“I hope you won’t call the cops on me tonight.”
Her entire face flushed a deep color, as though she had a sunburn. “Nope. Not tonight.”
“Maybe I should invite you to more of my parties, then.”
Donovan stepped forward, standing proudly next to Violet. “I’m Donovan. You might remember me from Mykonos.”
She must have thought he would be taken aback by her abruptness. Nothing took him by surprise. He’d already known what Donovan was like, and wasn’t the least bit surprised that she was the first to bring it up.
“Actually, I do. I remember both of you.”
Roger Hamilton stepped forward, glancing from his daughter to Liam. “You two have met already? What are the chances? Small world.”
“It certainly is,” Liam told him charismatically as he grinned at Violet. “It was an interesting time, wasn’t it?”
Violet simply nodded, remaining silent, as Mr. Hamilton and Liam shook hands and Mr. Hamilton went off in search of his wife.
There was a tension between them, and he couldn’t determine what it was. It could be that she was still upset with him because of all his party noise. Or, Liam hoped, Violet might be one of those shy people who appeared standoffish, even though they were just introverted.
Liam felt a hand on his shoulder and turned away from his company, only to see his father behind him, appearing as cold as ever. “I need to talk to you,” his father said, giving a false smile to Liam’s guests. “Alone.”
Liam gestured towards the office, which was just off the entryway. “We can talk there. I’ll see you in there soon,” he said, and shifted his focus to his guests. “Looks like there’s work to be done. Enjoy yourselves. It was nice to meet you, officially.”
He had to peel his eyes away from Violet as he headed towards the office after his father. He could feel a tight grip in his chest. Liam knew that their conversation wasn’t going to go well.
Chapter Eleven
Violet
Violet stood at the side of the doorway. She could see the two of them in the office and the expression on Liam’s face reminded her of a criminal who had just been arrested and was being read their rights. Liam’s father’s face was beet red as he reprimanded his son. Seeing them as they were, so upset with each other, was ridiculous. Liam was an adult, and the expression on his face was that of a child being scolded for stealing something.
“Have you not seen the numbers, Liam? If you don’t get your shit together, we’re going to lose money this quarter.”
“I’ve seen the numbers, Dad, and they’re fine.”
His dad shook his head. “Really? You think it’ll be fine? Just what fucking world do you live in that you think us losing money is fine?”
Liam clenched his jaw and formed his hands into fists. His father had hit a nerve.
“If you don’t get your shit together, I’ll have no choice but to replace you. I don’t want to have to do that, especially since you were my first choice out of all your brothers to take over the company in my name,” his father told him, his tone sharp. “I really believed that you would make me proud, but something’s changed. From what I hear, you even quit going to the board meetings.”
Violet leaned so close to the door she accidentally hit it off the wall. She stood there awkwardly as both men turned to her. Her face flushed as she stood in the doorway like a deer caught in the headlights. No amount of makeup could hide her embarrassment.
“Can we help you?” Liam’s father asked her after a moment of tense silence. “We’re having a private conversation.”
“Actually, Dad, there was something I wanted to tell you.”
Liam walked towards Violet, whose eyes opened wide. She could feel her heart thrumming in her chest, unsure of what to make of the expression on her face. His lips had formed into a sly smile, as though he was concocting something.
“What could you possibly want to tell me?”
Liam turned to his father as he placed his arm around Violet’s shoulders. She could feel the warmth of his hand against her skin as she froze in place. He brought his gaze to hers. “I’d like for you to meet my fiance. I know that you’ve wanted me to turn my life around for a while, and she’s helping me do just that. After tonight, there won’t be anymore parties, and I’ll no longer be neglecting the company.”
Liam’s father brought his eyes to Violet’s. “Is this true?”
She was terrible at lying. Her hands began to shake as she stood next to Liam, only for her to bring him closer to his chest. “Yes, sir.”
Liam’s father erupted with laughter. “What amazing news! This is the kind of thing we need around here. Someone to really help Liam get his life together.”
“I wanted to keep it as a surprise for another few weeks,” Liam said, petting Violet’s shoulder with his hand. “It’s been hard not to tell you, but I figured, why not now? We’re all here and enjoying the celebration. It’s really the perfect night to break the news.”
Liam’s father neared them with a huge smile on his face. As soon as he was close enough she was able to see that he had the same eyes as Liam. “We should go tell your mother. Come with me, Violet. We’ll have a toast.”
He took her by the arm and led her out of the office, with her giving a desperate look to Liam. It was obvious that he thought nothing of lying to his family. Unfortunately, Violet was not ready for a fake engagement. Liam’s father pulled her along until they were back at the party, where everyone was either mingling or dancing.
She spotted Liam’s mother standing near the open doors that led to the backyard. There were people standing near the edge of the pool, wrapped up in conversations of their own. Violet’s whole body felt as though it was shaking, unsure of what to make of the situation she’d gotten herself into. She could hear Liam walking behind them and didn’t want so much as to look at him. The fact that he’d lied about something so serious was incredibly frustrating.
“Darling, I have some wonderful news. Actually, why don’t you tell her?”
Violet stared at Liam’s father, unsure of what to say. His mother’s face, which had been so pulled back she looked permanently surprised, looked at Violet with anticipation. Violet stammered out, “I, um, I mean. I think Liam should tell you.”
Liam’s father let go of her hand and she felt Liam’s now familiar hand against her shoulder. “We’re engaged,” Liam told them, as confidently as he’d said it in the office. “Mom, I’d like you to meet my fiance, Violet.”
Those words felt foreign to her. Still, Liam’s mother was ecstatic.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” she said, sounding as surprised as Violet felt. “I’m so glad someone special has finally come into Liam’s life.”
Regardless of how Liam’s parents may have seemed, it touched Violet that they cared so much about their son’s wellbeing. They both appeared enamored with the idea of their oldest son having a fiance. So much so that Violet wished that it was real. She raised her eyes to Liam, who finished the drink in his hand in one large gulp. He was feeling the pressure. They both were. She tugged at the fabric of his white dress shirt and stared at him, not sure what to say since they were still in front of his parents.