She snorts. “So… basically perfect.”
I laugh, because yeah—she’s not wrong. “I have a dress. At least that much has been accomplished.”
“You don’t have any ole dress. You have the perfect dress.”
I grin at her. “Yeah, I do love my dress. It took a few tries and a minor identity crisis, but it’s the one.”
Her voice softens. “Of course it is. You’ve always had an eye for beautiful things.”
I’m so glad Alex brought Violet to Sydney. I don’t think I could’ve said yes to the dress without her here, giving me that quiet little nod that said, You’ve found the one.
“Tell me about the flowers.”
I groan. “The planner is pushing for white ranunculus. I want white hydrangeas and pale pink roses. You know they’re my favorites.”
She grins. “And what does your beloved say about the flower saga?”
“I tried to talk to Alex about it, but he’s not interested.”
“To be fair, he’s a man. I’d have questions if he cared about the floral pieces.”
But even as we laugh, even as the rhythm of us settles in again… there’s something soft beneath her smile. A hesitation.
I don’t know what it is yet—but I sense it coming.
Violet twists her lips, trying for casual but not quite landing it. “So… Gabby told me you two had a little heart-to-heart.”
I raise a brow. “So much for her intense privacy policy.”
“She said you were gracious, which I translated as you didn’t rip her a new one.”
I laugh. “I was civil.”
Violet blinks. “Civil, huh?”
“She offered me my job back.”
That does it—Violet full-on cackles. “Of course she did. You and Alex are the golden couple that saved her struggling Australian branch. You’re the PR dream she didn’t deserve.”
I swirl the last sip of coffee in my mug, watching it settle. “Yeah, well. She may want redemption, but I’m not handing out second chances.”
A knowing expression flickers across Violet’s face. “Never expected you to. That’s one of the first things I learned about you. Once someone breaks your trust, you’re done. And you don’t look back.”
I nod. “She apologized, and I believe she meant it, but that doesn’t mean I forget. I’ll always want the best for her, but I’ll never work for her again.”
Violet lifts her wine glass toward the screen. “To clean breaks and better beginnings.”
“Amen to that.”
Violet swirls the wine in her glass, but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes this time.
“What’s going on, Vi? You’ve gone quiet.”
She hesitates, gaze drifting off for a second before landing back on me. “Ever since I got back to Charleston… something is off.”
“Off how?”
She leans back in her chair with a sigh. “It’s as if I’ve stepped back into a version of my life that doesn’t quite fit anymore.”
