Violet and I were able to get a quick flight out of Toronto the next morning. I had spent the rest of yesterday helping pack as much as I could. When I told my mother I was heading home early, she understood and told me she would see me when she returned back to New Jersey.
I was thankful that the flight would only be a short hour and a half. In that moment, I was never more excited to head back to New Jersey than I was waiting to board the plane. I was going to be taking full advantage of not having anyone around for the next couple of days—well, besides Violet.
As soon as we boarded, I put my earphones in and turned on my iPod. I was trying not to think about the last forty eight hours and welcomed the distraction without hesitation.
The music blared in my ears throughout most of the flight. Violet knew that I needed this to help calm me, so she didn’t bother me—she mostly kept to herself and read a book.
I knew we were getting close to landing when I heard the flight attendant’s voice come through the overhead speakers. I chose to ignore her—it wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before. Right after I heard her voice stop, Violet tapped me on the shoulder.
“What’s up?” I asked as I pulled my earphones out of my ears.
“There’s something that I need to tell you. Well, ask you really,” she said smiling.
“It’s not another secret that has been kept from me for the past twenty years, is it?” I asked jokingly.
“No, just a month or two,” she nervously laughed.
I waited in anticipation as Violet pulled her purse up onto her lap and rifled through it. Her hands were still in it when she slightly turned in my direction and took a deep breath.
Please let it be a good surprise! I don’t think I can handle any more bad ones.
“Will you be my maid of honor?” she asked as she pulled her hand out of her purse and flashed her sparkling engagement ring at me.
I was elated and speechless. It took me a minute to gather my excitement enough to answer her.
“Yes!” I exclaimed loud enough that the whole airplane heard me.
I immediately grabbed her hand and brought it close to examine the ring. It was a beautiful princess cut diamond with little diamond accents all around the rim.
“It’s beautiful,” I said in awe of the ring.
When I was done gawking at the outside of it, she pulled off the ring, turned it over, and told me to look inside. Dante had engraved it with “My Forever.”
My brother, a romantic. Who knew?
Pure happiness filled me—my best friend and my brother were going to get married!
“When? What? How?” I finally asked.
“Right before I was kidnapped,” Violet said. She then went on to explain how Dante had proposed.
He had told Violet that they were going to take a mini vacation to get away from the “rat race,” as he explained the search party that was sent to find me. They ended up at Giorgio’s lake house one weekend, and on their last night, Dante took her out on the lake in Giorgio’s boat. She said they watched the sunset, and as the sky turned to an orange, pink glow, Dante took Violet’s hand and turned her to face him.
Violet explained how Dante said some of the most beautiful things she had ever heard. She apologized for not telling me exactly what he had said—wanting the sweet words to stay between the two of them. I fully understood. I would want the same thing. Those words were meant for her, not anyone else.
“And then he knelt down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was completely shocked. I wasn’t expecting it, especially with you being gone and everyone worrying. He said he had been holding onto the ring for a while. I asked him what took him so long, and he said that with everything going on in our lives that there was never a good time. But he grew tired of waiting for the perfect time, so he planned the whole weekend and decided then that he was going to propose.”
“Violet, I’m so happy for you two,” I said as my smile widened even more. “All I have to say is, it’s about time!”
The remaining minutes of the flight consisted only of wedding talk.
***
When Violet and I arrived home, we were both still on cloud nine. She said that she didn’t want a big wedding, just close family and friends. She mentioned that she would like to have it here at the house and just have everyone come here. We had plenty of property and there was tons of space to work with.
She also mentioned she hadn’t made it far with the plans, just a small guest list and a few notes. I wish she would have told me a couple of weeks ago, but I was glad she had chosen the plane ride home to tell me. I really needed exciting news, and that was the best news I could have received.
We threw our luggage in our rooms and headed back down to the kitchen, knowing we were hungry.
“What were you thinking? Do you want to cook?” Violet asked.
“I have a better idea,” I replied with a sly smile.
I slung my purse onto my shoulder and headed towards the garage. My car keys had been placed back on the key holder by the kitchen door. I grabbed them, before heading out the side door and towards the garage.
My beautiful car was still there, sitting in the exact same spot I had parked it in the last time I drove it. I almost kissed the door when I went to open it. I knew enough about cars to know that if they aren’t driven in a long time sometimes they won’t start.
Between everything that had gone, I knew it hadn’t been driven by me in over a year.
I prayed that my car would start as I turned the key over in the ignition. I was elated when the engine roared to life.
I noticed immediately that there had been several miles put on it. When I asked Violet about it, she said she and Dante had driven it a few times, but mostly Emilio had been the one taking care of it.
“Apparently cars have to be driven and maintained.” She shrugged.
I just laughed. I didn’t know much about cars, but apparently Violet knew even less.
It felt good to drive my own car—I had missed my Camaro. My father had given it to me as a peace offering when I was forced to move to New Jersey the first time. Looking back now, I would give the car back in a heartbeat if I could just have him back. I missed him so much.
Violet and I had chosen our favorite restaurant down by our office building. During dinner, we talked more about the wedding, and Violet never missed an opportunity to show off her ring. Anyone could tell she was overjoyed.
After we ate, I drove us over to our office. To say I was looking forward to getting back to work would have been an understatement.
I had loved working at the coffee shop in Spain. It taught me a considerable amount of patience that I didn’t know I had or would ever need. But it was nothing compared to designing and redesigning places and the sense of accomplishment I felt every time we finished a building, business, or home. The look on the client’s face when they saw how we made their vision come to life was more than satisfying.
As soon as we entered the office, the smell of lavender engulfed me, and I felt at home.
“How have things been going here?” I asked Violet nonchalantly.
“Good, we’ve had a steady stream of work for a while now,” she said.
“That’s good. I’m ready to start work again. I need to work,” I said, knowing the distraction would be most welcomed.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Violet laughed. “So I'm assuming no more house arrest, huh?”
“That is never going to happen again,” I said firmly.
After Violet caught me up on a few things, we closed up the office and headed back home. The drive home was quiet and peaceful, and I could tell we were both tired from the last couple of days.
When we arrived home, before we even pulled onto the long driveway, I noticed lights on in the house.
“Violet, did you leave the lights on?” I asked.
“No, I know for a fact I turned them all off. I wonder if one of the guys came home early.”
“I hope not.” I grimaced.
I parked the car, and we cautiously walked in to the house. I looked at Violet, who quietly grabbed a knife from one of the drawers in the kitchen and quickly fell in behind me.
“Why me first?” I hissed.
“Because you have had more training,” she whispered back.
“Okay, fine, just don’t stab me,” I said as I took a defensive stance, walked out of the kitchen, and into the open living room.
“No promises,” she teasingly whispered.
Most women would have turned around and went back outside to call the police, but apparently today, Violet and I were feeling courageous.
“Hello?” Violet called out.
We heard footsteps coming from the second floor, and then they pounded down the staircase. Violet and I visibly tensed as we waited to see who was going to come into sight.
“You scared the hell out of me!” Elle shouted as soon as she turned off the steps and saw us standing there. She lowered the baseball bat she was holding before she spoke again. “What are you two doing here?”
“We got back early,” Violet half laughed as she lowered her knife. “What are you doing here?”
“Emilio said I could stay here while everyone was gone. The men, who usually watch me, are busy with something else. And since I’m definitely on the Heinrich’s hit list, Emilio thought I would be safer here until everyone got back. I promise I planned on leaving before you got home,” she said, directing her statement at me.
“It’s fine, you can stay,” I said.
Violet and Elle looked at me like I had just confessed to killing someone.
“What?” I asked. “She’s safe here, and the past is the past. I flew off the handles that one night, and for that I’m still sorry. I can be…well you know…difficult at times. And I figured if you can still stick around after being shot at and watching my father die, then you’re a lot stronger than I thought you were, or you’re just crazy. Either way, I have more respect for you, and I think you will fit in around here just fine.”
I had grown more comfortable around Elle since the night my father was shot. She was actually a really sweet person once I gave her the chance to be. That first week that my father was in the hospital, we had shared some good moments, and I had grown to like her. She apologized profusely for the things that had taken place. I had forgiven Emilio for everything, so she deserved the same. After all, we were family.
***
The next morning, Violet and I woke up before Elle. The first thing Violet did was turn on a pot of coffee as I made my way to our office. I figured we would work from the house today, and Violet could catch me up to speed on a couple of things.
My desk was clean and organized as I sat down in my chair. I knew for a fact that I hadn’t left it that way. I was the most unorganized out of the two of us, paper-wise. My desk was usually always covered in paperwork.
“Violet?” I called out.
“Yes.”
“Why is my desk so organized?”
Violet’s laugh rang out next before she spoke. “Because Elle used your desk from time to time while you were gone, and she cleaned it up. I will spare you the rant I got while she was doing it.”
It made sense she would do that, since she did help out while I was gone, but it still irritated me. I couldn’t find a damn thing now.
Soon after, I heard the ding of the coffee pot, and moments later, Violet came through the office door carrying two cups in her hand.
“Let’s get started.” She smiled as she sat down at her desk. “We have a lot to catch you up on.”
Violet was easily able to catch me up on the projects that were currently underway. Most of them were nearing completion, and others needed our immediate attention since we had been on another hiatus after her kidnapping and my father’s death. If we thought our getaway last summer was going to cost us clients, then it would be a miracle for us to still have any after this last one. We were going to have to work extremely hard to keep the ones we already had, plus build relationships with new ones. LilyVi Interior Designs did extraordinary work, but our track record lately was a disappointment. Hopefully, we could leverage our success rate in a way for us to gain new clientele. It was safe to say our marketing skills would come in handy soon.
It was almost eleven when Elle finally made her way into our office.
While helping Violet, Elle found out that she really did love the aspect of designing almost as much as we did. Violet had told me what a great help she had been in my absence, and we both agreed we wanted her to stay on with us permanently. Violet and I could always use the extra help, and she already knew the ins and outs of the business.
“Hey what do you say about staying on and working for us permanently?” I asked as soon as she sat down on the small couch in our office.
She was stunned for a moment, and it took her a second to respond.
“Yes!” she said as she jumped off the couch and ran over to me, flinging her arms around me. “Yes I would love to stay on!” She made her way over to Violet, and hugged her as well. “Thank you!”
“Well, get yourself some coffee and let’s get to work. We need you to call around and see if we can get some new clientele around here, before we’re all three out of a job.” I smiled.
“Actually, about that, I’ve been answering the phone for both of you,” Elle said shyly. “I had all the phones routed to my cell phone, so every time someone called the office, it came straight to me. I hope you’re not upset with me. I knew the two of you were really busy, and I just wanted to help out as much as I could. I’ve made a few notes, and you have several businesses to call back. I wrote down their names and numbers here,” she said as she picked up a planner that had been lying on my desk, and handed it to me.
“Wow, thank you so much for doing that. We really appreciate it,” I said smiling. “Violet, if you think you’re good here, then it seems I have a few calls to make,” I said as Violet gave me a thumbs up.
***
I called every client that had left a message with Elle. I also checked our voicemail just in case she had missed a few calls as well. Almost all of them still wanted our business, and I apologized for us not getting back with them sooner. By the end of the last call, we had almost fifteen new projects set up for over the next year. This was exactly what I needed, and I was thankful that my wish came true.
Violet started to make a schedule for each of the projects that would be approaching soon, and she also called to give our contractors a heads up. She told them she would know for certain the dates after our initial walk-throughs.
Elle and I started brainstorming ideas of each space we knew had definite themes. With some of the projects, we were free to come up with any ideas we thought would work, but some clients knew exactly what they wanted.
By the time evening came around, we all had a firm grasp on our plans for the next few weeks.
The three of us decided to stay in and make dinner that night. As we cooked, we turned up the radio and danced around the kitchen. It was nice to just laugh and hang out with the girls.
“I’ll be right back. I have a playlist on my iPod you both need to listen to,” I said as I made my way out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
When I got to my bedroom, I searched through all my things, but sadly, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I made my way over to my vanity and pulled out a couple of the drawers, searching for it. I knew it was around here somewhere—I just had it yesterday.
There was a small box in the bottom drawer. I knew my iPod wasn’t in there, but I, myself, was curious, because for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what I had put in there.
As I opened the box, I saw a lot of my knick-knacks from when I was younger. I flipped through everything, when I came across a picture of Emilio and me.
We were sitting on the dock at Giorgio’s lake house, soaking wet from being in the water all day. I was smiling and laughing as I looked at the camera and my mother. Emilio, though, was looking straight at me, like I was the only person in the world at that moment in time.
It was the last year he and I had been together before he tore my heart in two. He had just graduated from high school, and my family and his were all at Giorgio’s house celebrating.
He only had the one tattoo on his ribs at the time—our sayings to each other. His mother had been so mad at him, since he had only been sixteen when he got it. His father, on the other hand, had slapped him on the back and told him it was a good choice.
I smiled at the memory.
We both looked so young and innocent. It was hard to believe this was six years ago. So much had happened in those six short years.
Why couldn’t things be as simple as they were back then?
I put the picture back in the box and sighed as I put the box back into the drawer. I had done so good today. I hadn’t thought about Emilio, Lucas, or Benito at all.
“Everything okay up there?” Violet yelled up the stairs.
“Yes,” I said, shutting the drawer and standing up. “Be there in a minute!”
I searched my room for a few more minutes, tucking my thoughts about the men in my life away. I finally found my iPod behind the door of the bathroom. How it ended up there, I had no clue.
When I made my way back down the stairs, I thought about how far I had come in the last couple of years and what all I still wanted to do with my life. There was still so much I hadn’t done, especially the adventures I had written on my bucket list.
There had only been one that I had crossed off, and Emilio helped me achieve that. It was now time to do that again—soon.
That was when I came up with a courageous idea, and I wasn’t sure how Elle and Violet would react.
As I walked into the kitchen, I had a smirk on my face. Violet and Elle both looked at each other and then back at me.
“Is everything okay, Lily?” Elle asked.
“Yeah,” Violet added. “You have a very unusual look on your face, like you’re about to do something crazy.”
“You’re right. I do have something in mind, and it is crazy.”
They both looked at me with anticipation as they waited for me to tell them what was on my mind. I held out the seconds, wanting the anticipation to grow until they couldn’t stand it any longer. Violet was starting to get fidgety, and Elle’s eyes grew wider with each passing second.
“Who’s up for a tattoo?” I asked excitedly.