Page 146 of The Havenport Collection

Callum

I got back from my parents amped up and feeling energized for the first time since I walked away from Violet. It would not be easy, but I would repair things between us. I just had to be honest and stop doubting myself.

I was pacing around my condo, trying to figure out what to do, when I wandered into the spare bedroom I used as a home office.

I hadn’t been in here in a while, mainly because I was haunted by memories of Violet riding me in my desk chair a few weeks back.

I flicked on the light and eyed the massive pile of Bankers boxes in the corner.

There were about a dozen boxes and a few milk crates filled with paperwork.

We had picked them up from Asshole Nick’s office a few weeks ago after Astrid made some significant legal threats. I hated that prick, and I just knew he was hiding something.

I was hit with another wave of guilt. I hadn’t even touched them.

I had been distracted by Becca’s wedding and then had spent the last two weeks wallowing in self-pity.

I had to return these to Violet. She would need them to prepare for her upcoming meeting with the bank.

My heart hurt. I wanted so badly to help her.

She was smart and so capable. I just wished she could see that.

I flipped the lights on and wandered over. Out of curiosity, I opened up the top box and started to flip through. It was filled with an assortment of paperwork. I sifted through, getting a feel for what was inside.

It’s not like I was able to sleep. I was too energized. I figured I might as well organize some things before I returned all this to Violet. I started to make piles, dividing by year and then by subject matter—tax statements, receipts for machinery, utility bills, all the expected stuff.

The more I read, the more my interest was piqued. There was a lot here that Violet needed.

I worked methodically for a couple of hours, reviewing, sorting, and building piles all over the room.

I got up to make some coffee. There was so much here. I grabbed my laptop off the kitchen island. I figured I could catalogue what I had found and scan the important documents.

As the hours passed, I found myself becoming more and more suspicious. Things just weren’t adding up. And where had some of these loans come from? Why were the interest rates so high?

I was not a forensic accountant, but I was a man on a mission. None of this passed the smell test, and I needed to figure it out. Violet was depending on me, and I wasn’t going to let her down.

I fell asleep face down in a pile of dusty paperwork and woke up a few hours later and dove back in.

I needed to show Violet how much I believed in her.

I needed to show her how much I supported her.

And right now, this seemed like my only viable option.

So I did what I did best—obsess. I combed through every receipt, every piece of paper.

I created new spreadsheets and new trackers.

I spent the entire day and night generating new statements, creating forecasts for the different areas of the business, and crunching the numbers on the possible expansion plans.

The good news was that Violet was in a much better position than we had previously thought.

The bad news was that there were missing funds and several questionable loans.

Declan came over to check on me as I had been ignoring his texts.

“What happened here?” he asked, holding a takeout bag from the diner that smelled heavenly. “I brought breakfast.”

I briefly explained what I had found so far, getting more and more excited. “Dec, I just have to get through everything and then I can get Violet what she needs to save the farm.”

Declan smiled at me, which was rare in itself, and carefully rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt. “I'll make the coffee.”

Another day came and went. Declan had stayed with me, helping sort papers and brewing endless pots of coffee.

He was the perfect companion for this type of work, quiet and focused.

I wanted to punch him while he snored on my couch, but I was grateful for the grumpy bastard.

Not only had he pushed me to try and fix things with Violet, he’d sat by my side and helped me with every painstaking detail of this mammoth task.

Astrid had come over last night and given me her thoughts on the legal issues.

At last, I had finally figured it all out.

Everything was organized, catalogued, and scanned.

I had triple-checked my new projections.

I was ready. She may hate me and never want to talk to me again, but at least I could sleep at night knowing I did everything in my power to help her. Because, if the last few days had taught me anything, it was that I loved Violet and wanted her to succeed, with or without me.

I pulled up to the farm the next day, desperate to talk to Violet.

I needed to tell her what I had discovered and explain everything.

And then, once we had dealt with the bank, I was going to beg and grovel for the rest of my life in hopes that she would forgive me.

I would explain that I had let my stupid insecurities get the better of me.

I would plead my case and beg for her if necessary.

I parked my car in the driveway, trying to figure out where Violet could be. I expected she was around here somewhere.

What I had not expected was to come face to face with the twins, who were kicking around a soccer ball on the lawn.

Things had been tense at our game last week, and I was grateful we only had two weeks left in the season.

I don’t know what Violet had told them, but I knew my actions had hurt them.

I just hoped I would have a chance to fix things.

I parked and jumped out of the car, eager to find Violet.

Both boys immediately walked over. But instead of being met with hugs and high fives as I usually was, I was met with a pair of stony glares.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“I need to talk to your mom.” I smiled, trying to defuse the tension between us.

“That’s not a good idea,” Henry said.

“You need to leave our mom alone. You made her really sad.”

“I’m sorry, guys. I was stupid. I want to talk to your mom about some important farm business, and I also want to apologize. I was wrong.”

“You were super wrong.”

“You’re a stupid poop head.”

Ouch, I deserved that.

“And you’re our coach so we won’t beat you up. But if you upset her again we will have to,” Sam said.

Henry nodded. “Mom taught us that violence is not the answer, but we talked about it, and you deserve to have your butt kicked.”

I tried to suppress a smirk.

“Auntie Yael has taught us a lot of stuff,” Henry said, glaring at me. “We can totally kick your butt.”

My heart broke for these amazing little people.

They had lost their dad, and now they were standing up to protect the most important person in their lives.

I respected the hell out of them in that moment and wanted to hug them and tell them I’d never hurt her again.

I wanted them to know that we were on the same team.

I also wanted to laugh a bit at the five-year-old tough guy routine, mainly because it was so damn cute.

Our standoff was interrupted by Mrs. Thompson who came out on the porch. “Boys,” she yelled, “do you want a snack?” She saw me and walked down toward us.

“Is Violet in her office? I need to speak to her about some farm business.” I held up the manilla envelope in my hand as if to show that I was telling the truth.

She eyed me suspiciously and ushered the boys into the house. “She’s in her office. She’s very busy right now.”

I nodded, grateful for the help. “Thank you. This won’t take long.”

I jogged over to the barn, grateful to get away from the kindergarten firing squad and nervous to see Violet. It had only been two weeks, but it felt like two years. I missed her so much.

I ran into the barn, taking the stairs two at a time.

I reached the landing and looked down below.

The old barn had been transformed. Every surface shone, and lights were wrapped around the wooden beams. A dance floor had been built in one corner, and rustic large tables were set up with artfully mismatched chairs.

It looked like something out of a magazine, and my heart swelled with pride.

Violet did this. She took on a new challenge and ran with it.

I knocked softly on her office door. “Violet.”

Seconds later the door opened, and my heart stopped. She stood there, in leggings and one of my old Dartmouth T-shirts, with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She looked tired and stressed, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and kiss away all her worries.

We stared at each other for a few seconds. “What do you want, Cal?” Her voice was rough with emotion. She was hurting as much as I was, and it damn near broke me.

I held up the envelope. “I brought you this. I went through all the records we got from Nick’s office.

Everything was wrong, Violet. All the spreadsheets, invoices, P she needed me to fix my own. And I would. Because she may not have realized it, but I was fighting for us, and I would never stop.