Wrong for You (Before You #3)(35)
“He kicked me out in the morning with the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line.”
“Oh crap, that’s the worst,” she said, moving her head slowly from side to side. “It’s better when the guy just comes out and tells you he’s not interested in anything else.”
“Are you speaking from experience, because I always get the ‘it’s not you’ line, which makes me think it is me. Before I never cared, but when Alec said it, it stung.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not, but really you shouldn’t let it get to you. You’re beautiful, smart, and caring to a fault. If he’s stupid enough to use the ‘it’s not you’ line, then f*ck him. He’s an unoriginal idiot.”
“You’re probably right, but you know me. I don’t have one-night stands—ever—and I feel really dumb for misinterpreting the situation. For some reason, I thought we had a connection and his behavior this morning took me off guard. It’s like a switch flipped in his brain and he couldn’t stand being around me any longer. It was a real mind f*ck.”
Annette stood up. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“No. When he kicked me out, I couldn’t stick around knowing he was wandering around in the basement of my house probably contemplating how to avoid me for the next two weeks until his lease ends. I took off in my car and showed up on your doorstep.”
“Then it’s settled. We’re going to breakfast and it’s going to include bottomless mimosas, so put your party hat on. You won’t even remember his name by the time you polish off one of those egg white omelets that taste like cardboard.”
Violet grinned, pushing her body out of her chair. She could do this. So what. She made a mistake. Big f*cking deal. Annette was right. She didn’t have to be perfect all the time. Nobody else seemed to hold themselves to such high standards and she didn’t have to either, at least not today. She had her entire life to demand moral perfection. “That sounds perfect.”
“Let’s go.” Annette grabbed her purse off the entry table. “But I’m driving.”
“I’m not that bad of a driver.”
“Oh please,” Annette said. “You can’t even talk while you’re driving. You’re the quintessential distracted driver.”
Violet rolled her eyes even though Annette had a point. She couldn’t even make conversation or listen to music while she drove. Her thoughts always drifted off to other things. “I’m better now,” Violet said, even though it wasn’t the truth.
“Sure you are, sweetie, but I’ve already had one trip too many in the ditch with you and I’m adverse to spending the rest of the weekend in the hospital. God knows, going to the hospital on the weekend is like serving a mini-prison sentence.”
Two days after getting her driver’s license, Violet accidently drove them into the ditch near her parents’ ranch and Annette never let her forget it. “Whatever,” she protested. “I just got my driver’s license a couple days before and you weren’t hurt.”
Annette laughed her deep smoky laugh that reminded Violet of their childhood slumber parties, sneaking sips of her dad’s bourbon in the barn, and a million other stupid pranks. “Not too bad, but I don’t hold it against you. You can’t be good at everything. Your inability to drive is charming…when I’m not forced to be in the car with you.”
“Screw you,” Violet said good-naturedly as she elbowed Annette in the side.
“Vi, don’t hate me for spilling the truth.”
***
Two hours into bottomless mimosas, Violet’s head felt heavy and her lips tingled, but she had barely thought of Alec and his sexy arms wrapped in even sexier tattoos as they held her in bed last night.
She waved her hand in front of her and she thought her hand blurred in the air. Not a good sign. “No more,” she said as her hand hit her water glass, sending water flying across the table.
Annette jumped up from her seat, narrowly escaping a tidal wave of ice cubes. “Holy shit. You’re wrecked.”
Violet giggled. “You think?”
“Yeah. I should probably take your drunk ass home before you throw up your egg white omelet.” Annette mock shivered. “I can’t even imagine what that crap tastes like a second time.”
Violet tossed her napkin over the mess on the table. “It’s not bad. Besides, I don’t need more calories with the number of drinks I’ve consumed and it’s only…” she lifted her wrist to study her watch. Telling time when her eyes wouldn’t stop bouncing around the room was a monumental task. “One thirty.”
“You’re a toothpick. I don’t think you need to worry about calories.”
“Where are we going next?” she said slapping some money on the table from her purse.
“I’m bringing you home. Did you already forget?”
“No way.” Wide-eyed, she shook her head back and forth in a big, exaggerated sweep of her head that made her dizzy. “Alec might be there and I can’t see him yet. I need to be armed and on guard the next time I see him.”
“Huh?” Annette said through a chuckle.
“He has these eyes,” Violet said, leaning forward. “They’re dark blue like twilight, hooded and sensual, and every time I look at him, I feel like I’m falling into him. I think he might be a snake charmer or something.” Then laughter erupted from her mouth as if she’d just said the funniest thing in the world.