Own Me (The Wolf Hotel, #5)(67)

“How did you manage that?”

“It takes talent, right?” She flashes a sheepish grin. “This is why my mom never left me alone in the kitchen for long.”

“Wait until I tell Raj. He’s gonna get a kick out of this.” I grab a wet cloth and, climbing up onto the counter, I wipe away the egg. “There, you can’t even tell.”

“I can tell,” she says with mock seriousness.

I giggle as I climb down. My time with Violet has been nothing short of enjoyable. We finished wrapping yesterday’s batch of soaps just before five and hit up a few stores in the area to buy overnight supplies before having dinner at Lux.

The rest of the evening, we spent lounging on the couch in pajamas, a movie playing in the background while she worked on her assignment. Every so often, though, she’d slide in a question about Henry. Some of them were small and innocuous: Does he play sports?

What does he like to eat?

And yet her inquiries tested my knowledge of the man I’m about to marry: Yes, golf, and as I’ve just learned, he was very good at basketball.

(Besides me?) Sandwiches from Marcello’s and cheesecake.

Other questions had me fumbling over my answers:

Did Henry like his brother?

Why does he hate his mother so much?

For those, I settled on a sanitized version of the truth:

Money and power do strange things to people.

She isn’t a good person.

Henry will have to be the one to delve into those answers, decide how much truth he wants to share about his messed-up family.

I check my phone. “Henry should be home any minute.” He texted an hour ago to say he’d landed. I was trying to figure out the best way to tell him Violet’s here and decided it should be a surprise.

“How often is he gone for work?”

“Some months are busier than others, but quite a bit. More than I’d like,” I admit. “But he has a lot of responsibility, especially now that he’s running it alone.”

“Do you ever go with him?”

“A few times, but I was stuck in Greenbank for a while, helping take care of my dad after a tractor accident. Honestly, we haven’t been together long enough for me to take advantage of travel opportunities. But I did meet him in France, and that was a great trip.” Though it ended on a sour note, with us flying home to plan William’s funeral, it also brought us so much closer. “I never traveled before this past summer when I went to Alaska. I didn’t even have a passport.”

“Did you know only forty percent of Americans have passports?”

“I knew it wasn’t a lot.” Henry said something similar to Aunt May when we asked for her help with Daddy—and dealing with Mama—for my trip to Europe. “What about you?”

Violet splashes a drop of water on the frying pan, testing its heat. “My mom and I went to California, right after she was diagnosed. Did the whole Disneyland thing, and the beach. It was so much fun, she promised we’d do it again.”

From the sounds of it, though, that never happened.

As much of a royal pain in the ass Mama has been, it makes me want to pick up the phone and call her.

I watch Violet’s back for a moment, wondering what she thinks of me, and of all this. It must be surreal for her. I’d like to think we’ve been getting along, but is it all an act? Will she talk about her father’s irritating wife one day in a tell-all book? She’s wearing the blue and red plaid pajamas I bought for her last night. They’re so soft, I bought the same pair for myself. She laughed when I came down wearing them but didn’t say anything.

Violet hums a tune as she ladles batter into the frying pan.

“That’s a pretty song. What is it?” I ask as I check the sheet of bacon cooking in the oven.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m taking drama and we’re doing a play. We’ve been rehearsing a lot lately.”

So Violet enjoys acting. Another tidbit into her life. “What’s the play?”

“Alice in Wonderland.”

“And who are you?”

“The Queen of Hearts.”

My hand freezes on the bowl of fresh berries that Raj washed and prepared. “Violet! That’s like the main character!”

She spares a glance over her shoulder to roll her eyes at me. “No, Alice is the main character. Becca Taylor got Alice.” She sneers at the girl’s name.

“Do we not like Becca Taylor?”

“She told people that the only reason I got the role was because my mom was dying.”

“So we hate Becca Taylor.” That might not be the mature thing to say, but I’m not trying to parent Violet, and besides, I kind of do hate whoever this snotty, jealous girl is. “Whatever, so you’re the next main character.”

“Most people would say that’s the Mad Hatter. Or the Cheshire Cat.”

“Okay, fine! But the Queen of Hearts is the villain. That’s always the best role to play.” At least, it’s the most fun to watch. “Good for you, Vi. I’ve never had the guts to stand onstage.” I didn’t mean to shorten her name, it just happened. It’s what everyone in the Outdoor Crew did if they didn’t give you a nickname like Red. Connor was Con, Ronan was Ro. Some of the guys called me Abs.

Violet’s cheeks lift in a small smile. If it bothers her that I called her that, she doesn’t say anything.