Free Wild Violet (The Vi Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 1) by Vivian Winslow Page B

anymore.
    “So I’m mistaken?”
    “No sorry, I was just thinking. Maybe . . . it’s a big class. You mean the one taught by Professor Gilbert?”
    “That’s the one. I thought it was you. Wait, turn around and look over there.” He points to the poster of Dolly Parton on the wall.
    Vi does as she’s told.
    “It is you. I recognize the back of your head.” He chuckles.
    “That’s utterly ridiculous,” she replies, trying not laugh.
    “No really. You got everyone’s attention when you and Prof. Gilbert had that argument about the source of the Bhagavad Gita and it being an allegory for the soul and stuff. You had some interesting things to say. Are you a Divinity major or something?”
    Vi shakes her head. “Math.”
    “You’re kidding?” He refills her glass when she points to it.
    Again she shakes her head. “Why is that funny?”
    “For starters, you are too much of a babe to be math-smart.”
    Vi’s left eyebrow goes up. As if she hasn’t heard that enough times. “You’re implying that attractive women can’t be competent in math?”
    His smile widens, and he surreptitiously takes a sip from a glass behind the bar. “From my experience, most women with brains try to hide behind their looks. I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s cool.”
    “And you?” Vi feels herself calming down. His knee-jerk reaction is yet another reason why she never enjoyed dating. Most men were either intimidated by her looks or her intelligence. She really couldn’t win, except with Andrés who seemed to like everything about her.
    Vi’s thoughts are suddenly interrupted when a microphone is shoved in front of her. “Do a duet with me.” The bartender winks, waving his own microphone at her.
    “No,” she mouths, not wanting to offend the other patrons.
    “Come on,” he urges. “Just one, and your next drink is free.”
    Vi looks down at her glass. “Tempting but . . . .”
    “Don’t think math-girl. Just sing.”
    The lines on the screen begin to scroll. “I’m not singing that. Do people even listen to ABBA anymore?”
    “Just do it.”
    The gay couple winks at her and helps her with the first few bars of the song. Before she knows it, the words come out despite her best efforts to resist.
    The bartender takes her hand at the end, and together they take a bow. “I’m Todd, by the way. What’s your name?”

Chapter 30
    “It’s about time you crawled out from whatever rock you’ve been under,” Dahlia yells over the din of the bar. “I was beginning to think you’d lost your edge.”
    “I didn’t realize I had an edge,” Vi replies, sipping her cocktail. “What does that even mean?”
    Dahlia ignores her question and winks at the beautiful light-skinned black bartender who had served them earlier.
    Because of the snowstorm the day the day before, Vi insisted that they stay in her neighborhood. Dahlia must’ve been desperate for company because she was already onto her second drink by the time Vi arrived.
    Dahlia looks around. “This place is cool. I almost couldn’t find it except for the large guy standing outside the door.”
    Vi nods. “I like it. Convenient too.”
    “So what gives?” Dahlia asks.
    “What do you mean?” Vi replies, trying to avoid the topic Dahlia is clearly hinting at.
    “How long have you lived here?”
    “A few months,” she says casually.
    Dahlia nods like a therapist. “You like it?” Apparently she’s going with the easy questions first.
    “Believe it or not, I do. It’s quite chill. It’s noisy as all hell, but I’ve gotten used to it. There’s something very real to it all, you know. Makes me think my shiny life in Gramercy Park was just a façade when the real City was down here.”
    “Oh, so what now? The rest of us are too fake for you? Is that why you haven’t wanted to hang out?”
    “Not at all, D,” Vi insists. “I’ve just been super busy. It’s my last year of school, so I’ve packed in a few extra classes this semester, and