“Obviously.” Keep her answers short and sweet and she might make it through six months. Six months seemed so long. Six months with no one on her side. It wouldn’t be that much different than back home, but it surely was going to suck. She’d always dreamed of having a team who became her family—especially since she really didn’t have one, no one other than Aunt T.
Plastic rustled in the front seat, and Violet pulled out a sandwich from a bag. Lando’s stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. She hadn’t eaten anything since that morning. She’d packed a few snacks to bring with her, but that was it. Most of the food she’d had at the house, which wasn’t much, didn’t make for good travel food. She’d rather save her funds for caffeine than sugary snacks.
Violet ate slowly and in absolute silence. It didn’t take much longer for Diane to join them, her bubbly facade back in place. She ignored the tense air, and grinned as she sat down. “Only a few more hours and we’ll be there.”
Neither Lando nor Violet answered.
Diane reached into her own bag, pulling out Twizzlers and a Dr. Pepper. She handed them back, and Lando took them, surprise ringing through her chest. She wondered if Diane had seen the interaction with Violet or if Violet had told her about it. Either way, she was thankful for the treat she wouldn’t normally allow herself.
Lando remained as quiet as possible for the rest of the drive, not wanting to poke the bear in the passenger seat. Hopefully tomorrow would be better, when they actually did some chasing and Lando learned the ropes better. She could prove that she was the right woman for the job, even if Violet didn’t want her to join the team.
CHAPTER4
The small hotelonly had about ten rooms, and Diane, of course, picked a single room for herself, leaving Violet and Lando to share. Shivers ran up Violet’s spine. That had been why Diane wanted them to break down the formalities of the student-teacher relationship. She was going to do this at every place they stayed. Violet knew it.
When it had been Erik, she hadn’t minded. They had worked together for years, and he knew she didn’t care for men in that way. But with Lando? A woman she didn’t want to come on the trip to begin with? Violet was hardly going to sleep the first few nights until the exhaustion from the days seeped in. Even then, the whole situation would undoubtedly get under her skin.
Violet stood outside the main lobby of the hotel, not having dared go inside the room she’d been assigned yet. Lando was already in there, and she stared at the vehicle that had brought them here. Their Hummer stood out like a sore thumb in the entire parking lot, but it normally did wherever they went. There was no doubt to those around that they were storm chasers.
This was her life. This was what she’d always wanted to do since she was a little kid, and she had worked hard to have the financial freedom to do it as often as she did, and particularly for the extra three months that year. Shuddering, Violet gritted her teeth. She would not let some young kid, new to the world of being an adult, ruin that for her. She had to find a way to get over whatever it was she’d felt since discovering Lando was their new team member. The very least she could do was be cordial.
Lando pulled open the back of the Hummer and grabbed her bag, shutting it immediately. She walked with squared shoulders to the door of their room, not even sparing a glance toward Violet. It was going to be a long six months if they didn’t find some sort of balance—if Violet didn’t. She wasn’t so obtuse not to know that she was the cause of all this. Still, she couldn’t help herself.
Diane sauntered her direction, her hips swaying side to side in the nice pair of dark blue jeans, a tight t-shirt showing off every aspect of her figure. She was one of those women able to dress up or dress down and still be drop-dead gorgeous. Violet, however, had never been one of those people. Despite her name, she did not look like a beautiful flower.
“You’re going to have to ease up on the girl,” Diane started, leaning against the wall of the hotel room with her shoulders and not even bothering to look at Violet.
Tensing, Violet gritted her teeth. “You should have told me.”
“It was a last minute decision, and there wasn’t time to tell you.”
“You had all damn morning to tell me. That’s not an excuse.”
Diane sighed, crossing her arms as she stared toward the two rooms she’d booked for the next week. “You’re right, I probably could have slipped it in there in the thirty minutes you were with me this morning, but you still would have been mad about it.”
“Would have had more time to digest.”
“I don’t think you’ve even begun to digest it. You told me yourself she was your star student. Why would you be so upset that I asked her to join us?”
Violet had to think on that one. She’d known Lando had an internship, that she’d wanted to do some type of chasing while in school and beyond school, and if she’d been on a team with anyone other than Diane, Violet probably would have been perfectly fine about everything. But she really couldn’t tell Diane that, could she?
“Look at it this way too, instead of Erik being here, and Lando being a part of the team, that gives us more finances for the trip in the long run. Part of her salary is paid.”
Violet couldn’t argue money, and Diane knew that. Still, she was sure Lando wouldn’t be making any kind of livable salary even with the supplements from the internship. No crew member who was green at the gills did. She couldn’t decide what to say first, that Diane was taking advantage of a young student who had her parents’ backing financially or if it was a smart decision to allow them more wiggle room for the six months they would be out there. It would be nice if they could purchase some new equipment along the way or even stay in a nicer place for a night or two.
“Violet, what are you thinking?”
“That you’re a bitch sometimes.”
Diane grinned, her eyes lighting up with humor. Violet shifted her gaze from Diane down toward the room she was going to have to share with Lando for the next week. She was going to be walking on eggshells the entire time, no doubt. Lando was only an added complication to her plans with Diane that season. She’d have to work around their constant flirtations, but she could do that if she wanted. She wasn’t going to leave this season without letting Diane know how she really felt. Decades of pining was enough.
“You may be right about that.” Diane pushed off the wall, turning so she stood against Violet, pressing her tightly between the hotel and Diane’s hot body.
These were the moments Violet longed for. Diane’s smile turned salacious. Her hand just above Violet’s head, the lean in, the proximity of their breasts, the brush of Diane’s breath on her cheeks. Violet suppressed the shudder but only barely.
“You need to give the kid a break.”
“Do I?” Violet pushed back. “She’s an adult. She can take care of herself.”