Blushing Violet by Blushing Violet [EC Exotica] (mobi) Page B

recipe. She had always loved Eastern Market with its collection of fresh produce stands and butcher shops. It held a little bit of all the nationalities that made up Detroit and she had been delighted as a little girl to go from a Polish bakery, to a Middle Eastern spice shop, and end up at a traditional French cheese store.
    She couldn’t wait to share the experience of visiting the Market with Carlos. That was one thing she had been missing in her life, sharing things with someone she lo—
    Her hands went still as she chased that thought away. No, she couldn’t love him, or Morgan. Not yet. People don’t fall in love right away, it was something that happened slowly, over time. Especially not two men at once. She had only known them for less than a month for pity’s sake.
    It wasn’t proper.
    Her mother’s voice spoke up in her mind, scolding her for leading two men on and making a fool of herself. That hard voice berated her for letting them do all those things to her, things that good girls would never ever do. Even worse, she had loved those things and that just proved how much of a bad girl she was. Her father would be so disappointed in her. Being a good girl, a meek and quiet girl who did what she was told when she was told was the only thing she did better than Penny.
    Mrs. Delfin’s soft voice interrupted her dark thoughts. “Is something wrong, dear?”
    Realizing that her hands were barely moving, Violet felt a blush burn her cheeks. “No. I’m so sorry. I was woolgathering about—some guy I’m dating.” The last thing she wanted to do was tell Mrs. Delfin that she was in a relationship with two men who were both getting serious. All she needed to do was give the old woman a heart attack because of her hedonistic ways.
    Mrs. Delfin also deserved better than the half-assed massage she was giving her. Determined to focus on the present, she pushed her mother’s voice away and locked it out of her head. It was one thing to let that voice tear her to shreds when she was alone, but she wouldn’t let it hurt other people. It sounded slightly psychotic when she thought about it like that, but it was true.
    She worked her way up to Mrs. Delfin’s shoulder, soothing away a knot that had formed there. Mrs. Delfin had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and she refused to let her arthritis keep her from holding a baby. Violet could only wish that she would be surrounded by so much love someday, to have a family of her own.
    “You know,” Mrs. Delfin said with her eyes still closed, “it may surprise you, but I’ve learned a thing or two about men during my time on Earth. Where do you think all of my children came from?”
    Violet cleared her throat. “It’s kinda complicated.” She moved around to Mrs. Delfin’s other side.
    “When are affairs of the heart not?” She kept her eyes closed and sighed as Violet worked on a muscle. “I noticed you’re not as slouched as you used to be.”
    “What?”
    “Slouched, slumped, curled in on yourself.” The delicate muscles of Mrs. Delfin’s neck flexed and stretched beneath her fingertips. “You used to walk like you were trying to hide from someone, begging the world not to notice you. I knew your ex-fiancé wasn’t the right man for you when you continued to walk like that while you were with him.”
    Violet’s hands moved on autopilot, following the familiar path of muscle beginnings and nerve endings. Mrs. Delfin’s words struck her to the core. When she picked out clothes to wear it was always muted tones that covered her and assured that she would blend into the crowd. Certainly never clothes that would display her curves or call attention to her.
    In her teens she had bought one form-fitting shirt in a daring hot-pink color and endured her sister Penny’s hissing remarks about being a slut. She might have found the strength to continue to wear the shirt except her father had been very disappointed when he saw her and asked her to