you to come.”
“I had to, Violet. I didn’t like the way we left it,” he said hiding the small box in his back pocket.
“Of course,” she said, nodding. “I didn’t like it, either.”
“I’m sorry.” He decided it was better to go first. “I didn’t mean to make demands of you.” He looked around the store double checking they were alone. “Is anyone here?”
“No. My last customer left a few minutes ago.”
“Good,” he said happy to be speaking freely. “Violet, I care a great deal for you. I don’t care if you want to have children with me or not. I would love to go half on a baby with you though. Anything you make would be beautiful. I can tell looking at your art, but if you don’t want children, that’s okay.” He stepped forward until he could cradle her face. “I just want you. You and no one else. You make me happy, and I’d be crazy not to admit it.”
She stared down, maybe too overcome with how intimate the moment was. “I’m sorry, too.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said stepping back.
“Yes, I do. I shouldn’t have left. I should have stayed and told you how I felt,” she said burning him with the love he saw in her eyes. He hoped it wasn’t his imagination.
“Then we can both agree to forgive each other and move on.”
“I would love that,” she said with a big grin.
He pulled the box from his back pocket, and the small gasp she made was worth it.
“Oh, Frank. What is this? You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said, taking the long box.
“I didn’t,” he said thankful he had his own collection of jewels.
“This is my box. You bought something from here for me?” she said untying the flat bow he tied around it.
“No,” he said. “Just reusing the box. I put something of my own in there.”
She gasped again. “Frank. It’s beautiful.” She held it up to the light. “What is it?”
It was black but glittered with purple flecks with every small turn in the light.
“Meteorite,” he said, not bothering to tell her the last meteorite shower was two hundred years ago.
She threw her arms around him and sniffled before looking up. That close, Frank could make out the small flecks of gold in her eyes, and he was lost to her. His head automatically leaned down to claim her lips. She reciprocated, standing on her tip toes to give him even more access and she moaned, wrapping one arm around his neck to pull him closer and the other hand rested on his chest.
When he pulled back, he was pleased to see her eyes were dilated.
“What’s this?” she said, tracing over the outline of his necklace under his t-shirt.
He pulled it out, happy to see her reaction. “The Midas,” she said tracing over it.
“I told you Desmond got it for me.”
“It’s beautiful.” She stepped back to look at him in it. “It looks great on you,” she said smiling.
“Let me help you with that,” he said, taking the bracelet from her and wrapping it around her tiny wrist. “That looks beautiful on you.”
“Thank you.”
“It was the least I could do. I really am sorry, Vi. I want to make it up to you.”
“Really?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Whatever it takes.” He closed the distance between them.
“Is that so?” she said with a smirk.
“Yup,” he said, nodding. “Anything.”
“Be careful what you offer, Mister Lodge,” she said walking her fingers up his chest. “You might find I ask for too much.”
“Desmond said I shouldn’t make assumptions.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“You talked to Desmond?” she said, her eyes belaying her slight panic.
“Yeah. He told me he talked to you but don’t worry. He didn’t tell me anything you said,” he assured her and was relieved to feel her relax.
“Well, then, what did he have to say?”
“He just told me I shouldn’t make assumptions and I got the impression he was happy to see me so nervous.”
Violet snickered. “Yeah, he told me something along those lines.”
“He’s a good friend.” Frank hugged her closer.
“I’m beginning to see that,” she said as the bell above the front door rang. “Welcome to the Velvet Box,” she called out and pulled from Frank’s grasp. “Don’t worry.” She looked back with a smile. “We can finish talking about this tonight.”