Eli lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “Azalea can figure it out. I left her a note.”
“She’s your former teacher, right?”
“Yeah. She was my science teacher all through high school.”
Violet mulled over the next question she wanted to ask. “When did you two become friends?”
“After I graduated, but she was very supportive when I came out to my family in high school.”
“And you never…?” Violet trailed off.
Eli snickered. “No. Azalea, while beautiful, is not my type.”
“All right.” Violet twisted her hands together in her lap. They made most of the rest of the drive in silence, and when they arrived at the airport, Violet thanked Eli profusely for everything. As soon as she was on her own, Violet rolled her shoulders. It was the first time in years that she felt like she was doing the right thing.
* * *
Lando had been officially working at her old job for four days, and while it wasn’t ideal, it was a job. She could expect a paycheck, with more hours to fill it up next week, and she would be able to make the utility payments this month. Next month, she could focus on paying Aunt T back.
She climbed into the forklift, checking to make sure everything was in place before she turned it on. Lando drove to the pallet she was supposed to move and set on the floor, following the instructions Bryce had given her the day before since she was scheduled in before him. It didn’t take her long to find where she was going and what she needed to do.
Driving slowly through the aisles, Lando took a wide berth so she wouldn’t accidentally run into anyone or anything. The store was huge, and often they would move things like this in order to get them there faster. Parking close to the front of the store so she could set out the canopies that were for sale, Lando lowered the forklift so she could access the pallet.
As soon as she was standing next to the large pallet, she took out her box cutter and started to open it. She would set up two of these for the first chunk of her day, setting up the lawn and garden section since it hadn’t been done yet, which surprised her. Usually they had it up before the end of February since people liked to shop early for it.
She popped her back as she started in on the first one. The box was heavy and awkward as she moved it by herself to start the stack. She had three more down, but when she stood up to grab the fourth, she froze in her spot. Brown hair, blue eyes, lanky body. Violet was everything she was not, beautiful, strong, confident, stoic. Lando drew in a shuddering breath before she reached forward and grabbed the damn fourth box, saying nothing to her former teacher.
Lando’s belly swirled with anxiety and fear. She didn’t know if Violet was back for a second firing or yelling or not, though in the back of her mind, she suspected not. Violet wasn’t that kind of person, and the two weeks they had spent together had taught her that—well, the year they’d known each other.
“Lando.” Violet’s tone was soft, nearly pitying.
She couldn’t handle it. It sickened her. Lando ignored her as she placed the box on the bottom of the stack and went to grab the next one.
“Lando,” Violet said louder this time, as if they weren’t standing five feet away from each other and Lando was ignoring her. “Will you please talk to me?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Lando cursed herself for actually speaking. She’d wanted to give Violet the silent treatment, like the last week had been. Except, Violet had texted her. Lando had ignored it, but she’d seen the text, she’d seen the missed calls.
“Yes, there is,” Violet insisted. “Please.”
“I’m at work.” Lando set her shoulders as she leaned over the edge of the pallet she was dismantling. “Unless you want me to get fired from another job—”
“You didn’t deserve it,” Violet interjected. “It was an unfair firing. It was out of line.”
Lando narrowed her gaze, trying to figure out where this was coming from, because as far as she’d known, Violet had been in on it from the beginning. Violet stepped forward and gripped Lando’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
“I didn’t know that was what she was planning on doing, or had done, until after you’d left and we were preparing to go out for the next storm. I never would have let her—”
“Of course you would have,” Lando interrupted. “You let her walk all over you. Anything Diane wants, she gets, and you just hand it to her on a silver platter.”
Violet shook her head, raising her gaze until their eyes locked. “That may have been true for most of my life, but it’s not anymore.”
Lando wasn’t sure she could trust that. She wasn’t sure she could believe Violet.
“Did she pay you?”
Confused by the turn of conversation, Lando nodded. “Not much, but yes.”
“What do you mean ‘not much’?”