The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) (19 page)

“Everything’s fine – couldn’t be better.  I feel like I’ve finally got it together.  I just need a day or so to avoid the flashbulbs and get settled.”

I gave Gretchen my credit card information, thanked her again, and hung up with a sense of relief.  I pulled the dress out of the garment bag and sat on the corner of the bed, once again running my fingers over the hand-stitched sequins on the dress.  Inside the bag was a card.  I opened it, all too easily recognizing the handwriting.  I immediately looked at the signature: ‘Love Forever, Luke.’  Without reading it, I closed the card and tossed it back inside the bag.  I hung the dress against the white bathroom door so Gretchen could see the hue and style, snapped a picture and sent it to her.  My phone nearly immediately started ringing.  I held my breath, anticipating Luke.

                 “Did you get the picture?” I asked as soon as I put the phone to my ear.

                 “Logan,” she started, drawing out every letter, “You didn’t tell me that was the dress you were wearing.”

                “It’s not
the
same dress,” I replied, quickly.

                 “You
do
know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” she asked.

                 “I do, Gretchen…” I stole a glance at the dress hanging on the back of my bathroom door, “It’s just a shortened version of the same dress my mother wore on the runway for Jenny Packham.  I was in the front row – I remember,” I replied, somberly.

                 “Well… you’re gonna look stunning in that dress, Logan.  I’ll start working on getting your things together.  See you tomorrow,” she said, before guiltily hanging up – knowing the damage she’d done.

                  There were so many dresses, so many fashion shows, but of all the dresses she’d modeled, it had to be this one.  It was hands down my all-time favorite.  She had been absolutely breathtaking.  I remembered her moving down the runway – lights catching every violet sequin, every strand of her blonde hair.  She had worn the original on the catwalk, a floor-length evening gown, but somehow the shortened version had made its way off the runway and into Jackie’s boutique.

                  I glanced down at the card I’d tossed back in the bag –feeling heartbreakingly thankful for Luke.  For a couple of people who were sorely broken, we sure could bring out the best in one another. We weren’t perfect, but we were perfect for each other.  There was a part of me that wondered if he knew my mother had worn that dress and what it meant to me.         

            I didn’t want to leave the Laguna home because it offered the last bit of comfort I needed, but it was getting easier to leave behind the things I loved.  Parts of my life were out of my hands.  Decisions had to be made based not on what I wanted, but simply on what I had to do.  Not just for me, but for those around me too. 

When I merged onto the highway, my phone started buzzing and my heart started pounding.  Just as my instincts suspected, it was Luke.  I knew
he
knew I wasn’t going to answer, so I waited for the voicemail.

              “Logan, it’s Luke.  Please call me and tell me you’re okay.  I
need
to know you’re alive.  I understand you’re upset and I want to talk to you… but you have to give me another chance.  Just one more chance to make things right.  Please?”  After a long pause of silence, the voicemail cut off, ending his message for him.

              I deleted the message and debated for a moment whether or not to simply text back ‘I’m okay,’ but I knew it would open a line of communication that I might not be able to resist.  The fact he was acknowledging his failure was not okay.  The fact he needed yet another chance was simply not good enough.  I turned my phone off and tossed it into my purse.  My plans were decided. 

              I pulled into the parking lot of a cheap hotel – not really possible by L.A. standards, but I needed a safe, quiet place to crash for the night.  I paid in cash and used a fake name to check in just in case.  The room was dingy and small compared to any hotel room I’d ever been in before.  It was just one room with two queen size beds, a nightstand, TV and desk.  The small bathroom tucked near the door had barely enough counter space for my things. 

              I unpacked my clothes so they wouldn’t wrinkle in my schoolbag, propped the pillows against the headboard, grabbed the notepad and pen from the nightstand and began to write. 

I didn’t consider my mission suicide but I knew I wasn’t coming out of this alive.  Simply, there was no other choice.  To continue putting the ones I loved in further danger was not an option.  It seemed like the ultimate sacrifice.  I refused to spend the next year running. And even if I survived, I knew I would never be ready for the next chapter of my life. 

If someone would’ve told me a year ago I would lose my mother and then leave California for Wyoming five days later to live with my dad, I would’ve cried.  Which I did.  Then I would’ve laughed at the impossibility of finding the man of my dreams within a few short weeks.  But, that happened too.

If that same person then told me my mom, dad, man of my dreams and essentially every other person I’d met in Wyoming were werewolves, but before finishing their statement, also proclaimed I too would soon be a werewolf, well… I’m sure I would’ve been stricken speechless. 
Still
speechless, I sat alone in a dingy hotel room ready to face death. 

              I lay awake all night and thought about three things: my mother, my father, and Luke.  I thought long and hard about the events leading to my mother’s death.  For the first time since she died, I admitted what I’d been avoiding thinking about all along, she was the one who told me to go out that evening.  I remembered asking if Brody could come over but instead she insisted we eat out, suggesting a new restaurant on the other side of downtown.  All along, I had been trying to convince myself she wanted me home by midnight that night – like every other night.  But that evening was different. She never said a word to me about when to be home, knowing I’d take full advantage of an opportunity. 

When I was walking out the door, my mother told me she loved me like she always did.    But that night, there was an eagerness in her hug and a linger in the kiss she placed on my cheek that I merely brushed off in the moment.  Looking back, it made sense.  I’d probably never know for sure but, I felt certain she knew exactly what was going to happen to her – instead of me.

              My father took me in and Richard moved everything I owned out.  Under the circumstances, it made sense for my dad to do so, but there was a part of me that wondered if it was really what he wanted.  It’s almost as if he didn’t have a choice.  Even though I’d never seen or heard my parents fight, I could imagine him getting a phone call from my mother after she sent Brody and me out for dinner, to tell him goodbye, leaving him helpless with no time to act.  It seemed strangely quick when Richard sent me away without even batting an eye, though I’m sure he wasn’t in on the plan.  He would’ve called my real father with the news of her passing and my dad would’ve informed Richard of the next step, shipping me safely to him in a matter of days.

I felt satisfied leaving everyone behind knowing they had my father to protect them.  As I tried piecing the scrambled puzzle together, there was a tiny hope that wondered if my dad was out there looking for me. 

              Though it was hard to think about my mother and abandoning my father, the hardest person to think about was Luke.  There was an undeniable bond with him.  He knew who I was and what I would soon become and he loved me.  I may have only been on this earth for a short amount of time compared to him, and I may have only known him for a matter of days, but I would never find another like him.  There were so many uncertainties in my life, but of one thing I was certain: if there was any reason to fight to stay alive – it was for him.  And, if there was ever a reason to sacrifice everything – it was for him. 

              I gave up on putting the puzzle together and reached for the only book I packed.  I opened the novel to my bookmarked page to take my mind off the war I was waging and began reading where I left off.

“Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble -
And I will do it without fear or doubt,”

              It was fate.  I closed the book and my eyes, willing myself to sleep.

Andrea Wells – The Violet Hour

Chapter 21

                 I woke late-morning after only a few hours of good, sound sleep, hearing the vacuum running in the hallway outside my room.  I jumped out of bed and hung the ‘do not disturb’ sign outside the door.  There was a mini-coffeepot in the bathroom with Styrofoam cups, so I started a pot.  I turned on the TV and grabbed my cell phone.  There were three missed calls: one from Ashleigh, one from Lindsey and the last was from Luke.  I didn’t listen to the voicemails because I already could guess the gist of what each might say: ‘Happy Birthday, where are you?’ ‘Happy Birthday, where are you?’ and ‘Where are you?’  Disregarding the people who actually called me, I scrolled through my phone list and looked up Brody’s cell number. 

              “Brody Wilson,” he answered, with a professional tone. 

              “Brody Wilson, this is Logan Keller,” I replied pleasantly through the hotel phone.

              “Logan!  I was just thinking about you, Happy Birthday!”

              “Thanks, Brody!  How are you?”  I asked, changing the subject.

              “I’m well.  Where are you calling me from?  Is this an L.A. number calling…” he said, trailing off while I could hear him shuffle the phone away from his face to look at the screen.

              “It is, I’m in L.A.  I was calling to let you know and to see where everyone was heading tonight.  I’m thinking about going out for my birthday.”

              “WHAT?!  You’re in L.A.?  Really?  Are you at the Laguna house?”

              “No.  I’m… staying somewhere private.  No one really knows I’m back.  But, I was hoping you could help me with that?  I want to get a bunch of friends together for a VIP party at Club Area.  I’d like to get the paparazzi involved too so I can come out of hiding in style.”

              “I can’t believe it!  You’re really moving back?  That’s great, but why?”

“I was just fed up with my dad and Wyoming, so I left,” I said, realizing how un-fed up I really was with both.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” he said.  Instantly, I thought about Luke saying those exact words to me. 

              “So, do you think you can get this party together in less than twelve hours?”  I knew he’d jump at the chance to get back in my good graces.

              “Are you kidding?  Of course I can,” he said enthusiastically.  “I mean, I don’t plan on
doing
the work, but I’ll hire the best to get it done,” he finished, resuming the professional tone.

              “Thank you, this means a lot, Brody.”

              “So, do you wanna get dinner or something beforehand?” 

              “I can’t,” I answered quickly, “But thanks for the offer.  We can catch up tonight.  I’ll be arriving right around ten-thirty,” I said, trying to finish our conversation before he got any wrong ideas.

              “Well, I can’t wait to see you tonight.  I’ve missed you,” he said.

              “I can’t wait either,” I lied.  “I’ll see you soon.”

              Word would spread like wildfire coming from Brody.  I poured myself a cup of coffee just before Gretchen called.  There was no way I was going to meet with her at such a rundown hole, so I told her to meet me at a nearby McDonald’s instead.  Gretchen laughed as if I was kidding until I told her I was on my way and ordering a ‘Number One’ for the first time in my life. 

              When I pulled in, Gretchen was already waiting.  Climbing out of her Audi Roadster, I noticed she’d dropped the last few pounds she had left on her body.  Styling celebrities all day was starting to get the best of her.  She handed off everything without asking questions, knowing I wouldn’t answer them anyway, but gushed over how good I looked, ogling my new dark hair and blunt-cut bangs.  I hadn’t even looked in the mirror since I’d gotten up, just thrown on my Ray Ban’s and headed out the door in sweats.  My plan was going smoothly because she already received a text message announcing I’d be arriving at Club Area for a VIP birthday bash and she was on the guest list.

              “I’m glad I got you these shoes,” she said.  “I debated for twenty minutes and almost called to see where you were going, but thought better of it,” she said, handing me a Manolo Blahnik box.

              “Thanks Gretchen, they’re perfect.”

              “Looks like it’s gonna be quite the star-studded red-carpet affair for just an ‘I’m back in Cali/It’s my birthday’ kind of event,” she implied, waving her phone back-and-forth.

              “Well, you know…” I said playfully.

              “I know.  They hear ‘Logan Keller’ and that’s all they need.”

              I laughed with a little dark humor undertone hoping that really was all
they
needed as bait.  Sending Gretchen on her way, I promised to see her later. 

I got my sandwich to-go and headed back to the hotel.  Housekeeping had quickly snuck in and cleaned the room while I was out.  I ate my Value Meal and set out my makeup and hair products, trying on the goodies Gretchen had picked up for me in the mirror.  Set for the evening, I decided I could risk laying out by the hotel pool for a couple of hours before the sun began to set.  It felt good to be back in at least the sun’s good graces.  I shut off my phone and headed outside after changing, equipped with my book and cheap hotel towels.

              I propped myself up in a lounge chair, reading the same line over and over again, reciting the words, “I will do it without fear or doubt,” quietly to myself.  When I felt like I was sure of that statement, I shut the book for the last time and closed my eyes.