Chapter 11
Violet
Violet arrived home, she stumbled out of her car and up the garden path, checking behind her to make sure she hadn’t been followed. She fumbled with her keys as she tried to get one in the lock. After three goes, she finally stopped her hands trembling long enough to open the door. Violet slammed the door shut and leaned against it before her legs gave out. She was still out of breath and could see black spots. What the hell had just happened at the beach?
That offhanded comment had affected her all the way to her bones.
Blake Wilson thought her ass was hot! But why did he think her ass was hot?
It was a little too wobbly and had been increasing in size annually since she turned 27! That was when she realized that no man measured up to a certain celebrity and she was doomed in all matters of love forever!
And now he wanted her?
Was this one of those candid camera type shows? Was someone famous going to jump out from behind her daisy bushes with a camera, laughing? Because this had to be a joke!
Maybe it was some new reality show where celebrities go back to their hometowns and torture people from their past who had crushes on them!
She would totally watch that!
Wouldn’t she have to sign a release? Oh god, she so didn’t want to be on TV!!
She would have seen a camera by now, right?
Jeez Vi, stop jumping to conclusions!
The jumping conclusions made more sense than the reality. Either Blake Wilson was back to torturing her like he did when she was a kid or he actually liked her. Liking her seemed less probable than a reality TV show. He could pick from all the women in the world, so why on earth would he want her? And why now… After all this time? He had spent the better part of 13 years banging every hot woman he could find, and he sure had found more than enough. How many times had she read an article about him and some woman, splashed across all the magazines at the grocery store?! A little part of Violet died every damned time she had to read about his hot dates. The women he dated were stunning, always tall, models or actresses. Blake had been linked to several high-profile women, one or two of whom he was rumored to have been engaged to, so she knew she would never measure up, she would never be good enough.
Violet’s legs finally stopped feeling like jelly and she was able to move away from the door, head to the kitchen, and flick on her kettle. She needed to get ready for work and stop trying to decode the mysterious actions of Blake Wilson.
You need to seriously stop thinking about him.
Violet sat down with her tea and granola, and out of nothing but habit, pulled out her phone to check Blake’s PicMe.
What else was she meant to do while she ate her breakfast!
Judge away!
Violet let out a strangled moan around her granola. Blake had been posting fewer photos since his return to Encounter Bay.
Oh, the humanity!
The picture he posted this morning was of the sunrise. Those beautiful yellows and oranges swirling together across the cloudless sky, the spotless white sand, and the flat turquoise water made the photo breathtaking. She scrolled down to the caption, “Ran into something beautiful this morning.”
Shaking her head, she laughed at herself hysterically, because there was no way on earth he was talking about her, right?
Quit daydreaming!
Go get ready for work!
You’re running late again.
◆◆◆
Honestly, she had no idea how this kept on happening.
Okay, fine, she may have been daydreaming in the shower about a certain someone and it might have gotten, well, a little hot and heavy in there…
Violet parked her car and hurried down the main street into the little realty office with the construction workers hollering behind her.
Like, how long did it take to fix a pavement?
The phone was ringing again as Violet rushed in the door.
Doing her trademark bag drop and lunge across the desk to get the phone before it rang out, Violet ran her hand down her pencil skirt to make sure she hadn’t split the seams. “Encounter Bay Realty, Violet speaking, how can I help you?” Violet blurted out, trying to disguise her heavy breathing.
“G’day love, I’d like to make a time to check out the Cape Cod home y’ve got on your website,” came a thick Australian voice down the phone.
Or was it English?
Violet could never tell the difference, well it wasn’t from around here, that’s for sure. Quickly scooting around the desk and dropping to her seat, Violet tapped at her computer, waking it from its slumber.
“It’s empty at the moment, so any time that suits you is okay. Mr Jameson only has one booking, and that’s between 10 and 11 this morning,” she said, looking at Mr Jameson’s schedule.
“Crikey darl! The only time I have available is 10 am today. Is there someone else who could let me have a gander?”
What in the hell was a gander, Violet thought, as she tried to decipher what this person had just said. She was assuming that gander meant a look.
“Sure, I can meet you out there at 10,” Violet replied, cringing and hoping she had gotten this right.
“Well crikey, love, that sounds about perfect. I’ll see you then, mate!”
Before Violet could ask for a name, the Australian hung up. Violet looked at the phone, still unsure of what the hell had just happened. Shaking her head, she put the phone back down.
“Violet, who was that?” yelled Mr Jameson from his office.
They had this weird thing going on where they shouted conversations across the tiny office.
“It was someone wanting to see the Cape Cod place, weird accent, like an Australian accent I think.”
“What time?” Mr Jameson yelled back.
“Uh, they wanted to see it at 10 and you’re busy, so I’m going to go.”
“And you’re going?” Mr Jameson yelled back.
“Is that okay?” Violet asked, cringing because she knew a lecture was coming.
“Only if you show the whole darn house this time and not just the front door. Do whatever you can to get a sale, I’ve just had the owners breathing down my neck, they want it sold. There will be no running people out of there, or you’re fired! If you can’t handle it, I’ll go. I can move my appointment around.”
Violet sighed. “I promise, Mr Jameson, nothing bad will happen. You don’t need to go, I can do it.”
“There’d better not be any balls-ups this time!” came Mr Jameson’s angry voice.
“If I sell it, will I get a raise?” Violet asked. She waited for Mr Jameson to reply but got nothing.
Typical.
Getting to the Cape Cod house early, Violet sighed as she trudged up the front steps and opened the front door.
This was a Cape Cod house on steroids, with a gabled roof and an extensive wrap-around porch giving sweeping views of Encounter Bay. Needless to say, it was amazing inside and out. It had polished hardwood floors and its enormous rooms were painted in soft whites and greys. The kitchen and bathrooms were freshly remodeled and redecorated in stunning white, marble, and light grey finishes. The back porch and pool area were to-die-for, the vast alfresco entertaining area looked out over a stunning swimming pool with a fountain and a rock wall for privacy. The rock wall had all manner of green plants growing out of it, which gave it a tropical feel while shielding the house from prying eyes. Hurrying inside, Violet flicked on some lights and went out the back to switch on the pump that made the water cascade down the rocks by the pool.
That sound made her sigh. If she won the lottery, she would totally buy this house. Making her way back through to the sun-drenched front rooms, she wondered who it was that wanted to see it so bad. His voice on the phone had sounded really Australian, maybe it was a Hemsworth! She wished he had left his name then she could have searched on the internet for him and made sure he wasn’t an ax murderer. Mr Jameson had given her mase to keep in her bag, just in case.
Hearing a car pull up outside, Violet straightened her white shirt and grey skirt, ran a hand over her hair, and walked to the front door. Screwing a broad smile onto her face, she watched as Blake Wilson got out of the big black SUV that had stopped out the front and leisurely made his way around the car and up the pavement. She could see the smug smile on his face from here.
By the time he got to the door, Violet’s big smile had turned into a scowl. How in the hell did he know where she was?
“What are you doing here?!” she hissed as he got within hearing distance.
“Violence, that is no way to treat a potential buyer. Isn’t that Real Estate 101?” he said with a cocky grin plastered on his too-handsome face.
“It was you on the phone!” Violet seethed. How had she not recognized his voice!
“Yeah, mate,” Blake said, slipping back to his Aussie accent.
“Ugh!” was all Violet could manage as she stomped her foot and swung around to march into the house.
“Was my accent believable?” Blake asked from behind her.
She could hear joshing in his voice and she bet he had that hot sexy smirk on his face, not that she was turning around to see.
Was it crazy that his stupid Aussie accent made him even hotter, more exotic?
Or was that erotic?
“Aren’t you going to give me the spiel, you know, how many rooms and all that,” came his cocky voice from behind her.
Was he checking out her ‘hot’ ass?
Get your mind out of the gutter, Violet!!
Turning back around in the spacious foyer, Violet gave Blake the death stare.
Anger is better than lust, right?
“This is a super stunning Cape Cod home, it’s worth the money and the master bedroom has double doors, so you should be able to get both yourself and your ego in there, but the bathroom might be a problem,” she said, crossing her arms.
Score 1 Violet!!
She watched as Blake’s grin faded and he blinked several times.
Why did he have to be so hot?
Why was she only wearing her blouse and a bra? She needed more layers!
Her nipples were going to be on display in about 20 seconds if she didn’t get away from him. Violet’s eyes swept over Blake. He had forgone his trademark band t-shirt and faded jeans and was dressed in a pair of camel chinos and a black polo top.
Button not done all the way to the top.
This look was preppy but edgy.
He had his sleeve of tattoos on display, skater shoes on, and a skater hat.
He looked like a wealthy 18-year-old, not a 35-year-old grown-ass man.
Maybe he was one of those man-children?
Either way, he could still pull off that look.
“Look around, and if you have any questions, I’ll be here,” Violet added, not meeting his eye. There was no way she was walking him around this house, he could go look himself. Violet took a step back and wobbled on her heels as Blake advanced on her, his blue eyes boring into her as he got closer. Oh god no, he was now so close she could smell that sexy man scent he had, all man with a hit of beach. Violet swallowed the lump in her throat as he leaned closer to her. “Violence, I want the guided tour and I think you better start in that bedroom,” he said, the last part coming out in a husky voice which made Violet’s lady-bits quiver!