Second Chance Girl
Page 43

“Everything comes at a price.” Nick glanced at Del. “You didn’t have much of a father.”
“I know, but I’ve moved on. He might have paid attention to what you did, but he wasn’t much of a father to any of us.”
“When do Aidan and Shelby arrive?” Mathias asked. When it came to Ceallach, the more family around, the better. It would be easier to keep him distracted with a lot of moving parts.
“Tuesday, I think.” Del shrugged. “Maya is the keeper of the calendar. I’m just the guy who gets to marry her.” He grinned. “Which makes me one lucky bastard.” He looked around. “Ronan doesn’t work here?”
“He has a studio at his house,” Nick said.
“How’s he doing?” Del asked, turning his attention to Mathias. “Is he dealing yet?”
“Ronan doesn’t deal. He avoids.” Mathias thought of all the other things he could say. That his brother was withdrawing a little more every few weeks. That they barely talked. They didn’t even fight much anymore. At least the fighting had been a connection of sorts. These days they had nothing going on between them.
He tried to see things from his brother’s point of view but every time he got close, he also got mad. He was dealing with plenty, too. Ronan wasn’t the only one who had stopped being a twin. He wasn’t the only one who had lost something. Not that his brother would listen, he thought grimly.
“Will he be at the show?” Del asked.
“He’d better be,” Mathias said. “It’s his piece bringing in the big money.”
“You donating anything?” Del asked Nick.
“I’ve done a couple of fun giraffe pieces in wood. They’re mostly going to be there for atmosphere.”
Mathias was sure his brother would sell everything he brought and for plenty of money. With luck Carol would have enough to support Millie and her herd in style for years.
“Want me to make some calls?” Del asked. “I still know some famous guys in the sports world. We could try to generate some publicity.”
“Good idea,” Mathias told him. “The more press, the more money we’ll raise.”
“I’ll text Jonny Blaze.” Nick pulled out his phone. “I should have thought of it sooner.”
“The actor?” Del asked. “You know him?”
“He moved to Fool’s Gold a couple of years ago. He married Madeline Krug. You remember her.”
“Not really,” Del said, “but sure. Invite everyone. I’ll check around for rooms.”
“Eddie and Gladys are staying at the Sweet Dreams Inn,” Mathias told him. “In case you want to warn anyone.”
His brothers laughed.
This was good for them, he thought. He and his brothers hanging out together. Hopefully Ronan would put in an appearance and soon Aidan would join them. Everyone in one place. Mostly at his house.
He thought wistfully of the usual silence of his place, then reminded himself it was only for a few days. He would be fine.
* * *
VIOLET TOLD HERSELF not to read too much into Ulrich’s decision to stay in town for a few more days. Maybe he was genuinely excited to see what happened at the auction. Maybe he’d formed a connection with Millie because of the accident. She shouldn’t assume that he was staying because of her.
Oh, but how she wanted him to be.
She’d come back to her office for an afternoon of catching up while Ulrich dealt with issues back in England. They’d agreed to meet up for dinner. Now that he was fully functional, there was no reason for her to sleep next door, so she’d returned to her place. Funny how she’d gotten used to being near him and found herself already missing having him in the next room.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she told herself as she sorted through the mail and bills that had piled up in the past few days. She’d been fine before and she would be fine again. Ulrich was simply a little emotional vacation from her regularly scheduled life. Yes, he was great and yes, she would miss him when he was gone, but she would go on as before.
For a second, she allowed herself the fantasy of him asking her to go back to England with him. Of him telling her he couldn’t stand to be without her. He would take her in his arms and...and...
Okay, sure the sex would be easy and great all that, but then what? Would she really leave everything she knew behind and move halfway across the world for a man she barely knew? Technically she made most of her money with sales of her buttons, which she could ship from anywhere, and the internet meant staying in touch with customers and family would be relatively easy, but still. She was a self-actualized woman. She didn’t need a man to be successful or complete herself. If she were to get involved with anyone, she planned on a true partnership. Could that happen with a duke who owned a five-hundred-plus-year-old estate?
Not a problem she had to solve today, she told herself.
She made quick work of her bill paying, then started opening the packages that had been delivered. There were dozens of buttons to sort—a few sets looked to be exciting finds.
She forced herself to go through everything before she started on her research. She’d just begun her first internet search when Atsuko walked into her shop.
“I’m looking for giraffe inspired buttons,” the gallery owner said. “I’m going all out for the event. If you have actual giraffe buttons, that would be perfect. I have a couple of jackets in mind.”
While Violet offered to change out buttons for local customers, some people preferred to do the sewing themselves. Atsuko had a flair for the dramatic, a stunning wardrobe and mad sewing skills.
“I think I might have some giraffe shapes,” Violet said, thinking about her inventory. “I know I have some buttons that could be considered giraffe inspired.”
She pulled up her inventory program and searched the database. Three different buttons popped up, along with their location in her storage closet. She quickly found the boxes and set them on the counter.
The first had three giraffe-head-shaped buttons. They were carved ebony and from the mid-eighteen hundreds.
“The work is beautiful,” Violet said, as she pulled on white cotton gloves, then pulled the buttons out of the box. “But they’re so dark, it’s difficult to see the detail.”
Atsuko put on gloves as well, then picked up a button. “I don’t think I have a jacket with only three buttons. And you’re right about them being dark. I do have a gold jacket that might work. I’m not sure.”
The second box held painted buttons. The brown and tan pattern was very giraffe-like but the buttons themselves weren’t overly inspired. The third box held six amber-and-onyx buttons.
“From the seventeen hundreds,” Violet said, placing one button on her palm. “Italian. They’re edged in gold, so not cheap, but they’re beautiful.”
The work was exquisite and detailed, and the pattern matched Millie. These buttons had been a find from one of her buyers in India. The woman had sent a huge jar filled with dozens of buttons. Most had been cheap or broken, but there had been a few treasures—these six among them.
“I want them,” Atsuko said firmly. “While I’m not taking a commission on Ronan’s piece, it won’t be the only thing sold. I plan to have a good night.” She smiled. “These will bring me luck.”
“They’re going to look lovely,” Violet told her as she put the buttons back in their box.