When Violet moved to pay, Lando walked outside and handed Diane the twenty she’d pulled from the machine. Diane took it and slipped it into her pocket like they’d just made a drug deal, which Lando supposed they had. She glowered as she got into the backseat and opened her pretzels to try and get some food in her belly before the antibiotic had to be washed down. God, she hated those things. She wouldn’t have gotten them if she’d had a choice, but since Diane had done it without her knowing, she’d take them. And technically, she’d now paid for them, so why not. Violet was the last to get in the car, and Diane pulled out of the gas station and onto the road in no time.
It was nearing nightfall when they stopped, Diane claiming she was too tired to keep driving. Violet hadn’t said a damn word to her in hours. Lando wondered when she was going to explode, because she knew without a doubt that it was going to happen. Violet had lost her temper more times than Lando cared to count in the few short days they’d traveled together. It was a side of her old teacher that Lando had never been privy to before.
The hotel arrangements were the same as before. Diane got her own room while Lando had to bunk with Violet. Once again, she gave her the bed closest to the bathroom and with the best view of the television. She got her own ice for her arm and settled in as Violet stared at her computer screen.What was going on in that head of Violet’s?Lando had never seen someone so withdrawn from general conversation with those around her.
They were stuck together in close quarters for the better part of six months, and if this was going to be Violet for the rest of the time there, it was going to be a struggle. Diane was at least personable. Lando shifted the ice and lifted her gaze, finding Violet awkwardly staring back at her.
“How did you say you met Diane?”
“Grade school,” Violet answered, succinctly.
“And you stayed friends?”
Violet shrugged. “Not many options of friends where we grew up.”
“Yeah, but you have options now,” Lando muttered.
“What do you mean by that?”
Lando grimaced. She’d poked the bear. She hadn’t meant to, but she’d done it. Now she was in for it, and there was no way to avoid Violet’s wrath. “I never would call someone a friend who outed me without my permission.”
“It happens all the time.”
“Whatever.” Lando shifted onto her back. “When’s the storm supposed to hit?”
“Morning.”
“Wake me up then.” Lando closed her eyes purposefully and drew in a deep breath to relax all her muscles. Diane still hadn’t brought up how she was going to be paid, which meant until that happened, her bank account was going to be slim. She’d have to find a way to extend the life of it as best as she could.
Violet ignored her, but the silence in the room was thick with tension. It took Lando an hour before she gave up and went to the bathroom. She craved a shower, anything to make her feel clean. She found a plastic trash bag and the tape, then stared at Violet. This would be so much easier with another pair of hands.
Daring to poke the bear again, Lando made eye contact. “Do you mind helping me?”
“What?”
Lando held up the items. “I want to take a shower.”
“Oh.” Violet shifted the computer off her lap and moved to the edge of the bed. Instead of sheathing her hand like Lando would have done, Violet wrapped it tightly and then taped all the edges, which gave Lando access to her hand. “That should do it.”
“Thanks, teach.”
The term of endearment slipped out of her lips before she could stop it. Violet’s gaze jerked up until it met Lando’s eyes. Lando held the moment, wondering just what trap she’d walked into that time. When Violet said nothing, Lando headed for the bathroom. Violet had gone from one person she’d known in school to a completely different person in the field. It was next to impossible to know who she was going to get next, the woman who was kind-hearted and helpful, the teacher, or the raging bitch on steroids.
CHAPTER7
The next morningcame earlier than Violet had expected. She hadn’t been able to sleep well—thoughts of the conversation in the car running through her mind repeatedly. Not just what Diane had revealed about her to Lando, but all that Lando had shared in her own anger. That soft look Lando had given her when she needed help wrapping her arm and then unwrapping it when she smelled clean and fresh.
Violet rubbed her eyes as she stared at the ceiling in the dark room. Lando’s deep breathing next to her was a sure indication that she was still asleep. A child by comparison in age perhaps, but Lando had certainly lived in ways a normal twenty-three-year-old hadn’t. Turning on her side, Violet watched the gentle rise and fall of Lando’s chest as she slept.
What was she supposed to do with the trip? She’d had all these plans for how she was going to confront Diane about her feelings, her long kept feelings, but every time she turned around, Diane hovered over Lando, lavishing attention on her or throwing Violet under the bus. Some days she couldn’t figure out why she was so attracted to Diane. Perhaps it was because Diane was her first love, her true love, even if they’d never done anything more than kiss one time.
Violet rustled around and grabbed her computer. She went through some of the raw data they had gotten in the last few days and tried to make sense of it. She could concentrate for a few minutes, but then her mind spun back to Diane or Lando. She had been quite mean to Lando since she’d joined their team. Lando had been right to call her out on that, as much as she didn’t want to admit it.
Rubbing her temple, Violet narrowed her gaze at the bright computer screen. She had to focus on something, do something, because she couldn’t confront Diane like she wanted to until Diane was awake, which would be a bit. She rolled her shoulders to get back to work but was finding it nearly impossible.
The text came in unexpectedly. She stared at Diane’s name for a full thirty seconds before she opened and read it. The call of coffee was too much to ignore, so Violet slid out from the blankets and put her laptop to the side before dressing in silence and slipping out the door as quietly as possible. She found Diane right next to the door to her room, coffee in hand as a peace offering.
Violet took it even if she didn’t want to make friendly with her just yet. Violet was still pissed about the day before, the sting of betrayal strong. She took the first sip, noting Diane had at least thought to get her favorite to-go coffee, the expensive, frilly one she barely admitted she liked.